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Bulgaria national football team

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Bulgaria
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Лъвовете (The Lions)
AssociationBulgarian Football Union
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachIvaylo Petev
CaptainSvetoslav Dyakov
Most capsStiliyan Petrov (106)
Top scorerDimitar Berbatov (48)
FIFA codeBUL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current68Decrease 6
Highest3 (June 1995)
Lowest96 (August 2012)
First international
 Bulgaria 2–0 Austria Austria
(Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
Bulgaria Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana 
(Leon, Mexico; 14 October 1968)
Biggest defeat
 Bulgaria 1–9 Spain Spain
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1930)
Best resultSemi-Finals: 1994
European Championship
Appearances3 (first in 1968)
Best resultQuarter-Finals: 1968
Summer Olympics
Appearances5 (first in 1924)
Best resultRunners-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 (Bulgarian: Национален отбор по футбол на България) is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association[clarification needed] of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Lyuboslav Penev is 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, losing to Italy. Although defeating strong top ranked teams in international friendlies throughout the years, the team's strength has diminished slowly, failing to qualify for any major tournament since 2004.

History

The beginning

The Bulgarian national football team was formed in 1922. In 1923 The Bulgarian Football Union was formed and the team's first match was held in Viena on 21 May 1924, with a 2–0 defeat of Austria. Bulgaria later on qualified to the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, but had to withdraw due to strong storms on the Atlantic at that time. Bulgaria’s power would overtime grow and eventually reach its peak.

1930 World Cup withdrawal

Bulgaria's first appearance in a World Cup was the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, but failed to enter because delay of flights, during typhoon and hurricane storms on the Atlantic Ocean. There original group stage opponents were set as Brazil, Yugoslavia and Bolivia. This was a major disappointment to the national side. Bulgaria’s next major tournament was the entrance to the 1962 world cup.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Kingdom of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 4
 Brazil 2 1 0 1 5 2 +3 2
 Bulgaria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Bolivia 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8 0

Years in international wilderness

The Bulgarian side, at this time, could not progress in qualifying to any major tournaments from the time of 1930 to 1960. This period of time was the international wilderness for Bulgaria. They would end up on many occasions getting 2nd or 3rd in their qualifying group and proceeding to the play offs, but in the end not able to qualify. Bulgaria although, did defeat many great teams in international friendlies during those years. The only tournaments they seemed to qualify for were smaller tournaments, such as the Balkan Cup, which they have won four times. Finally, their time came, when they qualified for the World Cup for the second time, in Chile, 1962.

1960s and 1970s: Four consecutive World Cup appearances, first time Euro, Olympic final and Balkan triumph

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, did not have much success and finished third in their group three out of the four times.

The team qualified for its first UEFA European Championship in 1968 and went on to win their group with wins over Norway (4-2), Sweden (3-0) and Portugal (1-0) before losing to eventual champion and host Italy in a two-legged quarterfinal. Bulgaria won the first leg 3-2, but lost the second by a 2-0 score to lose 4-3 on aggregate.

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 FIFA World Cup

Bulgaria finally would qualify after a while to their second world cup, although this is the first one they would be competing in. Bulgaria was drawn in a tough group with tough opponents England, power machine Argentina and super power house Hungary. Bulgaria would open up their campaign with a narrow 0-1 loss to Argentina. Later on, misery would strike, as Bulgaria would lose their second group match by a 1-6 score to Hungary. Bulgaria’s hopes of qualifying were over, but with one world cup match left, they gave it a shot. They would end up drawing with England 0-0 and finish fourth in the group with only one point.

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 Hungary 3 2 1 0 8 2 5
 England 3 1 1 1 4 3 3
 Argentina 3 1 1 1 2 3 3
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 1
Bulgaria 0 – 1 Argentina
Report[1] Facundo 4'
Attendance: 7,134
Bulgaria 1 – 6 Hungary
Asparuhov 64'[note 1] Report[2] Albert 1', 6', 53'
Tichy 8', 70'
Solymosi 12'
Attendance: 7,442
Bulgaria 0 – 0 England
Report[3]
Attendance: 5,700

1966 FIFA World Cup

As 4 years passed, so did another chance of world cup success. Bulgaria would qualify for their second straight world cup. They were drawn into an even harder group than last world cup. They would end up in a group of death with super powers Hungary, Portugal and Brazil with Pele at the helm. Bulgaria would open their campaign match with a 0-2 loss to Brazil thanks to two free kick goals by Pele and Garrincha. Later on Bulgaria would lose 0-3 to Euseibo and Portugal. Finally Bulgaria, once again with no chance of next round qualification, would finish their last match with a 1-3 loss to Hungary. Bulgaria would finish fourth with zero points in the group. This being Bulgaria’s worst world cup performance yet in Bulgaria’s history.

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 Portugal 3 3 0 0 9 2 6
 Hungary 3 2 0 1 7 5 4
 Brazil 3 1 0 2 4 6 2
 Bulgaria 3 0 0 3 1 8 0
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Brazil
Report[4] Pelé 15'
Garrincha 63'
Attendance: 48,000
Bulgaria 0 – 3 Portugal
Report[5] Vutsov 17' (o.g.)
Eusébio 38'
Torres 81'
Attendance: 26,000
Bulgaria 1 – 3Hungary 
Asparuhov 15' Report[6] Davidov 43' (o.g.)
Mészöly 45'
Bene 54'
Attendance: 22,000

1968 Euro Cup: Quarterfinals

After their poor world cup performance, Bulgaria was determined to redeem themselves somehow. So when the time finally came, they did. Bulgaria was drawn in a group with Scandinavian Giants Norway and Sweden along with King Euseibo and Portugal. Bulgaria started off very well with a 4-2 win over Norway. They would add to their winning streak with a 3-0 destruction of Sweden. There final match would determine who would win the group. Bulgaria were downed in the past world cup by Portugal 3-0, and they were determined not to happen again. When the game finally came, Bulgaria would defeat Portugal by a 1-0 score. This would seal Bulgaria as group winners and a shot at the two legged quarterfinal. When that time finally came Bulgaria would have to face Italy, the hosts. Bulgaria would start off well, with a 3-2 victory over the Italians. When the second match came, Bulgaria would fall 2-0, also causing them to lose in aggregate and getting eliminated from the tournament. Italy would go on to win the European Championship, and Bulgaria would get the 5th-place ranking, for being the only team in the tournament able to defeat the champions Italy, in a match.

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
 Bulgaria 9 3 3 0 0 8 2
 Portugal 4 3 1 1 1 3 3
 Sweden 3 3 1 1 1 6 6
 Norway 0 3 0 0 3 5 11


Bulgaria 4 – 2 Norway
Tsanev 18', 43'
Zhekov 42', 85'		 Hasund 59', 86'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Muzaffer Sarvan (Turkey)
Bulgaria 3 – 0 Sweden
Vasel Mitkov
Attendance: 28,000
Referee: Josip Drago Horvat (Yugoslavia)
Bulgaria 1 – 0 Portugal
Dermendjiev 63'
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Anvar Zverev (USSR)

Two-legged quarterfinal

Bulgaria 3 – 2 Italy
Kotkov 12' (pen)
Dermendzhiev 66'
Zhekov 73'		 Penev 60' (og)
Prati 83'
Attendance: 70,000
Referee: Gerhard Schulenburg (FRG)
Bulgaria 0 – 2Italy 
Prati 14'
Domenghini 55'
Attendance: 95,000
Referee: Gottfried Dienst (SUI)

Italy won 4 – 3 on aggregete

1968 Summer Olympics

A month and a half after the European Championship came the Olympics, which Bulgaria had qualified for the 5th time in their history. They were drawn in a simple group with minnows Thailand, tough opponents Guatemala and giants Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria would start off with a 7-0 thrashing of Thailand. They would later go on and draw with Czechoslovakia 2-2 to increase their point standards. Their final match would determine if they would go on to the quarterfinals. As the time came Bulgaria would defeat Guatemala 2-1 and win their first round Olympic group. They would pass on to the Quarterfinals to face underdogs Israel. That game would remain 1-1 for most of the match until a drawing of lots would determine who would go to the semifinals of the tournament. Bulgaria would with the draw and advance to play Mexico. They would have a hard fought match, but overtime they would come out on top with a 3-2 victory. Bulgaria would advance to the finals for the first time in their Olympic history. They were determined to win the gold medal, but would fall short badly with a 1-4 loss to Hungary. Bulgaria worked hard but could only come out with a silver medal. It was a good performance but not enough for the final and most important game of the tournament.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Bulgaria 3 2 1 0 11 3 +8 5
 Guatemala 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 4
 Czechoslovakia 3 1 1 1 10 3 +7 3
 Thailand 3 0 0 3 1 19 −18 0
Bulgaria 7 – 0 Thailand
M.Gyonin 25'
P.Zhekov 55'
A.Mihaylov "Natchko" 56' 61'
I.Zafirov "Kopata" 73'
A.Nikodimov "Paro" 85'
K.Ivkov 88'		 Report[7]
Bulgaria 2 – 2 Czechoslovakia
I.Georgiev 44'
P.Zhekov 77'		 Report[8] Jarabinský 25'
Petráš 42'
Bulgaria 2 – 1 Guatemala
A.Nikodimov "Paro" 50'
P.Zhekov 84'		 Report[9] López Oliva 88'
Referee: Raul Osorio Mexico

Quarterfinals

Bulgaria 1 – 1 Israel
Hristakiev 5' Report[10] Feigenbaum 89'

Bulgaria progressed after a drawing of lots.

Semifinals

Bulgaria 3 – 2 Mexico
P.Zhekov 8'
A.Mihaylov 9'
Ts. Veselinov (58)		 Report[11] Morales 39'
Pulido Rodríguez 48'
Referee: Seyoum Tarekegn Ethiopia

Gold Medal Match

Bulgaria 1 – 4 Hungary
Ts. Veselinov 22' Report[12] Menczel 40'
A. Dunai 41' 49'
Juhász 62'
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Diego De Leo Mexico

1970 FIFA World Cup

Bulgaria qualified for their third straight world cup. This time it was in Mexico just like the Olympics two years before it. Bulgaria was hoping for another great result like in the Olympics but this time in world cup standards. They were drawn in a medially tough group with power giants Germany, South American powers Peru and African underdogs Morocco. Bulgaria played their first match against Peru. They were leading the match 2-0 until near the end when the Peruvians woke up and began to score. Bulgaria would clumsily fall to Peru 2-3, and start their group in slow fashion. The second match didn’t change much for Bulgaria as they would fall to the giants Germany 5-2. Bulgaria still had a chance to qualify for the next round but they would need a win against Morocco to do that. When that time came Bulgaria would lead Morocco for most of the game until the 61st minute. Bulgaria would end up drawing with Morocco 1-1. They would finish the group in 3rd place but fall short of next round qualification.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 West Germany 3 3 0 0 10 4 +6 6
 Peru 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 5 9 −4 1
 Morocco 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
Bulgaria 2 – 3 Peru
Dermendzhiev 13'
Bonev 49'		 Report[13] Gallardo 50'
Chumpitaz 55'
Cubillas 73'
Attendance: 13,765
Bulgaria 2 – 5 West Germany
Nikodimov 12'
Kolev 89'		 Report[14] Libuda 20'
Müller 27', 52' (pen.), 88'
Seeler 67'
Attendance: 12,710
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Morocco
Zhechev 40' Report[15] Ghazouani 61'
Attendance: 12,299

1974 FIFA World Cup

Four years later, in Germany, Bulgaria would qualify for their fourth straight world cup. They were drawn in a decently tough group, with destroyers the Netherlands, up setters Sweden and shockers 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 ref. Later on though Bulgaria would tie with Uruguay 1-1 after a hard fought match. Bulgaria remained in good qualifying contention; all they needed to do was tie against the Netherlands. As the final match came, Bulgaria would fall by a 1-4 score. The ironic thing though was that Netherlands scored all the goals including an own goal for Bulgaria. Bulgaria would remain in 3rd place in the group and sadly fall short of the next round once again. The good thing was that this was their best performance at a world cup since 1930; with 2 draws and 1 loss. Though, their best performances were soon to come.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 5
 Sweden 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 5 −3 2
 Uruguay 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Bulgaria 0 – 0 Sweden
Report[16]
Attendance: 22,500
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Uruguay
Bonev 75' Report[17] Pavoni 87'
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Jack Taylor (England)
Bulgaria 1 – 4 Netherlands
Krol 78' (o.g.) Report[18] Neeskens 5' (pen.), 44' (pen.)
Rep 71'
de Jong 88'
Attendance: 52,100

World Cup 1986: The knockout rounds

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.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 5
 Italy 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2
 South Korea 3 0 1 2 4 7 −3 1
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Italy
Sirakov 85' Report[19] Altobelli 43'
Attendance: 96,000
Bulgaria 1 – 1 South Korea
Getov 11' Report[20] Kim Jong-Boo 70'
Attendance: 45,000
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Argentina
Report[21] Valdano 3'
Burruchaga 79'
Attendance: 65,000

Round of 16

Bulgaria 0 – 2 Mexico
Report[22] Negrete 34'
Servín 61'
Attendance: 114,580

Stoitchkov's reign and "The Golden Generation"

World Cup 1994: Semifinal triumph

Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, a date where Emil Kostadinov scored two goals to beat France in Paris, allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994. Under the management of Dimitar Penev, the Bulgarians, led by players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Lechkov, and Krasimir Balakov — along with a multitude of other talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the "Golden Generation" — made a strong impression by reaching the semi-finals. They entered Group D with Argentina, Nigeria, and Greece. Before that, the Bulgarians hadn't won a single match in five World Cup finals appearances. The first match ended with a 3–1 defeat by Nigeria. Despite the bad start, the team won 4–0 against World Cup-debuting featherweights Greece and 2–0 against Argentina. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time. A 91st minute strike from Nasko Sirakov, however, meant that they dropped two places and finished third. Bulgaria continued to the next round, where they faced Mexico. 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 made a good performance saving the first three penalty kicks, making it a world cup record. Bulgaria won 3–1 on penalties with Mihaylov becoming the hero for the Bulgarian team. In the quarter-finals, Bulgaria faced the then-defending World Cup champions Germany. Lothar Matthäus scored from a penalty. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Lechkov, giving them a 2–1 win and recording one of the most memorable wins for the team. Millions of Bulgarians celebrated this win in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. Having reached the semi-finals, this was the best Bulgarian performance in the World Cup. In the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 to Italy and were eventually given the bronze medals. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals. Krasimir Balakov was named in the all-star team along with Stoichkov. Starting 11: GK-Mihaylov(c); RB-Kiryakov/Kremenliev, CB/SW-Hubchev, CB-Ivanov, LB-Tsvetanov; DM-Yankov, CM-Lechkov, CM-Balakov, AM/CF-Sirakov/Borimirov; CF/RW-Kostadinov, CF/LW-Stoichkov.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
 Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
 Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
 Greece 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Bulgaria 1 – 3 Nigeria
Stoichkov 32' Report[23] Yekini 21'
Amokachi 43'
Amuneke 55'
Attendance: 44,132
Bulgaria 4 – 0 Greece
Stoichkov 5' (pen.), 55' (pen.)
Letchkov 65'
Borimirov 90'		 Report[24]
Attendance: 63,160
Bulgaria 2 – 0 Argentina
Stoichkov 61'
Sirakov 90'		 Report[25]
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

Round of 16

Bulgaria 1 – 1
(a.e.t.)		 Mexico
Stoichkov 6' Report[26] García Aspe 18' (pen.)
Penalties
Balakov soccer ball with red X
Guentchev soccer ball with check mark
Borimirov soccer ball with check mark
Letchkov soccer ball with check mark		 3 – 1 soccer ball with red X García Aspe
soccer ball with red X Bernal
soccer ball with red X Rodríguez
soccer ball with check mark Suárez
Attendance: 71,030

Quarterfinals

Bulgaria 2 – 1 Germany
Stoichkov 75'
Letchkov 78'		 Report[27] Matthäus 47' (pen.)
Attendance: 72,000

Semifinals

Bulgaria 1 – 2 Italy
Stoichkov 44' (pen.) Report[28] R. Baggio 21', 25'
Attendance: 74,110

Euro 1996: Group stage or quarterfinal?

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 wonderful volley by Stoitchkov but it would be ruled offsides even though the cameras showed it clearly wasn't. After there rob of a win over Spain, Bulgaria went on to a 1–0 win against Romania. Stoitchkov scoring in the 3rd minute adding a second goal to the list. In the final group match, they lost 3–1 against France, Stoitchkov scoring from an amazing freekick to give Bulgaria there only goal of the game. At the same time, Spain defeated Romania 2–1 with the winner coming in the 84th minute, and the Bulgarians subsequently failed to qualify and robbed of the quarter-finals.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 France 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 Spain 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
 Bulgaria 3 1 1 1 3 4 –1 4
 Romania 3 0 0 3 1 4 –3 0
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Spain
Stoichkov 65' (pen.) Report Alfonso 74'
Attendance: 24,006
Bulgaria 1 – 0 Romania
Stoichkov 3' Report
Attendance: 19,107
Bulgaria 1 – 3 France
Stoichkov 69' Report Blanc 21'
Penev 63' (o.g.)
Loko 90'
Attendance: 26,976
Referee: Dermot Gallagher (England)0downward-facing red arrow 28'

World Cup 1998: The last of the "Golden Team"

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 goalless 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 offsides 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
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6
 Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5
 Spain 3 1 1 1 8 4 +4 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1
Bulgaria 0 – 0 Paraguay
Report
Attendance: 27,650
Bulgaria 0 – 1 Nigeria
Report Ikpeba 26'
Attendance: 45,500
Bulgaria 1 – 6 Spain
Kostadinov 56' Report Hierro 5' (pen.)
Luis Enrique 18'
Morientes 53', 80'
Kiko 88', 90'
Attendance: 38,100

The 2000s: Playoffs and close calls

Euro 2000 qualifiers and the end of a legend

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.

Berbatov's Era

World Cup 2002 qualifiers

Bulgaria, Denmark, and Czech Republic amongst the main contenders for the qualifying spots. This is also the debut of Bulgaria's top scoring legend 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 very disappointing with a defeat to Sweden, followed by a 2–0 defeat to Denmark. The last match against Italy was a reasonable 2–1 defeat. The match was looking to end 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.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Sweden 3 1 2 0 8 3 +5 5
 Denmark 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5
 Italy 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
 Bulgaria 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Bulgaria 0 – 4 Sweden
Report Ljungberg 32'
Larsson 57'
Ibrahimović 78' (pen.)
Allbäck 90+1'
Attendance: 31,652
Referee: Mike Riley (England)
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Denmark
Report Tomasson 44'
Grønkjær 90+2'
Attendance: 24,131
Bulgaria 1 – 2 Italy
M. Petrov 45' (pen.) Report Perrotta 48'
Cassano 90+4'
Attendance: 16,002

World Cup 2006 qualifiers

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results,they started off good with wins over Hungary and other weaker teams. 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 eqaulizer against Croatia, Bulgaria still finished third in Group Eight, behind Sweden and Croatia with 15 points.

Kirin Cup 2006

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

Team Pts Pld W D L GS GA GD
 Scotland 4 2 1 1 0 5 1 +4
 Bulgaria 3 2 1 0 1 3 6 -3
 Japan 1 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1
Bulgaria 2 – 1 Japan
S. Todorov 1'
Yanev 90+1'		 (Report) Maki 76'
Attendance: 44,851
Referee: Carlos Megia Davila Spain

Kirin Cup group final

Bulgaria 1 – 5 Scotland
Y. Todorov 26' (Report) Boyd 13' 43'
McFadden 69'
Burke 77' 88'
Attendance: 5,780
Referee: Toru Kamikawa Japan

Euro 2008: 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 10th minute and lose the second 2-0. The Bulgarians were robbed of a Euro and finished with 25 points, after Romania and Netherlands, with only one lost match against the Dutch.

World Cup 2010 qualifiers

Bulgaria national football team, 17-11-2010.

Bulgaria were drawn against Italy and Ireland in qualifying Group Eight. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. After the unconvincing start, 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. Sadly, Bulgarian top scorer Berbatov resigned from the national side because of family problems and qaurrels with the coach. He although does still have a mindset of returning to the national side in the future.

Euro 2012 qualifier upset

National team in March 2011.

Bulgaria were drawn in Group G along with England, Switzerland, Wales, and Montenegro. Bulgaria started off bad with a loss to England. They would later on draw with Switzerland and defeat Wales and Montenegro, but sadly Bulgaria finished in third behind Switzerland. This was the fourth time in the 2000s that Bulgaria has finished third in there qualifier group.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

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 revival and put in credible performance in friendly matches before the start of the qualifications, most notably a 1-2 victory over World Cup 2010 runner-ups Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started with a well-earned 2-2 draw against the Euro 2012 runner-up Italy on home soil. Bulgaria then edged a tight match against Armenia which ended 1-0. Later on Bulgaria narrowly drew 1-1 against Denmark. Another good performance followed four days later, Bulgaria earning a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to the Czech Republic. As a result of these performances when Penev took over the team climbed from 96th in the FIFA Ranking, their lowest position ever, to 40th in November 2012. Nevertheless, Penev's players hosted and defeated Malta 6-0 under a heavy snowfall for their next qualifier. Four days later, Bulgaria once again set a draw with Denmark 1-1 in Copenhagen.. This result left Bulgaria second in the group with 10 points and still undefeated. Bulgaria travelled to Italy 3, a game where they narrowly lost 1-0. Further on, the lions secured three more points with a 1-2 away win against Malta, leaving them hopeful of securing their second place in the group and a spot in the play-offs. However, after Bulgaria was defeated by Armenia 2-1 and the Czech Republic 1-0 at home, the dream of qualifying ended.

2016 Euro qualification: In process

Bulgaria have been placed in a group with Italy, Croatia, Norway, Azerbaijan, and Malta. Bulgaria opened up there first match with a 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan. They were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Croatia, following another tight 2-1 defeat to Norway. To add to the misery, Bulgaria drew with Malta 1-1 at home. This ultimately cost Head Coach Lyuboslav Penev his position, which was replaced by former Ludogorets Razgrad Coach Ivaylo Petev. On his debut match, Petev's squad drew Romania 0-0, this later led to a hard fought 2-2 draw with Italy, which Bulgaria led till the end of the match. Bulgaria currently rank fourth in the group with their next qualifying match away against Malta in June.

Standings

Team image

Colours

The Bulgarian tricolore flag

Traditionally the squad of Bulgarian plays at home entirely in colours of the Bulgarian tricolore, with predominantly white. This explains the very commonly used nickname The Lions.

Strip manufacturer

Manufacturer Period
Germany Adidas 1975–1995
Germany Puma 1995–2011
Italy Kappa 2011–2014
Spain Joma 2014–Present

Historical kits

Throughout the football nation's sartorial history, the outfield players wore equipments with the following colour patterns:

Home kits Away kits Third kit
1924-1975,
2014–current
1975-1978,
1996–2014
1993-1994
2005-2008
2008-2011
1924–1975,
2014–current
1975-1984
1984–1993,
1995–2014
1993–1994
2006-2008
2011-current

National stadium

Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the Vasil Levski National Stadium with a capacity of 43,632. 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.

On November 4, 2011 it was announced that Bulgaria's new national stadium is going to be built in the Sofia suburb of Vrazhdebna, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Svilen Neykov, has announced. The new national stadium will be called "Arena of the Rose" and will be constructed near the International Airport where Vrazhdebna is located. It will have 60,000 seats and seen from above it will appear in the structure of a rose.

Competition history

World Cup record

Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA
Uruguay1930 Qualified But Withdrew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1934 to 1958 Years of International Wilderness
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 Semi-Finals 3rd 7 6 0 1 10 11
France 1998 Group Stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 1 7
Russia 2018 To Be Determined
Qatar 2022 To Be Determined
Total 8/19 26 6 7 15 20 53

European Championship record

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS 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
France 2016 To Be Determined
Europe 2020 To Be Determined
Total 3/14 ' 10 5 1 5 16 19

Olympic record

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS 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 Semi-Finals 3rd 3 2 0 1 10 3
Italy 1960 Group Stage 8th 3 2 1 0 8 3
Mexico 1968 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 2 1 16 10
Japan 2016 To Be Determined
Total 5/23 14 7 3 4 35 19

Balkan Cup record

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS 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
Olympic Games 0 1 1 2
World Cup 0 0 1 1
European Championship 0 0 0 0
Balkan Cup 4 2 2 8
Total 4 3 4 11
  • Balkan Cup
    • Winners (4): 1931, 1932, 1935, 1976
    • Runners-up (2): 1935, 1936
    • Third Place (2) : 1933, 1980

Undefeated run

Bulgaria has 21 undefeated matches all together in a row. Spain and Brazil holds the longest string of 35 unbeaten matches.

Opponent Type Date Result
 Wales Friendly match 15 August 2006 0 – 0
 Romania Friendly match 2 September 2006 2 – 2
 Slovenia Qualifier 6 September 2006 3 – 0
 Netherlands Qualifier 7 October 2006 1 – 1
 Luxembourg Qualifier 11 October 2006 1 – 0
 Latvia Friendly match 15 November 2006 2 – 0
 Cyprus Friendly match 7 February 2007 3 – 0
 Albania Qualifier 28 March 2007 0 – 0
 Belarus Qualifier 2 June 2007 2 – 0
 Belarus Qualifier 6 June 2007 2 – 1
 Wales Friendly 22 August 2007 1 – 0
 Luxembourg Qualifier 12 September 2007 3 – 0
 Albania Qualifier 17 October 2007 1 – 1
 Romania Qualifier 21 November 2007 1 – 0
 Slovenia Qualifier 6 February 2008 2 – 0
 Northern Ireland Friendly 26 March 2008 1 – 0
 Finland Friendly match 20 August 2008 2 – 1
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Friendly match 6 September 2008 2 – 1
 Montenegro World Cup Qualifier 11 October 2008 2 – 2
 Italy World Cup Qualifier 12 October 2008 0 – 0
 Georgia World Cup Qualifier 15 October 2008 0 – 0

Recent results

Main article: Bulgaria national football team results

2014


5 March 2014 Friendly		 Bulgaria  2 – 1  Belarus Sofia, Bulgaria
17:45 Milanov 14'
Gadzhev 66'		 Report Krivets 86' Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Milenko Vukadinović (Serbia)

23 May 2014 Friendly		 Bulgaria  1 – 1  Canada Ritzing, Austria
18:30 Galabinov 19' Report Hutchinson 27' (pen.) Stadium: Sonnensee-Stadion
Attendance: 250
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)

9 September 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Azerbaijan  1 – 2  Bulgaria Baku, Azerbaijan
18:00
(21:00 UTC+5)		 Nazarov 54' Report Mitsanski 14'
Hristov 87'		 Stadium: Bakcell Arena
Attendance: 11,000
Referee: Alon Yefet (Israel)

10 October 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  0 – 1  Croatia Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Report Bodurov 36' (o.g.) Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 29,733
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

13 October 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Norway  2 – 1  Bulgaria Oslo, Norway
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Elyounoussi 13'
Nielsen 72'		 Report Bodurov 43' Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 18,990
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)

16 November 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  1 – 1  Malta Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+2)		 Galabinov 6' Report Failla 49' (pen.) Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 600
Referee: Martin Strömbergsson (Sweden)

2015


7 February 2015 Friendly		 Romania  0 – 0  Bulgaria Antalya, Turkey
18:00
(19:00 UTC+2)		 Report Stadium: Atatürk Stadium
Attendance: 100
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)

28 March 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  2 – 2  Italy Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+2)		 Popov 11'
Mitsanski 17'		 Report Y.Minev 4' (o.g.)
Éder 84'		 Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

8 June 2015 Friendly		 Bulgaria  3 - 0  Albania Sofia, Bulgaria
Popov 5', 27'
Bodurov 88'		 Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 11,000

8 June 2015 Friendly		 Turkey  4 – 0  Bulgaria Istanbul, Turkey
Çalhanoğlu 49', 54'
Yılmaz 56', 80'		 Report Stadium: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium
Attendance: 3,200
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)

12 June 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Malta  0 – 1  Bulgaria Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Report I. Popov 56' Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (North Macedonia)

3 September 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  –  Norway Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Report Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium

6 September 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Italy  –  Bulgaria Italy
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Report

10 October 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Croatia  –  Bulgaria Zagreb, Croatia
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Report Stadium: Stadion Maksimir

13 October 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  –  Azerbaijan Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Report Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium

Ranking history

Rank Date
Worst Ever Rank 96[29] August 2012
Best Ever Rank 3 June 1995
Current Rank 68[30] September 2015

Players

Current squad

The following players are in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification match against Malta on 12 June.
Caps and goals updated as of 12 June 2015 after the match against Malta.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Bozhidar Mitrev (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) 2 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
12 1GK Blagoy Makendzhiev (1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
13 1GK Plamen Iliev (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 32) 2 0 Romania Botoșani
2 2DF Ivan Bandalovski (1986-11-23) 23 November 1986 (age 37) 14 0 Serbia Partizan
3 2DF Petar Zanev (1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 38) 26 0 Russia Amkar Perm
4 2DF Georgi Terziev (1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32) 5 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
5 2DF Nikolay Bodurov (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38) 31 1 England Fulham
6 2DF Yordan Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 43) 21 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
11 2DF Stanislav Manolev (1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 38) 44 4 Russia Kuban Krasnodar
16 2DF Borislav Stoychev (1986-11-26) 26 November 1986 (age 37) 0 0 Unattached
22 2DF Aleksandar Aleksandrov (1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38) 5 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
7 3MF Mihail Aleksandrov (1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35) 8 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
14 3MF Kristiyan Malinov (1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech
15 3MF Ivaylo Chochev (1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31) 2 0 Italy Palermo
17 3MF Georgi Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 24 2 Russia CSKA Moscow
21 3MF Svetoslav DyakovCaptain (1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40) 22 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
18 3MF Vladimir Gadzhev (1987-07-18) 18 July 1987 (age 37) 28 1 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
20 3MF Aleksandar Tonev (1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34) 18 3 England Aston Villa
21 3MF Svetoslav Dyakov (1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40) 24 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
23 3MF Hristo Zlatinski (1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 39) 10 0 Romania CSU Craiova
8 4FW Andrey Galabinov (1988-11-27) 27 November 1988 (age 35) 6 2 Unattached
9 4FW Radoslav Vasilev (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 33) 2 0 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia
10 4FW Ivelin Popov (1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 36) 54 10 Russia Spartak Moscow
19 4FW Iliyan Mitsanski (1985-12-20) 20 December 1985 (age 38) 15 4 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings

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 Nikolay Mihaylov (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 36) 31 0 Turkey Mersin İdmanyurdu v.  Malta, 12 June 2015 INJ
GK Vladislav Stoyanov (1987-06-08) 8 June 1987 (age 37) 14 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
GK Ivan Čvorović (1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 (age 38) 1 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014
DF Ventsislav Vasilev (1988-07-08) 8 July 1988 (age 36) 1 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
DF Iliya Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 6 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech v.  Italy, 28 March 2015 INJ
DF Mihail Venkov (1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 (age 41) 7 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF Strahil Popov (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 33) 1 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF Radoslav Terziev (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF Veselin Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 43) 23 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
DF Yordan Hristov (1984-02-12) 12 February 1984 (age 40) 4 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
DF Apostol Popov (1982-12-22) 22 December 1982 (age 41) 4 0 Romania CSU Craiova v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
DF Ivan Ivanov (1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 (age 36) 39 3 Switzerland Basel v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014 INJ
MF Atanas Zehirov (1989-02-13) 13 February 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora v.  Turkey, 8 June 2015
MF Simeon Slavchev (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 30) 4 0 England Bolton Wanderers v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
MF Stefan Velev (1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35) 3 0 Unattached v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF Lachezar Baltanov (1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF Daniel Genov (1989-05-19) 19 May 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF Georgi Iliev (1981-09-05) 5 September 1981 (age 42) 24 2 China Shijiazhuang Ever Bright v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Marquinhos (1982-04-30) 30 April 1982 (age 42) 6 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Milen Gamakov (1994-04-12) 12 April 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Todor Nedelev (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) 6 0 Germany Mainz 05 v.  Malta, 16 November 2014 INJ
FW Dimitar Rangelov (1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41) 30 3 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Malta, 12 June 2015 INJ
FW Valeri Bojinov (1986-02-15) 15 February 1986 (age 38) 43 6 Serbia Partizan v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
FW Kiril Despodov (1996-11-11) 11 November 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
FW Ismail Isa (1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
FW Ventsislav Hristov (1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 35) 5 1 Croatia Rijeka v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Georgi Bozhilov (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 (age 37) 1 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Emil Gargorov (1981-02-15) 15 February 1981 (age 43) 22 3 Unattached v.  Croatia, 10 October 2014 INJ
Notes

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
SUS Player withdrew from the squad due to a suspension.

Coaching staff

Head Coach Bulgaria Ivaylo Petev
Team Captain Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov
BFU President Bulgaria Borislav Mikhailov
Current National Stadium Bulgaria Vasil Levski

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup squads
UEFA European Football Championship squads

International match records

Opponents Played Won Drawn* Lost
 Albania 11 5 4 2
 Algeria 6 3 2 1
 Andorra 2 2 0 0
 Argentina 9 3 0 6
 Armenia 2 1 0 1
 Australia 4 2 2 0
 Austria 8 2 2 4
 Azerbaijan 2 1 1 0
 Belarus 5 4 0 1
 Belgium 14 6 2 6
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 1 0 0
 Brazil 8 2 0 6
 Bolivia 1 1 0 0
 Cameroon 1 1 0 0
 Chile 2 1 0 1
 Croatia 6 2 2 2
 Cyprus 13 12 0 1
 Czech Republic 18 6 5 7
 Denmark 16 4 9 3
 Ecuador 2 1 0 1
 Egypt 6 1 2 3
 England 9 2 2 5
 Estonia 2 1 1 0
 Finland 8 7 1 0
 France 20 8 4 8
 Georgia 5 3 1 1
 Germany 19 4 2 13
 Ghana 1 1 0 0
 Greece 21 12 2 7
 Guatemala 1 1 0 0
 Hungary 18 4 4 10
 Iceland 5 4 1 0
 India 1 1 0 0
 Northern Ireland 7 4 1 2
 Republic of Ireland 8 5 1 2
 Israel 6 4 1 1
 Italy 17 2 8 7
 Jamaica 1 0 1 0
 Japan 4 3 1 0
 Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0
 South Korea 2 1 1 0
 Kuwait 4 2 2 0
 Latvia 3 3 0 0
 Lebanon 1 1 0 0
 Luxembourg 12 12 0 0
 Lithuania 1 1 0 0
 North Macedonia 5 3 1 1
 Malta 10 8 2 0
 Mexico 12 4 5 3
 Moldova 2 2 0 0
 Montenegro 4 1 2 1
 Morocco 5 1 2 2
 Netherlands 10 4 2 4
 Nigeria 3 1 0 2
 Norway 12 6 4 2
 Oman 1 0 1 0
 Paraguay 1 0 1 0
 Peru 5 2 1 2
 Poland 16 5 7 4
 Portugal 11 5 2 4
 Romania 29 10 10 9
 Russia 19 4 5 10
 San Marino 2 2 0 0
 Saudi Arabia 2 1 0 1
 Scotland 6 2 2 2
 Serbia 5 2 1 2
 Slovakia 7 3 1 3
 Slovenia 2 2 0 0
 South Africa 1 0 1 0
 Spain 5 1 1 3
 Sweden 11 3 2 6
  Switzerland 10 3 4 3
 Thailand 1 1 0 0
 Tunisia 3 1 1 1
 Turkey 21 8 7 6
 United States 1 1 0 0
 Ukraine 6 2 2 2
 United Arab Emirates 6 5 0 1
 Uruguay 1 0 1 0
 Wales 8 4 1 3

Player records

Head coaches

See also


Notes

  1. ^ RSSSF credits this goal to Georgi Asparuhov.

References

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  2. ^ "1962 FIFA World Cup Chile Match Report: Hungary - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "1962 FIFA World Cup Chile Match Report: England - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Brazil - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Portugal - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Hungary - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Thailand". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Czechoslovakia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Guatemala". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Israel". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Hungary". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Peru - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Germany Federal Republic - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Bulgaria - Morocco". FIFA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Sweden - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Bulgaria - Uruguay". FIFA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Bulgaria - Netherlands". FIFA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Bulgaria - Italy". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Korea Republic - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Argentina - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Nigeria - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Greece". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Argentina - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Germany". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Italy". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". fifa.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  30. ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". fifa.com. Retrieved 21 September 2011.


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