[2026 UEFA Nations League] Hungary vs Georgia: Match Preview Kick-off: October 3 at 03:45 (Korea time)
Hungary and Georgia meet at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna at 03:45 Korea time on October 3 for Round 3 of Group 2 in League B of the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League. Both teams have started with one point and no goals scored. Hungary are likely to control the match at home, but the key question is whether they can turn that advantage into goals.
1. Match overview and team form
Hungary lost 0–1 at home to Ukraine and drew 0–0 away to Northern Ireland. Georgia lost 0–1 at home to Northern Ireland before holding Ukraine to a 0–0 draw at the same venue. Ukraine and Northern Ireland lead the group with four points each, so the loser of this match will drop to fourth. Both teams travel to face Ukraine and Northern Ireland respectively on October 5, making the points on offer here especially important. Georgia coach Ramaz Svanadze has said his target is all three points, while Hungary defender Attila Osváth has also said they must win.
Recent results need to be viewed separately for friendlies and competitive matches. Hungary went 3 wins and 1 draw in four friendlies in 2026, while Georgia recorded 2 wins and 2 draws. But neither side has scored in this Nations League campaign. Hungary have the edge over a longer run of competitive matches. Still, Georgia’s recent competitive schedule included Spain and Türkiye, so goal difference alone does not tell us how the teams’ attacks and defenses compare today.
Sample 2026 friendlies, 4 matches: Hungary 3 wins, 1 draw; 6 goals for, 2 conceded / Georgia 2 wins, 2 draws; 7 goals for, 3 conceded Last 8 competitive matches: Hungary 2 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses; 11 goals for, 11 conceded / Georgia 1 win, 1 draw, 6 losses; 7 goals for, 16 conceded This Nations League, 2 matches: Hungary 1 point; 0 goals for, 1 conceded / Georgia 1 point; 0 goals for, 1 conceded
Hungary’s two scoreless games did not unfold in the same way. Against Ukraine, Daniel Lukács hit the crossbar in the first half and Bendegúz Bolla missed a chance from close range. Against Northern Ireland, Hungary struggled to get into the box after weathering the hosts’ early press, despite keeping the ball for long spells. Their first shot on target came in the 90th minute. The contrast between those matches helps explain why coach Marco Rossi has called for quicker, more direct attacks and more accurate crosses.
The problem is that the players who used to finish those crosses are missing. Barnabás Varga and Roland Sallai are both out through injury and were not included in the squad. Of Hungary’s eight goals in four World Cup qualifiers in 2025 for which the scorers are known, Varga scored four and Sallai one. Lukács and the substitutes up front will have to take on the role of getting on the end of Szoboszlai’s deliveries in the box. Damir Redzic and Bolla, who both joined the attack against Ukraine, are also unavailable with ankle injuries, while midfielder Callum Styles has been left out of the squad.
Osváth is the likeliest option at right-back in Bolla’s place. In the predicted lineup reported by MTI on October 1, Hungary’s midfield consists of just two players, Milán Vitális and András Schäfer, with Szoboszlai, Gábor Jurek and Alex Tóth positioned behind Lukács. If that lineup is right, it would help keep Szoboszlai from having to drop as deep as he did against Northern Ireland to receive the ball. The starting lineup and positions, however, are not confirmed until matchday.
Georgia changed coaches between its first two matches. In Willy Sagnol’s final game, against Northern Ireland, Georgia lost despite having 60% possession and earning chances in the box and a penalty. In Svanadze’s first match, against Ukraine, Georgia had 48% possession but managed 13 shots to Ukraine’s six. However, only four of Georgia’s attempts came from inside the box, and Ukraine had changed 10 of its starters from the previous match. There is only one game’s worth of evidence so far to assess how the coaching change has affected Georgia’s attack.
The national teams met twice in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers in 2001, with each side winning once. The players, coaches and style of play from then have little bearing on this match. More relevant is that both teams faced Ukraine and Northern Ireland last week. Hungary played Northern Ireland away, while Georgia faced a Ukraine side that made wholesale changes to its lineup after a coaching change. Results against the same opponents cannot be converted directly into a ranking of the two teams.
Rain is not forecast around kick-off, and winds are expected to be light. Both teams have had the same number of days to rest since their previous matches. The lineup and defensive positioning are more likely to shape the game than the schedule or weather.
2. Matchup analysis
Hungary had 57% and 65% possession in its first two Nations League matches. In Svanadze’s first game, Georgia ceded the ball and dropped its defensive line. If Georgia sticks with that approach today, Hungary may dominate possession while Georgia spends long spells protecting the area in front of the box with three center-backs and wing-backs on either side. Rossi said Georgia now look closer to a 3-5-2 than the 3-4-2-1 they played under Sagnol. Svanadze has said he will not change the team’s approach simply because this is an away match.
If Hungary repeatedly sends high crosses toward Lukács against that setup, Georgia’s three center-backs will have a numbers advantage. Hungary also had plenty of the ball against Northern Ireland’s back three, but most of its attack amounted to shots from outside the box and set pieces. If Szoboszlai can receive the ball between Georgia’s midfield and defense, while Jurek or Alex Tóth make runs into the box from deeper positions, Hungary could spread the defense out instead of relying on Lukács alone. That pattern depends on the predicted lineup being used and Hungary’s midfield getting the ball forward to Szoboszlai.
Another route to goal for Hungary is Szoboszlai’s corners and free kicks. Hungary scored twice from his corners in competitive matches in 2025, and Willi Orbán and Donát Bárányi both had headed chances from corners against Northern Ireland. Georgia conceded twice to headers following corners away to Türkiye, and Northern Ireland’s winner also came after Georgia failed to deal with a long throw into the box. Even without Varga, Orbán and Lukács, along with Bárányi off the bench, can threaten from these situations. If Georgia gives away plenty of corners while trying to shut down Hungary’s attacks from the flanks, it will have more set pieces to defend.
At the other end, the matchup starts with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s movement. Rossi said he was wary of the freedom Kvaratskhelia has to roam. If Kvaratskhelia moves to the left, Osváth is likely to deal with him in Bolla’s place; if he drifts centrally, Hungary’s midfield response will matter. If Hungary line up with the predicted two central midfielders and lose the ball, Kvaratskhelia could receive it in midfield and carry it forward. Georges Mikautadze had shots inside the box in both of Georgia’s previous matches, against Northern Ireland and Ukraine. Georgia can turn a counterattack into a shot if Kvaratskhelia drives forward and Mikautadze receives the ball in the box.
That does not mean Georgia are certain to make their counterattacks count. Nine of their 13 shots against Ukraine came from outside the box, and Kvaratskhelia’s attempts were taken from tight angles or long range. If Hungary win the ball back quickly after losing it in Georgia’s half, Georgia’s two forwards may not have time to get into the box. Georgia will need to move the ball forward before Hungary’s defense gets set and get its final shots closer to goal than it did against Ukraine.
Substitutions in the second half could shift the balance. Rossi brought on two attacking players together at halftime and in the 55th minute in each of the previous two matches. If the game is still 0–0, he may bring on Bárányi or another option to add numbers in the box. That could help Hungary with crosses and set pieces, but it could also leave fewer players to deal with Georgia’s forwards if Hungary lose the ball in midfield. Svanadze made a double substitution in the 73rd minute against Ukraine, bringing on Giorgi Chakvetadze and Otar Kiteishvili. If both start today as well, their energy in midfield and the timing of their substitutions could affect Hungary’s push in the second half.
The defensive shape will change after the first goal. If Hungary score first, Georgia will have to push forward to get back into the game, giving Hungary chances to create more through Szoboszlai and its attacking substitutes. If Georgia score first, Hungary will add attackers, forcing Georgia to spend longer defending crosses and set pieces near its box. Either way, the team trailing will have a route back into the match. That basic picture would change if Georgia presses high or switches to a back four.
3. Verdict and conclusion
The likeliest scoreline is 1–1, with 0–0 also a possibility if neither side scores. Even if Hungary enjoy long spells of possession at home, crosses aimed solely at Lukács will not be enough to trouble Georgia’s three center-backs. Szoboszlai’s set pieces offer Hungary a realistic route to goal and a way to test Georgia’s defense against high balls, an area where it has conceded repeatedly. Georgia can look for chances in the box through Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze when Hungary lose the ball in midfield or add more attackers in the second half. Since the team that scores first may drop deeper and leave the other side room to attack for an equalizer, 1–1 looks more likely than 0–0.
The market leans toward a home win on the strength of Hungary’s home advantage and reputation. Hungary still have players capable of controlling the game at home, but Varga and Sallai are absent; together, they scored five of Hungary’s eight goals in the 2025 World Cup qualifiers for which the scorers are known. Given the impact their absence could have on Hungary’s attack against Georgia’s back three, there is reason to rate the draw a little more highly than the market does, and to see it as more likely than a Hungary win. This outlook becomes less convincing if Georgia defends higher than expected and presses Hungary’s build-up from the back, as that would change the chances both teams get immediately after winning the ball.
