For the first time ever, Australian Rules Football is coming to Budapest!

Hungary’s first Australian Rules Football team, the Budapest Bats, is hosting the third round of the Empire Cup at the Budapest Rugby Center in Kincsem Park between 10 am and 3 pm, 8th June 2024.

Australian Rules Football comes to Budapest

Australia’s most popular sport, ‘footy’, is a unique game that involves fast running, precision kicking, high jumping and hard hits (with no pads!).

The Empire Cup was founded in 2022 with 3 teams participating in its debut season. It has now become a major international tournament with teams from Vienna, Graz, Prague, Nysa and Budapest.

With the rising number of teams and travel, a new round-robin matchday system was implemented for the 2024 edition, with Graz, Prague, Nysa and Budapest all hosting a round in their respective cities, with each team only scheduled to travel to the 3 closest rounds from the 4. The round-robin results all accumulate towards deciding who faces off in the Grand Final decider on the 27th July in Vienna.

To make the day extra special, the Budapest Bats women’s team, which has seen massive growth over the last few months, will play their first-ever matches, taking on Fort Nysa’s women’s team.
We will also see the debut of a second Hungarian team, the Kőbánya Crows, who will play a friendly game against the Budapest Bats. The Crows aim to join the Empire Cup in 2025.