Hungary’ s soccer team left for the 2016 UEFA European Championship finals in France on Tuesday, after an absence of 44 years.
National team coach Bernd Storck called his team “well-prepared,” adding that the Hungarians would do their best and prove that they deserved their place among the 24 teams at the European championship.
Storck said that every one of the 23 team members traveling was fit and prepared for their first game against Austria in Bordeaux. Their next game will be against Iceland in Marseilles, and their third will be against Portugal in Lyon.
Storck was quoted on the Hungarian Football Federation website as saying that the team was determined to do well. It had competed against strong teams during preparations to prevent overconfidence and was ready for the meet.
In the past the Hungarian soccer team had won three Olympic golds, in 1952, 1964, and 1968, and finished second in the 1938 and 1954 World Cups. In 1964 it was third in the European Championships.
The Hungarian side last qualified for a World Cup in 1986 and for a European Cup in 1972.