The Israeli Liga Leumit (Hebrew: הליגה הלאומית, HaLiga HaLeumit, lit. 'National League') is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League.
 | |
| Founded | 1955 (as 1st tier) 1999 (as 2nd 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 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona (3rd title) (2023–24) |
| TV partners | Sport 5 |
| Website | official website |
| Current: 2024–25 Liga Leumit | |
Structure
editThere 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
editTelevision
editSince the 2010–11 season, one match is broadcast live on Sport +5 LIVE channel on Friday or Saturday afternoons.[citation needed]
History
editLiga 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
editThe following clubs are participating in the 2024–25 season:
Past seasons champions
edit- In bold team that won the Championship
Record of finishing positions of clubs in the Liga Leumit
editTable correct as at the end of the 2023–24 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 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 19 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 13 | ||||||||
| Maccabi Herzliya | 1st (x1) | 18 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 7 | |||||||||
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | 1st (x1) | 19 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 11 | ||||||||
| Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon | 1st (x1) | 18 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 6 | |||||||||
| Hapoel Nof HaGalil | 1st (x1) | 19 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 4 | ||||||||
| 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) | 16 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | |||||||||||
| Hapoel Ra'anana | 2nd (x1) | 14 | 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) | 12 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Ironi Acre | 2nd (x2) | 13 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Ashkelon | 2nd (x2) | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Afula | 4th (x1) | 12 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Sektzia Nes Tziona | 2nd (x2) | 8 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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 (x3) | 6 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 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) | 6 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Umm al-Fahm | 4th (x1) | 6 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | 2 | 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 | 2nd (x1) | 3 | 15 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maccabi Sha'arayim | 16th (x1) | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Kfar Shalem | 16th (x1) | 2 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maccabi Bnei Reineh | 1st (x1) | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Ashdod | 4th (x1) | 2 | 4 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa | 5th (x1) | 3 | 6 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ihud Bney Shfaram | 16th (x1) | 1 | 16 |
References
editExternal links
edit- Israel Football Association
- Liga Leumit Soccerway