Release from 22.05.2025

Csanád Erdély: “Definitely one of the best moments of my national team career”

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Hungary's national team achieved a historic triumph at the 2025 World Championship in Herning (DEN), securing their place in the top division for the first time. The 4:2 victory against Kazakhstan secured the Magyars' place in the top division - a sporting success that also marked a very special milestone for Hungary's captain and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 forward Csanád Erdély.

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“Fortunately, I've been part of some of the Hungarian national team's milestones, but this is definitely one of the best moments of my national team career,” said the 29-year-old.

The Hungarians had to wait a long time, however, as the result of the match between Kazakhstan and Switzerland on the final day of group play determined who would stay in the top division. One point would have been enough for Kazakhstan to overtake Hungary. Until the 40th minute, the clear underdogs were even leading 1:0. In the end, however, the eventual group winners and now Austrian quarter-final opponents Switzerland prevailed 4:1.

However, the Hungarian team led by Erdély was only able to watch the decisive game from afar. “Of course we watched the game. Our flight home left just as the game started. We then saw the rest of the second and third periods during our stopover in Amsterdam,” Erdély reports. “There were two types of players: some who didn't want to watch the game at all and were just waiting for the final score - and others who were totally tense the whole time. Luckily, our connecting flight was a little late, so we were able to watch the game to the end and knew on departure that we would be traveling to the Top Division World Championships in Switzerland next year.”

With A-game to stay in Top Division
Despite some clear defeats, Erdély drew an overall positive conclusion from the tournament. The games against Kazakhstan (4:2) and Norway (0:1) in particular gave him confidence: “If you only play at your average level as a Hungarian team, you have no chance at this level - no matter who you play. But if you play your A-game for 60 minutes, you can get points against established teams.”

A strong signal for the ICE Hockey League
In addition to Hungary, Slovenia also managed to stay in the league, Austria even sensationally made it to the quarter-finals and Italy secured promotion at the beginning of May. This means that all four ICE League nations will be represented in the top division for the first time in 2026. “I think that's great. It shows how much the league has developed over the last ten years. In the ICE Hockey League, it's getting harder and harder to even get into the playoffs. I hope that our success draws a bit of attention to the league,” explains Erdély.

Great anticipation for the derby with Budapest
After the successful tournament, a few quieter weeks are now on the agenda for the 29-year-old: “Now it's time for a two-week 100% break - with a bit of gardening,” he laughs. “But then we'll start preparing for the new season again.” A special highlight is already casting its shadow ahead: FTC-Telecom Budapest has been accepted into the win2day ICE Hockey League. This means that two Hungarian teams will be competing in the multinational league for the first time in the 2025/26 season. “We've played against them in the Hungarian Cup final almost every year. I know many of the players personally - the first ICE derby will certainly be a highlight for fans and players,” Erdély, who has already played 447 games for Fehérvár in the ICE Hockey League, scoring 257 points, concluded.

Copyright: Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation/David VOROS