Israel Women's National Soccer Team Names Squad for World Cup Qualifiers

The Israel Women's National Soccer Team has announced its squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying playoff matches against Switzerland. Despite being relegated to League C in the Nations League after finishing third in their League B group, Israel secured a spot in the World Cup playoff for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.

The team, managed by Menahem Koretzky, faces a challenging draw against Switzerland, a team that has qualified for the World Cup twice before and finished first in their group above Turkey, Northern Ireland, and Malta. The squad announcement comes ahead of the two-legged playoff.

The first leg will be played in Hungary on Friday, October 19:30, with Israel hosting the match. The return leg will take place in Switzerland four days later, on Tuesday, October 13. The winner of this tie will advance to the final playoff round.

In the final playoff round, the victor will face the winner of the match between Austria and Kosovo in late November or early December. Of the eight teams competing in the second playoff round, seven will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The lowest-ranked winner will then enter an international playoff.

The announced squad includes goalkeepers Fortun Rubin, Amit Beilin, and Agam Habib. The defense features Shani David, Asia Drksen, Itaf Alkisi, Hili Shalom, Tamar Lipsitz, Shahar Nekav, Tal Feingzight, Or Diven, and Mia Shvil. The midfield and attack are represented by Talia Zomer, Rachel Steinshneider, Eliana Bird, Marian Awad, Michaela Worko, Smadar Cohen, Zohar Cohen, Noa Slimahogic, Vital Katz, Maria Almatsri, Tamla Tal, and Maya Sirota.