TEAM

HUNGARY

GROUP: A

PLAYER TO WATCH: Dominik Szoboszlai

EXPECTED FINISH: Group Stage

Hungary fixtures

After topping Group G in their qualifying campaign, Hungary have been drawn in Group A alongside host nation Germany, Switzerland and Scotland. They should fancy their chances of getting out of this group, having made it through qualification without losing a single game and conceding just seven goals across the eight matches.

With Germany heavy favourites to win Group A, Hungary will likely be fighting it out with the Swiss and the Scottish for second place, though third may offer a route into the next round too.

It is a tough ask but, should they finish second, they will face the winners of Group B – a challenging group that contains Spain, Croatia and reigning champions Italy. A third-place finish for Hungary would throw up various possibilities for advancing but would ensure they had to face a group winner in the next round.

Here are Hungary’s Group A fixtures in full:

Hungary vs Switzerland: 15th June (Cologne Stadium)
Germany vs Hungary: 19th June (Stuttgart Arena)
Scotland vs Hungary: 23rd June (Stuttgart Arena)

Standings

Venues

Hungary Key players

Dominik Szoboszlai

Caps (goals): 40 (12)

Position: Midfielder

Club: Liverpool

Captain of Hungary Dominik Szoboszlai plays his club football for Liverpool and is a box-to-box midfielder, possessing excellent technical ability with a keen eye for goal. Making his international debut in 2019, Szoboszlai was appointed skipper in 2022 and currently boasts an impressive 12 goals for his country, including four in the qualifying campaign for 2024 alone.

He scored the goal that sent Hungary to the 2020 European Championships in the last minute of a play-off against Iceland – though he ultimately had to withdraw from the final squad for the tournament itself through injury.

Szoboszlai is making this his first appearance at a major tournament this summer following Hungary’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Barnabas Varga

Caps (goals): 9 (4)

Position: Forward

Club: Ferencvaros

Despite only making his international debut in 2023, Varga already has four goals for Hungary in just nine games. Playing domestically for Ferencvaros, he has notched over 25 goals in all competitions this season as the club were crowned champions of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the Hungarian top flight.

With four goals in the successful 2024 qualifying campaign, Varga has shown he can mix it on the international stage and will be someone Hungary manager Marco Rossi will be turning to in his quest for goals to fire the team out of Group A,

Roland Sallai

Caps (goals): 47 (12)

Position: Winger

Club: SC Freiburg

SC Freiburg winger Rolland Sallai will be key in linking up with Szobolszlai and Varga as part of the Hungarian attacking threat. Despite scoring just twice in qualifying, he did net the all-important second goal against Serbia to help his country win the group and progress directly to the 2024 European Championships.

He has 12 goals for his country overall and his versatility means he is capable of playing in an attacking midfield role as well as out wide. Notably, Sallai was part of the Hungary side that caused a huge shock as they beat England 4-0, scoring twice as the Three Lions suffered their worst home defeat for almost 100 years.

It is performances like that one that fans of Hungary will be looking for, as they target the knockout stage.

Previous performances in the Euros

Hungary have a respectable record in major tournaments. Twice World Cup runners-up, they also have a third and fourth-place finish in the European Championships to their name in the 1960s and 70s.

A 44-year absence from the European Championships followed that fourth-placed finish in 1972, with their next appearance not coming until 2016, when they reached the quarter-finals.

They are appearing at their third consecutive championships now, though, and will be hoping to replicate some success from days gone by.

Here is Hungary’s complete record at the European Championships:

1960: Withdrew
1964: Third place (beat Denmark 3-1 after extra time in third place play-off)
1968: Did not qualify
1972: Fourth place (lost 2-1 to Belgium in third place play-off)
1976: Did not qualify
1980: Did not qualify
1984: Did not qualify
1988: Did not qualify
1992: Did not qualify
1996: Did not qualify
2000: Did not qualify
2004: Did not qualify
2008: Did not qualify
2012: Did not qualify
2016: Round of 16 (lost 4-0 to Belgium)
2020: Group stage (bottom of Group F)

Expectations

With Group A likely to be dominated by home nation Germany, on paper there is still a realistic opportunity for the Hungarians to progress. They demonstrated what they are capable of in the demolition of England in 2022, and they topped their qualifying group.

It wasn’t the most testing of groups, it could be said, and Hungary did finish bottom of an admittedly tough Group F in the 2020 tournament.

Szoboszlai and his ability to take control of games will be vital, though he will need support in attacking areas from the likes of Varga and Sallai as well as from those not guaranteed to start games such as Callum Styles and Martin Adam.

Odds and player information correct at time of publication but subject to change