Current season, competition or edition: 2025–26 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball) | |
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| Sport | Handball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951; 74 years ago (1951) |
| No. of teams | 14 (since2016–17) |
| Country | Hungary |
| Confederation | EHF |
| Most recent champion | Veszprém KC (29th title) |
| Most titles | Veszprém KC (29 titles) |
| Broadcaster | M4 Sport |
| Relegation to | Nemzeti Bajnokság I/B |
| Domestic cup | Magyar Kupa |
| International cups | EHF Champions League EHF European League EHF European Cup |
| Official website | keziszovetseg.hu |
TheNemzeti Bajnokság I (English:National Championship I, commonly abbreviatedNB I) is the premier men's professionalhandball league inHungary, administered by theHungarian Handball Federation. Since 2016 the official name of the championship isK&H Férfi Kézilabda Liga due to sponsorship reasons.
Running since 1951, the Hungarian championship is among the strongests in Europe.Veszprém KC have won theEHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2008 and have reached the semi-final of theEHF Champions League three times in the last nine seasons, capturing a silver medal in 2002. Main domestic rivalsSC Pick Szeged are also regular members of the Champions League.
Famous handball players who have played in the league includeCarlos Pérez,Zlatko Saračević,Mirza Džomba,Árpád Sterbik,Kiril Lazarov,László Nagy,Dániel Buday,Balázs Laluska,József Éles,Julio Fis,Rolando Uríos,Nenad Peruničić,Vlado Šola,Dejan Perić,Vladimir Hernández,Gergő Iváncsik and many others.
Currently, it consists of 14 teams. The top four teams after the regular season qualify for the playoffs, where a best-of-three system is used. Teams ranked fifth to ninth and tenth to twelfth decide their final places in a classification round, using a double round robin system, playing six additional rounds. Depending on their final position in the regular season, they are awarded bonus points which are added to the points they earn in the postseason.
According to the EHF league ranking, NB I champions and runners-up receive an automatic spot in the Group phase of the forthcoming Champions League season, while following two clubs enter the EHF Cup. Teams ranked thirteenth and fourteenth get relegated and will be replaced by the winners of the Eastern and Western group of the second division.
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Finished pos. in last season | Seasons in top division | Top division titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balatonfüredi KSE | Balatonfüred | Balaton Szabadidő és Konferencia Központ | 712 | 5th | 17 | 0 |
| Budakalász FKC | Budakalász | Budakalászi Sportcsarnok | 400 | 10th | 8 | 0 |
| Csurgói KK | Csurgó | Sótonyi László Sportcsarnok | 1200 | 6th | 16 | 0 |
| Dabas KK | Dabas | OBO Aréna | 1920 | 9th | 7 | 0 |
| QHB-Eger | Eger | Kemény Ferenc Sportcsarnok | 885 | 1st (inNemzeti Bajnokság I/B) | 8 | 0 |
| Ferencvárosi TC | Budapest,IX. ker | Elek Gyula Aréna | 1300 | 4th | 11 | 0 |
| HE-DO B. Braun Gyöngyös | Gyöngyös | Dr. Fejes András Sport- és Rendezvénycsarnok | 1500 | 7th | 17 | 0 |
| PLER-Budapest | Budapest,XVIII. ker | Budapest Airport Aréna | 1000 | 2st (inNemzeti Bajnokság I/B) | 18 | 0 |
| MOL Tatabánya KC | Tatabánya | Tatabányai Multifunkcionális Sportcsarnok | 6200 |  | 51 | 4 |
| Carbonex-Komló | Komló | Komló Városi Sportközpont | 800 | 11th | 26 | 0 |
| NEKA | Balatonboglár | NEKA Sportcsarnok | 678 | 8th | 3 | 0 |
| OTP Bank - Pick Szeged | Szeged | Pick Aréna | 8143 |  | 48 | 5 |
| Fejér B.Á.L. Veszprém | Veszprém | Március 15. úti Sportcsarnok | 2200 | 12th | 4 | 0 |
| Telekom Veszprém KC | Veszprém | Veszprém Aréna | 5096 |  | 43 | 26 |
The league went through various name changes depending on the sponsor for the given season(s):[citation needed]
As we can see from the chart the number of teams in the Hungarian First Division changed a lot and continuously. The league started in 1951 with four teams and with the formation of teams the league expanded continuously. Currently, there are 14 teams in the first division.
| Season | Number of teams |
|---|---|
| from1951 to1952 | 4 teams |
| in1953 | 6 teams |
| in1954 | 12 team |
| from1955 to1956 | 4 teams |
| in1957 | 12 teams |
| from1958 to1959 | 14 teams |
| from1960 to1964 | 12 teams |
| from1965 to1975 | 14 teams |
| from1976 to1982 | 12 teams |
| from1983 to1990-91 | 14 teams |
| from1991-92 to1994-95 | 16 teams |
| from1995-96 to1998-99 | 14 teams |
| from1999-00 to2006-07 | 12 teams |
| in2007-08 | 16 teams |
| in2008-09 | 12 teams |
| from2009-10 to2010-11 | 13 teams |
| from2011-12 to2014-15 | 12 teams |
| from2015-16 topresent | 14 teams |
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veszprém | 29  | 12 | 2 | 1985,1986,1992,1993,1994,1995,1997,1998,1999,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2019,2023,2024,2025 |
| Bp. Honvéd | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1952,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1972,1976,1977,1980,1981,1982,1983 |
| Szeged | 5 | 21 | 11 | 1996,2007,2018,2021,2022 |
| Bp. Spartacus | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1959,1960,1961,1962,1973 |
| Vörös Meteor | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1951,1954,1955,1956,1957 |
| Elektromos SE | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1969,1970,1971,1991 |
| Tatabánya | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1974,1978,1979,1984 |
| Győri ETO | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1987,1989,1990 |
| Újpest | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1953,1958 |
| Dunaferr | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2000 |
| Ferencváros | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1956 |
| Debreceni Dózsa | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1975 |
| Győri Textiles | - | 1 | 2 | - |
| Csepel | - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Vörös Lobogó | - | - | 2 | - |
| Testnevelési Főiskola | - | - | 2 | - |
| Balatonfüred | - | - | 2 | - |
| Bp. Építők | - | - | 1+ (1) | - |
| Martfűi MSE | - | - | 1 | - |
| Vasas | - | - | 1 | - |
| Honvéd Szondi SE | - | - | 1 | - |
| Csurgó | - | - | 1 | - |
The following table lists the Hungarian handball champions bycounties of Hungary.
| County (megye) | Titles | Winning clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Budapest | 29 |  Honvéd (14) Bp. Spartacus (5) Elektromos SE (4) Vörös Meteor (4).png) Újpest (2) |
| Veszprém | 29 |  Telekom Veszprém (29) |
| Csongrád-Csanád | 5 | .png) Pick Szeged (5) |
| Komárom-Esztergom | 4 |  Tatabánya KC (4) |
| Győr-Moson-Sopron | 3 |  Győri ETO (3) |
| Hajdú-Bihar | 1 |  Debreceni Dózsa (1) |
| Fejér | 1 |  Dunaferr (1) |
Since 1951, clubs have participated in the Hungarian League. The club with the most appearances in the top league isPLER with 58. This record also includes participations of Elektromos SE and Malév SC Pestszenlőrinc, which merged to form PLER. The current NBI team with the most participations isTatabánya with 54, as of the 2023–24 season.Ferencváros is the team that has participated the most seasons, 43, without ever winning the title.
The following data indicatesHungarian coefficient rankings between European handball leagues.
EHF League Ranking for 2018/19 season:[2]
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EHF Club Ranking as of 25 September 2025:[3]
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| Champions League | EHF Cup | Challenge Cup | Cup Winners' Cup (defunct) | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | RU | SF | C | RU | SF | C | RU | SF | C | RU | SF | |||||||||
| Honvéd | 1 | 1982 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Veszprém | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1992,2008 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| Szeged | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||||
| Győri ETO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1986 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Dunaferr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Tatabánya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 1 title | 4 | 6 | 3 title | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 title | 3 | 8 | ||||||||
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