Liga Leumit (basketball)
Israeli 2nd basketball league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liga Leumit (Hebrew: ליגה לאומית, lit. National League) is the second tier of professional league basketball competition in Israel. The teams compete for promotion to the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the first tier, and fight to avoid relegation to the Liga Artzit, the third tier.
| Founded | 1966 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1966–67 |
| Country | Israel |
| Federation | IBBA |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Israeli Premier League |
| Relegation to | Liga Artzit |
| Domestic cup | Israeli Basketball Leumit Cup |
| Current champions | Ironi Eilat (2025–26) |
| Website | ibasketball |
 2025–26 Israeli Basketball National League | |
League system
On 30 July, 2024 the Israel Basketball Association announces new game system. The regular season be played in a home-and-away round-robin format. The top 6 finishers will advance to the Top-teams League Group, and the rest of the teams will advance to the Bottom-Teams League Group. The winner of the Top-teams League Group will be promoted to the Premier League, while the 2nd to 9th ranked teams will advance to the playoff to determine the second team that will be promoted. The two teams that finish at the bottom of the Bottom-Teams League Group will be relegated to the Liga Artzit.[1]
Current teams
Venues and locations
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.S. Elitzur Ashkelon | Ashkelon | Ashkelon Sports Arena | 3,000 |
| A.S. Ramat HaSharon | Ramat HaSharon | Kiryat Yearim Hall | 900 |
| Elitzur Shomron | Shomron Regional Council | Yeshivet Amit, Brukhin | 280 |
| Elitzur Yavne | Yavne | Ralf Klain Hall | 930 |
| Hapoel Haifa | Haifa | Romema Arena | 5,000 |
| Hapoel Migdal HaEmek/Jezreel | Migdal HaEmek and Jezreel Valley Regional Council | Yearot HaEmek, Migdal HaEmek | 900 |
| Ironi Eilat | Eilat | Begin Arena | 1,490 |
| Ironi Nahariya | Nahariya | Ein Sara Sport Hall | 2,500 |
| Maccabi Ashdod | Ashdod | HaKiriya Arena | 2,200 |
| Maccabi Haifa | Haifa | Romema Arena | 5,000 |
| Maccabi Ma'ale Adumim | Ma'ale Adumim | HaPais Hall Ma'ale Adumim | 498 |
| Maccabi Kiryat Gat/Ashkelon | Kiryat Gat and Ashkelon | Kramim Sport Hall, Kiryat Gat | 400 |
| Maccabi Mendal Petah Tikva | Petah Tikva | Rozmarin Sport Hall | 500 |
| Maccabi Rehovot | Rehovot | Barzilai Sports Center | 700 |
| Otef Darom B.C. | Gaza Envelope | Rotem Hall, Kibutz Magen | 500 |
| S.C. Zafed | Zafed | HaPais Hall Zafed | 608 |
Promotion and relegation
Note:
- Hapoel Bnei Kafr Qasem has informed the Israeli Basketball Association that it will not fulfill its place in the National League in the 2025–26 season.
