7M - International Friendlies Preview: Hungary vs Finland - prediction, team news, lineups

The Puskas Arena in Budapest opens its doors on Friday evening to host a friendly showdown between Hungary and Finland, just days after the iconic stadium staged the final of the Champions League.

Both European nations enter this exhibition fixture with a shared sense of disappointment, having missed out on qualifying for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

Match preview

Hungary find themselves dealing with an ongoing World Cup drought that has now reached four painful decades. The nation, which famously finished as runners-up in the 1938 and 1954 tournaments, came agonizingly close to keeping their dreams alive in UEFA qualifying.

Needing only a draw in their final group match against the Republic of Ireland to lock down second place behind group winners Portugal, the Magyars suffered a devastating collapse. A pair of late concessions, including an equalizer and a winner in the 96th minute, condemned them to a brutal 3-2 defeat on home soil. Hungary finished their six-game campaign with an even record of two wins, two draws, and two losses.

Managing Expectations and Schedule Pressure

The heartbreak sparked intense speculation regarding the future of long-serving manager Marco Rossi, with rumors suggesting he tendered his resignation. However, the nation's football federation backed the Italian technician, confirming late last year that he will remain at the helm through 2030.

Rossi, who has guided Hungary through 85 international matches since taking charge in 2018 (39 wins, 20 draws, 26 losses), managed to steady the ship somewhat during March's international window, registering a 1-0 win over Slovenia and a 0-0 stalemate with Greece in Budapest. Ranked 42nd in the world by FIFA, the hosts are now facing Finland for the first time in eight years, looking to replicate their 2-0 home win from the UEFA Nations League back in 2018.

Tactical Highlights and Recent Struggles

Finland, currently sitting 74th in the FIFA World Rankings, travel to Budapest looking to overturn a rough historical trend against Friday's opponents. The Eagle-owls have tasted victory just twice across their last 11 competitive and friendly meetings with Hungary.

Under the leadership of Jacob Friis, the Nordic nation has experienced a severe dip in form over the last two years, grinding out just five victories in their previous 21 international fixtures. While three of those triumphs arrived during World Cup qualifying, catastrophic slip-ups against Poland, Lithuania, and Malta cost them dearly. A shocking 1-0 loss at home to Malta in November 2025 forced them into a disappointing third-place finish behind the Netherlands and Poland, ensuring they remain a nation that has never reached a World Cup finals.

Friis has experimented heavily during four subsequent friendlies. They followed up a 4-0 demolition of Andorra and a penalty-shootout loss to Cape Verde after a 1-1 draw with a 2-0 win over New Zealand. However, tactical vulnerabilities were laid bare last Sunday when they were comprehensively thrashed 4-0 by Germany, adding intense pressure on Friis to fix a defense that collapsed under elite pressure.

Team News

Rossi has chosen to refresh his roster by naming seven uncapped players in his 29-man squad. Among the new faces fighting for a debut are 19-year-old AZ Alkmaar forward Bendegiz Kovacs and 21-year-old Liverpool shot-stopper Armin Pecsi.

The hosts will be spearheaded by talismanic captain Dominik Szoboszlai, who carried the creative load last year with four assists in six World Cup qualifiers. Reliable figures like Milos Kerkez, Roland Sallai, Alex Toth, Andras Schafer, and Barnabas Varga are all primed to play a part.

Finland will lean on the vast international experience of Palermo striker Joel Pohjanpalo, who stands as the most-capped outfield player in the traveling party with 88 appearances. He will lead the frontline, with Robin Lod and either Topi Keskinen or Oliver Antman occupying the wide positions.

In the engine room, Niklas Pyyhtia is pushing for a starting spot alongside Matti Peltola, Anssi Suhonen, Adam Markhiyev, and Leo Walta, as he looks to make his first international appearance since scoring on his debut late last year.

Hungary possible starting lineup:
Pecsi; R. Sallai, Orban, Dardai, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, A. Toth, Schafer; Redzic, Vargas, Schon

Finland possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Alho, Koski, Miettinen, Mahuta; Pyyhtia, Peltola, Suhonen; Antman, Pohjanpalo, Lod

Prediction: Hungary 2-1 Finland

While Hungary's recent standard on home turf has been somewhat underwhelming with a record of two wins, four draws, and four defeats in their last ten outings, they still possess the superior individual quality. Given Finland's long-standing struggles to string positive results together on the road, a strong Hungary lineup should have enough to edge out a victory in front of the Budapest crowd.