Ferencváros football history from 1899: from Budapest's ninth district to the 1965 Fairs Cup and the Üllői út stadiums

A residents' club from Budapest's ninth district became Hungary's most successful football team. In spring 2026 it lost the league title by a single point, and in the summer the champions' coach took over its bench.

This article summarises public sources. Where sources disagree, we say so.

Sources: Wikipedia – Ferencvárosi TC, RSSSF – champions, Telex, 9 May 2026, Telex, 29 May 2026.

AI illustration (artist's depiction).

Ferencvárosi Torna Club was founded on 3 May 1899 by Ferenc Springer and a group of residents of Budapest's ninth district, Ferencváros. Its colours are green and white, and its motto is "Erkölcs, Erő, Egyetértés".

The first stadium, on Üllői út, opened on 12 February 1911 and, according to the source, held 40,000 spectators. The club has played on the same site ever since: today's stadium is the third one there.

The early decades left two names in the record book:

• Imre Schlosser scored 8 goals in a single match in 1912, in an 11–3 win over the third-district team. According to the source, that is still the club record for one match.
• György Sárosi scored 351 goals between 1931 and 1948, making him the club's all-time top scorer.

In the early 1950s the communist authorities reorganised the old civic clubs. Ferencváros played as ÉDOSZ SE in 1950–51 and as Kinizsi from 1951 to 1956. In 1956 it took back its old name.

Timeline compiled from the sources linked in this article.

The club's greatest international success came in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup. On 23 June 1965, at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, Ferencváros beat Juventus 1–0. The final was a single match, in Juventus's home city.

The goal was headed in by Máté Fenyvesi in the 74th minute, from a cross by Dezső Novák. Of the club's three European finals, it is the only one it won.

Two more European finals followed. Leeds United won the 1968 Fairs Cup final, and Dynamo Kyiv the 1975 Cup Winners' Cup final.

Flórián Albert played for Ferencváros from 1958 to 1974. In 1967 he won the Ballon d'Or, the award for Europe's best footballer; he is the only Hungarian to have done so. In the league he scored 255 goals in 351 matches, according to the source, and 294 in 409 matches across all competitions.

The club's second Üllői út stadium hosted its first match on 19 May 1974, against Vasas. On 21 December 2007 it was renamed Stadion Albert Flórián, four years before Albert's death on 31 October 2011.

AI illustration (artist's depiction).

In 1995–96 Ferencváros became the first Hungarian club to reach the Champions League group stage. It got there again in 2020–21. Its Europa League group-stage seasons include 2019–20 and 2021–22.

The third stadium was built in 2013–14 on the same site. The first match was played on 10 August 2014, against Chelsea. It holds 23,700 for league matches and 20,000 for UEFA matches.

AI illustration (artist's depiction).

The club won seven league titles in a row, from 2018–19 to 2024–25. That took its total of Hungarian titles to 36.

The 2025–26 season went to Győri ETO. The final table, per the Wikipedia summary:

Source: Wikipedia.

The cup, however, went to Üllői út. On 9 May 2026 Ferencváros beat ZTE in the final after extra time. Raemaekers scored in the 111th minute, at the end of a corner routine. The coach at the time was Robbie Keane.

On 29 May champions Győri ETO announced that their head coach, Balázs Borbély, was leaving for Ferencváros; Fradi officially appointed him on 1 June. The club described it as a return: he had worked in its youth system from 2019 to 2022.

1. Three stadiums, one address. The 1911, 1974 and 2014 stadiums were all built on Üllői út.
2. The final was won away. The 1965 Fairs Cup final was a single match in Turin, Juventus's city.
3. The Ballon d'Or went to Üllői út. Flórián Albert won it in 1967 as a Ferencváros player; he is the only Hungarian winner.
4. One match, eight goals. Imre Schlosser's 1912 record still stands, according to the source.
5. The coach came from the rival. Balázs Borbély's Győri ETO finished one point ahead of Ferencváros; two weeks after the season ended he joined Fradi.

• The attendance at the Turin final differs: goal.com says 30,000, Wikipedia 40,000.
• Flórián Albert's league goal total differs even within Wikipedia: 255 or 256.
• Flórián Albert's total of 409 appearances in the Wikipedia table does not match the sum of its season rows (419).
• The Wikipedia club article gives 24 Hungarian Cups in one place and 25 in another; 25 includes the 2025–26 win.

Educational content. Data Analytic Investments is not affiliated with Ferencvárosi Torna Club, the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ), UEFA or any other club named in this article; club and brand names are used for identification only. Illustrations marked "AI illustration" are not photographs.