Ever since the Hungarian Football Association introduced the current management of the domestic first division, the fate of the teams coming from the second tier has always been the same: one has been promoted, the other has been relegated. The trend was broken: in the 29th round, DVTK defeated Debrecen, thereby mathematically securing their stay – this was also done by the other newcomer MTK.
Since the reorganization of the OTP Bank League in 2015, the teams coming from the Merkantil Bank League obviously had a harder time, since after their promotion they had to hold on to a narrower elite, which means getting the first ten places. The Hungarian championship is the only one in Europe that is so illustrious, and the last two are automatically relegated to the second division. In the last eight seasons, the distribution of newcomers was the same without exception: one of them (typically the previous NB II champion) stayed, while the other went back to the Merkantil Bank League with a return of mail. Diósgyőr and MTK have now mathematically broken this series: neither of them can be eliminated from the OTP Bank League this year.
2015/2016
After Vasas and Békéscsaba were promoted from the Merkantil Bank League in 2015, we were not far from both going back, exactly 23 minutes. Békéscsaba’s bye was already decided before the last round, but Vasas fought hard against Puskás Academy, and finally defeated MTK in the final quarter of the 33rd game, which decided everything, and they needed those three points to stay in.
Rookies: Vasas (1st), Békéscsaba (2nd)
Remained: Iron (10.)
Fell out: Békéscsaba (12.)
2016/2017
Among the blue and yellow upstarts, Mezőkövesd set foot in the forefront, so much so that it said goodbye only eight years later, just this weekend. The NB I project got off to a great start with Attila Pintér, the team finished in fifth place as a rookie, and later reached the cup semi-finals with Tomiszlav Szivicc and Miklós Radványi. By the end of the season, he fell back to 9th place, but his relegation problems were virtually never for a moment.
The other rookie, Gyirmót, was practically behind the field all the way, and was the last to drop back.
Rookies: Mezőkövesd (1st), Gyirmót (2nd)
Remained: Field stone (9.)
Fell out: Gyirmót (12.)
2017/2018
As close as the elimination of both newcomers was two years earlier, in 2018 it was only a hair’s breadth for both of them to stay in. Puskás Akadémia won the NB II in a mirror-like manner, accordingly, it became a smooth middle team in the OTP Bank League already in its first season, while Balmazújváros took a more tricky route. The team from Hajdúság, with Tamas Feczkó, fought for promotion in practically the last round, and with Ferenc Horváth, they were eliminated in the last round a year later. The otherwise very likable team scored a last minute goal in the last minute of their NB I history, which, if valid, would have kept them in the first division, and since then local football has almost ceased to exist in the city, the stadium now functions as a sublet – as we can see in the Nyíregyháza–Ferencváros also in the cup semi-finals.
Rookies: Puskás Academy (1st), Balmazújváros (2nd)
He stayed inside: Puskás Academy (6.)
Fell out: Balmazújváros (11.)
Ferenc Horváth, the then head coach of the Balmaz Kamilla Spa
(MTI Photo: Zsolt Czeglédi)
2018/2019
This was the first 12-team season in which the previous year’s NB II champion was eliminated and the runner-up stayed in. However, at the halfway point of the season, it didn’t look like this, MTK started the NB I with flying colours, while Kisvárda, in the first half-season of its suffering history, finished in fourth and 11th place in the winter.
Then everything turned upside down on the Hungária tour: they won only two games in the spring, and in return they lost their last seven games without exception, so they fulfilled the increasingly clear “rookie law”. At that time, Kisvárda was still saved – it seems, until now.
Rookies: MTK (1st), Kisvárda (2nd)
He stayed inside: Kisvárda (9.)
Fell out: MTK (11.)
2019/2020
The ascent of Zalaegerszeg is already very ripe, but the first half of the year was a bumpy ride, and for a long time it looked as if they had bought a return ticket as well. Then Gábor Márton arrived, and he turned a relegation candidate into a central team with an effective counter-football in the spring interrupted by covid (as if he would copy this four years later).
Kaposvár, coming from the third division, made a huge surprise from NB II, but was not ready for the top: it said goodbye with one of the weakest performances of the last decades, and has been in NB III ever since.
Rookies: ZTE (1st), Kaposvár (2nd)
He stayed inside: ZTE (7th)
Fell out: Kaposvár (12.)
(photo: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák)
2020/2021
The coronavirus epidemic greatly affected the promotion teams, since after the first wave, the NB II did not start again, the final result of the championship in March was left in place, MTK and Budafok could come again. This time, the former did not make the same mistake as two years earlier, the team led by Michael Boris, characterized by Roland Varga and Schön Szabolcs, played good football and stuck in the middle. For a long time, Budafok was also a pleasant surprise, but the two-thirds of the championship consumed all the energy of Csizmadia’s team: after February, in the last ten rounds, they scored only one point.
Since then, MTK has already improved, and Budafok gave another sign of life two years later in the form of a cup final.
Rookies: MTK (1st), Budafok (2nd)
Remained: MTK (7.)
Fell out: Budafok (12.)
2021/2022
After amazing excitement, Debrecen and Gyirmó were finally able to celebrate at the end of the previous season, both of them brought what could be expected from them. Loki, still marked by Dániel Tőzsér and Szabolcs Huszti, practically reproduced the performance of the NB II champions of the previous years with seventh place.
Aurél Gyirmótja of Csertői was in the competition for staying in for a long time, it was decided in the 32nd round that they would follow a similar path as five years earlier. However, this season gave Barnabás Varga to Hungarian football and the national team!
Rookies: DVSC (1st), Gyirmót (2nd)
He stayed inside: DVSC (7th)
Fell out: Gyirmót (12.)
2022/2023
Although Vasas won the previous second division with a record number of points, this was the second season in which the NB II champion did not reach the level of the first division. We praised Kecskemét wholeheartedly last year, as an absolutely run-down team, they provided by far the best rookie production, until Fradi’s few stray stumbles, they even won the championship. The second place is a feat and seems almost unrepeatable.
Although Vasas looked good based on names, it was unable to function as a unified team, so it deservedly fell back to the second division – where, by the way, it is now trying again.
Rookies: Vasas (1st), Kecskemét (2nd)
He stayed inside: Kecskemét (2.)
Fell out: Iron (12.)
The model rookie (photo: kecskemetite.hu).2023/2024
Diósgyőr also beat Vasas’ NB II points record, but they significantly changed their squad, signing a lot of legionnaires. A significant part of these worked, and the team split with Sergej Kuznetsov for a long time, and then they parted ways not strictly due to professional football reasons. Even with Vladimir Radenkovic, DVTK didn’t really deteriorate enough to have any problems with relegation, and with the defeat of Debrecen at the weekend, they have it mathematically.
Much smaller changes took place within the framework of MTK, the club, which is basically based on its own education, was strengthened with some more routine players and legionnaires. The friendly philosophy remained, but the style of play sometimes went in the direction of goal football – but the results legitimized everything. With four rounds to go, the blue and whites are much closer to starting the European Cup than to relegation, and in the second half of spring they are already playing braver and more attractive football. Dávid Horváth also emphasized that they still have development potential – in the club’s recent past, it would be unusual if they stayed in the club for the second time in a row.
Rookies: DVTK (1st), MTK (2nd)
He stayed inside: DVTK, MTK
Kosznovszky and Acolatse may also face each other next season (photo: MTI/Tibor Illyés).The result therefore broke the law, i.e. for the first time, a team that was not newly promoted said goodbye to the OTP Bank League. At this time next year, it will be clear whether this season is just an exception that reinforces the rule or the first element of a series.
Where will Paks move from the low point? “Weekend heroes.”
Promotion, relegation, one of the most exciting matches of the season, Vidi at a height seen in a long time – we were not bored in the 29th round of the NB I.
The program of the 30th round:
Friday, April 26:
Zalaegerszegi TE FC-Puskás Academy FC 20.00
Saturday, April 27:
Paksi FC-Zsóry FC Mezőkövesd 14.30
Diósgyőr VTK-Kecskemét TE 17.00
Debrecen VSC-Újpest FC 19.30
April 28, Sunday:
Kisvárda Master Good-Fehérvár FC 15.15
MTK Budapest-Ferencvárosi TC 17.45
Cover image:
Budapest, September 2, 2023. Goal scorer István Bognár, player of MTK (l) and Diósgyőr’s Alexander Vallejo played in the 6th round of the football OTP Bank League match MTK Budapest – VTK Diósgyőr at the Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium in Budapest on September 2, 2023 . MTK won 2-1. MTI/Tamás Kovács
