Liga Alef (Israel)

Liga Alef (Israel) (ליגה א׳) - the third tier of the Israeli men’s football league system, organized under the Israel Football Association. Regulations: the competition is split into two regional divisions (North and South), teams play a round-robin league within their division, with 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss; league positions are ranked by points, then goal difference, then number of wins, then goals scored, and if teams remain level the same criteria are applied using only head-to-head matches among the tied teams, while any unresolved tie that must decide a title, promotion or relegation can be settled by a single decider played in cup format with extra time and penalties. The winners of the North and South divisions are promoted to Liga Leumit, and an additional promotion opportunity is offered via an upper playoff where the teams placed 2-5 in each division play knockout matches, the two divisional playoff winners meet in a neutral test match, and the winner then plays a promotion-relegation playoff against a Liga Leumit side. At the bottom, the teams finishing 15th and 16th in each division are relegated to Liga Bet, and a relegation playoff for the teams placed 11th to 14th is played in knockout format, with the final loser potentially facing a further neutral test match against the relevant Liga Bet promotion playoff winner for a place in Liga Alef.