 | |||
| Full name | Zalaegerszegi Torna Egylet Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Zete | ||
| Short name | ZTE | ||
| Founded | 1920; 105 years ago (1920) | ||
| Ground | ZTE Arena | ||
| Capacity | 11,200 | ||
| Chairman | Andrés Jornet and Damián Pedrosa | ||
| Head coach |  Nuno Campos | ||
| League | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | ||
| 2024–25 | NB I, 10th of 12 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Zalaegerszegi Torna Egylet Football Club ([ˈzɒlɒɛɡɛrsɛɡiˈtornɒˈɛɟlɛt]), commonly known asZalaegerszegi TE,Zalaegerszeg orZTE, is aHungarian professionalfootball club based inZalaegerszeg. Zalaegerszeg has won oneHungarian League title in2002 and oneMagyar Kupa title in 2023.
ZTE traces its roots back to 1912, at the time of theAustro-Hungarian Empire. Its first match was a 4–2 defeat to a team fromVasvár. The team was first composed of members of a literary and debating society. ZTE flourished under coachJózsef Vadász, but World War I halted its progress. In 1920, Zalaegerszegi TE, or "Gymanistics Club of Zalaegerszeg," was born. They were defeated in their debut match, losing 2–1 toAK Szombathely on August 21, 1920, but were motivated by a crowd of over 2,000 fans.[1]
ZTE's league history began in 1924, when they joined the Hungarian second division. The club won the title a decade later and entered the top flight in 1934. However, the start ofWorld War II under the regime ofAdmiralMiklós Horthy saw ZTE's field and equipment confiscated. After the war, in 1957, ZTE merged with two other local teams, signalling the rebirth of theclub.[2]
From then on to the 1990s, however, ZTE did not really challenge the Hungarian title much. The league was dominated byBudapest clubFerencvárosi TC. In 1994, ZTE managed to gain a solid foothold on the Hungarian first division.
In the 2000s, the club reached their zenith by winning the Hungarian League for the first time in the club history. In the2001–02 season, Zalaegrszeg finished second in the first stage of the championship gaining 61 points while Budapest rivalsMTK Budapest FC 64 points. In the championship play-off Zalaegerszeg secured their first ever league title and finished on 71 points andPéter Bozsik's team overtook Budapest rivals Ferencváros and MTK Budapest along the way.[3][4]Krisztián Kenesei andGábor Egressy were the key figures of the title-winning team by scoring 37 goals. In the2002–03 season, Zalaegerszeg finished in the bottom half of the table and competed in the relegation play-offs. In the following seasons, ZTE would consolidate in the lower half of the table, finishing in 9th, 6th and 11th place respectively.
In the2002–03 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase Zalaegerszeg facedCroatian championsNK Zagreb. The first match was played in Zalaegerszeg and the club won it 1–0.[5] The only goal was scored byDarko Ljubojević. In the second leg Zagreb was winning by 2–0 when in the 87th minute Zalaegerszeg was awarded a penalty which was converted byFlórián Urbán.[6] ZTE beat Zagreb on away goals. In the third qualifying round Zalaegerszeg faced English giantsManchester United. In the first leg, ZTE provided a stunning shock by winning 1–0 with a last minute goal fromBéla Koplárovics.[7] However, in the return leg atOld Trafford, Man United secured a convincing 5–0 victory.[8]Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in the 5th and 75th minute thenDavid Beckham,Paul Scholes,Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored. The English side progressed to the first group stage with a 5–1 aggregate victory. They dropped down to theUEFA Cup where they were crushed 9-1 on aggregate in the first round byDinamo Zagreb, with a 3-1 loss at home and 6-0 loss away.In the2006–07 season after nine rounds Zalaegerszeg was on the top of the league table.[9] At the end of the season the club finished third securing a place in the European competitions of theIntertoto Cup 2007. In the spring of 2009János Csank was appointed as the coach of the club.[10] The success coach has already won two Hungarian League titles. In 1994 with Vác and in 2001 with Ferencváros.[11]
In the2010–11 season Zalaegerszeg was competing for the Europa League position with Budapest rivals Ferencváros but ZTE finished fourth and could not secure a place for the qualifiers. In the2011–12 season Zalaegerszeg started the season with five consecutive defeats which resulted the dismissal ofJános Csank. He was replaced by former Ferencváros coachLászló Prukner. The first half of the 2011–12 Hungarian League season was a nightmare for the club since they finished last gaining only 6 points without any victories. On April 21, 2012, Zalaegerszeg were relegated to the second division of theHungarian League after the defeat against titleholdersVideoton.
On 15 May 2014, former Zalaegerszeg playerGergely Kocsárdi was elected as director of the club. It was also announced that the company called Pharos '95 gained more than 50% of the shares of the club for about 16 million HUF.[12]
By winning the2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season, Zalaegerszeg were promoted to the2019–20 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season.[13] Zalaegerszeg could win 25 matches, drew seven times and lost only 6 matches in the season. The most prolific goal scorer of the season wasGergely Bobál by scoring 17 goals.
Before the2020-21 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season it was rumoured that formerPSV Eindhoven andHungary national football team starBalázs Dzsudzsák would be signed by the club. However, Gábor Végh, the owner of the club, claimed that the club had not started any negotiations with Dzsudzsák.[14]
In the2021–22 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season, Zalaegerszeg finished 8th. One of the most spectacular victories of the season was when Zalaegerszeg beatFerencváros 2–1 at the Groupama Aréna on 16 October 2021. However, on the negative side, Zalaegerszeg lost toGyirmót 2–1 at home on 8 May 2022.[15]
On 24 April 2023,Ricardo Moniz was sacked after losing toDebrecen.[16] Moniz was replaced byGábor Boér.[17] The club also appointedIstván Sallói as the new sports director.
Zalaegerzseg entered the2022–23 Magyar Kupa season on 17 September 2022 in a 2–0 away victory againstKaposvári Rákóczi FC at theRákóczi Stadion.[18] On 19 October 2022, Zalaegerszeg beatKazincbarcikai SC 2–0 at theKolorcity Aréna in the round of 32 of the Magyar Kupa.[19] On 8 February 2023, Zalaegerszeg beatBékéscsaba 1912 Előre 2–0 at theKórház utcai Stadion in the round of 16 of the Magyar Kupa.[20] Zalaegerszeg beatMezőkövesdi SE 4–1 in the quarter finals of the Magyar Kupa at theMezőkövesdi Városi Stadion on 28 February 2023.[21] On 4 April Zalaegerszeg beatPuskás Akadémia 1–0 after extra time in the2022–23 Magyar Kupa season and qualified for theMagyar Kupa final for the second time in the club's history.[22][23] On 3 May 2023, Zalaegerszeg beatBudafok in the2023 Magyar Kupa final at thePuskás Aréna.[24][25]
On 15 July 2023, Zalaegerszeg beat1. FC Union Berlin 3–2 in a friendly match at home.[26][27]
Since Zalaegerszeg won the Magyar Kupa they were eligible to enter the second qualifying round of the2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League season. On 27 July 2023, Zalaegerszeg lost 1–0 toNK Osijek at theOpus Arena.[28][29] The only goal was scored byRamón Miérez in the 91st minute.[30] In the second tie, Osijek also beat Zalaegerszeg 2–1 at the ZTE Aréna on 3 August 2023.[31] The only Hungarian goal was scored byEduvie Ikoba in the 82nd minute.[32][33]
On 13 November 2023,Gábor Márton was appointed as the new coach of the club.[34] FormerHonvéd legend,István Pisont, was appointed as the assistant coach.[35] In an interview withNemzeti Sport, he said that he is optimistic, but he is not expecting an easy ride to keep the club in the first league.[36] The debut ended with a 2–1 defeat against Debrecen on 25 November 2023.[37]
On 23 April 2025, Gábor Márton was sacked after losing toPaksi FC in the2024–25 Magyar Kupa semi-final at theFehérvári úti Stadion in Paks.[38] Márton was replaced byIstván Mihalecz.[39]
On 20 June 2025, the Andrés Jornet and Damián Pedrosa were appointed as the directors of the club.[40] A couple of days later,Nuno Campos was appointed as the manager of the club.[41]
On 19 July 2025, Zalaegerszeg played their last pre-season friendly match against the Premier League clubLeicester City F.C.. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for the English side, thanks toJordan Ayew's goal in the 70th minute.[42][43][44]
The colours of the club are blue and white.
The following table shows in detail Zalaegerszegi TE kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| −2002 | adidas | Zalahús |
| 2002–2003 | e·on | |
| 2003–2006 | Joma | |
| 2006–2008 | mass | |
| 2008–2010 | – | |
| 2010–2012 | St.Graal | |
| 2012–2013 | – | |
| 2013–2017 | Pharos '95 Kft. | |
| 2017–2019 | Puma | |
| 2019– | 2Rule |
Zalaegerszeg play their matches in theZTE Arena.[45] The stadium is able to host 11200 people. Due to the increased attention Zalaegerszeg played their 2002–03 UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United at theFerenc Puskás Stadium.[46]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Nuno Campos[49] Gonçalo Gil da Silva Cruz João Pedro Pereira Machado Bagão
Safet Jahič
Brian van der Steen
William Gallas[50]| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Group 7 |  | Górnik Zabrze | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
| Group 7 |  | Young Boys | 4–0 | 1–4 | |||
| Group 7 |  | Aarhus GF | 1–0 | 4–4 | |||
| 2002–03 | UEFA Champions League | 2nd Qualifying Round |  | Zagreb | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2(a) |
| 3rd Qualifying Round |  | Manchester United | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–5 | ||
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | 1st round | | Dinamo Zagreb | 1–3 | 0–6 | 1–9 |
| 2007 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1st round |  | Rubin Kazan | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–5 |
| 2010–11 | Europa League | Q1 |  | Tirana | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| 2023–24 | Europa Conference League | Q2 | | Osijek | 1−2 | 0–1 | 1−3 |
| Competition | App | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| UEFA Cup/Europa League | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Intertoto Cup | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
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