2015–16 Israeli Premier League
The 2015–16 Israeli Premier League was the seventeenth season since its introduction in 1999 and the 74th season of top-tier football in Israel. It began on 22 August 2015 and ended in May 2016. Hapoel Be'er Sheva became champion after 40 years without winning a main national competition, interrupting the sequence of three consecutive titles of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Teams
A total of fourteen teams were competing in the league, including twelve sides from the 2014–15 season and two promoted teams from the 2014–15 Liga Leumit.Hapoel Petah Tikva and F.C. Ashdod were relegated to the 2015–16 Liga Leumit after finishing the 2014–15 Israeli Premier League in the bottom two places.
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv and Hapoel Kfar Saba were promoted after finishing the 2014–15 Liga Leumit in the top two places.
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Beitar Jerusalem | Jerusalem | Teddy Stadium | |
| Bnei Sakhnin | Sakhnin | Doha Stadium | |
| Bnei Yehuda | Tel Aviv | Bloomfield Stadium | |
| Hapoel Acre | Acre | Acre Stadium | |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Be'er Sheva | Turner Stadium | |
| Hapoel Haifa | Haifa | Sammy Ofer Stadium | |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | Kfar Saba | Levita Stadium | |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | Ra'anana | Netanya Stadium, Netanya | |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Tel Aviv | Bloomfield Stadium | |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | Kiryat Shmona | Kiryat Shmona Stadium | |
| Maccabi Haifa | Haifa | Sammy Ofer Stadium | |
| Maccabi Netanya | Netanya | Netanya Stadium | |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | Petah Tikva | HaMoshava Stadium | |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Tel Aviv | Bloomfield Stadium |
| Bloomfield Stadium | Netanya Stadium | Sammy Ofer Stadium | |
| Bnei Yehuda Hapoel Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv | Hapoel Ra'anana Maccabi Netanya | Hapoel Haifa Maccabi Haifa | |
| Acre Stadium | Doha Stadium | HaMoshava Stadium | |
| Hapoel Acre | Bnei Sakhnin | Maccabi Petah Tikva | |
| Kiryat Shmona Stadium | Levita Stadium | Teddy Stadium | Turner Stadium |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | Hapoel Kfar Saba | Beitar Jerusalem | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
Personnel and sponsorship
| Team | President | Manager | Captain | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
| Beitar Jerusalem |  | |  | Puma | itrader |
| Bnei Sakhnin | | | | Umbro | Toyga |
| Bnei Yehuda | | | | Macron | Azrieli Group |
| Hapoel Acre | | | | Macron | Azrieli Group |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | | | | Kappa | Mobli |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | | | | Lotto | |
| Hapoel Haifa | | | | Diadora | Hatama |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | | | | Umbro | ME Tel Aviv |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | | | | Puma | Fujicom |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | | | | Puma | Ituran |
| Maccabi Haifa | | | | Nike | Honda |
| Maccabi Netanya | | | | Joma | Burgus Burger Bar |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | | | | Macron | Panorama North |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv |  |  | | Adidas |
Foreign players
The number of foreign players is restricted to five per team.| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 |
| Beitar Jerusalem |  Nikita Rukavytsya |  Claudemir |  Arsenio Valpoort | Dušan Matović |  Jesús Rueda |
| Bnei Sakhnin |  Eldar Hasanović | Georginho | Diogo Kachuba | Wanderson | Abraham Paz |
| Bnei Yehuda |  Pedro Galván |  Antonio Mršić |  Thierry Doubai |  Dele Aiyenugba | Jude Nworuh |
| Hapoel Acre |  Dylan Seys |  Boris Kopitović | Samuel Gilmore | Lanry Kahinda | Branislav Jovanović |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | William Soares | Anthony Nwakaeme | John Ogu |  Ovidiu Hoban | |
| Hapoel Haifa |  Dmitriy Baga | Marijan Antolovic |  Tadas Kijanskas | Žarko Korać |  Bruno Pinheiro |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba |  Mavis Tchibota | Dino Škvorc |  Yiannis Papadopoulos | Hugo López | |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | Dejan Radonjić |  Mamadou Thiam |  Rene Mihelič |  Evans Kangwa | Emmanuel Mbola |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Cauê |  Hamza Barry | Loukas Vyntra | Nemanja Nikolić | Claudiu Bumba |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona |  Luis Gutiérrez | Bruno | Kassio | Rokas Stanulevičius | Austin Amutu |
| Maccabi Haifa | Romário | Glynor Plet |  Ludovic Obraniak | Vladimir Stojković | Marc Valiente |
| Maccabi Netanya |  Issoumaila Lingane | Nemanja Petrović | Milan Smiljanić |  Andriy Mischenko | |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | Allyson |  Joachim Mununga |  Xavier Tomas | Aitor Monroy |  Rade Prica |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Haris Medunjanin | Nosa Igiebor | Orlando Sá | Predrag Rajković | Carlos García |
In bold: Players that have been capped for their national team.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | Barak Bakhar | Sacked | 14 May 2015 | Pre-season | Salah Hasarma | 30 May 2015 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Elisha Levy | End of contract | 30 May 2015 | Pre-season | Barak Bakhar | 30 May 2015 |
| Maccabi Haifa | Marco Balbul | End of contract | 30 May 2015 | Pre-season | Ronny Levy | 30 May 2015 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Eli Cohen | End of contract | 30 May 2015 | Pre-season | César Mendiondo | 30 May 2015 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Pako Ayestarán | End of contract | 30 May 2015 | Pre-season | | 15 June 2015 |
| Maccabi Netanya | Ronny Levy | End of contract | 30 May 2015 | Pre-season | Shlomi Dora | 21 June 2015 |
| Beitar Jerusalem | Guy Levy | End of contract | 7 June 2015 | Pre-season | Slobodan Drapić | 7 June 2015 |
| Hapoel Acre | Shlomi Dora | Sacked | 21 June 2015 | Pre-season | Yaron Hochenboim | 28 June 2015 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | César Mendiondo | Sacked | 3 September 2015 | 12th | Walid Badir | 3 September 2015 |
| Maccabi Netanya | Shlomi Dora | Sacked | 2 November 2015 | 14th | Reuven Atar | 6 November 2015 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Walid Badir | End of caretaker time | 5 November 2015 | 13th | Guy Levy | 5 November 2015 |
| Bnei Yehuda | Yossi Abukasis | Sacked | 8 December 2015 | 9th | Yossi Mizrahi | 9 December 2015 |
| Bnei Sakhnin | Eli Cohen | Sacked | 18 December 2015 | 12th | Yossi Abukasis | 19 December 2015 |
| Hapoel Haifa | Tal Banin | Sacked | 21 December 2015 | 10th | Meir Ben Margi | 21 December 2015 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Slaviša Jokanović | Signed By Fulham | 27 December 2015 | 2nd | Javier Pereira Megía | 27 December 2015 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | Felix Naim | Sacked | 3 January 2016 | 13th | Sharon Mimer | 11 January 2016 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Javier Pereira Megía | End of caretaker time | 4 January 2016 | 2nd |  Peter Bosz | 4 January 2016 |
| Maccabi Netanya | Reuven Atar | Sacked | 10 January 2016 | 14th | Menahem Koretski | 20 January 2016 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Guy Levi | Sacked | 19 January 2016 | 11th | Eli Guttman | 19 January 2016 |
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | Salah Hasarma | Sacked | 13 February 2016 | 10th | Shlomi Dora | 14 February 2016 |
Regular season
Regular season table
Regular season results
Play-offs
Championship round
Key numbers for pairing determination :Championship round table
| 2015–16 Israeli Premier League champions |
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 3rd title |
Championship round results
Relegation round
Key numbers for pairing determination :Relegation round table
Relegation round results
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. Note that Championship round teams will play in 36 matchdays, and the Relegation round teams will compete in only 33 matches.| Team \ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Team \ Round | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Beitar Jerusalem | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Maccabi Haifa | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Bnei Sakhnin | 10 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |||
| Bnei Yehuda | 1 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 9 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | |||
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 13 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | |||
| Hapoel Haifa | 4 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | |||
| Hapoel Acre | 11 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | |||
| Maccabi Netanya | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Source:
| 2016–17 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round | |
| 2016–17 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round | |
| Relegation to 2016–17 Liga Leumit |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Eran Zahavi | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 35 |
| 2 | Nikita Rukavytsya | Beitar Jerusalem | 14 |
| 2 | Shlomi Azulay | Bnei Sakhnin | 14 |
| 2 | Elyaniv Barda | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 14 |
| 5 | Evans Kangwa | Hapoel Ra'anana | 11 |
| 5 | Pedro Joaquín Galván | Bnei Yehuda | 11 |
| 5 | Anthony Nwakaeme | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 11 |
| 5 | Mahran Lala | Hapoel Haifa | 11 |
| 9 | Eliran Atar | Maccabi Haifa | 10 |
| 9 | Ofir Mizrahi | Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 10 |
| 9 | Tal Ben Haim | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 10 |
Source: