A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Hapoel Haifa |
| Promoted | Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Acre Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Ramat Gan Amutat Hapoel Ra'anana Maccabi Ahi Nazareth |
| Relegated | Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Goals scored | 457 (2.31 per match) |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Liga Leumit season began on 29 August 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009.
Two teams from Liga Artzit were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata along with two teams relegated from Israeli Premier League: Maccabi Herzliya and Hapoel Kfar Saba.
The two teams relegated to Liga Artzit were Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.
Due to an expected league expansion,[1] at the end of the season five clubs were automatically promoted to the Israeli Premier League, whilst the sixth-placed club in Liga Leumit played in a play-off match against the 11th-placed team in the Premier League. Only one team relegated automatically, and one team played in a play-off match against a team from Liga Artzit (which ceased to exist, with the regionalised Liga Alef becoming the third tier).
Stadia
| Club | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Hapoel Jerusalem | Teddy Stadium | 21,600 |
| Hapoel Haifa | Kiryat Eliezer Stadium | 14,002 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Vasermil Stadium | 13,000 |
| Maccabi Herzliya | Herzliya Municipal Stadium | 8,100 |
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | HaMakhtesh Stadium | 5,500 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | Levita Stadium | 5,800 |
| Hapoel Acre | Napoleon Stadium | 5,0001 |
| Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | Ilut Stadium | 4,932 |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | Karnei Oren Memorial Field | 2,500 |
| Hapoel Bnei Lod | Lod Municipal Stadium | 2,000 |
| Ironi Ramat HaSharon | Yankela Grundman Stadium | 2,200 |
| Maccabi Kiryat Ata | Kiryat Ata Municipal Stadium | 726 |
1Currently undergoing construction work to convert it to a 5,000-seat stadium. In the meanwhile they play at the Nahariya Municipal Stadium.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Haifa (C, P) | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 62[a] | Promotion to Israeli Premier League |
| 2 | Hapoel Acre (P) | 33 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 50 | 23 | +27 | 61 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva (P) | 33 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 53 | 35 | +18 | 59 | |
| 4 | Hapoel Ramat Gan (P) | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 53 | |
| 5 | Hapoel Ra'anana (P) | 33 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 51 | |
| 6 | Maccabi Ahi Nazareth (O, P) | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 45 | Qualification for promotion play-offs |
| 7 | Maccabi Herzliya | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 38 | |
| 8 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 33 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 36 | |
| 9 | Hapoel Bnei Lod | 33 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 37[a] | |
| 10 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 37 | |
| 11 | Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon (O) | 33 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 37 | 50 | −13 | 36 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata (R) | 33 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 24 | 53 | −29 | 19 | Relegation to Liga Alef |
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ a b Hapoel Haifa received a technical loss of 3-0 to Hapoel Bnei Lod for fielding an ineligible player.
Positions by round
Results
The schedule consisted of three rounds. During first two rounds, each team played each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. The pairings of the third round were then set according to the standings after first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 33 games per team.