The competition formed in 1999 following the decision of theIsrael Football Association to form a new league. It is also ranked 15th in theUEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years.[1]
The Israeli Premier League was founded in 1999 to replace its predecessorLiga Leumit (which became the second division) when theIsrael Football Association decided to reshuffle all the leagues in hopes of improving competition. In its first season there were 14 clubs; the top thirteen clubs from the 1998–99 season and the top place club from theLiga Artzit (then, the third division). That season three clubs were relegated and one from Liga Leumit was promoted.[citation needed]
There are 14 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-placed teams arerelegated toLiga Leumit while two highest-placed teams of Liga Leumit are promoted in their place. For the 2012–13 season the league was decreased from 16 to 14 clubs as a result of reforms passed by the IFA on 27 June 2011.[2]
The participating clubs first play a conventionalround-robin schedule for a total of 26 matches.
Following this, the top six teams play in a championship playoff, where they meet each other twice. Upon its conclusion, the first place team wins the Israeli championship and qualifies to participate in the second qualifying round of theUEFA Champions League. The runners-up and the third-placed teams qualify for the second qualifying round of theUEFA Europa Conference League.
If the State Cup winners are also one of the teams to finish in the league's top three places then the fourth-placed team will also play in UEFA Europa Conference League. In case the State Cup winners also win the Israeli Premier League then the second-placed league team will play in first qualifying round of theUEFA Europa League.
In addition, the bottom eight teams will play each other once to avoid two relegation spots.
A total of 31 clubs have played in the Israeli Premier League from its inception in 1999 and the start of the 2025–26 season. For a list of winners and runners-up of the Israeli Premier League since its inception, and top scorers for each season, seeList of Israeli football champions.
In recent years, the league has been sponsored. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:
1999–2002:Pelephone – a mobile phone company (Ligat Pelephone)[3]
2005–2010: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Toto)
2010–2016: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Winner)[4]
2016–2018: Toto Winner Organization – the Israeli Sports Betting Board (Ligat Ha'al)[5]
2018–2019: Japanika – Asian restaurant (Ligat Japanika)[6]
Teams are limited to Eight foreign players per team. Special circumstances such as Druze players from the Golan (no citizenship) or cases such as that ofToto Tamuz, do not count against the foreign player limit.In addition, players who play in the league for 6 consecutive years do not count against the foreign player limit. Also, Jewish players and players who are married to Israelis are exempt from these restrictions, as they are entitled to Israeli citizenship.
Israeli Premier League games are broadcast live onSport 1, Sport 1 HD, and Sport 2 channels, with the big match of the week which is reserved to be shown bySport 5 and Channel 1 HD network television. There is also a league review show on Saturday nights atSport 5 channel.
Abroad, rights to broadcasting inHebrew are owned byThe Israeli Network which broadcasts the matches in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Costa Rica and in Europe.
In the United Kingdom, William Hill broadcasts matches live with English commentary on their online television service, William Hill TV.
The rights of broadcasting on the radio belongs to Radio Tel Aviv since 2011, which broadcast alongside Radio Haifa, Radio Darom, Radio Galei Zahal and Radio Darom 101.5 in a show calledSaturday of Football which also broadcasts live on ONE TV channel.
When the Israeli Premier League became the top division of Israeli football in1999–2000, Liga Leumit became the second division. Since then, only six clubs have won the title; Hapoel Tel Aviv,Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem are sometimes referred to as the "Big Four" of Israeli football.[10]
Having won nine titles in the league's 23 seasons, the most successful club during this period is Maccabi Haifa; during the same period Maccabi Tel Aviv have added six to their total while Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv have won two championships each. Although Hapoel Tel Aviv have only finished top of the league twice since 1999—in 1999–2000 and ten years later in2009–10—they have won the double on both occasions. This achievement was matched by Beitar Jerusalem in2007–08.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona won their first championship during the2011–12 season, thereby becoming the firstnorthern title-winners. Maccabi Tel Aviv then won three titles in a row, including aTreble in2014–15.
Since the2015–16 season, the Big Four's dominance has been challenged byHapoel Be'er Sheva, winning 3 successive championships, they also finished runners up in the2021–22 and2024-25 seasons.
Notably, three of the big four teams all finished near or at the bottom of the table at some point. (Hapoel Tel Aviv has been the only one to be relegated so far)
TheAll-time Israeli Premier League table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has played in the Israeli Premier League since its inception in 1999. The table that follows is accurate as of the end of the2024–25 season. Teams in green are part of the2025–26 Israeli Premier League. Numbers inbold are the record (highest) numbers in each column.
^Maccabi Haifa's final match of the2000–01 season, at home against Maccabi Tel Aviv, was abandoned after 82 minutes with Maccabi Haifa 3–2 ahead when supporters attempted to invade the pitch, resulting in a crush which injured 41 people. Maccabi Tel Aviv were awarded a 2–0 victory.[11][12]