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Szolnoki Dózsa water polo: from a railway club to champions of Europe (1921–2026)

Szolnoki Dózsa water polo: from a railway club to champions of Europe (1921–2026)

It started as a railway club in 1921, won ten national titles, and in 2017 became the best team in Europe in front of 10,000 fans in Budapest. The history of Szolnoki Dózsa, with sources.

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Sorozat:1. Labdarúgás2. Vízilabda3. Kosárlabda4. Jégkorong5. Kézilabda

Szolnok lies on the River Tisza, and water has always mattered in the town's sport. Its water polo team began as a railway workers' club, gave Olympic champions to the Hungarian national team, and in 2017, after a thirteen-year wait for Hungarian clubs, won the Champions League. This article puts the club's hundred years together from public sources and flags where the sources disagree.

Illustration: a water polo match in an outdoor pool, spray rising above the water, riverside trees in the background
Illustration: a water polo match in an outdoor pool, spray rising above the water, riverside trees in the background
AI illustration (artist's depiction).

1921–1950: the railway workers' team

The club was founded in 1921 as Szolnoki MÁV [1]. The name tied the team to the Hungarian State Railways, MÁV. It kept that name until 1950 [1].

1950–1964: Szolnoki Dózsa and six league titles

In 1950 the team became Szolnoki Dózsa, a name it kept until 1973 [1]. This was the club's first golden age. Szolnok won the national championship in 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1964 [1].

Several players of that era became Olympic champions with Hungary. English Wikipedia lists Ottó Boros, István Hasznos and Tivadar Kanizsa as Olympic champions, and István Pintér as a European champion [1].

1973–2011: new names and sponsors

After 1973 the club played under several names. The first naming sponsor appeared in the 1991–92 season (Szolnoki Vízügy-RC Cola) [1]. No league title came in this period. The team won the Hungarian Cup in 1985–86 [1] and played in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1986–87 [1].

2014–2017: the second golden age

From the 2011–12 season the team played as Szolnoki Dózsa-KÖZGÉP [1], and the second successful era began. Szolnok won three league titles in a row, in 2014–15, 2015–16 and 2016–17, along with the Hungarian Cup (2014–15, 2016–17) and two Super Cups (2016, 2017) [1].

The high point came on 27 May 2017. At the Final Six in Budapest's Duna Aréna, the team beat Eger 7–5 in the semi-final and the defending champions, Croatia's Jug Dubrovnik, 10–5 in the final [1][2]. The coach was Sándor Cseh, and goalkeeper Viktor Nagy stood out [2]. Reports put the crowd at around 10,000 [3]. The last Hungarian club to win the Champions League before that had been Honvéd, in 2004 [2][3]. In the same year Szolnok also won the LEN Super Cup [1].

YearCompetitionResult
2017Champions League, semi-finalSzolnok – Eger 7–5
2017Champions League, finalSzolnok – Jug Dubrovnik 10–5
2017LEN Super Cupwon
2021LEN Euro Cup, final22–22 on aggregate, 3–0 on penalties against Orvosegyetem

Sources: [1][2]

Chart: Szolnoki Dózsa water polo timeline since 1921, with league titles and international wins
Chart: Szolnoki Dózsa water polo timeline since 1921, with league titles and international wins
Chart: Data Analytic Investments, based on the article's sources.

2017–2026: Szolnoki Dózsa again

Since the 2017–18 season the club has used the name Szolnoki Dózsa again [1]. In 2020–21 it won the league once more, and also the LEN Euro Cup: the final against another Hungarian club, Orvosegyetem, ended 22–22 on aggregate, and Szolnok won the trophy 3–0 on penalties [1].

5 things many people don't know

  1. The club began as a railway team. Its first name was Szolnoki MÁV (1921–1950) [1].
  2. The six early titles came within ten years, between 1954 and 1964 [1].
  3. The 2017 Champions League final was played in Budapest, not in Szolnok, at the Duna Aréna [2][3].
  4. Szolnok brought the trophy back to Hungary after thirteen years. Before that, Honvéd had won in 2004 [2][3].
  5. The 2021 Euro Cup final was an all-Hungarian affair, decided on penalties [1].

What we do not know from these sources

  • The introduction of the English Wikipedia article says nine league titles, while its list of titles has ten [1]. We show both figures in the fact box.
  • Of the six Hungarian Cup wins, the source names the years of only four [1].
  • We found the name and capacity of the club's current home in only one source [1], so the fact box names that source.
  • We found no verifiable summary of the 2025–26 season, so we do not write about it.

From the Hungarian clubs series

This is part eight of the series. The previous part covered Győri ETO women's handball; the next is about Alba Fehérvár basketball.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Szolnoki Vízilabda SC — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szolnoki_V%C3%ADzilabda_SC (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  2. HVG (Hungarian): Szolnok, the champion of champions, 27 May 2017 — https://hvg.hu/sport/20170527_A_Szolnok_a_bajnokok_bajnoka
  3. Daily News Hungary: Szolnok become champions of Europe in front of 10,000 fans, 2017 — https://dailynewshungary.com/szolnok-become-champions-europe-front-10000-fans/

A klubnevet azonosításra használjuk; az oldal nem hivatalos, a klubbal nincs kapcsolatunk. Oktatási tartalom.