Sport in Hungary – What do Hungarians excel at and what are their favourites?

Hungary is a country with a rich and diverse culture that mixes its own distinctive folk traditions with influences from abroad and modern technology. Music, literary works, ceramics, embroidery, and other arts are big in the country. 

The Hungarian culture also shines through in its architecture and cuisine, which, while sharing similarities to neighbouring European nations, has many unique distinctions that make it stand out. 

One thing that Hungary shares with many other countries is its love for sport. Of course, the most popular one is football, but you won’t have to search far to find fans of athletics, table tennis, golf, and kayaking. Here’s a closer look at the types of sport you can expect to find when in Hungary. 

Football

Like in many countries in Europe, football is by far the biggest and most popular sport in Hungary. At an international level, the nation has finished as runners up in the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, the first in 1938 and the second in 1954. Their highest finish in the European Championship was third place in 1964. Hungary’s biggest success has come in the football events in the Summer Olympic Games, winning three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze. 

Domestically, Hungary operates a pyramid-shaped league system that’s found in most of Europe. At the top, is the Nemzeti Bajnokság I (National Championship 1) which is currently known as the OTP Bank Liga thanks to a sponsorship deal with the financial institution. It contains 12 teams and is currently ranked 29th by UEFA, ahead of other big footballing nations like Poland. 

While Hungary has a lot of homegrown talent competing in Nemzeti Bajnokság I, many talented players head abroad to compete in leagues like the English Premier League, Serie A, and Bundesliga. For example, Ákos Ónodi is a goalkeeper for Aston Villa, while Dominik Szoboszlai is a midfielder for RB Leipzig. 

Esports

Esports are a relative newcomer to the global sporting landscape, with most people only paying attention to them in the last couple of years. These are competitions that pit individuals or teams of video game players against each other in titles like Call of Duty, Formula 1, Hearthstone, and Fortnite. Like other sports, events are shown on TV and online streams, athletes have become celebrities, and the winners receive prize money that’s regularly in the hundreds of millions of dollars. With more people watching esports each year, these prizes are likely to keep growing too.