Hungary – Participating Teams in the Euro Football 2024 Tournament

Hungary will take part in the upcoming 2024 European Championship on German soil. They are one of the tournament underdogs, but can the Hungarians surprise a few this summer?

They did superbly well to reach the finals, and we look back on their excellent qualification campaign. We also check out their current squad and analyse the nation’s expected performances in the 2024 Euro Cup.

The Hungarian Football Team in the Euro Football Tournament

After an exceptional qualifying campaign, Hungary booked their place in the 2024 European Championship on November 16th last year. This summer’s tournament will be their fifth Euro Cup appearance overall. 

In the early years of the European Championship, the Hungarians were one of the top sides in Europe. They competed in two of the first four championships, securing third and fourth-place finishes, respectively.  

They then had a woeful period, failing to qualify for the next ten European Championship finals. However, they were back on the big stage in 2016, qualifying for the French tournament via the play-offs. 

During the 2016 competition, they secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Austrians before battling to a 1-1 draw with the Icelanders in Marseille. In game three, Hungary held Portugal to a thrilling 3-3 stalemate at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Unfortunately, they lost 4-0 to Belgium in the Round of 16. 

Hungary qualified for back-to-back Euro tournaments for the first time when they reached the 2020 edition. Once again, the Magyars secured qualification via the play-off route. They were involved in a tough Group F with France, Germany, and Portugal. 

Despite being the massive underdogs, Hungary held both France and Germany to draws. However, they finished at the bottom of the pile with two points to their name and were eliminated from the competition in the group stage. 

After qualifying for a third consecutive European Championship, this is somewhat of a golden era for the Hungarian national team. They were in Pot 2 for the draw with the likes of Denmark, Romania, and Turkey. 

Hungary were drawn into Group A, where they will face Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland this summer. Being the hosts, the Germans are expected to win the group, but the second automatic qualification place is certainly up for grabs for the other three countries. 

The Hungarians kick off their tournament with a matchup with the Swiss in Cologne. The meeting at the RheinEnergieStadion could go either way, but the Magyars will back themselves to get the job done. 

Hungary then make the trip to the MHPArena to face the hosts. The Hungarians have a good recent record against the Germans, unbeaten in the last three meetings. The teams last locked horns in the Nations League back in September 2022, with Hungary running out 1-0 winners in Leipzig. 

The pair also met in the last European Championship. Germany had to come from behind twice to snatch a point against a dogged Hungarian team in Munich. The Germans last got the better of Hungary in a friendly in 2016. 

For their final Group A match this summer, Marco Rossi’s troops will stay in Stuttgart to face Scotland on June 23rd. The Scots also had a superb qualifying campaign and are always improving under Steve Clarke, but Hungary will be targeting all three points from that one. 

The battle for the top two places in Group A will be fascinating. A top-two spot guarantees a place in the knockout phase, while third place could be enough. 

Rossi has done an outstanding job as Hungary’s boss since taking over in 2018, and the Italian could take the Hungarian national team far this summer. First and foremost, Hungary are looking to get out of Group A, and they will certainly fancy their chances of doing so. 

Hungary’s Road to the European Championship 2024

Hungary had an exceptional 2024 Euro Cup qualifying campaign. They won Group G and finished a whopping seven points above third place. They were unbeaten in eight qualifying games, winning five and drawing three.

Hungary ended the campaign four points clear of Serbia at the summit. They scored an impressive 16 goals and let in just seven at the other end. 

Hungary’s campaign got up and running with an easy home win over Bulgaria in March. Over 50,000 fans packed into the beautiful Puskas Arena to watch a 3-0 victory for the home side. All three goals came in the first period. 

The Hungarians then battled to a 0-0 draw with Montenegro in Podgorica. It was a tight matchup, with neither team doing enough to win it, and it was a point gained for the away team. 

Hungary then picked up an excellent 2-0 away win against Serbia at the Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade. They fell behind early on, but goals from Barnabas Varga and Willi Orban turned the match on its head. 

Hungary then beat Serbia 2-1 on home soil a month later. Varga was on target again, and Roland Sallai scored. Sallai’s goal, which proved to be the winner, came just a minute after Serbia’s equaliser. 

They went up against Lithuania on matchday six and nearly suffered a shock defeat in Kaunas. They were two goals down at half time but battled back in the second period to grab a 2-2 draw to preserve their unbeaten status. Varga’s effort eight minutes from time rescued a point at the Darius and Girenas Stadium.  

Hungary were involved in another entertaining 2-2 stalemate in the next match. They took an early lead but were down 2-1 to Bulgaria in injury time. Rossi’s side were desperate to hold on to their unbeaten run, and a 97th-minute own goal gave them a share of the spoils in Sofia. 

Qualification for the 2024 European Championship was already in the bag, but they still wanted to win the group on the final day. Rossi’s team welcomed Montenegro to the Puskas Arena, and a win would guarantee the top spot. They secured a comfortable 3-1 victory to get the job done in style. 

On the whole, it was an excellent qualifying campaign for the Hungarians. It was also the first time they qualified without needing the play-offs. 

Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic finished as the group’s top scorer with five goals, which helped the Serbians to the second spot. Two Hungarian players hit four goals, including Ferencvaros forward Barnabas Varga. Rossi’s side are looking to take their momentum into the finals.

Hungary’s Star Players in the Team

Rossi will have several top players at his disposal this summer. They have many players playing in the top leagues in Europe, including Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez. The likes of Peter Gulacsi, Attila Szalai, Daniel Gazdag, and Andras Nemeth ply their trade in Germany. 

Callum Styles is a familiar face to fans of the English Football League (EFL). The midfielder, who was born in Bury, plays for the Hungarian national team via eligibility through his grandparents. He was also eligible to play for England and Ukraine. 

Since making his debut with hometown club Bury in 2016, Styles has been a top performer in the EFL. He moved to Barnsley in 2018 and was on loan at Millwall in the 2022-23 season. Styles is a combative midfielder who loves a tackle. He has attracted interest from many EFL Championship clubs of late, and Styles will be a big part of Rossi’s plans this summer. 

Barnabas Varga will also be a key player for Hungary in the finals. The Ferencvaros man scored four goals in qualifying and can be a real handful for defenders. 

Another one of their star men is goalkeeper Gulacsi. He has been a rock between the sticks for his national side since 2014, racking up over 50 appearances. Since 2015, Gulacsi has been in goal for RB Leipzig in Germany. 

Hungary’s Chances of Winning the 2024 European Championship

Hungary have been drawn into a tough-looking group in Germany. They will face the tournament hosts, along with Scotland and Switzerland. The Germans are expected to win Group A, with the Hungarians, Swiss, and Scots set to battle it out for second position. 

Hungary’s tournament starts with a game against Switzerland on the second day of the championship. Three points in Cologne would set them up nicely before they face Germany in Stuttgart.  

Hungary’s final Group A matchup will be against Scotland on June 23rd. If they can pick up a positive result against the Swiss and beat the Scots, Hungary will go through to the knockout phase. 

They had a good record in the early stages of the European Championship, and this will be their third successive Euro Cup appearance. They reached the Round of 16 in 2016, but can they go even further eight years later? 

They are unlikely to win the competition, but Rossi’s side will be looking to cause a few upsets during their time in Germany. Securing a knockout place will be the main goal for the Hungarians this summer. You can bet on every Hungary match in the 2024 European Championship right here with us at Unibet.