Hungary vs Sweden

As Hungary and Sweden gear up for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers this autumn, they’ll face off in a friendly match at Puskas Arena on Friday.

The Magyarok are eager to regain their footing after suffering consecutive defeats, while the Blagult aim to continue their strong form, targeting a fifth victory in six matches this week.

Under Marco Rossi’s leadership, Hungary have faced challenges over the past year, securing only two competitive wins in the last 12 months—against Scotland at Euro 2024 and Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Nations League. A turnaround is crucial if they hope to qualify for the World Cup.

In March, Hungary endured a tough Nations League playoff, losing 3-1 and 3-0 to Turkey in home and away legs, respectively. Despite the scoreline, Rossi might feel the results were harsh, as Turkey capitalized on just seven shots on target to score six goals across both matches.

This setback relegated Hungary to League B, and with the qualifiers approaching in September, their recent form has been shaky, with only one win in their last eight games, alongside four losses and three draws.

Adding to their struggles, Hungary have failed to win any of their past four matches at Puskas Arena and haven’t secured a home victory since a 3-0 friendly win over Israel in June 2024.

A victory on Friday—their first since October—could spark momentum for Hungary’s World Cup qualification campaign. A follow-up win against Azerbaijan on June 10 would further boost their confidence before they travel to face Ireland.

Sweden are riding a wave of strong form under Jon Dahl Tomasson, with four wins in their last five matches and an impressive five victories in their past six competitive fixtures. This week, they’ll be aiming to keep that momentum going with another positive result.

Their recent run hasn’t been flawless, though. After cruising through the Nations League with three straight wins—including a dominant 6-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan—they suffered a surprise defeat to Luxembourg in late March. However, the team quickly bounced back, dismantling Northern Ireland 5-1 just three days later—a response that will have pleased Tomasson.

A slight concern for Sweden is their away form, having lost three of their last six matches on the road. Still, fans will take confidence from the fact they’ve only been beaten once in their past six competitive games as the nominal away side.

Another win here—which would be their seventh in nine matches—would set them up nicely for September’s qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo. A strong away performance would be especially valuable, given that their first two Group B fixtures are both on the road.