In June 2023, a group of young Israeli footballers achieved something extraordinary. Israel's Under-20 side stunned Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals before finishing third overall, a result so unlikely that journalist Ido Rakovsky, who covered the team for Haaretz, compared it to reporting on science fiction rather than sport. The run captivated the nation; the semi-final against Uruguay drew a 23% television viewing share, and politicians rushed to praise the players.
The achievement carried significance beyond the scoreline. After a stoppage-time winner against Uzbekistan, Israeli-Arab forward Anan Khalaili thanked fans using the Hebrew phrase "Am Yisrael" — People of Israel — a moment Rakovsky says spoke volumes about the squad's identity. "That team made real the claim that football can really bring people together," he said, describing how Muslim players represented the Jewish state alongside their Jewish teammates.
The generation's talent was not a one-off. The same core group had reached the final of the 2022 Under-19 Euros, losing to England in extra time, and later made the semi-finals of the Under-20 Euros. Several have since moved to prominent European clubs: Khalaili joined Crystal Palace after a deal with Inter Milan collapsed, Oscar Gloukh plays for Ajax, Roy Revivo signed for Elche, and others have found footing in Spain, England and Major League Soccer. Coach Ofir Haim, who guided the age-grade squad, described a dressing room where Jewish players wearing tefillin and Muslim teammates performing daily prayers coexisted without friction. "We don't have any problem with religion," he said, adding that he wished the wider country reflected that same unity.
That optimism was tested just months later. On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched an attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, prompting a large-scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.
Since then, tensions within Israeli football have intensified. Matan Segal, former head of anti-discrimination initiative Kick It Out Israel, said racist abuse directed at Arab players — always present in some form — grew more widespread and severe after the attack, fueled partly by online radicalization during the Covid pandemic and the rise of a far-right government in late 2022. "After 7 October though, we saw an increase in racist remarks," Segal said, describing chants calling for violence against Arabs appearing even at clubs where such abuse had been rare.
Players with connections to both communities have faced difficult personal circumstances. Gloukh lost a close friend, Afik Tery, who was killed while serving in the Israeli military, and faced online hostility after posting a tribute. Meanwhile, midfielder Dia Saba's career in Israel effectively ended after his wife posted a message on social media acknowledging suffering in Gaza; he ultimately left Maccabi Haifa for Turkish club Amedspor. Former Israel Under-21 captain Ataa Jaber switched allegiance to Palestine in 2023, citing witnessing the eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem.
Despite these fractures, some remain hopeful football can serve as a bridge. Former Brighton and Celtic midfielder Beram Kayal, now working with young Palestinian-Israeli talent for the Israeli Football Association, described his friendship with former teammate Tomer Hemed — one Muslim, one Jewish — as proof that religious and cultural differences dissolve on the pitch. "He was my team-mate and he is my brother," Kayal said.
Dr Sophia Solomon of Ben-Gurion University's Center for Sports Diplomacy suggested Israeli society, including its footballers, may need years before it can openly process the war's impact. Under new senior head coach Ran Ben-Shimon, Israel is aiming to qualify for Euro 2028, a tournament that will bring further scrutiny, including planned protests in Dublin, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Historian Dr Omer Einav remains cautiously hopeful that football can still offer a version of unity Israeli society struggles to find elsewhere. "There was something there, something new," he said, "but it was before our world changed and collapsed." Whether that golden generation can recapture the promise of 2023 remains uncertain.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.