Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C.

History

Hapoel Rishon LeZion was one of the first clubs in the history of league football in Israel. The football section of the Sports club was established in 1929, and played several matches since 1933, including competing at the Palestine Cup in 1937 and 1939. The club was formally established in 1940.

Its best achievements were runner-up of the Israel State Cup in 1946 and 1996. On both occasions it lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Following its cup final in 1996, it played in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but was eliminated in the qualifying round by Constructorul Chisinau of Moldova on away goals rule (0–1, 3–2).

The club played at the top division in Mandatory Palestine for the first time at the 1941–42 season and after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, became founder members of the Israeli League in 1949. In 1951–52, the club finished second bottom and dropped to the second tier.

Between 1952 and 1994 the club played just three seasons in the top division: 1978–79, 1980–81 (where they finished sixth) and 1981–82. In the 1991–92 season, while playing in Liga Alef, the third tier, it added the word Ironi to its name, and in the next two seasons, made two successive promotions and returned to the top flight once again after winning Liga Artzit in the 1993–94 season. This time the club managed to stay nine consecutive seasons in the top league until it was relegated to the second tier, (Liga Leumit), at the end of the 2002–03 season, and three seasons later dropped further down to Liga Artzit, the third tier at the time.

In 2008–09, after the club changed its name back to Hapoel Rishon LeZion, it was promoted to the second tier (Known as Liga Leumit) .

In 2010–11, the club was promoted to the Israeli Premier League, the top tier. They were relegated back to Liga Leumit the following season.

On 4 December 2012, Hapoel Rishon LeZion won the 2012–13 Toto Cup Leumit.

In 2017–18, the club was just one point short of being promoted to the top tier, The Israeli Premier League, finishing third. In the following year, 2018–19, the club finished twelfth, and narrowly avoided relegation.

In 2023-24, on July 28, 2023, the club sold Mohamed Bamba, an Ivorian striker who played for the club and the youth team for 3.5 years, to Austrian club Wolfsberger AC for 200,000€ and a 20% sell-on fee. After scoring 8 goals and 4 assists in 17 games in the 2023–24 Austrian Football Bundesliga and 2023–24 Austrian Cup, Wolfsberger AC sold Bamba to French club FC Lorient for 5,000,000€, securing Rishon 1,000,000€ from the sell-on. Bamba went on to score 8 goals and 3 assists in 16 games in the 2023–24 Ligue 1.

Current squad

; As to 19 September 2025

International former players

Europe

• BIH Sejad Halilović (had one cap for croatia before Bosnia got their independence)

• BLR Yevgeni Kashentsev

• BLR Gennadi Tumilovich

• USSR Ivan Yaremchuk

• BEL Marc Van Der Linden

• CRO Dean Racunica

• HUN Gábor Márton

• POL Tomasz Cebula

• SVK Karol Schulz Asia

• TKM Andriy Zavyalov

Africa

• CIV Paul Akouokou
• CIV Mohamed Bamba
• NGR Patrick Ovie
• SLE Emmanuel Samadia
• UGA Luwagga Kizito
• ZAM Gift Mphande Central and North America
• GUA Matan Peleg Israel
• ISR Rami Gershon
• ISR Omer Atzili
• ISR Baruch Dego
• ISR Ya'akov Hodorov
• ISR Shay Holtzman
• ISR Eyal Ben Ami
• ISR Itamar Shviro

Managers

• Israel Eli Cohen (born 1951)
• Israel Arik Gilrovich (2008–09)
• Israel Nissan Yehezkel (2010–12)
• Israel Eyal Lahman (2012–13)
• Israel Sharon Mimer (2013–15)
• Israel Ofir Haim (2015–16)
• Israel Gili Levanda (2016)
• Israel Nir Berkovic (2016–2018)
• Israel Ron Marcus (2018–2019)
• Israel Nir Berkovic (2019)
• Israel Ofer Taselpapa (2019–2020)
• Israel Meni Koretski (2020)
• Israel Ismaeel Amar (2020–2022)
• Israel Amir Nussbaum (2022–2023)
• Israel Yuval Naim (2023-)

Honours

[[Israel football league system|League]]

Cups

European record

References

References

1. [http://rlzfans.co.il/%D7%94%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9F/ History of Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C.] Hapoel Rishon LeZion fans Official Site {{in lang. he
2. [http://archive.football.org.il/multimedia/PDF/Newspapers/hadashot/1980/05-16-1980.pdf At the centennial, Rishon LeZion will be at the top (Page 9)] Hadshot HaSport, 16 May 1980, archive.football.co.il {{in lang. he
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6. [http://rlzfans.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9F/ Club] Hapoel Rishon LeZion fans official website {{in lang. he