Israel

Organised football arrived in the territory during the British Mandate, with a federation founded in 1928, and the current Israeli league kicked off with independence in 1948. Expelled from Asian competitions in the 1970s for political reasons, Israel spent decades in sporting transit until being admitted to UEFA in 1994, joining European competitions. The league revolves around the triangle of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Beer Sheva, with Beitar Jerusalem as a turbulent fourth vertex, and the national team's finest hour remains the 1970 World Cup, their only appearance to date.