↑ arvau

Wikipedia / Nemzeti Bajnokság II

The Nemzeti Bajnokság II also known as NB II or Merkantil Bank Liga after its title sponsor, OTP Bank's subsidiary, is a professional association football league in Hungary and the second division level of the Hungarian football league system. Since the 2026–27 season, the champion is promoted directly, while the second-placed team has the opportunity to be promoted to the first division in a play-off against the eleventh-placed team from the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, while the two lowest teams in second league are relegated to Nemzeti Bajnokság III.

From the 2024–25 season, only 16 teams will participate in the league.

History

Nemzeti Bajnokság II was founded in 1901, having 8 teams. The first champions were 33FC having won the 1901 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season. The first two teams would participate in a promotion playoff with the last 2 teams from the first league (1901 Nemzeti Bajnokság I). The early decades were characterized by a strong Budapest-centric model; the core of the league consisted of clubs from the capital, while regional football developed independently within separate district championships. A major turning point came in 1926 with the introduction of professionalism and the establishment of the nationwide Professional II Division. This step not only bridged the gap between capital and regional clubs but also sustained the competitiveness of the league through the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II, during which the league's geographical reach temporarily expanded from Upper Hungary to Transylvania due to border shifts also competed in the league such as Ungvári AC and Nagyvárad AC.

The post-WWII nationalization and socialist sports management fundamentally reshaped the landscape. Clubs were reorganized around factories, trade unions, or armed forces, sparking the rise of industrial towns in the countryside. During this era, the structure of the NB II (or occasionally NB B) constantly fluctuated between a single nationwide group and multiple regional groups. This period marked the true golden age of the second division in terms of match attendance. In traditional football bastions like Fehérvár, Szeged, Diósgyőr, Szombathely and Pécs, crowds of tens of thousands regularly gathered to support their teams. Stability was finally achieved in 1978 with the introduction of a unified, 20-team national championship, which guaranteed a high standard of sporting competition.

The economic shock of the regime change in 1989 did not spare football. With the collapse of factory sponsorships, dozens of clubs went bankrupt or merged. The 1990s and 2000s were defined by organizational instability; the name of the championship (NB I/B, NB II) and its format changed frequently, and between 2005 and 2013, the league was split into Eastern and Western groups. While this solution reduced travel costs for clubs, it diluted the quality of the competition and led to frequent licensing issues and mid-season bankruptcies.

The modern era was established by a radical reform initiated by the MLSZ in 2013, which returned the competition to a single, nationwide group. To boost competitiveness and economic stability, the federation gradually streamlined the league, reducing the number of teams to the current 16-club format. Today's NB II is characterized by strict professional infrastructure requirements—including mandatory stadium floodlights and modern pitches—as well as regulations that financially incentivize clubs to field young Hungarian talent. As a result, the second division now offers a competitive environment where historic clubs fight to return to the top flight clash with ambitious, rising teams, all while serving as the most vital talent pipeline for the future of Hungarian football.

Current clubs

Format

On 2 March 2017, the Hungarian Football Federation announced that the number of the teams in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II will not be reduced to 12.

From 2024 onwards, the league was reduced to 16 teams from 20 and 18 teams in 2022–2024, respectively.

List of champions

Note

  1. winning the Nemzeti Bajnokság II did not mean automatic promotion to Nemzeti Bajnokság I.

  2. Between 1963 and 1973–74, the name of the second division was Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B.

Statistics

Most titles

Below is a ranking of the clubs by most titles won.

Name changes

  • BKV Előre – BSzKRT, Előre SC

  • Budafoki MTE – Budapesti Gyárépítők (in 1951)

  • Budafok FC – Gamma FC (Please note that Budafok FC and Budafok MTE are two distinct teams)

  • Budapesti Vörös Meteor – Egyetértés

  • Csepel – Weisz-Manfréd FC (in 1939–40), Csepel SC (in 1962–63, 1979–80, 1988–89, 1991–92),

  • Diósgyőr – Diósgyőri Vasas TK (in 1945), Diósgyőri Vasas (in 1949–50, 1953), Diósgyőri VTK (in 1956, 1962–63, 1973–74, 2010–11, 2022–23)

  • Soroksár – Soroksári Textil, Er-So MaDISz

  • Szeged EAC – Szegedi EOL

  • Szombathely – Szombathelyi Haladás VSE (in 1938–39, 1941–42), Haladás (in 1944–45), Szombathelyi Haladás (in 1961–62), Haladás VSE (in 1972–73), Haladás Vasutas SE (in 1980–81), Haladás VSE (in 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95), Haladás (in 2007–08)

  • Terézváros – Fővárosi TC

  • Vasas Izzó – Tunsgram SC

  • Vörös Lobógó Keltex – Kelenföldi Textilgyár

Sponsorship

The title sponsor of the championship is Merkantil Bank, the OTP Bank's subsidiary.

Media coverage

The M4 Sport will broadcast 1–1 matches and big matches.

See also

References