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Israeli Handball Federation Approves Major Reforms to Boost Local Players and Fan Experience

How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

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First reported by Mako · Jun 30, 2026

What happened

The Israeli Handball Federation has approved reforms reducing foreign players, changing league formats, and enhancing fan experience to support Israeli players and grow the sport.

01The number of foreign players per team is reduced from four to three, with an option to pay for an additional foreign player.
02Peripheral teams receive a 50% discount on the foreign player fee to support their development.
03The league will skip the upper division phase and move directly to playoffs with best-of-five semifinals.
04The preseason cup will be held at the start of the year with finals during Sukkot as a family event.
05The federation will seek automatic European competition spots for local cup winners.
06Disciplinary rules will be stricter and fan experience will improve with announcers, DJs, and an official league anthem.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

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