Budapest Honvéd FC football history from 1909: from Kispesti AC to the Golden Team and the Bozsik Aréna
A teacher's club in Kispest became the club of Puskás, Kocsis and Bozsik. Honvéd's story from 1909 to autumn 2026: name changes, 14 league titles, 8 cups, 1956, the Bozsik Aréna and the return to the top flight.
A club founded by a teacher in Kispest became one of the most famous club sides in the world. In summer 2026, after three years in the second tier, it returned to the top flight under its old name.
This article summarises public sources. Where sources disagree, we say so.
| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 3 August 1909, Kispesti Atlétikai Club |
| Name from the 2026/27 season | Kispest–Honvéd FC |
| Stadium | Bozsik Aréna, about 8,200 seats |
| Hungarian league titles | 14 |
| Hungarian Cups | 8 |
| Owner | Arago Sport Kft. (since 2024) |
Sources: RSSSF – champions, RSSSF – cup finals, Telex, 2021, Telex, 2024, hvg.hu, 2026.
1909–1949: a club from Kispest
The club was founded in 1908 by a teacher, Bálint Varga, as Kispesti Atlétikai Club. Its statutes were only adopted on 3 August 1909, so that day is treated as the founding date.
Kispest was still a separate town then. It only became part of Budapest on 1 January 1950, when "Greater Budapest" was created.
In its first decades the club was little more than a village team, with moderate success. Its first big trophy was the 1926 Hungarian Cup: it beat BEAC 3–2 in a replayed final. From 1926 to 1944 it played as Kispest FC, then as Kispesti AC again.
In the 1930s Ferenc Puskás senior played for the club, and in the 1940s he also coached it. His son and József Bozsik were already in the Kispest side when history turned.
1949: the army takes over
In 1949 the Ministry of Defence took over the club. The Hungarian word "honvéd" means "defender of the homeland", in other words a soldier: the club became the army team.
The driving force was national coach Gusztáv Sebes. According to the source, he wanted a national team built around one or two clubs. MTK went to the state security service, Ferencváros was judged unsuitable, so the choice fell on Kispest.
Army call-ups brought in Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor and László Budai from Ferencváros, Gyula Lóránt from Vasas, and goalkeeper Gyula Grosics. Puskás and Bozsik were already there.
The Golden Team's club
The new Honvéd won five titles in six years: 1949–50, 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955.
The national side, the Golden Team, lost just one of 69 matches between 1950 and 1956. It won Olympic gold in 1952 and lost the 1954 World Cup final 3–2 to West Germany in Bern. The source says most of the squad played for Honvéd.
On 25 November 1953 at Wembley, in front of 105,000 people, Hungary won 6–3. Puskás scored twice, Bozsik once, and MTK's Hidegkuti three times.
1956: Bilbao, Brussels, emigration
In the 1956–57 European Cup Honvéd drew Athletic Bilbao. It lost the away leg 3–2. Meanwhile the revolution in Budapest was crushed. The return leg was played in Brussels, at the Heysel Stadium: 3–3. Honvéd went out 6–5 on aggregate.
Early in the Brussels match Honvéd's goalkeeper was injured. Substitutes were not allowed then, so Zoltán Czibor went in goal.
The players then did not go home. With Béla Guttmann organising, they played in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Brazil. FIFA declared the team illegal. Puskás joined Real Madrid, Kocsis and Czibor joined Barcelona. Bozsik, Budai, Lóránt and Grosics returned to Hungary.
1964–1993: the second golden age
The club won the cup in 1964 and reached the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals in 1965–66, where Liverpool knocked it out. In the 1978–79 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, MSV Duisburg went through on away goals after 4–4 on aggregate.
In 1980, under coach Lajos Tichy, came the first title in 25 years. Seven more followed:
| Era | League titles | No. |
|---|---|---|
| 1949–1955 | 1949–50, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955 | 5 |
| 1979–1993 | 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93 | 8 |
| 2016–17 | 2016–17 | 1 |
| Total | 14 |
Source: RSSSF.
In 1985 and 1989 the club won the league and the cup. In the 1993–94 Champions League, Manchester United won 5–3 on aggregate.
1991–2024: names and owners
In 1991 the club became Kispest-Honvéd FC, and from 2003 Budapest Honvéd FC. It was relegated in 2003 and came back a year later. In October 2004 the operating company went into liquidation over tax debts. A new company took its place, on condition that the debt was paid.
From 2006 American businessman George F. Hemingway ran the club. In this period it won the cup in 2007 and 2009. On 27 May 2017 it beat Videoton 1–0 on the last day and won its 14th title, the first in 24 years.
In April 2019 Reditus Equity Zrt. bought the company that runs the club. On 3 June 2020, at the Puskás Aréna, Honvéd beat Mezőkövesd 2–1 for its eighth cup.
In 2023 the team was relegated from the top flight. On 15 August 2024 it was announced that Arago Sport Kft., a company linked to Tamás Leisztinger, was the new owner.
The Bozsik Aréna
The last match at the old Kispest ground was played on 5 August 2018, a 1–0 win over Paks. Demolition began in February 2019. For two years Honvéd played at MTK's stadium.
The new arena opened on 24 July 2021 with a 0–0 draw against Villarreal B. A parachuting soldier brought down the ball. The kick-off was taken by Péter Bozsik and a great-grandchild of Ferenc Puskás. According to Telex, the stadium has about 8,200 seats, is UEFA category 4, and was roughly a year late. The planned cost of HUF 4.98 billion rose to HUF 17 billion.
A November 2025 hvg.hu report says the state is handing the arena over to the club. At the same time Péter Szijjártó became club president.
2025–2027: back in the top flight, under the old name
In the 2025–26 second division (NB II), Honvéd finished second with 59 points, behind Vasas, and was promoted.
On 17 January 2026 it was announced that supporters would decide the name. According to the club, more than 9,000 votes were cast, and over 90 per cent chose the old name. From the 2026/27 season the senior teams play as Kispest–Honvéd FC.
The head coach since June 2026 is Maurizio Jacobacci. According to FotMob, after 17 October the team was 10th of 12 in the top flight, with 10 points from 9 matches.
5 things many people don't know
- For 40 years Honvéd was not a Budapest club. Kispest only became part of the capital on 1 January 1950.
- Puskás's father was a club man too. Ferenc Puskás senior played for Kispest in the 1930s and coached there in the 1940s.
- A Honvéd defeat helped start the European Cup. In December 1954 Wolverhampton won 3–2 and an English paper hailed them as "champions of the world". L'Équipe journalist Gabriel Hanot replied by proposing a European club competition.
- In Brussels a winger kept goal. With no substitutes allowed, Zoltán Czibor went in goal against Bilbao after the goalkeeper was hurt.
- Fans voted for today's name. According to the club, over 90 per cent of more than 9,000 votes went to Kispest–Honvéd.
What these sources do not tell us
- The stadium's capacity differs by source: 8,200 in Telex, 8,370 on Wikipedia.
- For the 1926 cup final, RSSSF lists two matches and Wikipedia three.
- The exact vote percentage and the legal form of the stadium handover are not given in the sources.
Educational content. Data Analytic Investments is not affiliated with Kispest–Honvéd FC, the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ), UEFA, FIFA or any other club named in this article; club and brand names are used for identification only. Illustrations marked "AI illustration" are not photographs.
Continue on DAI
Explore Topics
Written by
Data Analytic Investments
Content creator and writer sharing insights and stories.
