Across Israeli sport
Hapoel Tel Aviv confirm they will open new season in Sofia
The EuroCup winners and EuroLeague debutants say the security situation forces them to keep an activity base in Bulgaria, with a return home conditional on improvement: "At the moment — we will open the season in Sofia."
Noa Konfino named Maccabi Ashdod team manager ahead of top-flight return
The 27-year-old former statistics chief takes on the senior squad's day-to-day management as the newly promoted club prepares for the Winner League — reportedly as the only woman in the role in the league.
Sour finish in Ljubljana: Israel under-20s beaten by Lithuania in ninth-place game
Israel's reserve national team led at halftime but was outscored 30-18 in the third quarter, losing 95-79 to Lithuania and closing the FIBA U20 EuroBasket in 10th place — with top-division status already secured.
Ariel Atias, Israel's decathlon record-holder, retires at 27 to coach the next generation
The Israel Athletics Federation announced on Sunday that the country's finest combined-events athlete will end his 16-year career at Monday's Israeli Championships in Jerusalem, before joining the federation's Academy for Excellence coaching staff in September.
'He waited for my first mistake': Stav Lemkin looks back on a first season of two halves at Twente
Hauled off at half-time on his Eredivisie debut and frozen out by the coach who signed him, the Israel defender ended his first Dutch season as an automatic starter in a Twente side that clinched European football.
AEK Athens submit official offer for Hapoel Be'er Sheva star Kings Kangwa
The Greek club has formally bid for the Zambian midfielder who drove Be'er Sheva to the title, but the reported sum of over €2.5 million remains well short of the champions' asking price of more than €4 million.
Dolev Haziza expected to join Maccabi Netanya as gaps in talks narrow
The former Maccabi Haifa captain's agent met Netanya officials on Sunday, with the club reportedly hoping to complete the free-agent signing before Tuesday's traditional season-opening training session.
Kiryat Shmona confirm agreement to sell Cristian Martínez to Slovan Bratislava
The Panamanian midfielder, named Player of the Match against Croatia at the World Cup, travelled to Slovakia at the weekend to complete a three-year move to the Slovak champions; the fee has not been disclosed.
Israeli teenagers clock 2:15.00 to erase 35-year-old 1,000m relay record in Rieti
Nivi Seligmann, Roni Rabinovitz, Koral Tsimbalist and Hila Varsano took nearly five seconds off a national mark that had stood since 1991, closing Israel's European under-18 championships on a record even without a place in the final.
Israel's under-20s beat Croatia 36:31 to end a 21-year wait for a World Championship place
Trailing 14:17 at half-time in Cluj-Napoca, Israel's reserve team produced a 22:14 second half to take 15th place at the M20 EHF EURO — and with it a first junior World Championship qualification since 2005, with Guy Ran Arman scoring 11 and Loïc Bakasu Bibange 10.
Eli Ohana bids official farewell: "I have finished my path in football"
The 62-year-old Beitar Jerusalem great and 1988 Cup Winners' Cup winner has ruled out ever returning as a coach or executive, dismissing talk of leading Israel alongside Eyal Berkovic and confirming that broadcasting is now his only place in the game.
Datiashvili turns a race-one win into seventh at the ILCA 6 Youth Europeans
Gaya Datiashvili opened the European youth championship in Thessaloniki with a race win and recovered from a start disqualification to finish seventh among Europe's under-19 girls, the best result in a 12-strong Israeli team.
Gadrani doubtful for Larnaca as contract standoff with Beitar Jerusalem sharpens
Beitar's Georgian centre-back is a fitness doubt for Thursday's Conference League opener against AEK Larnaca while pressing for a raise of at least 50 per cent — with the club and player reportedly hundreds of thousands of euros apart, yet both minded to strike a deal this week.
Belaga makes history with a triple-double as Israel U20s rout Latvia 96–74
A 16-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound night from the captain and a 26–9 second quarter carried Israel into the ninth-place game against Lithuania at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket.
Tzur saves three in shootout as Hapoel Tel Aviv oust Beitar after 2–2 thriller
Daniel Dappa's 96th-minute equaliser cancelled out Shon Weissman's debut penalty, and Assaf Tzur saved three spot-kicks in a 3–1 shootout win that sent Hapoel Tel Aviv — not Beitar — into the Toto Cup semi-finals.
Maccabi Tel Aviv backer's sponsorship of referees' body ignites integrity row
A three-season sponsorship of the Israeli referees' association by Micky Koppel's company — a long-time Maccabi Tel Aviv sponsor whose owner is a self-declared devoted fan of the club — has drawn fan criticism, forcing the association to defend the deal as non-exclusive and precedented.
Maccabi Haifa Land Brazilian Defender Wenderson Tsunami on a Free Transfer
The Greens completed the deal on Sunday: after passing his medical, the 30-year-old former Levski Sofia captain formally signed a two-year contract, saying he is excited to join and looking forward to playing in front of the green fans.
Maccabi Haifa agree permanent sale of Show to Kocaelispor
The Angolan midfielder's two-year detour through Haifa ends with a 500,000 euro move to the Turkish top flight, where a season on loan turned him into a first-team fixture.
Some results never stop moving.
Helsinki, 19 July 1952: the day Israel walked into the Olympic movement
Seventy-four years ago today, a 25-strong delegation marched behind the blue-and-white flag at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Israel's first Olympic Games won no medals — but the debut itself was a quiet act of international recognition for a four-year-old state.
More days from Israeli sporting history
Fifty years on: Montreal 1976, the black ribbon and Israel's first Olympic finalist
The Games that opened on 17 July 1976 asked Israel's athletes simply to show up four years after Munich. Esther Roth-Shahamorov answered by racing into an Olympic final — and resetting what Israeli sport thought it was for.
2018–19: the two summers that changed Israeli youth basketball
Israel's first FIBA title in Chemnitz was followed by a home defence in Tel Aviv, turning a breakthrough generation into the benchmark for every U20 team that followed.
July 16, 2001: the Maccabiah that opened against the odds
Security fears, a reduced field and the memory of the 1997 bridge disaster shadowed the 16th Maccabiah, yet more than 2,000 athletes still marched into Teddy Stadium.
The Daily Five
Five verified questions from a wild Saturday: a ten-goal bronze final, a shootout in Netanya, a record-breaking triple-double and Maccabi Haifa's busy window.
What was the final score of the World Cup third-place match between England and France?
Arguments worth having
Tactical context, sharp arguments and the Israeli angle behind the day’s biggest decisions.
Israel's second basketball wave is real — and ninth place is still ninth place
Saraf, Wolf and Sharp closed a Summer League fortnight inside NBA organisations while the U20s turned a Greece collapse into consecutive routs. Today's ninth-place game against Lithuania measures neither medals nor mock drafts, but the floor of a system.
Read column 02Israeli FootballIsraeli football has learned how to sell — now the fees have to become real
A goalkeeper bought for a reported €100,000 heading out at a reported €3m, a confirmed €1.6m record in Jerusalem, a champion keeper coming home for small change: this summer's trading looks like strategy. Whether it is a model depends on what is confirmed — and repeated.
Read column 03Israeli BasketballIsrael U20s answered a survival game with grown-up control
The 84–59 score mattered because it preserved Division A status; the way Israel built it showed how quickly a youth team can reset its identity after elimination.
Read columnThe world’s biggest games
World Cup, NBA, Olympics, tennis, cycling and the stories that stop the sporting world.
Kings of the world: Ferran Torres strikes in extra time as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 World Cup
The European champions suffocated Lionel Messi's Argentina at MetLife Stadium, survived Emiliano Martinez's record 11 saves and a disallowed goal, and won their second World Cup through Ferran Torres' 106th-minute volley — while more than 10,000 Israelis watched together at Menora Mivtachim Hall in Tel Aviv.
Evenepoel conquers the Solaison as Vingegaard crashes out of the Tour
Remco Evenepoel outkicked Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro on the Plateau de Solaison for his first road-stage win at the Tour de France, on an afternoon overshadowed by Jonas Vingegaard's crash and first career Grand Tour abandonment.
Josh Kerr shatters athletics' oldest track record with 3:42.66 mile in London
The Scot took nearly half a second off Hicham El Guerrouj's 3:43.13, a mark that had stood since Rome in 1999, in front of 60,000 at the London Diamond League.
England win a ten-goal epic 6-4 as Saka hat-trick claims World Cup bronze
Bukayo Saka's hat-trick and a stoppage-time Jude Bellingham goal crowned one of the wildest matches in World Cup history in Miami Gardens, while Kylian Mbappé's brace carried him past Lionel Messi as the tournament's all-time record scorer.
Chelsea agree £117m Morgan Rogers deal to make him Britain's costliest player
Aston Villa have accepted a bid worth £117m for the England forward, per David Ornstein of The Athletic, with a medical set for Monday and a six-year contract to 2032 awaiting signature.
Szoboszlai Commits His Prime to Liverpool With New Contract Until 2031
The Hungary captain and reigning Player of the Season has signed a five-year extension at Anfield, ending months of negotiations three years before his previous deal was due to expire.
US analysts warn Portland's Morant gamble could squeeze Deni Avdija's breakout role
Portland-focused analysis argues the Trail Blazers have crowded their backcourt instead of building around their first-time All-Star, with Ja Morant's arrival threatening the on-ball role that fuelled Avdija's career year.
Spanish media tip Israel's Orian Goren, 17, as cover for injured De Jong at Barcelona
Mundo Deportivo is reported to rank the 17-year-old La Masia midfielder among Hansi Flick's internal options while Frenkie de Jong faces months out with a knee injury sustained at the World Cup.
Liam Hermesh Agrees Move to Austrian Bundesliga Side Grazer AK
Out of contract at Maccabi Haifa and fresh from a Moldovan Cup-winning loan at Sheriff Tiraspol, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder is set to join GAK on a free transfer, with an unveiling expected within days.
France's World Cup Replay Petition Passes 50,000 Signatures as FIFA Backs Referee
Fans claim Lamine Yamal handled the ball before the penalty that set Spain's 2-0 semi-final win in motion, but no formal French protest has been lodged and FIFA insists Iván Barton's appointment was fully justified.
Lisav Eissat forced off eight minutes into his Bristol City debut
The Maccabi Haifa academy graduate's first outing for his new club ended almost as soon as it began, cut short by an injury in a pre-season friendly against Stockport County in Spain, with early indications from Israeli reports that it is not serious.
World Cup winners to receive rings in FIFA first
Argentina or Spain will leave Sunday's final with the trophy and medals plus 30 personalised championship rings, while 1,996 licensed editions will be offered to supporters.
Giannis presents Miami move as his clearest route back to the title
The two-time MVP appeared at Kaseya Center in No. 7, setting a championship standard for a Heat roster rebuilt around him and Bam Adebayo.
NBA examines Trent’s reported $64m Bucks contract
The league is reviewing the circumstances around Milwaukee’s four-year agreement with Gary Trent Jr.; no breach has been established and the deal remains in place.
Vinčić handed whistle for Argentina–Spain World Cup final
The Slovenian official who controlled the 2024 Champions League final will lead a five-man on-field crew at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
Wildfire smoke clouds Spain training, but final outlook improves
Spain prepared for Sunday’s World Cup final under heavy haze in northern New Jersey, although the smoke is expected to clear before the 3pm kickoff against Argentina.
Trump to attend Argentina–Spain World Cup final
The US president will be at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday as the host nation’s federal operation converges on the tournament’s 104th and final match.
Boavista ordered to cease activity as insolvency closes the Bessa
The 2001 Portuguese champions must vacate their stadium by 31 July after missing a monthly creditor payment, the latest step in a collapse split across club and football company.
Fenerbahçe turn Marcus Bingham’s breakout year into a two-season bet
The former Hapoel big man has converted an outstanding VTB League campaign with UNICS Kazan into a EuroLeague contract built around length, mobility and defensive range.
Stiles inquest finds heading-linked CTE contributed to his death
A coroner found the England champion had severe dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease and CTE, with repeated heading responsible for the CTE.
World Cup final seats reach $8,680 in Spain's allocation
Official prices expose a dramatic split between a tightly limited $60 supporter tier and the four-figure cost of most federation-allocation seats for Argentina against Spain.
Spa opens a new phase in Antonelli–Russell title fight
The Belgian Grand Prix begins on Friday with Mercedes' drivers separated by 25 points and Ferrari arriving after winning two of the last three races.
Messi takes Golden Boot lead without scoring after two-assist semi-final
Argentina's captain and Kylian Mbappé remain level on eight goals, but Messi's four assists now give him the first tiebreak with one match left for each player.
UK seeks FIFA probe as Milei backs Argentina's Falklands banner
Britain has asked football's governing body to investigate the champions' post-semi-final display, while Argentina's president called the players' message understandable but separated it from diplomacy.
Barça sign former Maccabi centre Josh Nebo through 2029
The EuroLeague rebounding specialist returns to Spain's title race after a trophy-laden finish in Milan, carrying a game shaped by his breakthrough seasons in Israel.
Argentina stun England with two late goals to reach World Cup final
Enzo Fernández cancelled out Anthony Gordon’s opener before Lautaro Martínez headed a 92nd-minute winner, sending the holders into Sunday’s final against Spain.
Žalgiris bring Valančiūnas home after 14 NBA seasons
The 34-year-old centre returns to Lithuanian club basketball for the first time since 2012, giving the EuroLeague side an imposing low-post and rebounding anchor.
Wærenskjold wins the fastest stage in Tour de France history
The Uno-X rider took the Nevers sprint after 161.3 kilometres at an average 50.91 km/h, eclipsing a record that had stood since Mario Cipollini’s 1999 victory.
World Cup final halftime reportedly set to stretch towards 30 minutes
The planned 11-minute performance would require a substantially longer interval than the 15-minute maximum in Law 7, although FIFA has not publicly confirmed the final restart timetable.
Silver sets summer target as Leonard’s Toronto return remains frozen
The proposed Raptors–Clippers blockbuster is still uncompleted while an external investigation examines whether Leonard’s endorsement arrangement breached salary-cap rules.
Spain shut out France to reach the World Cup final
Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty and Pedro Porro’s second-half finish delivered a 2–0 semi-final victory and took Spain to the biggest match in international football.
Manchester United sign Tielemans through 2031
United have officially added Belgium captain Youri Tielemans after his Europa League-winning season at Aston Villa, signing the midfielder through June 2031.
Pogačar breaks open the Tour on Bastille Day as lead reaches 3:36
A decisive attack on the Col de Pertus carried the yellow jersey to a third stage win of the 2026 Tour and put Jonas Vingegaard more than three and a half minutes behind.
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