The 1996–97 Toto Cup Leumit was the 13th season of the third most important football tournament in Israel since its introduction.
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bnei Yehuda (2nd title) |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
It was held in two stages. First, the 16 Liga Leumit teams were divided into four groups. The group winners advanced to the semi-finals, which, as was the final, were held as one-legged matches.
The competition was won by Bnei Yehuda, who had beaten Hapoel Haifa 3–0 in the final.
Group stage
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | MTA | HTA | HTZ | HRL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (A) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 12 | — | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 11 | 0–3 | — | 3–2 | 0–0 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Tzafririm Holon | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 7 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | |
| 4 | Hapoel Rishon LeZion | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 4 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — |
Source: WikiHapoel (in Hebrew); Maccabi Tel Aviv (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | MHA | HBS | HBN | MPT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Haifa (A) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | — | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 8 | 1–3 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Beit She'an | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 7 | 3–4 | 1–0 | — | 2–1 | |
| 4 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 4 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | — |
Source: Maccabi Haifa (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Group C
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | BnY | BEI | MHE | HTY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bnei Yehuda (A) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 12 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Beitar Jerusalem | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 12 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | |
| 3 | Maccabi Herzliya | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 7 | 2–4 | 1–2 | — | 4–1 | |
| 4 | Hapoel Tayibe | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–4 | — |
Source: Bnei Yehuda Museum (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Group D
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | HHA | HKS | HJE | HPT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Haifa (A) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 11 | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 11 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 7 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–2 | |
| 4 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 3 | 4–4 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |
Source: hpt.co.il (in Hebrew); hpt.co.il (in Hebrew); Hapoel Kfar Saba (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd matches won; 4th goals scored; 5th head-to-head; 6th decision match
(A) Advanced to semifinal
Elimination rounds
editSemifinals
edit| 11 February 1997 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–1 | Bnei Yehuda | Ramat Gan |
| Report (in Hebrew) |
Avigdor  11' (pen.) |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 900 Referee: Danny Koren |
| 11 February 1997 | Maccabi Haifa | 1–2 | Hapoel Haifa | Haifa |
| Glam 63' |
Maccabi Haifa (in Hebrew) |
Shitrit 56' Banin 84' (pen.) |
Stadium: Kiryat Eliezer Stadium Attendance: 6000 Referee: Meir Levi |
Final
edit| Bnei Yehuda | 3–0 | Hapoel Haifa |
|---|---|---|
| Tikva 16', 63' Mizrahi 55' |
Bnei Yehuda Museum (in Hebrew) |