The Israel National Team is preparing to kick off against Estonia in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Friday night in Tallinn, aiming to improve on its record of one win and one loss in Group I play.
The blue-and-white secured its victory over Estonia back in March but fell to Norway in the campaign's opening window. Currently, Ran Ben Shimon’s team finds itself in third place with three points. Norway tops the standings, Estonia is in second place, and Italy, which will play its first games, is in fourth, while Moldova is in fifth.
After the match in Estonia, Israel will travel to Debrecen, Hungary, where it will host Slovakia in a friendly exhibition match. This will give Ben Shimon the chance to evaluate some of the younger players included in the current 28-man squad.
The team that will face Estonia will be composed of some of the veteran Israeli players as well as a number of up-and-coming stars. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who has been with Bayern Munich over the past couple of seasons, will be counted on in goal just ahead of his expected move on loan to PSV Eindhoven of the Dutch Eredivisie league.
Captain Eli Dasa will be an important contributor on the right flank and has played in Russia with Dynamo Moscow since the 2022 season, while Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Roy Revivo will play on the left side of the defense.
Other players to keep an eye on will be Muhammed Abu Fani, who plays with Ferencvaros in Hungary, Israel’s Player of the Season in Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dor Peretz, as well as Manor Solomon, who helped Leeds United earn promotion back to the English Premier League, and Oscar Gloukh, who stars for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
Just ahead of the game, Gloukh spoke to the One website about the upcoming clash and where his future may lie as he looks to continue to advance in his career.
“We are coming into this game just like every other one – with pride,” the 21-year old Gloukh began. “I am not looking at whether we are favorites or not as we are happy to be here, even if everyone coming into camp for this game just finished their club season. We all want to win and go into the offseason properly.”
The last time the two teams met Israel came away with a narrow 2-1 victory in what was a home game in Debrecen due to the security situation in the Holy Land.
“We need to be the ones to decide the game first and not let them score and then have to go backwards. We need to score, then play more freely and calmly and it will be easier for us in this game.”
As for Gloukh’s personal future and if he will make an anticipated move from Red Bull Salzburg to a larger team, the Rehovot native demurred.
“I am not thinking about it. My only concern right now is about helping the National Team because that’s the most important thing. After that I’ll think about what to do. I really don’t know what will happen and I have a contract. Right now I’m a National Team player and I’m not thinking about the club team. After this window we’ll see what will happen.”
Maccabi Haifa hires Flores
In other Israeli soccer news, Maccabi Haifa named its new coach, Diego Flores, to the prestigious position.
The 44-year-old Argentine signed a contract for the upcoming 2025/26 season with an option for the following campaign.
“I am very, very happy,” Flores told the club’s official website. “This is a big challenge for me and I am happy to sign for such a big club and be part of the Maccabi Haifa Football Club family.”
Flores served as fellow Argentine Marcelo Bielsa’s assistant coach at Marseille and Lille and for three years at Leeds United (where he won the Championship). In all six of those years, Flores was assistant to Bielsa, who is currently in charge of the Uruguay national team and formerly of the Argentina national team.
Flores then returned to Argentina as a head coach for two seasons at Godoy Cruz, one year at San Martin and last season he was at Gimnasia La Plata.
Maccabi Haifa’s chief scout, Lior Refaelov, spoke about the club’s new bench boss.
“I’m very happy that Diego Flores is joining us. We’ve had many conversations with Diego over the course of the last two weeks, and it was important for us to recognize his motivation, work ethic, and the desire to maximize each and every one’s potential in the system. I’m sure that Diego is coming here ready after six years of working together with Bielsa and another four years in Argentina. Diego is the right profile to lead the new project at Maccabi Haifa. I wish Diego a lot of success and welcome him to the Green family.”
