Hungarian football miracle in Lisbon: we have a chance to compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026 – video
The Hungarian football team displayed courage and skill throughout their match against the higher-ranked, already qualified Portuguese side in Lisbon last night during the World Cup qualifying round.
Hungarian team showed great resiliance during the match
The game got off to a promising start for Hungary when Attila Szalai scored in the 8th minute, giving the team an early lead that they managed to hold for nearly 15 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo then equalised in the 22nd minute, and the Hungarian football players might have headed into the break with the scores level if Ronaldo hadn’t scored his second goal in added time of the first half.
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In the second half, the Hungarian team took the initiative, but luck seemed reluctant to smile upon them. Fortunately, fate was no kinder to the Portuguese either. This was evident in the three shots that hit the woodwork—two by the Portuguese and one by the Hungarians. A peculiar incident occurred too: a Hungarian attack was halted because the referee did not move out of the way in time, causing one of our players to get caught up in him. This disruption allowed the Portuguese to launch a counterattack.
The game took a small but thrilling twist in the 91st minute of injury time when one of Hungary’s star players, Dominik Szoboszlai—currently playing for Liverpool—cleverly slipped the ball through to score and level the match.
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First World Cup qualification chance in 40 years
The final 2-2 result means two things: first, the Portuguese have not yet secured their place at the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Second, Hungary still holds a chance to qualify by finishing second in the group and playing in the play-offs. This hasn’t happened since 1986, the unfortunate and much-remembered Mexico World Cup.
Our next qualifying matches will take place on 13 and 16 November. Hungary will travel to Armenia first, then host the Republic of Ireland in Budapest on the 16th.
If we win both matches, there is a real chance we could be back on the World Cup stage after a 40-year wait.
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