2020–21 Liga Alef

The 2020–21 Liga Alef season is the 12th season as third tier since its re-alignment in 2009 and the 54th season of third-tier football in Israel.

Liga Alef
Season2020–21
ChampionsMaccabi Bnei Reineh
Hapoel "Adumim" Ashdod
← 2019–20
2021–22 →

Changes from last season

Team changes

Format change

To accommodate the shortened schedule caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the league was split into two phases. For the first phase each division was split to two sub-divisions with nine teams in each sub-division, to be played as a double round robin tournament (16 matches in total). At the end of the first phase in each division the two top teams from each sub-division qualifying to a promotion group of four teams, again to be played as a double round robin tournament (6 matches in total), with the winning team gaining promotion to Liga Leumit and the second-placed team qualifying to the promotion play-offs.
The seven bottom placed teams in each sub-division would continue in their respective sub-division with the points gained during the first phase, playing an additional round robin schedule (six matches in total). The bottom team in each sub-division would be relegated to Liga Bet and the sixth placed team would compete to the relegation play-offs.[2]

North Division

Sub-division A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 F.C. Tira 16 12 2 2 42 11 +31 38 Promotion group
2 Maccabi Tamra 16 9 4 3 16 13 +3 31
3 Hapoel Bu'eine 22 11 2 9 33 33 0 35
4 Hapoel Herzliya 22 8 7 7 28 18 +10 31
5 Maccabi Tzur Shalom Bialik 22 8 6 8 34 26 +8 30
6 Hapoel Bnei Fureidis 22 8 6 8 32 30 +2 30
7 Hapoel Kafr Kanna 22 8 6 8 32 33 −1 30
8 Ironi Tiberias 22 7 6 9 24 22 +2 27 Relegation play-offs
9 Ihud Bnei Majd al-Krum 22 1 3 18 14 69 −55 6 Relegation to Liga Bet
Source: Liga Alef North IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

Sub-division B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Hapoel Kaukab 16 11 5 0 29 6 +23 38 Promotion group
2 Maccabi Bnei Reineh 16 7 6 3 23 16 +7 27
3 Hapoel Bnei Arara-'Ara 22 7 8 7 26 29 −3 29
4 F.C. Haifa Robi Shapira 22 7 7 8 28 26 +2 28
5 Hapoel Migdal HaEmek 22 6 10 6 28 35 −7 28
6 Hapoel Baqa al-Gharbiyye 22 7 6 9 29 32 −3 27
7 Hapoel Bnei Zalafa F.C. 22 7 6 9 35 39 −4 27
8 Tzeirei Tayibe 22 5 11 6 30 31 −1 26 Relegation play-offs
9 F.C. Daburiyya 22 3 7 12 16 30 −14 16 Relegation to Liga Bet
Source: Liga Alef North IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

Promotion group
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Maccabi Bnei Reineh 6 3 1 2 8 8 0 10 Promotion to Liga Leumit
2 F.C. Tira 6 2 3 1 6 4 +2 9 Promotion play-offs
3 Hapoel Kaukab 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8
4 Maccabi Tamra 6 1 2 3 6 9 −3 5
Source: Liga Alef North IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

South Division

Sub-division A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 F.C. Holon Yermiyahu 16 8 6 2 18 9 +9 30 Promotion group
2 Hapoel "Adumim" Ashdod 16 8 5 3 20 10 +10 29
3 Maccabi Herzliya 22 11 4 7 32 24 +8 37
4 Shimshon Kafr Qasim 22 7 10 5 31 23 +8 31
5 Maccabi Yavne 22 7 6 9 23 24 −1 27
6 Hapoel Azor 22 7 6 9 27 31 −4 27
7 F.C. Dimona 22 6 8 8 18 17 +1 26
8 Hapoel Bnei Lod 22 6 5 11 27 36 −9 23 Relegation play-offs
9 F.C Or Yehuda 22 6 4 12 26 48 −22 22 Relegation to Liga Bet
Source: Liga Alef South IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

Sub-division B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Hapoel Bik'at HaYarden 16 9 5 2 32 14 +18 32 Promotion group
2 Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa 16 8 7 1 30 11 +19 31
3 Hapoel Marmorek 22 13 5 4 41 21 +20 44
4 Maccabi Sha'arayim 22 8 7 7 26 27 −1 31
5 Ironi Kuseife 22 6 8 8 22 35 −13 26
6 Maccabi Ashdod 22 6 7 9 30 30 0 25
7 Hapoel Ashkelon 22 5 10 7 21 26 −5 25
8 Nordia Jerusalem 22 6 6 10 32 35 −3 24 Relegation play-offs
9 Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan 22 2 5 15 23 58 −35 11 Relegation to Liga Bet
Source: Liga Alef South IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

Promotion group
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Hapoel "Adumim" Ashdod 6 4 2 0 9 4 +5 14 Promotion to Liga Leumit
2 Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa 6 4 0 2 6 5 +1 12 Promotion play-offs
3 Hapoel Bik'at HaYarden 6 2 1 3 6 5 +1 7
4 F.C. Holon Yermiyahu 6 0 1 5 4 11 −7 1
Source: Liga Alef North IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6) deciding match.

Promotion play-offs

In the first round of the play-offs the two second-placed teams from the promotion groups faced each other in a single match on neutral ground. The winner of the match faced the 14th-placed team from Liga Leumit in a single match.

First round
F.C. Tira1–1 (a.e.t.)Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa
A. Malka 44' IFA 90' (pen.) Beit Ya'akov
Penalties
Amasha soccer ball with check mark
Haj Yahia soccer ball with red X
D. Malka soccer ball with red X		 1–4 soccer ball with check mark Volowelski
soccer ball with check mark Arzuan
soccer ball with check mark Eshel
soccer ball with check mark Beit Ya'akov
Referee: Idan Leiba

Second round
Hapoel Umm Al-Fahm1–0Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa
Elimelech 21' IFA
Referee: Gal Leibovich

Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa was not promoted to Liga Leumit.

Relegation play-offs

In each division (North and South) the sixth-placed teams from each sub-division played each other, with the winning team staying in Liga Alef. The losing team from each division faced the Liga Bet play-off winner in a single match for a place in Liga Alef.

First round
Ironi Tiberias0–1Tzeirei Taiybe
IFA 47' Baraa
Referee: Idan Leiba

Second round
Ironi Tiberiasw/o
(1–0)
(abandoned '90+7)[3]		Ihud Bnei Shefa-'Amr
Mahfud Yellow card 59'
Davidov 82'
Ben David Yellow card 83'		 IFA Red card 22' T. Diab
Yellow card 22' Yellow-red card 24' A. Diab
Yellow card 80' Red card 84' Khatib
Red card 90+5' Nassar
Yellow card 90+5' Shabal
Yellow card 8' Red card 90+7' Younes
Referee: Avidad Shilo'ach

Ironi Tiberias was not relegated to Liga Bet.

First round
Nordia Jerusalem0–1Hapoel Bnei Lod
IFA 12' Turiel
Har Homa Stadium

Second round
Nordia Jerusalem1–0Hapoel Mahane Yehuda
Cohen 18' IFA
Referee: Gal Leibovich

Nordia Jerusalem was not relegated to Liga Bet.

References
  1. Ron, Ohad (9 July 2020). "פרסום ראשון: איחוד ענק בין צור שלום וקרית אתא" [A Huge Merge Between Tzur Shalom and Kiryat Ata] (in Hebrew). Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  2. "הוראת שעה ליגות א'-ג' 2020-21" [Temporary Provisions Leagues Alef to Gimel 2020-21] (PDF) (in Hebrew). 13 August 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. "שישה אדומים והפסד טכני השאירו את עירוני טבריה בליגה א'" [Six Reds and a Technical Loss Kept Ironi Tiberias in Liga Alef]. Sport5 (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
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