Founded | 1955 1999 (as 2nd tier) | (as 1st tier)
---|---|
Country | Israel |
Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
Number of teams | 16 |
Level on pyramid | 2 (1999–present) 1 (1955–1999) |
Promotion to | Premier League |
Relegation to | Liga Alef |
Domestic cup(s) | State Cup Toto Cup (Leumit) |
Current champions | Maccabi Petah Tikva (3rd title) (2022–23) |
TV partners | Sport 5 |
Website | football |
Current: 2023–24 Liga Leumit |
Liga Leumit (Hebrew: ליגה לאומית; lit. 'National League') is the second division of the Israeli association football (soccer) league system, and below the latter's Israeli Premier League.
Structure
There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Liga Alef while the two highest-placed teams from Liga Alef are promoted in their place. The two highest-placed Liga Leumit teams are promoted to the Israeli Premier League while the bottom two teams from Israeli Premier League are relegated in their place.
The participating clubs were first play a conventional round-robin schedule for a total of 30 matches, with all points accumulated by the clubs are halved.
Following this, the top eight teams will first play in a promotion playoff. To determine the promoted teams. and the eight clubs play a single round-robin schedule.
The Israeli State Cup winners qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
In addition, the bottom eight teams play out to avoid two relegation spots.
Broadcast rights
Television
Since the 2010–11 season, one match is broadcast live on Sport +5 LIVE channel on Friday or Saturday afternoons. The rest have no TV coverage.
History
Liga Leumit came into existence at the start of the 1955–56 season, replacing Liga Alef as the top division in Israeli football. However, it was usurped as the top flight in the 1999–2000 season, when it was replaced by the Premier League. Since then it has operated as the second tier in the Israeli football league system.
Current Liga Leumit clubs
The following clubs are participating in the 2022–23 season:
Past seasons champions
- In bold team that won the Championship
Record of finishing positions of clubs in the Liga Leumit
Table correct as at the end of the 2022–23 Israeli Liga Leumit season.
Club | Best result | S | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 | 06–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 | 09–10 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 1st (x1) | 21 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 15 | |||
Hapoel Rishon LeZion | 2nd (x1) | 17 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 12 | |||||||
Maccabi Herzliya | 1st (x1) | 16 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 15 | ||||||||
Hapoel Ramat Gan | 1st (x1) | 17 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 9 | |||||||
Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon | 1st (x1) | 16 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 11 | ||||||||
Hapoel Nof HaGalil | 1st (x1) | 17 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 14 | |||||||
Hapoel Jerusalem | 2nd (x1) | 15 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 2 | |||||||||
Hapoel Bnei Lod | 2nd (x1) | 14 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 15 | ||||||||||
Hapoel Kfar Saba | 1st (x3) | 14 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||
Hapoel Ra'anana | 2nd (x1) | 13 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||||
Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | 1st (x1) | 13 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 16 | |||||||||||
Beitar Tel Aviv | 3rd (x1) | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 16 | |||||||||||
Hapoel Petah Tikva | 2nd (x3) | 11 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||||||
Hapoel Ironi Acre | 2nd (x2) | 11 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 5 | |||||||||||||
Hapoel Ashkelon | 2nd (x2) | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||||||
Hapoel Afula | 4th (x1) | 10 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
Sektzia Nes Tziona | 2nd (x2) | 7 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Kiryat Gat | 2nd (x2) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Bnei Sakhnin | 2nd (x3) | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 1st (x1) | 6 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Haifa | 1st (x2) | 6 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem | 4th (x3) | 6 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Tzafririm Holon | 1st (x1) | 5 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||
Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 1st (x2) | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Beitar Be'er Sheva | 3rd (x1) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Be'er Sheva | 12th (x1) | 4 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Yavne | 8th (x1) | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bnei Yehuda | 1st (x1) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Netanya | 1st (x2) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Beit She'an | 6th (x1) | 3 | 8 | 6 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam | 6th (x1) | 3 | 6 | 13 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||
F.C. Kafr Qasim | 3rd (x1) | 4 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Umm al-Fahm | 4th (x1) | 4 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Marmorek | 12th (x1) | 3 | 16 | 12 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | 10th (x1) | 3 | 10 | 12 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Petah Tikva | 1st (x3) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata | 11th (x1) | 2 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Kafr Kanna | 5th (x1) | 2 | 5 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ahva Arraba | 9th (x1) | 2 | 9 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Herzliya | 7th (x1) | 2 | 7 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ironi Nesher | 12th (x1) | 2 | 12 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Iksal | 8th (x1) | 2 | 16 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Acre | 3rd (x1) | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Tel Aviv | 1st (x1) | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
F.C Ashdod | 1st (x1) | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Hadera | 2nd (x1) | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Ironi Jatt Al-Ahli | 15th (x1) | 1 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ironi Tiberias | 3rd (x1) | 2 | 15 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Sha'arayim | 16th (x1) | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Kfar Shalem | 16th (x1) | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Bnei Reineh | 1st (x1) | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hapoel Ashdod | 4th (x1) | 2 | 4 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa | 6th (x1) | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
External links
- Israel Football Association
- Liga Leumit Soccerway