Budapest is a great football city and full of bars where you can watch the match. Many are still open for the time being, although sensible social distancing should be observed. With traditional nightlife hub, District VII, between the Great Synagogue and Klauzál tér, much quieter these days, there are plenty of options to sit down over a beer and take in the televised action without being crowded out. Here are six of the best!
1/6
6:3
Further down the Nagykörút, near the Boráros tér stop on main tram line 2, 4 and 6, the 6:3 takes its name from the famous scoreline when Hungary beat England at Wembley in 1953. Its former owner, Nándor Hidegkuti, scored a hat-trick that day, and the bar remained in local hands until taken over by a quartet of expat football fans in 2018. Keeping its priceless Puskás-era mementos and traditional feel, the new owners lay on live-match screenings and occasional special events.
2/6
Champs/Champs Sziget
A long-established favourite, Champs is a football-focused basement bar at the city end of Dohány utca, just behind the Great Synagogue, offering an extraordinary number of sports channels. Note the line drawings of Hungarian sporting legends lining the staircase as you enter. In summer, until early autumn, it also runs a sister venue on the recreational retreat of Margaret Island, Champs Sziget, a beer garden with a huge screen. Expect pub grub, affordable prices and friendly service.
3/6
Score!
Tucked in just behind Erzsébet körút, Score! attracts a younger, student crowd who gather to watch matches beamed on 15 TVs in a long bar room bookended by pool tables. Quality craft brews by local breweries Fehér Nyúl, Horizont and Monyo come by the bottle, domestic Borsodi, plus standard Czech and Belgian brands, on tap.
4/6
Stifler Bar
The Nagykörút, the main tram-lined road that cuts through Pest connecting its major central districts, is lined with post-work/late-night bars, most with terraces overlooking a constant blur of traffic. The section between Király utca and Blaha Lujza tér, Erzsébet körút, has several match-watching options, most notably the Stifler Bar. Once a bigger chain, the Stifler brand still has four outlets around town, and this is the main one, a US-style sports bar with pool, table football, pinball and screens a-go-go. Opening hours are currently until 5am.
6/6
Ziccer!
The bar outlet for the cross-platform, fan-driven Hungarian football interface TrollFoci, Ziccer! recently moved from its cosy corner location on Dohány utca to this prominent spot on Erzsébet körút. With connections to Hungary’s myriad fan and ultra groups, it honours Magyar football culture. Instead of a hastily chosen photo of Messi, carefully selected images depict seminal moments in Hungarian soccer history, from kick-off at the 1938 World Cup Final to Ádám Szalai being engulfed by fans after opening the scoring against Austria at Euro 2016. Ziccer!, by the way, is what the Hungarian commentator screams when a player is through on goal with only glory or despair before him.
