How Hungarian football is structured, from the top flight to county leagues
Aug 25, 2026 · 19:15
How many teams, how many divisions, and what is a club licence? The Hungarian pyramid explained.
The structure of Hungarian football looks complicated at first glance, but it follows a clear logic: the further down you go, the more parallel groups there are.
The top flight
The highest level is NB I, featuring twelve clubs in an autumn-spring, round-robin format. The champions enter Champions League qualifying, while the next placed teams and the cup winners enter Europa League and Conference League qualifying.
The second and third tiers
NB II is the national second division with a single group, from which the best teams are promoted to the top flight. NB III is organised regionally in several groups and is where semi-professional and amateur clubs meet. Below them are the county championships, which form the broadest base of the Hungarian game.
The club licence: the invisible condition
Winning promotion on the pitch is not enough. A club must also obtain a licence, with conditions covering the stadium and infrastructure, the operation of youth teams, the qualifications of the coaching staff and an orderly financial and legal background. This is why a team can earn promotion on the field and still stay put.
Why does it matter to supporters?
Because the licensing system is what forces clubs to run youth setups, and because movement between divisions is what makes the season compelling: at every level the closing rounds matter, for promotion and relegation alike.
