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Football (kaduregel) is Israel's most-followed sport. The top tier "Ligat HaAl" runs with 14 teams; below sit Liga Leumit and Liga Aleph. Three historical "tribes" structure fan loyalties: Hapoel (labor/Histadrut origin, red), Maccabi (Zionist/middle-class origin, yellow-blue), Beitar (Revisionist/right-wing origin, yellow-black). The national team competes in UEFA. Standout clubs: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Beitar Yerushalayim, Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Cultural note, Asking "what team do you support" reveals as much about an Israeli as their voting pattern. Beitar Yerushalayim's "La Familia" fans are notoriously right-wing (anti-Arab chants are an ongoing scandal). Hapoel fans tend left, secular, urban. Maccabi straddles. The Tel Aviv derby (Maccabi vs Hapoel TLV) is one of the world's oldest. Stadiums: Bloomfield (Tel Aviv), Sammy Ofer (Haifa), Teddy (Jerusalem). Most matches Friday afternoon (because Shabbat).
Football Basics
Leagues & Cups
Maccabi Clubs
Hapoel Clubs
Beitar & Other
Tel Aviv Derby Conversation
Two coworkers discuss the upcoming Maccabi-Hapoel Tel Aviv derby.