Hungarian football season free to reach climax

In line with the MLSZ Executive Committee's decision in early May, the OTP Bank Liga has now successfully resumed and the next full round of fixtures, the 26th of 33, will be held on Saturday 30th May with only limited fans in any stadium - one per four seats if the host club decides to use the opportunity to admit spectators.

In the men's Hungarian Cup, both semi-finals have now concluded, Honvéd overcoming MTK on penalties and Mezőkövesd edging past MOL Fehérvár on away goals to set up a capital-city versus countryside club clash in the Puskás Aréna on 3rd June. Also last Saturday, Ferencváros won the first of their two rearranged league fixtures by virtue of a 2-1 success against Debrecen and the reigning champions then extended their lead at the top of the current league table to nine points when Serhiy Rebrov's team won a second rearranged match away at rivals Újpest on Wednesday evening. Along with Germany and Estonia, Hungary is one of the first European countries to see its men's top league resume since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Hungary's case, 70 days passed between the temporary shutdown of football and its resumption.   

In both men's and women's football, only the competitions which affect European qualification for next season will resume in any form.  A maximum of four women's domestic fixtures remain in this season's calendar, specifically the postponed MTK Hungária–Diósgyőr Simple Women's League contest which will determine which of the two clubs will take on Ferencváros in the best-of-3 UEFA Women's Champions League qualification play-off series, but there will be no domestic league winner declared, nor any official final league placings or relegation. The men's Hungarian Cup final will take place on 3rd June and the NB I league season must finish by the end of June with at least three days between each team's fixtures.

Every men's and women's elite-level fixture from now until at least the end of the season will be played with a maximum of 25% of each stadium's capacity filled - no fan is to be seated within three seats of another. The Hungarian Football Federation's medical committee has drawn up a detailed health and examination protocol, according to which the players will be regularly tested and social distancing measures are to be applied outside the confines of each football pitch.

"MLSZ has placed emphasis on the three competitions which involve European qualification. The women's and men's top tiers and the men's Hungarian Cup decide which teams will represent Hungary in international competition, therefore the federation dealt with these first and decided upon the conditions of their resumption", MLSZ General Secretary Dr Márton Vági has stated.

Upcoming fixtures:

Thursday 29th May: Simple Women's League: MTK-Diósgyőri VTK (rearranged match)
Saturday 31st May: 26th round of OTP Bank Liga (six fixtures - one to be broadcast live by M4 Sport)
Wednesday 3rd June: Men's Hungarian Cup final in Puskás Aréna
Thursday 4th June: 1st match of best-of-3 UEFA Women's Champions League qualification play-off series
Thursday 11th June 2nd match of best-of-3 UEFA Women's Champions League qualification play-off series
Thursday 18th June: Potential 3rd match of best-of-3 play-off series for UEFA Women's Champions League qualification (only to be played if one team hasn't already won both the first two matches)

The M4 Sport television channel will broadcast all remaining men's Hungarian Cup and women's matches live, as well as certain men's OTP Bank league fixtures.