Hungary are a side that many may overlook going into this European Championship, but with a stronger team than many would first imagine, and a group that could play into their hands, we could see them easily progressing into the knockout rounds.
They performed well in the Nations League last time out, beating England twice, including a 4-0 humiliation at The Molineux, whilst they also managed a draw and a win against Germany.
Hopes may be slightly higher in the Hungary camp, with them being hopeful of making it deep into the competition, and this year could be the year they cause more than a few upsets. We take a look at why here.
The Team
First, we look at the team, kicking it off with the first-choice goalkeeper who many Bundesliga fans will know a lot about, Peter Gulacsi. He has made over 200 appearances for RB Leipzig and helped them win the DFB-Pokal in 2022, which included two penalty saves in the final.
Gulacsi is well known in the Hungary set-up as well, featuring in the U17, U19, U20 and U21s teams, whilst also making 54 appearances for the men’s team. Gulacsi has made a name for saving penalties, which could be vital if Hungary go far and takes any of their knockout games to penalties.
In front of him, will be his Bundesliga patriot, Attila Szalai. Despite only making 4 appearances at Hoffenheim in 2023, and 3 appearances at Freiburg in 2024, he has still been called up for the Euros.
Like Gulacsi, Szalai has represented Hungary at multiple youth levels and has almost 50 caps for the men’s squad. The 6’4 defender will be crucial for Hungary’s set pieces, in both attacking and defensive scenarios.
Alongside him, the Bundesliga theme continues, with Willi Orban being another strong contender to start in defence. The Hungarian also features for RB Leipzig and has scored 22 goals in his 233 appearances.
Like Gulacsi and Szalai, Orban has featured heavily for his national team, 45 times in fact, scoring 6 times in the process.
There is one standout name in midfield that will be crucial to how Hungary play, and that is current Liverpool player Dominik Szoboszlai. The midfielder has impressed so far in the Premier League, with his willingness to get forward, and eye for a pass.
His ability to dictate play will determine how far Hungary will go in this tournament, and his set pieces could be crucial in terms of scoring goals. He is one of their big-name players and has featured over 40 times already for his national team, scoring 12 goals in the process.
This time round, he will be given the license to roam forward, more than he has been given at Liverpool, and will be wearing the number 10 shirt.
A lesser-known name to take note of is Barnabás Varga. Not much is known about the striker who plays in the Hungarian league, but he has certainly hit the ground running with the national team.
He is coming into this tournament in some form, having scored a brace in Hungary’s 3-0 warm-up win against Israel.
Finally, the second well-known name featuring for Hungary at the tournament is Freiburg’s Roland Sallai, a name that will bring memories of that 4-0 loss back.
He is another player that is crucial for Hungary. His effectiveness on the counter-attack and in the build-up play is crucial to how they play. It would be no surprise to see him as Hungary’s top scorer in the tournament.
The squad is mostly close-knit. A lot of them have played with each other at club level at some point, whilst some still do. The players will play for each other, not just the country, and that could be vital when they are under pressure.
Finally, their manager, Marco Rossi. He has done wonders with this Hungary side. He boasts a 51% win percentage after 64 games and has only tasted 17 losses in that time. Whilst Szoboszlai and Sallai are crucial to this side, so is he.
Hungary and Rossi do prefer to line up in a 3-4-2-1/5-2-2-1 formation, depending on who plays out wide in the midfield. This formation allows Szoboszlai to focus solely on linking up play higher up the pitch, with less emphasis on the defensive side of the game.
The versatile formation will allow Rossi to adapt his game plan to how the other side sets up, going compact if the opposition are in search of a goal, or allowing him to go attacking if they need to win.
Their Group
Hungary’s group is an interesting one, to say the least. Whilst it is not the most difficult group in the tournament, it is one that could pose a lot of problems for them, or they could sail through without any difficulty.
First up, they have Switzerland, a side who are very 50/50 going into this competition. They do have a few players that could cause problems for any team, but they are nowhere near as strong as many of the other teams in the competition.
It would be difficult to see Switzerland doing well. In the World Cup, they advanced in a group of Brazil, Cameroon and Serbia, before being embarrassed 6-1 by Portugal in the round of 16. They may struggle to even get out of the group stage in this Euros, however.
After that, they face Scotland, another relative unknown in the tournament. Again, Scotland are by far one of the stronger teams in the tournament, but they do have players that can cause trouble for any opposition.
With Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay, they do have a good chance of causing a few surprises, but it is their defence that is worrying. Their players will be well-known within English football, but they are not international, household names.
But, they have a point to prove, and they will want to put on a good show whilst they compete, and they could go all out from the get go. Whilst it should be a relatively simple win for Hungary here, there is always a chance of a shock being caused.
To round off the group, the hosts, Germany. A few years ago, this would have been a huge concern for Hungary, but more recently, Hungary should be looking at having a good chance of topping the group.
A shock opening-day loss against Japan in the World Cup, and a draw against Spain in the following game, effectively sealed their fate. Elimination in the group stage, is a huge shock for a nation of Germany’s stature, regardless of how easy their group was.
Since then, they have had a mixture of results. Losses against Belgium, Poland, Columbia and Japan were worrying, but they have followed those up with wins against France, twice, and The Netherlands.
They are the host nation, and they are expected to do well, but the uncertainty around the national team, the players that have been called up to the squad, and the ones that have been left out, could mean that Germany will suffer again in the tournament.
So, despite being a relatively difficult group to predict, Hungary could benefit from a lot of uncertainties, and if they make it to the knockout stage, they could go far.
That just about sums up Hungary going into this tournament, and it is one where they could really put themselves on the map. Is there a realistic chance of them winning it? Probably not, but Denmark made it to the semi-final of the last Euros, so why can’t Hungary?
There is always the feat that Hungary could flop and finish bottom of their group, but they have a good group of players who will all fight for each other, and it will be a very interesting tournament for the country.
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