Nakav grew up in Beersheba, where she was scouted by the manager of Maccabi Be'er Sheva during a local youth tournament. She joined the club's youth team in 2009. In 2012, she was selected by the Israel Football Association to join the newly established Girls Football Academy at the Wingate Institute, a full-time residential boarding school formed to develop the national youth squad ahead of the 2015 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship. Nakav made her senior debut for the Academy's team in 2014, making 53 appearances and scoring 5 goals over three seasons.
During her time at the Academy, Nakav's older sister, Chen, battled cancer and passed away in early 2015. Despite contemplating quitting football to be with her family, Nakav was encouraged by her sister to continue pursuing a professional career. Immediately following the shiva, Nakav rejoined the national team for a preparation tournament in Russia, credited by her as essential for coping with the loss. Later that year, she served as a starting center-back for Israel at the 2015 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, playing the tournament in memory of her sister.
Kiryat Gat
Nakav joined Kiryat Gat ahead of the 2017–18 season. In her debut season with the club, she starred in the defence and won her first domestic league title. Following the season, she was selected in the "Team of the Season", being described as an impassable wall. She remained with Kiryat Gat for another year, narrowly missing out on a consecutive title to ASA Tel Aviv by just a single point.
Ramat HaSharon
For the 2019–20 season, Nakav signed with Ramat HaSharon. Her stint with the team was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, which forced the league's premature suspension in March 2020. On 13 April 2020, Ramat HaSharon was officially declared champion as they held a five-point lead at the top of the standings at the time of the shutdown.
Return to Kiryat Gat
Following the pandemic-shortened season, Nakav returned to Kiryat Gat. She had a highly successful period at the club, where she served as one of the club's co-captains and over four seasons anchored the defense and led Kiryat Gat to four consecutive league championships and three Israeli Women's Cups.
Nakav also represented Kiryat Gat in the 2022–23 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying rounds in Turin, Italy. Ahead of their opening match against Estonian champions Flora Tallinn, Nakav highlighted the team's tactical focus on defensive wing-play to counteract Flora's flank-heavy attack. Kiryat Gat went on to defeat Flora 5–0, with Nakav scoring the final goal in the 84th minute, and they advanced to the final of the mini-tournament against Juventus. Describing the matchup against the Italian champions as a "David vs. Goliath" challenge, Nakav noted it as a pinnacle benchmark for her career alongside her experiences with the national team. Despite a respectable performance, Kiryat Gat ultimately lost the final match 3–1 to Juventus.
123Mogilevsky, Shay (13 July 2015). ""אהיה באליפות אירופה בשביל אחותי""["I will be at the European Championship for my sister"]. ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
↑Bartel, Lior (29 May 2018). "ברכות: מ.ס. קרית גת אלופת המדינה לנשים בכדורגל לעונת 2017/18!"[Congratulations: F.C. Kiryat Gat are the national champions in women's football for the 2017/18 season!]. Davar (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2026. בהגנה כיכבו העונה הבלמית הצעירה שחר נקב [In the defence starred this season young centre-back Shahar Nakav]
↑Shapira, Noam (11 September 2025). "בערוץ קיבוץ מיוחד: ליגת הנשים יוצאת לדרך"[On a Special 'Kibbutz Channel' Broadcast: The Women's League Kicks Off]. Sport 5 (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2 October 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
