The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is set to pay a private visit to Ireland this weekend, Extra.ie can reveal.
The autocratic leader will arrive in Dublin today, Friday, September 5, and will attend the men’s soccer World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Hungary at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night.
The visit was organised by the Hungarian Football Association and will not include meetings with any Government ministers or Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
The Taoiseach is scheduled to attend a private event on Saturday night outside of the capital and will not be attending the match. The Department of the Taoiseach has not received any request for a meeting from the Hungarian embassy.
Sports Minister Patrick O’Donovan will also not be attending the match as he will be at a special Mass and event for the people who died in the Dromcollogher cinema fire, in his Limerick constituency, in 1926.
The Embassy of Hungary would not comment on any aspect of the trip or even confirm it was taking place when contacted by Extra.ie last night.
It is unclear how Mr. Orbán plans to spend his time in the country apart from the soccer match. He plans to leave on Sunday. A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: "This visit is taking place in a private capacity on the occasion of the Ireland-Hungary international football match. There are no official engagements planned."
Despite the unofficial nature of the visit, Extra.ie understands that An Garda Síochána will provide support to Mr. Orbán’s security detail, including armed gardaí and undercover detectives.
"Plans will be in place to have plain-clothes detectives attached to the visit. They will be supporting the security of the visitor," one security source revealed.
There have been strained relations between Dublin and Budapest following a public war of words involving Mr. Orbán and the Taoiseach earlier this year.
In an interview with the Euronews TV station in May, the Taoiseach urged the EU to crack down on what he called Hungary’s "abuse of vetoes," which he said could make the EU unworkable.
Mr. Orbán, a firm ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has continued to block EU supports for Ukraine by exercising his veto on decisions that require unanimous agreement. Hungary has continued to import Russian oil since the Ukraine invasion.
The Taoiseach denounced Mr. Orbán’s threat to veto Ukraine’s accession as an EU member state and said he was "very concerned" about Hungary’s "undermining of the LGBTI community and the banning of Pride parades." He said: "It’s outrageous what’s going on at the moment."
Despite the ban, more than 100,000 people attended the Pride parade in Budapest.
Earlier this year, the Hungarian parliament passed a law permitting authorities to use facial recognition software to identify people at pride marches.
In response to the Taoiseach’s comments, Mr. Orbán wrote on social media: "Dear Taoiseach, We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty. For this reason, it is always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty. Please don’t ruin the love story between Irish and Hungarian patriots!"
Dear Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD,
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) May 12, 2025
We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty. For this reason, it is always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand…
Mr. Orbán has become a cult-like figure among far-right extremists in Ireland, who hail his strict anti-immigration policies and attacks on liberal world views.
He has also gained recognition from US President Donald Trump, who last year referred to him as "one of the most respected men; they call him a strong man."
The last meeting of the Irish and Hungarian soccer team, in June 2021, was marred by controversy.
The game ended 0-0, but Hungarian fans booed the Irish team, which included four black players, for taking the knee – a symbolic gesture opposing racism – before kick-off. Mr. Orbán defended the Hungarian fans, who had been previously sanctioned by UEFA for their actions.
"If you are a guest in a country, then understand its culture and don’t provoke the locals, Hungarians only kneel before God, homeland, and when they propose to their love," he said.
Mr. Orbán, who has led Hungary for most of the past two decades, is a soccer fanatic. During his first term as PM, he continued to play for his local team. In 2011, he introduced a tax scheme that permits corporations to write off donations to soccer and sports clubs, resulting in millions of euro being poured into the sport.
The Puskás Academy, founded by Mr. Orbán in his hometown and named after football legend Ferenc Puskás, received €90 million over the previous decade. The money led to a resurgence for the national team, who topped their Euro 2024 group unbeaten.
Henrik Hegedus, of Hungary’s football club Ferencvaros, told the BBC: "More than 20 stadiums have been built, well over 1,000 pitches built or renovated."
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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