Most loved sports in Hungary 

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Are you curious as to what kinds of sports the Hungarians enjoy?

Here, you can find all the information you need on the most popular sports in Hungary.

The National Sport of Hungary

Water polo is widely regarded as Hungary’s national pastime. In contrast to many other countries, Hungary’s national sport is not football but something considerably less well-liked. A popular sport, water polo is played by seven-member teams consisting of six outfielders and one goalkeeper. The game’s rules are a lot like football.

Hungry is a central European landlocked country. Budapest, the capital, is home to more than 1,752,000 people and borders Slovakia, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Austria (but more than 3,011,000 if you include the metropolitan area).

Hungary is the birthplace of water polo, a sport that has since spread worldwide. It’s deeply ingrained in Hungarian culture and has been for quite some time. Water polo is a game that was very recently introduced to the US. The sport has progressed from its 1987 Hungarian debut to the professional ranks.

It’s a lot like soccer in that it values quickness and teamwork. Although commonly performed in pools, the sport can also be enjoyed in the open ocean. Goals in men’s soccer are typically 20–30 meters apart, whereas, in women’s, it’s 25 meters. The pool can be any length, but it should be at least 10 to 20 meters wide. The optimal depth range is 1.8 m – 2 m. A two-meter and a five-meter line should also be painted on the pool’s perimeter.

For many years, Soviet authorities enforced strict control over Hungary, a satellite state. When the communists took over Hungary, the national water polo team practiced outside Budapest. Hungarian emigrant Ervin Zador escaped the camp and made it to Budapest to see his mother before the Soviets arrived. After learning about the insurrection, he returned to the camp to report on it. 

Football

Like the rest of the world, Hungary places a premium on football.

Although the Hungarian national team struggled, it enjoyed prolonged success in the 1950s and was even dubbed the “Golden Team.” They were captained by one of the game’s all-time greats, Ferenc Puskás, and came up short in the 1954 World Cup finals against West Germany amid allegations of referee assistance and doping. The FIFA Puskás Award, given to the player who scored the year’s most exquisite goal, bears his name in tribute.

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Water Sports

Water sports primarily consist of water polo and swimming, Hungary’s second most popular sport. Although Hungary has no coastline, the country’s water polo (the national sport) and swimming teams are among the best in the world. 

Overall, Hungary’s performance at the Olympics has been nothing short of phenomenal. The country ranks ninth in overall medals, eighth in total gold medals, and second in total gold medals per capita.

Basketball

In the same vein as football, Hungary once had one of Europe’s top basketball teams from the middle of the 1940s until the middle of the 1960s. They had a lot of success in the European Basketball Championship and made it to the Summer Olympics several times. The quality has decreased since its previous peak.