View our top tips for foreigners how to go to a stadium and watch a live football game in person in Israel - the perfect tourism activity for any sports fan.
How Many Football Clubs are there in Israel
There are 234 football clubs in Israel with 14 of the best clubs playing in the Israel Premier League - the highest division in the country. Overall there are five levels with a total of 16 divisions.
Israel's Most Successful Football Club
Maccabi Tel Aviv are Israel's most successful club in terms of titles won. There are clubs located throughout the country, in Jerusalem we recommend trying to see a Beitar Jerusalem Football Club game, whilst in Tel Aviv you could get tickets for Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, both are two of the best teams in the country.
Biggest Football Stadium in Israel
The Teddy Stadium located in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem is the largest in Israel with a capacity of 34,000. Three football teams currently use the stadium: Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Jerusalem, and the Israel national football team for select home matches. This is one of the best stadiums in the country to try to see a live game as a foreinger. The atmosphere in and around the stadium on match days is special.
Watching a Live Game During Covid-19
Masks, social distance, respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene are now all part of the process of going to see a live game. And also tests and tests again! The new rules and regulations that have reigned in the world since the first months of 2020 have directly affected football as well.
During the start of the Covid-19 pandemic stadiums in Israel, many of which previously held tens of thousands of spectators, suddenly turned into deserted places, completely devoid of supporters due to lockdowns and health restrictions. Initially, football matches were stopped altogether, but then they gradually reopened stadiums. Initially when this happened, fans were not allowed into the stands, but then restrictions were slightly relaxed, and a small number of people began to be allowed in.
All the rules and requirements were aimed at one thing - an effective fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which strangled the entire usual life of mankind and directly affected millions of football fans all over the world.
Today, a picture of crowded stands or the embrace of fans unknown to each other seems to be some kind of alternative reality. Something incredible and almost fantastic and watching a live game in Israel is something special. Locals are really passionate about football.
But this is not the case everywhere - for example, certainly not in Israel, where the vaccination process is the most advanced and widespread. Already more than 80 percent of the population (over 16 years old) received at least one dose of the vaccine, about 55% - two doses. In a country whose population is almost equal to that of Portugal, but the population density is four times higher, the number of new cases is single, and on April 23, for the first time in ten months, not a single death from coronavirus was recorded.
What's going on in football? Here, too, normal life is gradually returning. After a year of absence of the public in the stands, in March the stadiums became accessible again, albeit with some restrictions. However, every day the limits are getting smaller, and there is a hope that soon they will finally fall.
If you are planning to visit Israel, watching a live game really is something you must try to do. You can book the whole experience yourself or you can also find tours of Israel which include these types of activities in the packages.
Have you ever been to see a football game in Israel? Got any tips or advice to share? Let us know in the comments section below.
