Nuno Campos will bring Zalaegerszegi TE to the Puskás Aréna for the MOL Magyar Kupa final against Ferencváros on May 9 at 18:00, a match he described as the seventh final of his career: "A Fradi elleni Magyar Kupa-döntő lesz a hetedik finálém."
Campos, who has reached cup finals as a player, assistant and head coach, pared the stakes down to the people on the pitch. "Az biztos, hogy a játékosok a főszereplők, ők a legfontosabbak," he said, adding that he is a coach "who pays attention to every detail." He told his squad some will have only one such night and urged them to seize it: "élvezzék a pillanatot."
The matchup will be played in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna, which will host the Magyar Kupa final for the seventh time, and the Fradi Shop will be present at the stadium for the occasion. The pairing sets a heavy margin of expectation: Ferencváros are the established club and ZTE arrive after a season Campos called unexpectedly successful since August. "Talán ez is hozzájárul ahhoz, hogy most döntőt játszhatunk," he said.
Campos’s record in finals crosses countries and roles. He played in the 1999 Portuguese Cup final with SC Campomaiorense, losing to Beira-Mar; as an assistant he collected three cup wins with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine and one with Braga in Portugal, the latter coming in 2016 after Braga had waited five decades for the trophy. As a head coach he has also felt the shortfall, having lost a Portuguese Cup final with Tondela against Porto four years ago.
ZTE’s route to the final under Campos, he noted, included wins over Vasas and Budapest Honvéd — clubs that already represented NB I level — making the run less straightforward than the final pairing might suggest. Campos singled out those victories when explaining why the final is not merely a formality for his players, and reminded them to enjoy the moment because for some it may be unique.
The appearance at the Puskás Aréna carries institutional weight: Ferencváros have already played three cup finals at the venue, while ZTE will be appearing there for a second time in such a final. The stadium, which opened in 2019 and staged its first Magyar Kupa final on June 3, 2020, will again host the country’s cup climax when Ferencvárosi TC and Zalaegerszegi TE FC meet for the 2026 title.
The tension in the story is personal and practical. Campos insists on meticulous preparation, citing his coaching identity as someone who notices details, yet he is trying to instill a contrasting message in his players: that they must relax into the occasion because knockout football belongs to whoever performs in the moment. That contradiction — methodical coaching feeding a plea for spontaneity — is the match’s human fault line.
What matters next is simple: who will own the night at the Puskás Aréna. Campos has supplied history, context and a clear plea to his players. If ZTE are to finish an improbable season with the cup, they will need the composure their coach preaches and the immediacy he says only players can provide.
