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Revision as of 22:55, 17 September 2018

Bulgaria
Nickname(s)Лъвовете (The Lions)
AssociationBulgarian Football Union
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachPetar Hubchev
CaptainIvelin Popov
Most capsStiliyan Petrov (106)
Top scorerDimitar Berbatov (48)
Home stadium Vasil Levski Stadium
FIFA codeBUL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current49 Increase 4 (June 2018)
Highest3 (June 1995)
Lowest96 (August 2012)
First international
 Bulgaria 0–0 Austria Austria
(Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
Bulgaria Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana 
(Leon, Mexico; 14 October 1968)
Biggest defeat
 Bulgaria 1–8 Spain Spain
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1930)
Best resultBronze Semi-Finals: 1994
Euro Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1968)
Best resultQuarter-Finals: 1968
Olympics
Appearances5 (first in 1924)
Best resultSilver Runners-Up: 1968
Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City Team
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne Team

The FIFA Bulgaria national football team (Template:Lang-bg) is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home stadium is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Petar Hubchev is the current national manager. Their best World Cup performance was in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where they beat defending champions Germany to reach the semi-finals, controversially losing to Italy. Although defeating strong top ranked teams in many international friendlies throughout the years, the team's strength has slowly diminished, failing to qualify for any major tournament since 2004.

History

The Beginning

The Bulgaria national team was founded in 1922. In 1923, the Bulgarian Football Union was established and the team's first match was held in Vienna on 21 May 1924, against Austria[1] a 6–0 defeat.[2] The result was not surprising since Austria was at that time an avangarde of the Central–European school which dominated football in that period. To bring Bulgaria closer to that level, the Bulgarian FA has brought Austrian coaches Nitsch and Stejskal in the 1920s, and Hungarians Nemes, Fogl and German Feist in the 1930s.

Bulgaria was invited to participate in the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, but eventually rejected the invitation because the players were incapable of having an extended leave of absence from work.[3]

1930s to 1960s: Years of International Wilderness

The Bulgarian team at this time could not progress in qualifying for any major tournaments from 1930 to 1960. They would end up finishing, on many occasions, in second or third place in their qualifying group and proceeding to the play-offs, but in the end, failing to qualify. Bulgaria, however, did defeat many strong teams in international games during those years. The only tournaments they were able to qualify for were smaller tournaments, such as the Balkan Cup, which they have won four times. They qualified for the World Cup for the second time in 1962

1960s and 1970s: Beginning of the New Era

Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1962 and followed that up with consecutive appearances in 1966, 1970 and 1974. The team, however finished third in their group three out of the four times.

At the 1968 Summer Olympics, the team won the silver medal. They finished first in Group D by beating Thailand 7–0, Guatemala 2–1, and drawing 2–2 against Czechoslovakia. They advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Israel and the semifinals by beating host Mexico. In the final, the team was defeated by Hungary.

In 1976, the team won the Balkan Cup by beating Romania in the two-legged final 1–0 and 3–2.

1962 World Cup

Bulgaria finally qualified to their first international tournament, the 1962 world cup, and this would be the first time that they qualified, after not doing so for 32 years. Bulgaria was placed in a group alongside England, Argentina and Hungary. Bulgaria would open up their campaign with a narrow 0–1 loss to Argentina then would lose their second match 1–6 to Hungary. Mathematically eliminated from progressing to the next round, Bulgaria drew England 0–0 to finish fourth in the group with only one point.

1966 World Cup

Bulgaria would qualify for their second World Cup in 1966. They were placed in a group, alongside Hungary, Portugal and a Pelé-led Brazil. Bulgaria would open their campaign match with a 0–2 loss to Brazil thanks to two free-kick goals by Pelé and Garrincha. Later on, Bulgaria would lose 0–3 to the Eusébio-led Portugal, then lost again to Hungary (1–3). They would finish fourth in their group zero points earned.

1968 Summer Olympics: Road to the Final

A month-and-a-half after the Euro came the Olympics, which Bulgaria had qualified for the fifth time in their history. They were drawn in a group with Thailand, Guatemala and Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria began with a 7–0 win over Thailand. They would later go on and draw with Czechoslovakia 2–2. Their final match would determine if they would go on to the quarterfinals. Bulgaria defeated Guatemala 2–1 and win their first round Olympic group. They passed on to the Quarterfinals to face Israel. That game would remain 1–1 for most of the match until a drawing of lots determined who would go to the semi-finals of the tournament. Bulgaria won the draw and advanced to play Mexico. They won in overtime with a 3–2 victory. Bulgaria advanced to the finals for the first time in their Olympic history. They then suffered a 1–4 loss to Hungary. Bulgaria won the silver medal in the end.

1970 World Cup

Bulgaria qualified for their third-straight World Cup in 1970, held in Mexico. They were drawn in a group with Western Germany, Peru, and Morocco. Playing their first match against Peru, Bulgaria were leading 2–0 until near the end when the Peruvians came back to win Peru 2–3. In the second match, Bulgaria would fall to West Germany 5–2, ensuring Bulgaria would need to defeat Morocco to progress to the next round. A 1–1 draw, however, resulted in a third-place group finish and elimination from the tournament.

1974 World Cup

Four years later, in Germany, Bulgaria would qualify for their fourth-straight World Cup. They were drawn in a group with the Netherlands, Sweden and Uruguay. Bulgaria would start off with Sweden and after 90 minutes the game would remain goalless in a 0–0 draw. Although no goals, Bulgaria were down set from the disallowed goal they scored, that was ruled offside by the side referee. Later on, Bulgaria tied with Uruguay 1–1. Bulgaria remained in contention; all they needed to do was tie against the Netherlands. As the final match came, Bulgaria fell by a 1–4 score. The Netherlands scored all the goals including an own goal for Bulgaria. Bulgaria remained in 3rd place in the group and did not move on to the next round.

The 1980s and 1990s

1986 World Cup: The Knockout Stage

Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in Mexico by finishing second in Group Four, behind France with 11 points, but worse goal difference, ahead of the teams of Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Luxembourg. This was their fifth World Cup appearance. They were drawn in Group A with Italy, Argentina, and South Korea. In the opening match of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held the defending champions Italy to a 1–1 draw. Alessandro Altobelli gave the Italians the lead, but an 85th-minute equalizer by Nasko Sirakov gave the Bulgarians the point. The next match was another 1–1 draw against South Korea with the goal for Bulgaria coming from Plamen Getov in the 11th minute. They lost the final match of the group 2–0 against Argentina, who ended up winning the tournament. Despite not recording a win, the Bulgarians advanced to the knockout stage by being the third-best third placed team. That way, Bulgaria and also Uruguay became the first nations to qualify for the knockout stage without winning a game in the first round. In the Round of 16, they faced World Cup hosts Mexico and lost the match 2–0. Ivan Vutsov was the manager of the team.

The 1992 and 1998: Reign of the Golden Generation

1994 World Cup: Final Four Triumph

File:Stoiko muzeum.jpg
The retired jersey and Ballon D'or of Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov. Considered Bulgaria's all-time Greatest Player, Stoichkov led his team to a 1994 World Cup Final Four Finish alongside winning the European Golden Boot.

On 17 November 1993, Emil Kostadinov scored two goals to beat France in Paris, thus allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994, and disallowing France to qualify for that tournament.[4] Under the management of Dimitar Penev, the team led by players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Lechkov and Krasimir Balakov was referred to as the "Golden Generation".[5] They entered Group D with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece.[6] Prior to 1994, the Bulgarians had not won a single match in the previous five World Cup finals appearances. The first match ended with a 3–0 defeat by Nigeria in Dallas.[7] Later, the team won 4–0 against World Cup-debuting Greece in Chicago[8] and 2–0 against Argentina in Dallas.[9] Bulgaria continued to the next round, where they faced Mexico at Giants Stadium just outside New York City. The match ended 1–1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties would decide which team would go through. Team captain Borislav Mihaylov saved two penalty kicks and Bulgaria won 3–1 on penalties.[10] In their quarter-final match, again in New York City, Bulgaria faced defending World Cup champions Germany. Lothar Matthäus scored in a penalty kick. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by Stoichkov and Yordan Lechkov, giving them a 2–1 win.[11] Millions of Bulgarians celebrated this win in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. In their semi-final match again in New York, they lost 2–1 to Italy.[12] Bulgaria then traveled across the country and three time zones to the Pasadena Rose Bowl just outside Los Angeles to play Sweden, who did not have to travel because their semi-final match against Brazil had been held in the Rose Bowl.[13] Sweden beat Bulgaria 4–0, so the team finished the tournament in 4th place.[14] Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot (along with Russia's Oleg Salenko) for scoring six goals and finishing as joint top goal scorer of the tournament.[15] Later in December, Stoitchkov was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or, becoming the first ever Bulgarian to win it.[16] Krasimir Balakov was named in the all-star team along with Stoichkov.

Euro Cup 1996: Quarterfinal Controversy

In 1996, the team qualified for the European Football Championship for the first time, after some good results in the qualifying group, including a stunning 3–2 turnaround win against future Euro 1996 champions Germany. They were drawn in Group B with France, Spain and Romania. Bulgaria started with a 1–1 draw against the Spanish. They would score a second with a volley by Stoitchkov. After losing against Spain, Bulgaria went on to a 1–0 win against Romania. Stoitchkov scoring in the third minute adding a second goal to the list. In the final group match, they lost 3–1 against France, Stoitchkov scoring from a free kick to give Bulgaria there only goal of the game. At the same time, Spain defeated Romania 2–1 with the winning goal coming in the 84th minute, and the Bulgarians subsequently failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

1998 World Cup: Last Stand of the Golden Generation

Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in France by finishing first in the Group 5, followed by Russia. They entered the competition with a new manager, Hristo Bonev. Bulgaria drew Spain, Nigeria and Paraguay in Group D. The first match ended in a 0–0 draw against Paraguay. In the second match, the Bulgarians lost 1–0 for a second-straight World Cup to Nigeria. The final match ended with a disappointing 6–1 defeat to Spain, even though two offside goals were ruled out. Following the bad results, Bulgaria finished fourth in the group, with only one point, and didn't go through the next round. This was the last major appearance at World Cup level for Bulgaria.

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup Group D

2000 Euro Cup Qualification

Bulgaria was drawn in a tough qualifying group with teams like England, Sweden and Poland. The campaign started bad with a draw and a defeat by Poland and Sweden. The most memorable match for Bulgaria in the group was the 1–1 draw against England, which was also the last one for Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov before his international retirement. Bulgaria finished third with eight points and failed to make the final stages of Euro 2000.

A New millennium

Berbatov training with Bulgaria Right Before Euro 2004

2002 World Cup Qualification: Beginning of a Drought

Bulgaria, Denmark, and Czech Republic were among the main contenders for the qualifying spots. This is also the debut of Bulgaria's top scoring player Dimitar Berbatov. Bulgaria won the matches against the weaker teams, but lost 2–0 to Denmark and one match with the Czech Republic. That way, Bulgaria finished third with 17 points and three points behind second-placed Czech Republic, thus failing to make the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Euro 2004

Bulgaria managed to qualify for the Euro 2004 in Portugal by finishing first in the group ahead of teams like Croatia and Belgium with 17 points. They drew Sweden, Italy and Denmark in Group C. They started off with a defeat by Sweden, followed by a 2–0 defeat by Denmark. The last match against Italy was a 2–1 defeat. Near the end of the match, the score was 1–1 after goals from Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov and Simone Perrotta, but a last-minute goal by Antonio Cassano gave the Italians the win. They finished fourth with zero points and were sent home without reaching the knockout round.

2006 World Cup Qualification: Failure

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results. They began with a win over Hungary and "weaker" teams in the group. They tied with Sweden and Croatia the first run but lost the other meetings to the two sides. Although Berbatov scored many key goals in the qualifier including a last minute equaliser against Croatia, Bulgaria finished third in Group Eight, behind Sweden and Croatia with 15 points.

2006 Kirin Cup: Fight for the Finale

Although not making it to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Bulgaria found themselves in a minor tournament in Japan, known as the Kirin Cup, which Bulgaria entered for the first time. They started off well with a 2–1 victory over the hosts Japan. Later, they lost 5–1 to Scotland, the eventual champions of the Kirin Cup. Bulgaria became the Runners Up and received the silver medal.

2008 European Qualification: Near Miss

Group G had Netherlands, Romania, and Bulgaria as the main contestants for a qualifying spot for the Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. Bulgaria performed well after a run of good results from Romania that gave them the first place. Bulgaria would go on to the playoffs but draw the first match 1–1 with a goal by Petrov in the tenth minute and lose the second 2–0. Bulgaria failed to qualify to the competition, finishing with 25 points, after Romania and the Netherlands, with only one lost match against the Dutch.

2010 World Cup Qualification: Close Call

The Bulgaria National Football Team in 2010

Bulgaria were drawn against Italy and the Republic of Ireland in qualifying Group Eight. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. The manager Plamen Markov was replaced by Stanimir Stoilov in January 2009. The Bulgarians then recorded their first win in the group against Cyprus, and also won against Montenegro and Georgia. They finished in third place in the group with 14 points, therefore failing to qualify directly or for a play-off place. Bulgarian top scorer Berbatov resigned from the national side after this result.[citation needed]

Era of Decline

2012 European Qualification: Upset

The Bulgaria National Team in 2012

Bulgaria were drawn in Group G along with England, Switzerland, Wales and Montenegro. Bulgaria started off horribly with an opening away loss to England. They later on drew level with Switzerland along with defeating Wales and Montenegro. However, Bulgaria finished fifth in their group reaching their nadir in their football history, marking the fourth instance during 2000s that the nation had failed to finish in third (or better).

2014 World Cup Qualification: Final Phase Failure

In the qualification phase for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Armenia and Malta. Under the guidance of former player Lyuboslav Penev as head coach, Bulgaria enjoyed a 2–1 victory over 2010 World Cup runners-up Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started with a 2–2 draw against the Euro 2012 runners-up Italy. Bulgaria then defeated Armenia, which ended 1–0. Later on Bulgaria drew 1–1 against Denmark. Four days later, Bulgaria earned a 0–0 draw away against the Czech Republic. As a result of these performances, the team climbed from 96th in the FIFA Ranking, their lowest position in history, to 40th in November 2012, earning FIFA best mover of the year. Penev's players hosted and defeated Malta 6–0 under heavy snowfall. Four days later, Bulgaria once again set a draw with Denmark 1–1 in Copenhagen. This result left Bulgaria second in the group with ten points and still undefeated. Bulgaria traveled to Italy, a game where they lost 1–0. Further on, the lions secured three more points with a 2–0 away win against Malta. After that Bulgaria was defeated by Armenia 2–1 and the Czech Republic 1–0 at home.

2016 Euro Cup Qualification: Continuation of the Drought

Bulgaria were placed in a group with Italy, Croatia, Norway, Azerbaijan and Malta.[17] Bulgaria opened up their first match with a 2–1 victory over Azerbaijan.[18] They were defeated 1–0 by Croatia,[19] which was followed by a 2–1 defeat to Norway.[20] Bulgaria then drew with Malta 1–1 at home,[21] but this cost Head Coach Lyuboslav Penev his position and he was replaced by former Ludogorets Razgrad Coach Ivaylo Petev.[22] In his debut match in February 2015, Petev's squad drew Romania 0–0 in a friendly,[23] which was then followed at the end of March by a 2–2 qualifier match draw with Italy, a match which Bulgaria had led till the 84th minute.[24] In June, Bulgaria defeated Malta 1–0 to move within 2 points of the third place playoff position.[25] They then, however, lost their next three matches against Norway,[26] Italy[27] and Croatia[28] before winning their final match 2–0 over Azerbaijan, thus failing to qualify for the finals tournament.[29]

2018 World Cup Qualification: Group of Death

Bulgaria have been drawn in a World Cup qualification group with Netherlands, France and Sweden, Belarus and Luxembourg. Bulgaria has already had a recent meeting with the Netherlands within the year 2013 in which Bulgaria came out on top with a 2–1 victory. Bulgaria has also had a 100 percent record history against Luxembourg while recently defeating Belarus 2–1 in a friendly in 2014. To add to this aspect, the last time Bulgaria was drawn within a world cup qualification group with Sweden and France was in 1994. Bulgaria drew level with Sweden once, and defeated France twice, decisively, to reach the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where Bulgaria reached its all-time high of going to the Semi-finals. Bulgaria has luckily drawn Luxembourg at home for their first match in September. This will give them the brief opportunity to re-group hoping to earn an early victory. This can lead the team on to starting off their qualifying campaign on a very positive level at the top of the group while building momentum overtime for when the time comes to face the stronger and tougher opponents. In the beginning, Bulgaria earned a hard-fought 4–3 win against Luxembourg at home, a frustrating scoreline despite the victory.[30] It was followed by two heavy 1–4 and 0–3 losses to France and Sweden, respectively.[31][32] In November 2016, the Lions secured the three points against Belarus in Sofia with a narrow 1–0 win.[33] On Matchday 5, the Bulgarian team put up arguably its' best performance in recent years, beating the Netherlands 2–0, thus claiming the 3rd spot in the group.[34] On Thursday the 31st of August, 2017 Bulgaria pulled off another famous shock result defeating 1st place Sweden who had recently defeated heavy favourites France, 3–2 in Sofia. This result sent Bulgaria to 3rd place, 1 point below now first-placed Sweden and put them in a really good position to claim a play-off place which could assure them a ticket for Russia 2018.[35] However, the Lions lost the key match against the Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena by the scoreline of 1–3, thus falling back to 4th place and possibly putting an end to their hopes of qualifying, as now Bulgaria is 4 points away from second-placed Sweden and 5 behind leaders France. Bulgaria then lost 0–1 at home to France and drew 1–1 away at Luxembourg, ending their undefeated-at-home streak, and missing yet another tournament.[36]

2020 Euro Cup Qualification: Nations League

Bulgaria have been drawn in Euro Cup Nations League C qualification group 3 with Norway, Slovenia and Cyprus. Bulgaria has winning records against all three nations and has high hopes of qualifying to the next phase of the 2020 Euro Cup qualifiers.

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion[a] Norway Bulgaria Cyprus Slovenia
1  Norway (P) 6 4 1 1 7 2 +5 13 Promotion to League B — 1–0 2–0 1–0
2  Bulgaria (P) 6 3 2 1 7 5 +2 11 1–0 — 2–1 1–1
3  Cyprus 6 1 2 3 5 9 −4 5 0–2 1–1 — 2–1
4  Slovenia 6 0 3 3 5 8 −3 3 1–1 1–2 1–1 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.

Team image

Colours

The Bulgarian Tri-Color Flag
The Coat of arms of Bulgaria

Traditionally the Bulgarian squad plays at home entirely in the colours of the Bulgarian tricolore. Their nickname is The Lions, in tribute of the lions represented in the Coat of arms of Bulgaria.

Kit suppliers

Kit Provider Period
Bulgaria Tomy Sport 1922–1988
Germany Adidas 1988–1996
Germany Puma 1996–2010
Italy Kappa 2010–2014
Spain Joma 2014–

Historical Kits

Throughout the football nation's sartorial history, the outfield players wore equipment with the following color patterns of white, green or red signifying the Bulgarian flag.

Home Kits
1922-1950
1950-1985
1985-1993
1993-1995
1995-1998
1998-2000
2004-2007
2007-2009
2009-2011
2011–2012
2012–2014
Away Kits
1922–1950
1950-1985
1985–1993
1993–1995
1995-1998
1998-2000
2004-2007
2007-2009
2009-2011
2011–2012
2012–2014

National Stadium

The National Stadium

Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the Vasil Levski National Stadium with a capacity of 45,000. Vasil Levski was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002. It is currently eligible to host UEFA Europa League final matches. It is the second largest stadium in Bulgaria just behind the Plovdiv Stadium with a capacity 55,000. During the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the stadium was used for the games of Levski Sofia with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. It was also given three stars for its excellence in art construction of the stadium. The Bulgarian national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions. The stadium also offers judo, artistic gymnastics, basketball, boxing, aerobics, fencing and table tennis halls, as well as a general physical training hall, two conference halls, and three restaurants.

Competition History

  Champions    Runners-Up    Semi-Finals    Other Top Results  

World Cup Record

FIFA World Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay1930 Qualified-Withdrew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chile 1962 Group Stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 7
England 1966 Group Stage 12th 3 0 0 3 1 8
Mexico 1970 Group Stage 12th 3 0 1 2 5 9
West Germany 1974 Group Stage 11th 3 0 2 1 2 5
Mexico 1986 Round of 16 10th 4 0 2 2 2 6
United States 1994 Bronze Semi-Finals 4th 7 5 0 2 12 7
France 1998 Group Stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 1 7
Qatar 2022 To Be Determined
Total 7/22 26 5 7 15 20 53

Euro Cup Record

UEFA Euro Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Italy 1968 Quarter-Finals 5th 5 4 0 1 8 6
England 1996 Group Stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 4
Portugal 2004 Group Stage 14th 3 0 0 3 1 9
Europe 2020 To Be Determined
Total 3/14 10 5 1 5 16 19

Olympic Record

Olympic Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
France 1924 Round of 16 12th 1 0 0 1 0 1
Finland 1952 Round of 16 13th 1 0 0 1 1 2
Australia 1956 Bronze Semi-Finals 3rd 3 2 0 1 10 3
Italy 1960 Group Stage 8th 3 2 1 0 8 3
Mexico 1968 Silver Runners-Up 2nd 6 3 2 1 16 10
Japan 2020 To Be Determined
Total 5/23 14 7 3 4 35 19

Balkan Cup Record

Balkan Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Romania 1930 Group Stage 4th 6 2 0 4 10 19
Bulgaria 1931 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 8 3
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1932 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 7 2
Romania 1933 Semi-Finals 3rd 3 1 0 2 2 11
Greece 1934 Group Stage 4th 3 1 0 2 7 8
Bulgaria 1935 Runners-Up 2nd 3 2 1 0 12 5
Romania 1936 Runners-Up 2nd 2 1 0 2 6 8
Albania 1946 Group Stage 4th 2 0 1 2 4 7
Hungary 1947 Group Stage 4th 4 1 0 3 5 14
Bulgaria 1948 Champions 1st 5 2 1 2 6 7
Romania 1976 Champions 1st 4 2 0 2 9 9
Turkey 1980 Semi-Finals 3rd 4 1 1 2 4 8
Total 12/12 41 19 4 19 80 101

Honours

Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
Gold World Cup 0 0 1 1
Gold Euro Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympics 0 1 1 2
Balkan Cup 4 2 2 8
Total 4 3 4 11

Recent Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

13 November 2017 (2017-11-13) Friendly  Bulgaria 1−0  Saudi Arabia Lisbon, Portugal
18:00
(19:00 UTC+3)		 I. Popov 81' Report Stadium: Estádio do Restelo
Attendance: 80
Referee: Fábio Veríssimo (Portugal)
23 March 2018 (2018-03-23) Friendly  Bulgaria 0−1  Bosnia and Herzegovina Razgrad, Bulgaria
18:00
(19:00 UTC+2)		 Report Kodro 20' Stadium: Ludogorets Arena
Attendance: 2,600
Referee: François Letexier (France)
26 March 2018 (2018-03-26) Friendly  Bulgaria 2−1  Kazakhstan Felcsút, Hungary
18:00
(18:00 UTC+2)		 I. Popov 23' (pen.)
Bodurov 90+3'		 Tungyshbayev 56' Stadium: Pancho Aréna
6 September 2018 (2018-09-06) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria 1–2  Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Kraev 3', 59' Report Zajc 40' Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 5,100
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
9 September 2018 (2018-09-09) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria 1−0  Norway Sofia, Bulgaria
18:00
(19:00 UTC+3)		 Vasilev 59' Report Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium
Attendance: 7,100
Referee: Daniel Stefański (Poland)
13 October 2018 (2018-10-13) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria v  Cyprus Sofia, Bulgaria
Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium
16 October 2018 (2018-10-16) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria v  Norway Oslo, Norway
Stadium: Ullevaal Stadium
16 November 2018 (2018-11-16) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria v  Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus
Stadium: GSP Stadium
19 November 2018 (2018-11-19) UEFA Nations League  Bulgaria v  Slovenia Sofia, Bulgaria
Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium

Ranking History

See also: FIFA World Rankings
Rank Date
Best Rank 3 June 1995
Current Rank 49 June 2018
Worst Rank 96 May 2012
  • FIFA-ranking yearly averages for Bulgaria[37]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up in the squad for the Friendly matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 23, and Kazakhstan on 26 March 2018.[38]
Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2018 after the match against Kazakhstan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Bozhidar Mitrev (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) 9 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
13 1GK Plamen Iliev (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 32) 9 0 Romania Astra Giurgiu
5 2DF Nikolay Bodurov (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38) 41 2 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
3 2DF Petar Zanev (1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 39) 34 0 Russia Yenisey Krasnoyarsk
2 2DF Strahil Popov (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 34) 18 0 Turkey Kasımpaşa
15 2DF Vasil Bozhikov (1988-06-02) 2 June 1988 (age 36) 14 0 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
4 2DF Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski (1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29) 5 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
12 2DF Kamen Hadzhiev (1991-09-22) 22 September 1991 (age 33) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
20 2DF Tsvetomir Panov (1989-04-17) 17 April 1989 (age 35) 1 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
11 3MF Stanislav Manolev (1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 38) 51 5 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
17 3MF Georgi Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 40 2 Unattached
7 3MF Mihail Aleksandrov (1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35) 21 3 Russia Arsenal Tula
18 3MF Ivaylo Chochev (1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31) 17 3 Italy Palermo
8 3MF Todor Nedelev (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) 17 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv
6 3MF Simeon Slavchev (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31) 17 0 Azerbaijan Qarabağ
14 3MF Georgi Kostadinov (1990-09-07) 7 September 1990 (age 34) 10 3 Russia Arsenal Tula
22 3MF Martin Raynov (1992-04-25) 25 April 1992 (age 32) 5 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
21 3MF Ivan Minchev (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991 (age 33) 1 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
19 3MF Kiril Despodov (1996-08-11) 11 August 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
10 4FW Ivelin Popov (Captain) (1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37) 74 14 Russia Spartak Moscow
9 4FW Spas Delev (1989-09-22) 22 September 1989 (age 35) 20 2 Poland Pogoń Szczecin
23 4FW Radoslav Kirilov (1992-06-29) 29 June 1992 (age 32) 2 0 Italy Vis Pesaro

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Bulgarian squad within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Blagoy Makendzhiev (1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017
GK Georgi Kitanov (1995-03-06) 6 March 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia v.  Netherlands, 3 September 2017
DF Anton Nedyalkov (1993-04-30) 30 April 1993 (age 31) 5 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017
DF Aleksandar Dyulgerov (1990-04-19) 19 April 1990 (age 34) 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017
DF Georgi Terziev (1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32) 10 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Netherlands, 3 September 2017
DF Atanas Zehirov (1989-02-13) 13 February 1989 (age 35) 1 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna v.  Netherlands, 3 September 2017
MF Aleksandar Tonev (1990-02-02) 2 February 1990 (age 34) 28 5 Unattached v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017
MF Aleksandar Tsvetkov (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 34) 2 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017
MF Bozhidar Kraev (1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 (age 27) 4 0 Denmark Midtjylland v.  Luxembourg, 10 October 2017
MF Kristiyan Malinov (1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia v.  Luxembourg, 10 October 2017
MF Orlin Starokin (1987-01-08) 8 January 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Cyprus Alki Oroklini v.  Netherlands, 3 September 2017
FW Andrey Galabinov INJ (1988-11-13) 13 November 1988 (age 35) 10 2 Italy Spezia v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 23 March 2018
FW Ivaylo Dimitrov (1989-03-26) 26 March 1989 (age 35) 2 0 Armenia Ararat-Armenia v.  Saudi Arabia, 13 November 2017

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.


Current technical staff

Head coach Bulgaria Petar Hubchev
Assistant coach Bulgaria Georgi Donkov
Assistant coach Bulgaria Levon Apkaryan
Goalkeepers coach Armenia Armen Ambartsumyan
BFU president Bulgaria Borislav Mikhailov
Team captain Bulgaria Ivelin Popov

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup Squads
UEFA European Football Championship Squads
Summer Olympics Football Tournament Squads

Player records

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