Former Israel Coach Herzog Believes Team Would Qualify from Asia

Former Israel national football team coach Andy Herzog believes the team's qualification chances for the World Cup would be significantly higher if they competed in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) instead of Europe. "If they played in Asia, they would 100% qualify for the World Cup," Herzog stated, highlighting the immense desire in Israel to participate in a major tournament, having only appeared in the 1970 World Cup.

Hersog, who managed Israel from 2018 to 2020, noted a stark difference in the team's performance between home and away games. "Israelis are much more confident and stronger in home games than away," he observed. During his tenure, Israel defeated Austria 4-2 in Haifa in a Euro 2020 qualifier. Willy Ruttensteiner, who served as Israel's sporting director and later coach, also led the team to a 5-2 victory over Austria in Haifa during World Cup qualifiers.

Despite the home-away disparity, Herzog praised the attacking talent in the current squad, specifically mentioning Oscar Gloukh, Manor Solomon, and Tai Baribo, stating, "These players really have quality."

Ruttensteiner echoed Herzog's concerns about playing away from home, particularly regarding the upcoming Nations League match against Austria on November 17th in Debrecen, Hungary. Due to the current political situation, Israel cannot host its home games, a disadvantage Ruttensteiner called "a very big disadvantage for Israel."