Hungary men's national football team

History

Although Austria and Hungary were constituent countries of the dual monarchy known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they formed separate football associations and teams around the start of the 20th century.

Early years

The national side first appeared at the Summer Olympic Games in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. The team had to ask for donations in order to be able to go to the Games. Hungary lost 7–0 to England and thus were eliminated.

After the Olympic Games Hungary played two matches against Russia in Moscow. The first match was a 9–0 win and the second 12–0, which is still a record for the national side. The top scorer of the two matches was Imre Schlosser who scored seven goals. The beginning of World War I had a deep impact on the thriving Hungarian football. Both the country and the clubs were suffering financial problems. During WWI Hungary played Austria 16 times. In 1919 England claimed the exclusion of the Central Powers (including Hungary) from FIFA. When FIFA refused England's plea, the British (English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish) associations decided to resign from FIFA.

Budapest was denied the opportunity to host the 1920 Summer Olympics, which were held in Belgium. The countries of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria) were excluded from the Olympics. Hungary used a unique 2–3–5 formation.

During this period the Fogl brothers (József and Károly Fogl) played in the national team. Between 1921 and 1924, Béla Guttmann also played six times for the team. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Guttmann objected to the fact that there were more officials than players in the Hungary squad and that the hotel was more suitable for socialising than match preparation, and to demonstrate his disapproval he hung dead rats on the doors of the travelling officials. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, in the first match Hungary beat Poland. They then lost to Egypt. As a consequence, both the head coach and the head of the Hungarian Football Federation resigned.

Between 1927 and 1930, Hungary participated in the Central European International Cup which is considered to be the first international tournament, with Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Switzerland. In the final, Hungary lost to Italy 5–0. On 12 June 1927, Hungary beat France 13–1, which is still a record. József Takács scored six goals.

Golden Era

The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, but Hungary were not invited and did not take part in the tournament; there were no qualification matches. Hungary first appeared in the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Hungary's first World Cup match was against Egypt on 27 May 1934, a 4–2 win. The goals were scored by Pál Teleki, Géza Toldi (2) and Jenő Vincze. In the quarter-finals, Hungary faced neighbouring arch-rivals Austria and lost 2–1, the only Hungarian goal coming from György Sárosi.

Hungary entered the 1936 Olympics, where in the first round they were eliminated by Poland, 0–3.

The 1938 World Cup was held in France. The first match was played against Dutch East Indies and Hungary won 6–0. Sárosi and Gyula Zsengellér each scored twice while Vilmos Kohut and Toldi scored one goal each. In the quarter-finals, Hungary beat Switzerland 2–0 with goals by Sárosi and Zsengellér. In the semi-final at the Parc des Princes, Paris, Hungary beat Sweden 5–1 with goals by Ferenc Sas and Sárosi and a hat-trick by Zsengellér. In the final, Hungary faced Italy at the Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris and fell 4–2. The Hungarian goals were scored by Pál Titkos and Sárosi.

This Hungarian team of the 1950s featured strong players including Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik, and Nándor Hidegkuti, known collectively as the Aranycsapat ("Golden Team") or the "Magnificent Magyars". The team achieved a record of 43 victories, 6 draws, and 0 defeats from 14 May 1950 until they lost 3–1 to Turkey on 19 February 1956.

In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Hungary beat Romania 2–1 with a goal each from Czibor and Kocsis in the preliminary round. In the first round Hungary beat Italy 3–0; in the quarter-finals Hungary beat Turkey 7–1; and in the semi-finals Hungary faced Sweden, the 1948 Olympic champions and won 6–0. In the final, Hungary beat Yugoslavia 2–0 with a goal each from Puskás and Czibor and thus won the Olympic title for the first time.

On 25 November 1953, England played Hungary at Wembley Stadium, London in a match later dubbed as the "match of the century". The English team were unbeaten for 90 years at home. In front of 105,000 spectators Nándor Hidegkuti scored in the first minute. At half-time the score was 4–2 to Hungary. In the second half the Hungarians scored twice more (Hidegkúti and József Bozsik). The final score was 6–3.

Slow regression

Hungary came back again as long-time defending champions in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and was drawn into Group C with Denmark, Iran and Brazil. They finished top and advanced into the next round with Denmark. In their second group round, they were drawn into Group 1 with East Germany, West Germany and Mexico. They again finished top undefeated and advanced into the finals with East Germany. In the finals, they faced Poland and lost 1–2.

Hungary qualified for the finals of the UEFA Euro 1972 which was held in Belgium. In the semi-finals, Hungary faced the Soviet Union and lost 1–0. In the third place play-off, Hungary lost to Belgium 2–1. The Hungarians would not appear at the European Championship again until Euro 2016.

Hungary participated in the 1978 World Cup which was held in Argentina. Facing the hosts, Argentina won the match 2–1. Hungary played their second group match against Italy and the Azzurri emerged victorious, 3–1. Hungary's third match was played against Michel Platini's France losing 3–1.

During the 1980s, Hungary qualified for the World Cup twice. The first group match of the 1982 tournament in Spain was played against El Salvador, where Hungary won 10–1 at Estadio Nuevo, Elche. After the massive win, the Magyars lost to 4–1 to Diego Maradona's Argentina in the second match of the group stages. Maradona scored twice, while the only Hungarian goal was scored by Pölöskei at the Estadio José Rico Pérez in Alicante. After Hungary drew in the last match against Belgium, they were eliminated from the World Cup.

Hungary's last World Cup appearance to date was the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In the first match of the group Hungary lost 6–0 to the Soviet Union. Although Hungary won their second match against Canada 2–0, they lost to Michel Platini's France 3–0 in the last group match.

Era of decline

During the 1990s, Hungary were not able to qualify for any international tournaments except for the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. In 1996, the team reached its lowest FIFA World Ranking at 87th. The fall of the Hungarian communist regime caused financial problems to many Hungarian clubs. Formerly successful clubs like Ferencváros and Újpest faced financial crisis and bankruptcy. This had a profound effect on the Hungary national team as well, as earlier, the biggest clubs from Budapest (Ferencváros, Újpest, Honvéd and MTK) produced players for the national side. Another important reason for the decline can be attributed to the Bosman ruling; since the Hungarian clubs lost the financial aid from the state in the early 1990s, they were not able to compete with richer Western European clubs.

Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás was appointed as the head coach of the national side in 1993. He led the team for only four matches, however, as the former Honvéd and Real Madrid star failed to make an impact. The only success in the 1990s was the qualification of Hungary to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Antal Dunai's team played its first group match against Nigeria and lost to 1–0 in Orlando. In the second group match, Hungary played Brazil and lost 3–1. The last group match was played against Japan, a 3–2 loss. Hungary were eliminated in the 1998 World Cup qualifying play-offs by Yugoslavia with a 12–1 aggregate score.

During the 2000s, the Hungarian national soccer team faced several challenges and did not achieve significant success in major international tournaments. They struggled to qualify for major competitions like the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. Despite their efforts, the team often fell short in the qualification stages, which was a source of disappointment for fans and players alike. The lack of consistent performance and the inability to compete at the highest levels led to a period of stagnation for Hungarian soccer on the international stage.

However, there was a bright spot in 2009 when the Hungary U-20 team won a bronze medal at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. The U-20 team's success was seen as a potential turning point for Hungarian soccer, highlighting the country's ability to develop young talent, including Vladimir Koman and Ádám Szalai.

Throughout the decade, Hungarian clubs also made some progress in European competitions, though they did not reach the later stages. The domestic league saw fluctuating performances, with clubs like Ferencváros and Debrecen occasionally making it to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Resurgence

The Hungary national under-20 team head coach Sándor Egervári was appointed as head coach for the senior side ahead of Euro 2012 qualifying in which Hungary were drawn against Finland, Moldova, the Netherlands, San Marino and Sweden. Hungary won six, drew one and lost three games as they finished the group in third place with 19 points. During the qualification process, in September 2011, Hungary reached the 27th place in the FIFA World Ranking, their highest position to date. At the end of the year, the national team played Liechtenstein as a commemoration of the recently deceased Flórián Albert, the only Hungarian football player to win the Ballon d'Or.

Hungary were drawn in Group D in their 2014 World Cup qualifying, along with the Netherlands, Turkey, Romania, Estonia and Andorra. They amassed 14 points entering the penultimate round of games, but suffered a joint national record defeat 8–1 to the Netherlands, which resulted in the resignation of head coach Sándor Egervári. For their final group game, a 2–0 win against Andorra, Hungary were led by caretaker manager József Csábi. They finished in third place in the group, on 17 points, missing out on qualification.

Attila Pintér was appointed as head coach of the national team in December 2013. Some had seen this decision as controversial, given Pintér's low popularity with fans and players alike. The team played their first game at the newly constructed Groupama Arena on 7 September 2014, a 2–1 defeat to Northern Ireland in Euro 2016 qualifying. Pintér was subsequently dismissed, with Pál Dárdai appointed as a temporary replacement for three matches. He turned down an offer to manage the team on a permanent basis, but was kept on.

On 15 November 2015, a Storck-led Hungary qualified for its first European Championship (UEFA Euro 2016) in 44 years and its major tournament in 30 years. Hungary beat Norway in the first leg of the qualifying playoffs 1–0; the only goal was scored by László Kleinheisler. On the return match, Hungary beat Norway 2–1 and qualified for the Euro 2016 finals. After beating Austria 2–0 and drawing with Iceland, Hungary played an exciting 3–3 draw against eventual Euro winners Portugal. Hereupon, Hungary managed to qualify for the round of 16 with a game to spare, marking their best Euro or World Cup performance in over 40 years.

Hungary failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after finishing outside of the qualification places. Along the way, they drew against the Faroe Islands and were humiliated after being defeated by Andorra 1–0. After failing to qualify, manager Bernd Storck resigned.

Team image

Rivalry

Hungary has a long-standing rivalry with its neighbour Romania. The rivalry dates back to the Treaty of Trianon, where Hungary lost Transylvania to Romania, after World War I. They throw flares and matches between the two sides usually end in a fight between Hungarian and Romanian supporters; however, recently also before the matches conflicts have emerged outside the stadium. This was seen as they shared the same group in qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, 2002 World Cup, 2014 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.

The match-up between Austria and Hungary is the second most-played international in football (only Argentina–Uruguay met each other in more matches), although the two teams have only met each other three times since 2000.

Supporters

The Carpathian Brigade is an official supporters' group for the Hungary national football team. The first organized debut of this group was at a Hungary vs. Malta 2010 World Cup qualification match on 1 April 2009 at Ferenc Puskás Stadium.

The group was officially formed on 15 May 2009. This date has been commemorated as the group's birthday ever since, with group members displaying fireworks, pyros and organizing marches every year, to celebrate the birth of the "Brigade".[1]

Over the early years of the 2010s, the group would establish themselves as a household name on Ferenc Puskás Stadium's B-stand, and would acquire a reputation for violence and hooliganism. [2]

In September 2013, the Carpathian Brigade would dominate Hungarian headlines after clashing with the police, Romanian supporters, and displaying an overall unruly behaviour during an away day to Bucharest prior to a World-Cup qualifier against Romania. [3] [4] In hindsight, this specific tour to Romania is often considered by many as the starting point of the group's infamy. [5]

In October 2014 Hungarian fans travelled to Bucharest en masse to support the national team in their EURO 2016 qualification game. Just like the previous year, crowd trouble and impromptu fights between Hungarian and Romanian fans occurred ahead of and during the game. After being goaded into a fight by the home fans, Hungarian ultras broke the cordon separating the two fanbases, and attempted to enter the Romanian sector.[6] The police prevented the fight from escalating into a full-out mass brawl, by using teargas to separate the crowd. The two sets of fans also clashed with the local police force as well. [7] [8]

In September 2015, Hungary would host Romania for a Euro qualifier in Budapest. On the eve of the match Hungarian fans were looking for Romanians in downtown Budapest, but their effort to fight was spoilt by the police. Prior to the match, members of the Carpathian Brigade attacked the police force and attempted to fight Romanian fans. This would mark one of the most violent days in Hungarian hooligan history. Hungarian ultras hurled beer cans and rocks at the police and threw pyros at a group of Middle Eastern migrants taking refuge at Keleti station. 51 people were detained after the game, four of whom were Romanian. 38 people needed medical help, and six police officers were taken to hospital. Numerous police cars were set on fire, and the outbreak of fighting rendered some trams to temporarily halt functioning. [9] [10]

Kits and crest

Hungary's traditional home colours are cherry red shirts, white shorts and green socks. The combination of the colours represent the Hungarian flag. However, the team sometimes wears all white kit even at home. The coat of arms are worn on the left side of the shirt, where the human heart can be found. When the Hungarian players listen to the national anthem of Hungary, "Himnusz", they usually put their arms on to their chest. The current coat of arms could have always been found on the shirt of the national team in contrast with many other national teams which wear the logo of the football federation. Adidas is currently the designer of the Hungary kits.

Home stadium

The home stadium of the Hungary national side is the Puskás Aréna. Formerly, it was the Ferenc Puskás Stadium (also called the Népstadion). The stadium was built between 1948 and 1953 using a large number of volunteers, including soldiers. On 23 May 1954, England lost to 7–1 against Hungary. The capacity of the stadium at the end was 35,100 (approved by UEFA) though its original capacity exceeded 100,000. The stadium also hosted one of the Derbies of Budapest, including Ferencváros, Újpest, MTK, Honvéd or Vasas. The national team's final match played at the stadium was a 3–0 win for Hungary against Kazakhstan on 7 June 2014.

On 19 September 2014, UEFA selected Budapest to host three group stage games and one round of 16 game at Euro 2020.

On 15 November 2019, the Puskás Aréna opened with a match against Uruguay. The idea to invite the Uruguay national football team came from Károly Jankovics, who is the leader of the Hungarian community in Montevideo.

Ferencváros' Groupama Arena was the temporary home of the national team between 2014 and 2019 during qualification for Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win

Draw

Loss

Fixture

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Finland and Kazakhstan on 5 and 9 June 2026; respectively.

Caps and goals updated as of 9 June 2026, after the match against Kazakhstan.

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been selected by Hungary in the past twelve months.

Player records

As of 11 October 2025

Players in bold are still active with Hungary.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Champions Runners-up Third place

UEFA European Championship

Champions Runners-up Third place

UEFA Nations League

Champions Runners-up Third place

Olympic Games

The first three Olympic football events were only unofficial tournament, with a few nations represented by a club team. Beginning in 1908, the Olympic football tournament became an official event.

After 1988, the football event was changed into an under-23-only tournament.

Champions Runners-up Third place

Team records

The match between Austria and Hungary in Vienna in 1902 was the first international match played between two non-British European countries.

Hungary was the first team from outside the United Kingdom and Ireland to beat England at home, famously winning 6–3 at Wembley on 25 November 1953. Six months later they beat England 7–1 in 1954, this time in Budapest. This still ranks as England's record defeat.

Gusztáv Sebes holds the highest ratio of victories per game (over 30 matches only) with 72% (49 wins, 12, draws, 7 defeats).

Hungary has the distinction of setting the highest Elo football rating ever achieved by a national side, a high of 2230 in 1954. It was set after Hungary's 4–2 victory over Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup semi-finals on 30 June 1954, the final match in their 31-game unbeaten streak (see below). Germany and England come in second (2223 in 2014) and third (2212 in 1928) respectively.

The youngest-ever player of the Hungarian national team, József Horváth, is the second youngest scorer of European national teams according the IFFHS.

Ferenc Puskás is recognized to be the top scorer of the 20th century, by the IFFHS.

Top international goalscorers of the 20th century

Two of the top six international goalscorers of the 20th century were Hungarian, both of them from the Golden Team of the 1950s.

Undefeated run

Hungary was the first team to eclipse an 1888 Scottish record of being undefeated in 22 consecutive matches. They bettered the old mark by nine additional games to 31, now the third-longest unbeaten streak, going undefeated from 14 May 1950 to 4 July 1954, when they lost the World Cup final to West Germany.

Italy holds the longest string at 37 unbeaten matches.

* = not official

Record defeat against Hungary

A total of 10 countries have suffered their biggest ever defeat against the Hungarian national football team. Of these teams, 6 are members of UEFA, 3 of CAF and one of CONCACAF. The win against El Salvador is the biggest scoreline in men's FIFA World Cup final history.

All-time team record

The following table shows Hungary's all-time international record, correct as of 9 June 2026.

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Hungary's all-time international record. Updated 9 June 2026, after the match against Kazakhstan.

Positive Record

Neutral Record

Negative Record

FIFA ranking

Last updated on 19 December 2024

Notes

Note 1: in January 1999 FIFA changed the system of the ranking calculation

Note 2: in July 2006 FIFA changed the system of the ranking calculation

Note 3: in August 2018 FIFA changed the system of the ranking calculation

Honours

Global

FIFA World Cup

Runners-up: 1938, 1954

Olympic Games

Champions: 1952, 1964, 1968

Runners-up: 1972

Third place: 1960

Continental

UEFA European Championship

Third place: 1964

Regional

Central European International Cup

Champions: 1948–53

Runners-up: 1955–60

Third place: 1931–32, 1933–35

Balkan Cup

Champions: 1947