Hungary’s Forwards Varga and Sallai to Miss Match Against Armenia

On October 11 in Budapest, the Armenian national team will face Hungary in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This game could prove decisive in the battle for second place in Group F. After two rounds, Armenia is second with 3 points, while Ireland is fourth with 1 point.

For Hungary, the home game against Armenia is a great chance to claim their first victory. However, head coach Marco Rossi will be without two key forwards: Roland Sallai and Barnabás Varga, who will both miss the match due to suspensions.

In the first two rounds, they scored all of Hungary’s goals: Varga struck three times (twice against Portugal and once versus Ireland), while Sallai netted against Ireland. Their absence is therefore a major setback.

Sallai was sent off in the 52nd minute against Ireland. UEFA has suspended the 28-year-old winger for two matches: he has already missed the Portugal clash and will now be unavailable against Armenia. Varga, meanwhile, is suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Despite Hungary’s broad roster, they lack an equivalent replacement for Varga in the center-forward position (the Ferencváros striker is valued at €2.2 million).

For the September fixtures, the following forwards were called up:

• Barna Tóth (Paks, €500k)
• Zsombor Gruber (Ferencváros, €500k)
• Dániel Lukács (Puskás Akadémia, €300k)

Together, they have played only 42 minutes for the national team.

Hungarian media (magyarnemzet) also report on a possible comeback of 38-year-old Paks forward Dániel Böde, who scored 15 goals in the Hungarian league last season. He last appeared for the national team in 2018. Another striker, Ádám Martin, who took part in EURO 2024, is currently recovering from injury.

Group F standings after two rounds:

• Portugal — 6 points

• Armenia — 3 points

• Hungary — 1 point

• Ireland — 1 point