Debreceni VSC


Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club is a Hungarian professional football club based in Debrecen that competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the first tier of Hungarian football. They are best known internationally for reaching the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in the 2009–10 season. Debrecen have become the second most successful club in Hungary since 2000, winning the Hungarian League seven times.

History

Debrecen was founded on 12 March 1902 as Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club. The club first reached the Nemzeti Bajnokság I in the 1943–44 season. Debrecen rose to domestic prominence in the early 2000s when they won their first Hungarian league title in 2004–05 season. Since then the club managed to win seven titles in the 2010s total. However, in the late 2010s the club lost its governmental support and started to decline. In the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, they were escaping from relegation.
At international level, Debrecen reached their biggest success when they managed to reach the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage. The following year they reached the group stages of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. In the following years, DVSC competed in the Champions League and the European League qualifiers. In 2023-2024, DVSC played in the European Conference League. The team played against the Armenian Alashkert FC and qualified to the next round, in which Loki clashed with Rapid Wien and finished their European journey that year.

Crest and colours

Naming history

  • 1902–12: Egyetértés Football Club
  • 1912–48: Debreceni Vasutas
  • 1948–49: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Egyesület
  • 1949–55: Debreceni Lokomotív
  • 1955–56: Debreceni Törekvés
  • 1957–79: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club
  • 1979–89: Debreceni Munkás Vasutas Sport Club
  • 1989–95: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club
  • 1995–99: DVSC-Epona
  • 1999–01: Debreceni VSC
  • 2001–02: Netforum-DVSC
  • 2002: Debreceni VSC
  • 2003–05: DVSC-MegaForce
  • 2005–06: DVSC-AVE Ásványvíz
  • 2006–16: DVSC-TEVA
  • 2016–: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club

    Manufacturers and shirt sponsors

The following table shows in detail Debreceni VSC kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:
PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
1977–Adidas
1993–1995Adidaspaletta
−2000AdidasEpona
2000–2001AdidasSoproni Ászok
2001–2002Adidas —
2002–2003AdidasArany Ászok
2003–2004NikeMegaForce / Arany Ászok
2005AdidasAve Ásványvíz / Arany Ászok
2005–2006AdidasAve Ásványvíz /
2006–2007AdidasTeva / Ave Ásványvíz
2008–2009AdidasTeva
2009–2010AdidasOrangeways / Teva
2010–2016AdidasTeva

Stadiums and facilities

Debrecen played their home matches between 1989 and 2014 at the Oláh Gábor utcai Stadion, which has a capacity of 12,500. After winning the first Nemzeti Bajnokság I trophy, it was found that the stadium did not meet UEFA stadium criteria. Therefore, the most important UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches had to be played at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium as in 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage and the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League group stage.
On 1 May 2014, the Nagyerdei stadium was opened with an inauguration ceremony. Viktor Orbán, Hungarian prime minister, said that "the Hungarian spirit, the architects, the engineers, the workers make Hungary great again with this constructions like the Nagyerdei stadium". The stadium was also sanctified by Nándor Bosák, bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Gusztáv Bölcskei, minister, and Fülöp Kocsis, bishops of the Greek Catholic Church. After the sanctification, singers such as Lou Bega, Viktor Király, Ildikó Kersztes, Gigi Radić, and Erika Miklósa entertained the audience. The first match was played between the Debrecen All Stars and Hungary All Stars, including players such as Attila Pintér, current Hungary national football team coach, Kálmán Kovács, former Budapest Honvéd legend, Péter Lipcsei, former Ferencváros icon, György Véber, former Újpest icon and Mezőkövesd manager at that time, Imre Garaba, former Hungary international, Flórián Urbán, former Újpest legend, and Lajos Détári, former Hungary national team legend.
On 10 May 2014, the first official match was played at the new stadium between Debrecen and Újpest in the 2013–14 Hungarian League season. The match ended with a 3–1 victory over the Budapest-based rival, Újpest. The first goal of the match was scored by Kulcsár in the 27th minute. Although Vasiljević equalised the score in the 37th minute, Debrecen were able to clinch the victory in the second half due to an own goal by Antón in the 46-minute and a goal by Vadnai in the 85th minute.
On 22 May 2014, the first match of the Hungary national football team was played at the stadium in front of 20,000 spectators, which ended with a 2–2 draw against Denmark national football team. The first goal was scored by the former Debrecen player Dzsudzsák. Eriksen equalised the score in the 56th minute. The debutant Varga took the lead in the 69th minute again, but the score was equalised by Schöne in the 72nd minute.

Supporters

Supporters of DVSC are mainly based in Debrecen, Hungary. However, the club is popular in all over Hungary. Club's main ultras group is Szívtiprók Ultras Debrecen, which is the largest and oldest faction, founded in 1994. As of 2000, SZ.U.D started to divide itself, in factions of ultras outside Debrecen, such as SZ.U.D. Budapest, SZ.U.D. Nagyvárad and SZ.U.D. Hódmezővásárhely. Among smaller groups are considered Force Field, Red Territory and Vadmacskák, which are the oldest. However, since 2009, new ultras factions, such as Sziporkák, Debrecen Hooligans, Barrabrava Debrecen and others appeared. This while several, like North Side Hooligans were dissolved in early 2000s. Debrecen has fierce rivalries with Nyíregyháza, Békéscsaba and competitive rivalries with Ferencváros, Újpest and Videoton.
On 5 August 2014, UEFA issued sanctions against Debrecen, Romania's Steaua București and Slovenia's Maribor following racist behaviour by their fans during 2014–15 UEFA Champions League qualifying against Cliftonville, Strømsgodset and Zrinjski Mostar respectively. Debrecen shut sector B of their ground after fans showed an "illicit banner" during the match against Northern Ireland's Cliftonville.
  • Szívtiprók Ultras Debrecen
;Famous supporters
On 27 May 2017, it was announced that Andy Vajna could replace Gábor Szima as the owner of Debrecen. Nevertheless, Andy Vajna added that he likes football but he does not want to invest into football.
On 15 August 2017, it was revealed that Gábor Szima, the owner of Debrecen, might leave the club and a Greek tycoon might arrive.
On 1 July 2020, Szima resigned as the owner of the club. The 73 percent of the shares of the club were purchased by the local government. László Papp, mayor of Debrecen, announced that the main goal is to be promoted to the first league again.
On 18 December 2020, it was announced that the DVSC Egyesület purchased the majority of the shares.
On 27 June 2022, Ike Thierry Zaengel was appointed as the chairman and owner of the club.
In 2025, the club's football team was managed for months by a temporary board of directors with a repeatedly extended mandate, after Five Eleven Capital, which purchased a minority stake in the club in the spring, failed to purchase additional shares from the club's current president, Ike Thierry Zaengel, despite a previous agreement, and thus did not become the majority owner. Due to the delayed change of ownership, Debrecen experienced liquidity problems in autumn 2025, which is why the club needed the help of the city of Debrecen in September 2025 to meet its financial obligations, according to a September statement by Mayor László Papp. Since then, Nemzeti Sport was the first to report in October that the group behind English third-division club Stockport County might buy a stake in Debrecen. Negotiations were ongoing for several months, and it was reported that the English were personally present at several Debrecen matches in the fall, and the club's press department had previously acknowledged the ongoing negotiations.

Honours

Domestic

Seasons

League positions


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PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/2026
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1971
Colors =
id:First_tier value:green legend:First_tier
id:Second_tier value:yellow legend:Second_tier
id:Third_tier value:orange legend:Third_tier
id:Fourth_tier value:pink legend:Fourth_tier
id:Fifth_tier value:red legend:Fifth_tier
id:Does_not_exist value:black legend:Does_not_exist
PlotData=
bar:Position width:16 color:white align:center
from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1971 shift: text:9
from:01/07/1971 till:01/07/1972 shift: text:3
from:01/07/1972 till:01/07/1973 shift: text:14
from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974 shift: text:14
from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1974 color:yellow shift: text: "NB I/B*"
from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1975 shift: text:5
from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976 shift: text:4
from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977 shift: text:8
from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978 shift: text:3
from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979 shift: text:1
from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1979 color:yellow shift: text: "NB II"
from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980 shift: text:15
from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981 shift: text:6
from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982 shift: text:11
from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983 shift: text:15
from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1983 color:green shift: text: "NB I"
from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 shift: text:2
from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 color:yellow shift: text: "NB II"
from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985 shift: text:8
from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986 shift: text:13
from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987 shift: text:12
from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988 shift: text:15
from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1988 color:green shift: text: "NB I"
from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 shift: text:1
from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 color:yellow shift: text: "NB II"
from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990 shift: text:14
from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991 shift: text:15
from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1991 color:green shift: text: "NB I"
from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992 shift: text:5
from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993 shift: text:1
from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1993 color:yellow shift: text: "NB II"
from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift: text:7
from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift: text:3
from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift: text:4
from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift: text:5
from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift: text:9
from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift: text:9
from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift: text:6
from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift: text:11
from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift: text:8
from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift: text:3
from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift: text:3
from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift: text:2
from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift: text:5
from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift: text:6
from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift: text:4
from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift: text:3
from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift: text:8
from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift: text:5
from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift: text:3
from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift: text:11
from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/2020 color:green shift: text: "NB I"
from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift: text:1
from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 color:yellow shift: text: "NB II"
from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift: text:7
from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift: text:3
from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024 shift: text:5
from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025 shift: text:9
from:01/07/2025 till:01/07/2026 shift: text:
from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2026 color:green shift: text: "NB I"

  • Between 1970–71 and 1973–74 the second tier league called NB I/B.