Nemzeti Bajnokság II


The Nemzeti Bajnokság II, currently known as the Merkantil Bank Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of Hungarian football. At the end of the Nemzeti Bajnokság II|2004–05] season, the tournament format was changed from one division of 14 teams to two divisions: Keleti and Nyugati, each with 16 teams, though now it's just one league table with 16 teams as of the 2024–25 season. The champion and the runner-up will ascend to the first division, Nemzeti Bajnokság I, while the two lowest teams in second league are relegated to Nemzeti Bajnokság III.
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History

Nemzeti Bajnokság II was founded in 1901, having 8 teams. The first champions were 33FC having won the 1901 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season. The first two teams would participate in a promotion playoff with the last 2 teams from the first league.
Even though the 4 rural districts were founded on paper in 1904, they only began to compete officially in the season 1907-1908. Thus the second league had 1 urban league and 4 rural leagues. The rural champions would participate in a tournament, the winner would face the urban league champion for the second league title. During the world war I the league was played with very few teams. During World War II, teams from the annexed territories also competed in the league such as Ungvári AC and Nagyvárad.

Format

On 2 March 2017, the Hungarian Football Federation announced that the number of the teams in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II will not be reduced to 12.
From 2024 onwards, the league was reduced to 16 teams from 20 and 18 teams in 2022–2024, respectively.
Number of groupsYear
1between 1901 and 1913–14, in 1915, between 1916–17 and 1918–19, between 1921–22 and 1937–38, between 1963 and 1969, between 1970–71 and 1977–78, between 1982–83 and 1987–88, between 1997–98 and 1999–00, between 2002–03 and 2004–05, between 2013–14 and present
2between 1919–20 and 1920–21, between 1937–38 and 1938–39, between 1955 and 1956, between 1958–59 and 1962–63, in 1970, between 1988–89 and 1996–97, between 2000–01 and 2001–02, between 2005–06 and 2012–13
3in 1914, in 1939–40, In 1941–42, in 1957–58, between 1978–79 and 1981–82
4in 1943–44, between 1946–47 and 1954, in 1957
5in 1940–41, in 1942–43
9in 1945
16in 1944–45

List of champions

Note: winning the Nemzeti Bajnokság II did not mean automatic promotion to Nemzeti Bajnokság I.

Most titles

Below is a ranking of the clubs by most titles won.
ClubTitlesWinning seasons
Szombathelyi Haladás101938–39, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1961–62, 1972–73, 1980–81, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2007–08
Debrecen81942–43 1948–49, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1978–79, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2020–21
Diósgyőr81945, 1949–50, 1953, 1956, 1962–63, 1973–74, 2010–11, 2022–23
Csepel51939–40, 1962–63, 1979–80, 1988–89, 1991–92
MTK51981–82, 1994–95, 2011–12, 2017–18, 2019–20
Nyíregyháza51979–80, 1997–98, 2006–07, 2013–14, 2023–24
Szegedi EAC51958–59, 1966, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1980–81
33 FC41901, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1924–25
Dunaújváros41952, 1965, 1975–76, 1985–86
Pécsi MFC41958–59, 1976–77, 2002–03, 2010–11
Pécsi Vasutas41945, 1951, 1953, 1978–79
Siófok41995–96, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2009–10
Soroksár41931–32, 1933–34, 1947–48, 1950
Tatabánya41947–48, 1949–50, 1955, 2004–05
Vasas41915, 1941–42, 2014–15, 2021–22
Volán41978–79, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90
Békéscsaba31945, 1991–92, 2001–02
BKV Előre31942–43, 1948–49, 2000–01
BVSC31942–43, 1957–58, 1990–91
Eger31968, 1983–84, 2011–12
Győr31942–43, 1957–58, 1959–60
Ózd31954, 1960–61, 1980–81
Salgótarján31939–40, 1964, 1977–78
Szegedi VSE31940–41, 1942–43, 1957
Szegedi AK31943–44, 1945, 1949–50
Törekvés31906–07, 1938–39, 1941–42
Videoton31957, 1969, 1999–2000
Budapesti Vörös Meteor21954, 1967
Dorog21945, 1948–49
Elektromos21945, 1946–47
Kaposvár21979–80, 1986–87
Kecskemét21945, 2007–08
Komló21956, 1960–61
MAFC21913–14, 1921–22
Nagykanizsa21981–82, 1993–94
Nemzeti21908–09, 1935–36
Puskás Akadémia22012–13, 2016–17
Somogy21927–28, 1930–31
Szolnok21937–38, 2009–10
Terézváros21903, 1917–18
Újpest21904, 1911–12
Bőripari Dolgozók11949–50
Budafok FC11934–35
BAK11905
BEAC11923–24
Budapest Honvéd12003–04
BSE11920–21
Erzsébetfalva11919–20
ESMTK11946–47
Ferencváros12008–09
FŐSPED11970
Gázművek11953
Kazincbarcika11981–82
Kiskőrös11993–94
Kisvárda12024–25
Kőbányai Dózsa11954
Mezőkövesd12012–13
Miskolci AK11926–27
Miskolci VSC11957–58
Nagykanizsai MAORT11948–49
Nagyvárad11940–41
Nyíregyházi Építők11957
Oroszlány11957
Paks12005–06
Pécs-Baranya11928–29
Pécsi Bányász11970
Phöbus11932–33
Budapesti Postás21902, 1951
Sabaria11929–30
Sajószentpéteri Tárna11950
Sepsiszentgyörgyi Textil11940–41
Soproni VSE11945
Szentlőrinc11943–44
Szürketaxi11936–37
Testvériség11918–19
Tiszakécske11996–97
Vasas Izzó21952, 1953
VM Egyetértés41954, 1963, 1967, 1970–71
Tisztviselők11906
Tokod11939–40
Újpest-Rákospalota11914
Újpesti Törekvés11922–23
Ungvár11943–44
VAC11920–21
Vác12005–06
Veszprém11987–88
VII. Kerület11919–20
Vörös Lobogó Keltex21947–48, 1951
Zalaegerszeg12018–19
Zuglói SE11937–38

Name changes