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Israel sports

Foreign players and league structure reforms approved across Israeli soccer

The reform expands the foreign player quota in the Israeli Premier League and restructures the domestic league system.

|ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
THE LANDSCAPE of Israeli soccer could change drastically with the various changes that were approved by the Israel Football Association this week.
OREN SAHAR took a lead role over Israel's last few games at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup, scoring a team-high 21 points in the blue-and-white's 79-68 victory over Switzerland to clinch a seventh-place finish

Blue-and-white closes strong with 7th place at U19 World Cup

The Israel Under-19 National Team wrapped up a historic run at the FIBA U19 World Cup with a 79-68 win over host nation Switzerland, clinching seventh place.

|ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
MAYA ZILBERSHLAG and the Israel Under-18 Women’s National Team have high hopes despite a tough group at the European Championship in La Palma, Spain

Israel's basketball star Maya Zilbershlag embraces challenge at U18 Euros tournament

Maya Zilbershlag has been listed on FIBA’s website as one of the “10 Players to Watch” and led Israel with 16 points in the opening loss to France.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MIKA BUCHNIK returns a shot to China’s Rueien Zhang during the 18-year-old Israeli’s 7-5, 7-6(6) loss over the weekend in the Wimbledon Juniors tournament.

Israeli tennis teen star Mika Buchnik bows out at Wimbledon

She was on Court 5 of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, trailing badly in a first-round Wimbledon Girls’ Singles match. Still, she wanted to capture the moment.

|ByMICHAEL J. LEWIS

Yaron Goldman and Israel’s Under-19 hoopsters stand tall in Switzerland - interview

“First of all, during a time like this, there’s even more pride and a sense of responsibility, especially since this is a World Championship,” Goldman said.

JUNE 30, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
YARON GOLDMAN, one of Israel’s rising stars, is poised to be one of the leaders of the U19 national team in its historic World Cup debut in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Saraf and Wolf make history as Israeli back-to-back first-round picks by Nets

Brooklyn’s bold rebuild sets up first Israeli teammates in NBA history, on a franchise and city rich in Jewish culture.

JUNE 26, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Ben Saraf (left) and Danny Wolf (right) are slated to become the first Israeli teammates in the NBA.

Israel U19 basketball team heads to FIBA World Championship in Europe

Israel’s U19 basketball team overcomes hurdles to compete in the FIBA World Championship this June.

JUNE 23, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
ISRAEL’S UNDER-18 National Team poses after its fourth-place finish at the 2024 EuroBasket clinched the country a spot in this year’s Under-18 World Championship.

Israel basketball league admin. ends 2024/25 season without champion

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem were tied 1-1 in the best-of-three finals when Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran, initiating the current war.

JUNE 17, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
HAPOEL JERUSALEM (red) and Maccabi Tel Aviv were locked in a tight best-of-three finals, but the league opted to end the season with the series tied 1-1 due to the war.

Time out: Israeli athletes, sports in limbo

The country declared a state of emergency, closing skies for air travel, affecting Israel’s top athletes and sports teams for upcoming competitions.

JUNE 17, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
ISRAELI JUDOKA Raz Hershko – a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympics – is unable to get to the World Championships in Budapest this week to compete.

Maccabiah Games postponed to 2026 in shadow of Israel's war with Iran

The 2025 Maccabiah Games, set for July, have been postponed until 2026 due to escalating security risks in Israel.

JUNE 16, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
THEN US PRESIDENT Joe Biden poses with athletes at the opening ceremony of the 21st Maccabiah in Jerusalem in July 2022. On Monday, this year's edition of the Games was officially postponed until next summer due to the war with Iran.

The games must not go on: Iran attacks halt Israeli basketball finals, other sports

Celebrations quickly gave way to anxiety as sirens echoed across central Israel and the specter of war overshadowed the sports world.

JUNE 16, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
YAD ELIYAHU sits empty as the Israel basketball league finals remain on hold amid escalating tensions with Iran. The decisive Game 3 between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem has been indefinitely postponed due to security concerns

Rishon Lezion earns promotion as Leumit League champion

Rishon will return to the Premier League after three years in the Leumit League, and many of the players will follow the club up to the top division, while Drucker is expected to be back as well.

JUNE 12, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI RISHON LEZION celebrates after defeating Hapoel Eilat in Game 5 of the Leumit League final to capture the title.

Tamir Blatt delivers in crunch time for Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Tamir Blatt scored the final nine points for his team in a 91-88 victory on their home court at Yad Eliyahu.

JUNE 11, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV’S veteran guard Tamir Blatt scored the yellow-and-blue’s last nine points in the narrow 91-88 Game 1 finals victory over Hapoel Jerusalem.

Israel beats Slovakia 1-0 in friendly match

The blue-and-white had previously defeated Estonia 3-1, improving their 2026 World Cup qualifying record to two wins and one loss in three matches.

JUNE 11, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
THE INTERNATIONAL friendly between Israel and Slovakia on Tuesday night – won 1-0 by the blue-and-white – was played at an empty Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, due to security concerns.

Maccabi Tel Aviv takes tight opener over Hapoel Jerusalem

Team effort powers yellow-and-blue’s comeback • Reds eye adjustments in best-of-3 finals

JUNE 11, 2025ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
ROMAN SORKIN (left) and Maccabi Tel Aviv battled back from a double-digit deficit in Game 1 of the finals again Austin Wiley (right) and Hapoel Jerusalem, claiming a 91-88 win with Game 2 of the best-of-three series slated for the capital on Thursday.