10 countries you never knew played in a FIFA World Cup

#4 Israel – 1970

Israel Football Team are by no means footballing minnows. They have regularly threatened in European qualifying campaigns, but have never reached the World Cup since 1970. They were represented by the British mandate of Palestine in a World Cup qualifying match against Egypt for the 1934 World Cup which they lost.

From 1954 to 1974, Israel competed in the Asian Football Confederation and came close to qualification in 1958 when the Arab-Israeli conflict saw multiple Muslim countries forfeit their matches with Israel. Israel won the Asia-Africa qualifying stage without playing a single game but lost out on the chance to reach the World Cup after losing a playoff against Wales.

Israel were in the Asia-Oceania qualifier for the 1970 World Cup and reached the playoff against Australia when the 1966 World Cup quarter-finalists North Korea refused to play in Tel-Aviv. Israel would beat Australia 1-0 in Tel-Aviv and draw the return leg 1-1 to book their ticket to the 1970 World Cup.

Israel would give a good account of themselves at the World Cup despite losing their opening match to Uruguay. Mordechai Spiegler scored their only goal in World Cup history in a 1-1 draw with Sweden in the next match.

More history would be made at the Estadio Luis Dosal when the Blue and Whites held eventual finalists Italy to a 0-0 draw before returning home.