Hapoel Jerusalem Leads Israel in Youth Player Development, FIFA Study Finds

A new study by FIFA's CIES Football Observatory has ranked Hapoel Jerusalem as the leading club in Israel for promoting young players. The report, which analyzed data from the start of 2026, placed the Jerusalem club first in the Israeli Premier League across three key metrics: the percentage of playing time allocated to players under 21, the number of U21 players utilized, and the youngest average squad age.

According to the findings, players under 21 accounted for 19.9% of Hapoel Jerusalem's total playing minutes. The team has featured seven different U21 players this season, averaging 2.26 young players per game. The club's average squad age is a mere 24.48 years, with only one player over 30, Idan Cohen, who joined in the summer.

The club has actively integrated several players who are still teenagers into the senior squad. These include Nati Shpira (19), Hamoudi Diab (18), Raymond Okon (18), and the youngest, Israel Daffa (17).

This focus on youth development is also reflected in the team's offensive output. Of the 12 league goals scored by Hapoel Jerusalem this season, a significant portion have come from young players. Andrew Idokwu (20) and Nadim Varrassna (20) each have four goals, while Sunny Abdulsalam (19) and Ohad Elmagor have contributed one goal each.

Globally, Hapoel Jerusalem's youth development efforts rank 66th out of clubs in the top 50 leagues worldwide, according to the CIES study.