The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate. Israel has competed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in three different confederations, competing in the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation before settling in Europe as a member of the Union of European Football Associations in 1994.
The Israeli side qualified for their only FIFA World Cup to date in 1970. Israel also hosted and won the Asian Cup in 1964 and was finalist in 1956 and 1960.
Football has a long and rich tradition in Israel. The game was originally introduced during the time of the Ottoman Empire monarchy. The Palestine/Eretz Yisrael FA was formed in 1928 and joined FIFA in the same year, but at the time the association was made up of Arab clubs, Jewish clubs and clubs representing British policemen or soldiers serving in the region during the British Mandate rule that spanned the period between World War One and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Palestine/Eretz Yisrael national team made its debut against Egypt in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing 1:7 in Cairo. The team played five international matches, including a friendly match against Lebanon, until the British mandate for Palestine was dissolved.
Upon the creation of the State of Israel in May 1948, the IFA became the official association of the new state. The Israel national team's first match as an independent nation was on September 26, 1948, against the United States. The game was won by the USA 1–3, and in the 20th minute of the game Shmuel Ben-Dror scored the first goal after the creation of the State of Israel.
