Puskás Akadémia Football Club is a professional football club based in Felcsút, Hungary. It competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top flight of Hungarian football, where it has spent ten seasons, reached the Final of the 2017–18 Magyar Kupa season and finished third three times.
Puskás Akadémia has been described as a project directly tied to Viktor Orbán. Founded in 2007 in his home village of Felcsút, the club has received massive state support, with over €370 million channelled into its operations through subsidies, tax schemes, and public sponsorships. Despite low attendance and limited tradition, it boasts elite facilities like the Pancho Arena and a strong youth system, reflecting Orbán’s vision of using football as a tool for political messaging.
Contents
On the pitch history
The aim of the founders was to establish an academy for Fehérvár FC and to establish a team in memorial to the Hungarian footballer Ferenc Puskás.
2010s
Puskás won the 2012–13 Nemzeti Bajnokság II and were promoted to the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. Puskás could win 21 matches and drew only seven times. The club were beaten only twice during the season.
In the first season of the top tier (2013–14 Nemzeti Bajnokság I), Puskás finished 14th and escaped from the relegation. The club collected 31 point. On 28 September 2013, Puskás surprisingly beat Ferencváros 3-1 at home on game week 9 of the 2013-14 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season.
In the 2014–15 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Puskás finished 10th and escaped from relegation. Puskás also received a license from the Hungarian Football Federation during the transformation of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. The transformation meant that the number of clubs were reduced to 12 from 16 and clubs such as Győr and Kecskemét were relegated even if they finished in the eighth and ninth position respectively.
On the 30th matchday of the 2015–16 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, Robert Jarni was dismissed due to the defeat against Békéscsaba 1912 Előre at the Pancho Aréna on 16 April 2016 resulting Puskás Akadémia's last position and relegation for the first time in history.
On 22 December 2016, Attila Pintér was appointed as the head coach of the club. Pintér left Mezőkövesdi SE, playing in the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, for Puskás Akadémia.
On 21 May 2017, Puskás Akadémia won the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season after a goalless draw against Ceglédi VSE in Albertirsa. As a consequence, Puskás Akadémia got promoted to the 2017–18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. They could return to the first division after spending only one year in the second division.
On 12 June 2017, András Komjáti, previously manager of Vasas SC, was appointed as the club director.
Before the start of the 2017–18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Puskás Akadémia signed Molnár from Mezőkövesd, Radó from Ferencváros, thus becoming the third most valuable team in the 2017–18 season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.
2020s
The first match of the 2020-21 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season was postponed after one player tested positive for COVID-19.
Puskás finished second in the 2020–21 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. Therefore, they were eligible for playing in the 2021-22 UEFA Conference League season. In the first round, Puskás drew with FC Inter Turku and beat the Finnish team at home. However, in the second round Puskás were defeated both at home (0–2) and away (0–3) by the Latvian club FK RFS.
On 21 July 2022, Puskás lost 3–0 against Vitória S.C. in the first leg of the second round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimarães, Portugal.
In the 2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Puskás Akadémia finished third. They won 15 matches, among which the most surprising victory was against title holders Ferencváros at the Groupama Aréna on 13 August 2023. Puskás Akadémia drew 10 times and lost eight matches. The biggest defeat was against Kecskemét on 26 August 2023.
Puskás entered the second round of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifying phase. However, they could advance to the third round without playing against SC Dnipro-1 since the Ukrainian opponent forfeited due to bankruptcy. Puskás were awarded a 6–0 victory. On 28 July 2024, Puskás started the 2024–25 Nemzeti Bajnokság I with a 2–1 victory over Újpest FC at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion. On 4 August 2024, Puskás beat Zalaegerszeg at home in the Nemzeti Bajnokság. On 8 August 2024, Puskás beat FC Ararat-Armenia 1–0 at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia. The only goal was scored by Mikael Soisalo in the 89th minute. On 11 August 2024, Puskás beat newly-promoted Nyíregyháza 3-1 at home in the Nemzeti Bajnokság. On 15 August 2024, Puskás drew with Ararat-Armenia (3–3) at the Pancho Aréna. Puskás qualified for the play-offs on 4–3 aggregate. On 18 August 2024, Puksás beat MTK Budapest 1-0 at home. The club started the season with four victories. On 22 August 2024, Puksás were hosted by Serie A club ACF Fiorentina. Puskás took the lead and in the 12th minute Puskás were winning by two goals. The goals were scored by Zsolt Nagy and Soisalo. Just before the end of the first half, Ricardo Sottil scored a goal (1–2). In the second half, Fiorentina could equalize the result thanks to Lucas Martinez Quarta and took the lead in the 75th minute thanks to Moise Kean. In the 89th minute Wojciech Golla scored the equalizer. The match ended with a draw (3–3) at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy. In the second tie, Puskás drew with Fiorentina at the Panho Aréna on 29 August 2024. Fiorentina took the lead in the 59th minute by Kean. Zsolt Nagy scored the equalizer in the 97th minute. In the extra time the teams did not score any goals. In the penalty shoot-out, Roland Szolnoki missed the penalty which meant that Fiorentina qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League league phase.
Club Identity, supporters, and ties to Viktor Orbán
Puskás Akadémia is a football club in Hungary that operates less as a traditional sports institution and more as a political symbol, deeply entwined with the ambitions of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Founded in 2007 in the village of Felcsút, where Orbán grew up, the club was established on the 80th birthday of Hungarian footballer Ferenc Puskás and has since become a key feature of the prime minister’s long-term cultural and political vision. The club’s rise from obscurity to the top flight of Hungarian football has been fuelled by massive public investment, amounting to around €370 million since 2010, channelled through state subsidies, tax redirection schemes, and corporate sponsorships.
Unlike historic clubs with deep-rooted fanbases and city identities, Puskás Akadémia has no traditional supporters and very limited local engagement, with average attendances around 1,500. Its state-of-the-art Pancho Arena was built within view of Orbán’s childhood home and serves as a physical monument to his leadership and aesthetic tastes. Academics describe the club as one of the clearest examples in Europe of political instrumentalisation in football, designed to function as a vehicle for regime messaging rather than community sport.
Honours
Nemzeti Bajnokság I
Runners-up (2): 2020–21, 2024–25
Third place (3): 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24
Nemzeti Bajnokság II
Winners (2): 2012–13, 2016–17
Third place (1): 2010–11
Magyar Kupa
Runners-up (1): 2017–18
Youth teams
Puskás Cup
Winners (1): 2021
Runners-up (4): 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016
Third place (1): 2017
Seasons
League positions
As of 12 July 2025
European record
As of matches played 31 July 2025
Notes
QR: Qualifying round
PO: Play-off round
Players
First team squad
As of 3 August 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Reserve team
For the reserve squads, see Puskás Akadémia II
Records
As of 21 May 2025.