Eilat is advancing a major sports strategy centered on the International Eilat Sports City, an ambitious municipal project led by Mayor Eli Lankri and the city’s economic company. The southern resort city is seeking to expand beyond tourism and position itself as a year-round international sports destination.
The complex covers 180 dunams and is being built in stages. Its current facilities include three regulation football pitches, a FIFA-standard synthetic pitch, and a dedicated training pitch. The second phase, now nearing completion and awaiting permits, added a main stand and a professional team building with locker rooms, a press room, referee rooms, treatment and instruction rooms, and a separate area for team bonding and stress relief.
A sports medicine center has also been built next to the site, with a doctor’s room, rehabilitation and injury-maintenance rooms, a physiology lab, physiotherapy rooms, ice baths, saunas, and a professional gym. Future plans include a 4,000-seat arena, an Olympic swimming pool, professional tennis courts, and additional facilities. The project was designed by V5 Architects, led by Meidad Gendler.
The city says the climate, Ramon's Airport proximity, hotel capacity, and training infrastructure make Eilat especially attractive to professional clubs from colder European countries. The site has already hosted teams including Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Netanya, and Bnei Sakhnin, plus international tournaments such as Israel’s hosting of Ghana’s under-21 team.
Beyond elite sports, the complex has hosted major mass events, including Sportiada with about 3,000 athletes, as well as regional and Maccabi championships and tournaments in non-Olympic sports. During the Gaza war, it also opened its gates to evacuated children from the north and south. In routine times, it serves Maccabi Bnei Eilat and Maccabi Haifa’s football academy, giving local youth access to high-level training.
