Puskás Ferenc Stadion (Budapest)

Puskás Ferenc Stadion was a multi-purpose stadium in the Zugló district of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, which was the home of national football from its opening in 1953 until it was closed in 2016, before being demolished a year later.

The stadium was originally called the Népstadion, "People's Stadium", with construction starting in 1948. It took five years to complete, with the work being carried out by volunteers. One year later, the great Hungarian national side of the day demolished England 7-1 in the stadium. 

Over the years, it has been used for the Hungary national team, as well as hosting major European games for clubs without really having the required facilities. It has also held numerous athletics meetings, as well as numerous concerts. 

The stadium doubled for Munich's famous Olympic Stadium in Steven Spielberg's 2005 movie Munich. In 2001, the stadium was given its later title in honour of Ferenc Puskás, the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time. After its demolition in 2017, the site was cleared before the construction of Puskás Aréna, which opened in 2019 with a capacity of 67,215.

My visit

Friday 19th October 2000

I was travelling around Europe by train for three weeks on an InterRail ticket, taking in as many major cities and sightseeing as possible, which of course included visiting football clubs and stadiums. On Friday, 19th October 2000, I arrived at Nyugati Pályaudvar Railway Station in central Budapest on a train from Vienna. 

I dumped my bag into left luggage and I was soon on my way to have a look at the Nepstadion, as it was called at the time. Unfortunately, although I didn’t have a lot of money but heaps of time, I couldn’t find out information on where the other clubs' stadiums were in the city, so this solitary call would have to do. 

I took the metro to Stadion M station and then tried to work out access into the grounds as there were high iron railings all around the site, which also had indoor arenas and training facilities. It covered a lot of land. 

Eventually, I found a gate with a sentry box. Fortunately, the guard was all smiles, and a few minutes later, I was trackside in a very famous stadium. It was basically a bowl with one large single tier. Down one side was a grand entrance with VIP facilities above it, as well as the media facilities. 

On the far side, there was an extra tier that went slightly around the corners. There was absolutely no covered accommodation for spectators. It was a true throwback to the previous communist type stadium I’d watched England play in on TV. 

I spent the rest of the day between Pest, which is where the stadium is located, and Buda across the Danube, doing sightseeing and spending the equivalent of £10 in Forint. To see Trevor Brooking score a great goal for England in the Nepstadion in a vital World Cup qualifier in 1981, click here: