Liga Leumit (basketball) explained

Liga Leumit (he|ליגה לאומית, lit. National League) is the second tier level league of basketball competition in Israel. It is the league level that is below the first tier Israeli Premier League.

League system

The league contains 15 clubs that compete in a home-and-away round-robin. At the end of the season, the top eight clubs advance to the play-offs. The first round is played on a best-of-three basis. The four winning clubs advance to two best-of-five playoffs, the winners of which are promoted to the Premier League.

The two teams that finish at the bottom of the table are relegated to Liga Artzit.

Current teams

Team	City	Arena	Capacity
		Kiryat Yearim Hall	900
			3,000
			1,000
Elitzur Shomron			1,000
			2,250
			1,500
		HaPais Hall Safed	498
		Ein Sara Sport Hall	2,500
		Metro West	1,668
		Bikorim Hall	400
		HaPais Hall	400
		Barzilai Sports-Center	700
		Beit Maccabi Rishon	2,500

Promotion and relegation

Season	Premier League		Liga Artzit
	Promoted to	Relegated from	Promoted from	Relegated to
2023–24	Elitzur Netanya Hapoel Gilboa Galil	Hapoel Eilat	Hapoel Migdal/Jezreel Elitzur Yavne	Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Ma'ale Adumim
2022–23	Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan Hapoel Afula	Hapoel Gilboa Galil	F.C. Safed Hapoel Bnei Kafr Qasim	Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim Hapoel Hevel Modi'in
2021–22	Elitzur Kiryat Ata	Maccabi Rishon LeZion	Elitzur Shomron Maccabi Rehovot	Maccabi Ashdod Hapoel Migdal HaEmek/Jezreel Maccabi Hod HaSharon
2020–21	Hapoel Galil Elyon [1]	Ironi Nahariya Maccabi Haifa	Hapoel Migdal/Jezreel Maccabi Ma'ale Adumim	Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin Hapoel Acre/Mateh Asher Elitzur Yavne
2019–20	Bnei Herzliya Hapoel Haifa[2]	Maccabi Ashdod	Hapoel Acre/Mateh Asher Ironi Ramat Gan[3]	None[4]
2018–19	Maccabi Haifa	Bnei Herzliya	A.S. Ramat HaSharon Hapoel Hevel Modi'in	Hapoel Kfar Saba Maccabi Rehovot
2017–18	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	Maccabi Haifa	Elitzur Netanya Elitzur Eito Ashkelon	Hapoel Migdal Haemek Hapoel Haifa[5]
2016–17	Ironi Nes Ziona	Maccabi Kiryat Gat	Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin Elitzur Yavne	A.S. Ramat HaSharon Ironi Ramat Gan
2015–16	Hapoel Gilboa Galil	Ironi Nes Ziona	Hapoel Haifa Maccabi Rehovot	Elitzur Yavne Elitzur Ashkelon
2014–15	Maccabi Kiryat Gat	Hapoel Gilboa Galil	Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim Hapoel Be'er Sheva	Elitzur Ramla
2013–14	Ironi Nahariya	Barak Netanya[6]	Iron Ra'anana Maccabi Kiryat Gat	Hapoel Kiryat Tiv'on Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov
2012–13	Ironi Nes Ziona	Elitzur Ashkelon	Hapoel Migdal Haemek A.S. Ramat HaSharon	Maccabi Kiryat Bialik Maccabi Kiryat Gat
2011–12	Hapoel Tel Aviv	None[7]	Hapoel Galil Elyon Maccabi Kiryat Bialik Maccabi Kiryat Gat	Hapoel Lev HaSharon Hapeol Megiddo
2010–11	Habikaa B.C.	None[8]	Ironi Nes Ziona Ironi Kiryat Ata	Hapoel Be'eri
2009–10	Maccabi Ashdod	Ironi Nahariya Ironi Ramat Gan	Hapoel Ussishkin	Ironi Kiryat Ata Hapoel Nazareth Illit Hapoel Haifa
2008–09	Barak Netanya Hapoel Afula	Elitzur Givat Shmuel Ironi Kiryat Ata	Hapoel Haifa Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov	Ironi Nes Ziona Beitar Binyamina
2007–08	Maccabi Givat Shmuel Maccabi Haifa Ironi Kiryat Ata	Hapoel Gilboa/Afula	Ironi Nes Ziona Maccabi Kiryat Tiv'on Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Be'eri	Hapoel Be'er Sheva Maccabi Shoham
2006–07	Hapoel Holon	Maccabi Givat Shmuel	Maccabi Haifa Elitzur Yavne	Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Giv'atayim
2005–06	Hapoel Gilboa/Afula[9]	Hapoel Haifa/Ramat HaSharon	A.S. Ramat HaSharon Hapoel Tel Aviv	Maccabi Rosh HaAyin Maccabi Petah Tikva
2004–05	Ironi Ramat Ef'al[10] Ironi Ramat Gan	Maccabi Petah Tikva B.C. Haifa/Nesher	Barak Netanya Beitar Binyamina Maccabi Hod HaSharon	Hapoel Yarka Maccabi Kiryat Bialik Ironi Ramat Ef'al Hapoel Migdal Haemek
2003–04	Maccabi Petah Tikva	Ironi Ramat Gan	Ironi Ramat Ef'al Hapoel Yarka	Maccabi Hadera Bnei Herzliya
2002–03	Elitzur Ashkelon	Elitzur Kiryat Ata/Motzkin	Hapoel Holon Hapoel Migdal Haemek	Hapoel Safed Hapoel Kfar Saba
2001–02	Hapoel Tel Aviv Ironi Nahariya	Bnei Herzliya	Maccabi Kiryat Bialik	Hapoel Holon Maccabi Karmiel
2000–01	Elitzur Givat Shmuel	Elitzur Ashkelon Maccabi Hadera Hapoel Haifa/Nesher Hapoel Holon Hapoel Safed Maccabi Karmiel	None	None

See also

• Israel Basketball Association
• Basketball in Israel

External links

• Facebook page (in Hebrew)
• Twitter account (in Hebrew)

Notes and References

1. News: Haklai . Barak . המינהלת הודיעה: אליצור נתניה לא תשחק בליגת העל . The Premier League administration announced: Elitzur Netanya will not play in the Premier League . . 5 September 2021 . 6 September 2021 . he.
2. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, the Israeli Basketball National League was stopped during the regular season. The two teams that led the league table were announced as promoted to the Israeli Basketball Premier League
3. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, the Israeli Basketball third League was stopped during the regular season. One team that from each district led the league table were announced as promoted to the Israeli Basketball National League
4. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, None teams was not Relegated
5. was not relegated due Maccabi Kiryat Gat (was Dissolved)
6. [Maccabi Ashdod B.C.|Maccabi Ashdod]
7. The league was expanded the following season
8. The league was expanded the following season
9. [Hapoel Holon B.C.|Hapoel Holon]
10. was won the champions not Promoted due financial reasons