Welcome to Debrecen!

visitdebrecen

Water World Championships – Debrecen, the Sports City

The 19th FINA World Championships will be the second world event this year in Debrecen. But this comes as no surprise to locals, as sports is a constant factor in the life of the city.

It was a good start to the year in Debrecen, where the 15th European Men’s Handball Championship Group A matches filled the Főnix Arena to capacity. The impressive arena has stood the test of time many times over, having hosted world championships on several occasions since it opened in 2002.

So far, the venue has hosted the European and World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, the Women’s Basketball European Championships, two women’s and one men’s handball continental championships, and the Futsal European Championships. In addition to the Hungarian national anthem, the Nagyerdei Stadium has also played the Champions League football anthem several times.

However, it is not only football matches and indoor competitions in local palaces that have served Hungary’s interests well on the international stage. Prior to this year’s water polo group matches, two prestigious events, the 2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships and the 2012 European Swimming Championships, were held in the Debrecen Sportuszodás.

From 20 to 25 June, the sporting world will once again turn its attention to the Transdanubian city, where the women’s water polo teams from the United States, Argentina, South Africa and the Netherlands will take to the water, while the men’s teams will be joined by the best players from Greece, Croatia, Japan and Germany.

Major sporting events in Debrecen in the last 20 years –

Debrecen Sports Hall

European Swimming Championships (2012)
European Short Course Swimming Championships (2007)

Főnix Arena

European Men’s Handball Championship (2022)
ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships (2020)
European Latin Dance Championships (2018)
World Junior Figure Skating and Ice Dancing Championships (2016)
European Women’s Basketball Championship (2015)
European Women’s Handball Championship (2014)
ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships (2013)
UEFA European Futsal Championship (2010)
2004 European Women’s Handball Championship (2004)

Nagyerdei Stadium

Friendly matches of the Hungarian national football team (2021, 2015, 2014)
UEFA Champions League group matches (2009)

From 17th June to 3rd July 2022, Budapest will co-host the 19th FINA World Championships with three cities in the countryside, Debrecen, Sopron, and Szeged. A limited number of tickets are still available on the event’s official website.

Newsletter