1948 Balkan and Central European Championship

Tournament details
Dates	4 April – 7 November 1948
Teams	7
Defending champions	Hungary
Tournament statistics
Matches played	16
Goals scored	48 (3 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Ferenc Puskás (5 goals)
←  1947 1973–76 →

The 1948 Balkan Cup, officially called the Balkan and Central European Championship, was played between April and November 1948 between Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia. ^{[1] [2]} It was Poland and Czechoslovakia's first and only participation in the tournament, which was not completed. ^[1] Hungary was leading the table at the time it was abandoned. ^{[1] [2]}

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Hungary	6	4	1	1	22	5	+17	9
2	Yugoslavia	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	5
3	Bulgaria	5	2	1	2	6	7	−1	5
4	Romania	6	2	1	3	6	18	−12	5
5	Albania	3	1	2	0	1	0	+1	4
6	Poland	5	1	2	2	6	9	−3	4
7	Czechoslovakia	4	0	0	4	3	8	−5	0

Matches

4 April 1948

Bulgaria	1–1	Poland
Stankov 18'	Report	Parpan 23'

Yunak Stadium, Sofia

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: Miljenko Podubsky (Yugoslavia)

18 April 1948

Poland	3–1	Czech Republic
Cieślik 7' Gracz 15' Spodzieja 83'	Report	Kokštejn 58'

Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Nikolay Latyshev (Soviet Union)

2 May 1948

Romania	0–1	Albania
	Report	Mirashi 63'

Stadionul Giulești, Bucharest

Attendance: 20,000

Referee: Todor Stoyanov (Bulgaria)

23 May 1948

Albania	0–0	Hungary
	Report

Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana

Attendance: 20,000

Referee: Leo Lemešić (Yugoslavia)

23 May 1948

Hungary	2–1	Czechoslovakia
Egresi 16' Deák 73'	Report	Schubert 81'

Üllői út, Budapest

Attendance: 32,000

Referee: Marijan Matančić (Yugoslavia)

This match between Hungary and Czechoslovakia also counted for the 1948–53 Central European International Cup. ^[1]

6 June 1948

Hungary	9–0	Romania
Mészáros 30', 46' Egresi 43', 61', 72' Puskás 58', 82' Kocsis 67', 85'	Report

Megyeri úti Stadion, Újpest

Attendance: 45,000

Referee: Antun Mlinarić (Yugoslavia)

20 June 1948

Romania	3–2	Bulgaria
Farkaș 22', 71' ( pen.) Dumitrescu 78'	Report	Argirov 14' Tsvetkov 21'

Stadionul Giulești, Bucharest

Attendance: 20,000

Referee: Szigeti György (Hungary)

27 June 1948

Yugoslavia	0–0	Albania
	Report

Stadion Beogradski S.K., Belgrade

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Nikola Gelev (Bulgaria)

4 July 1948

Bulgaria	1–3	Yugoslavia
Argirov 32'	Report	Wölfl 41' Mitić 54' Čajkovski 72'

Yunak Stadium, Sofia

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: Constantin Iliescu (Romania)

4 July 1948

Romania	2–1	Czechoslovakia
Iordache 22' Bartha 90' ( pen.)	Report	Menclík 77'

Stadionul Giulești, Bucharest

Attendance: 20,000

Referee: Maksymilian Schneider (Poland)

25 August 1948

Poland	0–1	Yugoslavia
	Report	Mitić 24'

Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw

Attendance: 38,000

Referee: Jozef Nemčovský (Czechoslovakia)

29 August 1948

Bulgaria	1–0	Czechoslovakia
Milev 37'	Report

Yunak Stadium, Sofia

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: Constantin Iliescu (Romania)

10 September 1948

Poland	2–6	Hungary
Kohut 37' Cieślik 68'	Report	Bozsik 20' Hidegkuti 25', 81' Szusza 29' Deák 69' Tóth 72'

Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Jaroslav Vlček (Czechoslovakia)

10 October 1948

Poland	0–0	Romania
	Report

Stadion Ruchu, Chorzów

Attendance: 50,000

Referee: Jaroslav Vlček (Czechoslovakia)

24 October 1948

Romania	1–5	Hungary
Pecsovszky 77'	Report	Puskás 44', 64', 83' Deák 49', 68'

Stadionul Republicii, Bucharest

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Jaroslav Vlček (Czechoslovakia)

7 November 1948

Bulgaria	1–0	Hungary
Milanov 15'	Report

Yunak Stadium, Sofia

Attendance: 35,000

Referee: Constantin Iliescu (Romania)

Matches not played

(note: it is uncertain which teams were meant to at home and which away)

•   Yugoslavia v.   Hungary
•   Yugoslavia v.   Romania
•   Albania v.   Bulgaria
•   Albania v.   Poland
•   Albania v.   Czechoslovakia

Aside from these, Hungary played Romania twice. ^{[1] [2]}

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 48 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

2 goals

1 goal

References