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Bulgaria national football team

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Bulgaria
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)[Лъвовете (The Lions)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
AssociationБългарски футболен съюз
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachIvaylo Petev
CaptainIvelin Popov
Most capsStiliyan Petrov (106)
Top scorerDimitar Berbatov (48)
Home stadiumVasil Levski National Stadium
FIFA codeBUL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current66 Steady (8 January 2015)
Highest8 (June 1995)
Lowest96 (May 2012)
First international
 Austria 6–0 Bulgaria 
(Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
 Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana 
(León, Mexico; 14 October 1968)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 13–0 Bulgaria 
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1962)
Best resultSemi-Finals: 1994
European Championship
Appearances2 (first in 1996)
Best resultQuarter-Finals: 1968
Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City Team
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne Team

The Bulgaria national football team (Bulgarian: Национа̀лен отбо̀р по фу̀тбол на Бълга̀рия) is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), a member association of UEFA.

The team's home ground is Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. 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 and eventually finishing in the fourth position. The team has failed to qualify for any major tournament since UEFA Euro 2004.

History

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 Vienna on 21 May 1924, a 6–0 defeat by Austria.

Bulgaria's first appearance in a World Cup was the 1962 World Cup in Chile after a time of international wilderness. However, they did not progress to the knockout stages. The same happened in England in 1966, Mexico in 1970, and West Germany in 1974. They progressed from the first round in Mexico 1986, but were beaten by the hosts in the Round of 16.

Years of 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 getting 2nd or 3rd in their qualifying group, 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 first time, in Chile, 1962.

1960s and 1970s

In the 1960s and 1970s, Bulgaria qualified for four straight World Cup tournaments, in 1962 (their first time), 1966, 1970, and 1974, but without any successful performances. They also won the Balkan Cup in 1976 by beating Romania in the two legged final 1–0, 3–2. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, they won a silver medal with a tournament finale loss. They finished first in Group D by beating Thailand 7–0, Guatemala 2–1, and a 2–2 draw against Czechoslovakia. They passed the quarter-finals by beating Israel and the semi-finals by beating Olympic hosts Mexico. In the final, they ware defeated by Hungary 1-4, giving the Bulgarians the silver Olympic medals.

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.

World Cup 1994: Semifinal triumph

Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, when 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 3–0 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. 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. The third-place match was lost to Sweden, 4-0, and Bulgaria eventually finished in fourth place. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals (shared with Oleg Salenko). 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.[2][3]

Euro 1996

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 Spain, followed by a 1–0 win against Romania. In the final group match, they lost 3–1 against France. At the same time, Spain defeated Romania 2–1 with the winner coming in the 84th minute, and the Bulgarians subsequently failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

World Cup 1998

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, since Dimitar Penev was sacked after Euro 1996. 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 by Spain. 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.

Euro 2000

Bulgaria was drawn in a tough qualifying group with teams like England, Sweden, and Poland. The campaign started bad with two defeats 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 fourth with eight points and failed to make the final stages of Euro 2000.

World Cup 2002

Bulgaria, Denmark, and Czech Republic amongst the main contenders for the qualifying spots. Bulgaria won the matches against the weaker teams, but lost 2–0 to Denmark and both matches with Czech Republic, including a disappointing 6–0 defeat. 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 and just one defeat.[4] They drew Sweden, Italy, and Denmark in Group C. They started very disappointing with an embarrassing 5–0 defeat by Sweden, followed by a 2–0 defeat by Denmark.[5][6] 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.[7] They finished fourth with zero points and were sent home without reaching the knockout round. After the disappointing performance, the manager Plamen Markov was sacked.[8]

World Cup 2006

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results, finishing third in Group Eight, behind Sweden and Croatia with 15 points.

Euro 2008

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. The Bulgarians finished third with 25 points, after Romania and Netherlands, with only one lost match against the Dutch.

World Cup 2010

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 sacked and 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.

Euro 2012

Bulgaria were drawn in Group G along with England, Switzerland, Wales, and Montenegro. For the second time in a row, Bulgaria and Montenegro played in the same qualification group.

In their first qualifying game on 3 September 2010, Bulgaria were crushed 4-0 away to England at The Wembley Stadium thanks to a hat-trick from Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe and a goal from then Manchester City winger Adam Johnson.

National team in March 2011.

Their misfortune continued in their second match when they lost to Montenegro in Sofia, one of the best results of the newly established guest team so far. For the first time in 5 years Bulgaria lost a home match in Sofia. After the loss Stanimir Stoilov resigned from the position of manager. Before the start of the qualifications Bulgaria recorded 3 losses and 1 draw in 4 friendly matches with only two goals scored. The last victory for Bulgaria was against Malta played in Ta' Qali on 18 November 2009. The final score was 4-1.

On 21 September 2010 Lothar Matthäus was announced as the new head coach of Bulgaria. On his official debut Bulgaria finally managed to win a match in 2010. In Cardiff at Cardiff City Stadium the Bulgarians won the game 1-0. The goal was scored by Ivelin Popov in the 48th minute. These were the first gained points in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign. In the following two games Bulgaria drew against Switzerland (0:0 at home) and Montenegro (1:1 away). Bulgaria lost all theoretical chances of qualifying for the tournament on 2 September 2011, after losing 0-3 in Sofia against England, which was followed 4 days later by a 1-3 defeat in Switzerland. Consequently Matthäus was relieved of his duties as national coach and replaced on a temporary basis by Mihail Madanski.[9] Bulgaria lost their final game, a 1-0 home defeat by Wales, which left them bottom of the group, with only 3 goals scored, none of these coming at home.

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 on 7 September 2012 with a well-earned 2-2 draw against the Euro 2012 runner-up Italy on home soil, Stanislav Manolev and young talent Georgi Milanov with the goals. Bulgaria then edged a tight match against Armenia in Sofia, in which one Bulgarian and two Armenian players were sent off, thanks to a single goal from Manolev. Another home game followed on 12 October 2012, against Denmark, which finished in a 1-1 draw. In that match Bulgaria started better and scored in the 7th minute through Dimitar Rangelov but had defender Ivan Bandalovski sent off in the 27th minute and had to settle for a draw. 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. On 22 March 2013, Bulgaria hosted Malta in an empty Vasil Levski stadium due to allegations of racism directed towards Denmark's Patrick Mtiliga during the game in Sofia. Nevertheless, Penev's players defeated Malta 6-0 under a heavy snowfall, with Aleksandar Tonev scoring a hat-trick. Four days later, Bulgaria led Denmark 1-0 in Copenhagen after Manolev's third goal in the qualifications but the match eventually finished 1-1 after Daniel Agger equalised from the penalty spot. This result left Bulgaria second in the group with 10 points and still undefeated, having played one game more than Denmark and the Czech Republic and two more than Armenia. Bulgaria travelled to Italy for their next match on 6 September 2013, a game which they narrowly lost 1-0, after a decisive first-half goal by Alberto Gilardino. On 10 September 2013, 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 the host Armenia with a score of 2-1 on 11 October 2013, the Bulgarian team practically lost their chances of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brasil. Although, they were still placed second in the group the performance taken into account for the play-offs would leave them as the worst performing second placed team among the ones in the same respective position at that time so they could not enter that final phase of the qualifications. A virtual chance of qualifying for the play-off phase depended on the outcome of the games in either Group D or Group E and the Bulgarian team needed a victory of at least three goals in their last game against the Czech Republic. Thus, on 15 October 2013 the Bulgarians came out with a very attacking strategy which left much room for error in defence, so despite the pressure over the Czechs they couldn't score and received a goal in the beginning of the second part finishing 0-1. The defeat that ended the participation in World Cup 2014 for the Bulgarian team costed them two positions in the final standing in the group finishing 4th.[10]

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

Stadium

Main article: Vasil Levski 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. During the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the stadium was used for the games of Levski Sofia with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. 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 4 November 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 look like a rose.

Competition history

World Cup record

Main article: Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup
Year Result Position GP Won Drawn* Lost GS GA
Uruguay1930 Did Not Enter
Italy 1934 Did Not Qualify
France 1938
Brazil1950 Did Not Enter
Switzerland1954 Did Not Qualify
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962 Group Stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 7
England 1966 15th 3 0 0 3 1 8
Mexico 1970 13th 3 0 1 2 5 9
West Germany 1974 12th 3 0 2 1 2 5
Argentina 1978 Did Not Qualify
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986 Round of 16 15th 4 0 2 2 2 6
Italy 1990 Did not qualify
United States 1994 Fourth Place 4th 7 3 1 3 10 11
France 1998 Group Stage 29th 3 0 1 2 1 7
JapanSouth Korea 2002 Did Not Qualify
Germany 2006
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018 To Be Determined
Qatar 2022 To Be Determined
Total Fourth Place 7/20 26 3 8 15 19 53

European Championship record

Main article: Bulgaria at the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Championship record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 1960 Did Not Qualify
Spain 1964
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992
England 1996 Group Stage 11th 3 1 1 1 3 4
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Did Not Qualify
Portugal 2004 Group Stage 16th 3 0 0 3 1 9
Austria Switzerland 2008 Did Not Qualify
Poland Ukraine 2012
France 2016 To Be Determined
Total Group Stage 2/14 6 1 1 4 4 13

Since 1992 the olympic roster may consist out of under-23 year old players, plus three over the age players.[11]

Host Nation(s) - Year Result GP W D* L GS GA
Greece 1896 no Olympic football tournament - - - - - -
France 1900 Did not enter - - - - - -
United States 1904 Did not enter - - - - - -
United Kingdom 1908 Did not enter - - - - - -
Sweden 1912 Did not enter - - - - - -
Belgium 1920 Did not enter - - - - - -
France 1924 Round 1 1 0 0 1 0 1
Netherlands 1928 Did not qualify - - - - - -
United States 1932 no Olympic football tournament - - - - - -
Nazi Germany 1936 Did not qualify - - - - - -
United Kingdom 1948 Did not qualify - - - - - -
Finland 1952 Preliminary Round 1 0 0 1 1 2
Australia 1956 Bronze medal 3 2 0 1 10 3
Italy 1960 Group stage 3 2 1 0 8 3
Japan 1964 Did not qualify - - - - - -
Mexico 1968 Silver medal 6 3 2 1 16 10
West Germany 1972 Did not qualify - - - - - -
Canada 1976 - - - - - -
Soviet Union 1980 - - - - - -
United States 1984 - - - - - -
South Korea 1988 - - - - - -
Spain 1992 - - - - - -
United States 1996 - - - - - -
Australia 2000 - - - - - -
Greece 2004 - - - - - -
China 2008 - - - - - -
United Kingdom 2012 - - - - - -
Total 5/23 14 7 3 4 35 19

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 0 0
European Championship 0 0 0 0
Balkan Cup 3 2 1 6
Total 3 3 2 8

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Main article: Bulgaria national football team results

2013


22 March 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Bulgaria  6 – 0  Malta Sofia, Bulgaria
18:00 UTC+2 Tonev 6', 38', 68'
Popov 47'
Gargorov 55'
Ivanov 78'		 Report Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Eitan Shmuelevich (Israel)

26 March 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Denmark  1 − 1  Bulgaria Copenhagen, Denmark
20:15 UTC+1 Agger 63' (pen.) Report Manolev 51' Stadium: Parken Stadium
Attendance: 22,182
Referee: Fırat Aydınus (Turkey)

30 May 2013 Friendly		 Japan  0 – 2  Bulgaria Toyota, Japan
19:20 UTC+9 report Manolev 3'
Hasebe 74' (o.g.)		 Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 41,363
Referee: Kim Sang-Woo (South Korea)

4 June 2013 Friendly		 Kazakhstan  1 – 2  Bulgaria Almaty, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6 Shomko 89' report Iliev 57'
Ivanov 60'		 Stadium: Almaty Central Stadium
Attendance: 15,200
Referee: Aliyar Ağayev (Azerbaijan)

14 August 2013 Friendly		 North Macedonia  2 − 0  Bulgaria Skopje, Macedonia
20:45 UTC+2 Ibraimi 83' (pen.)
Trajkovski 86'		 Report Stadium: Philip II Arena
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Milenko Vukadinović (Serbia)

6 September 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Italy  1 − 0  Bulgaria Palermo, Italy
20:45 UTC+2 Gilardino 38' Report Stadium: Stadio Renzo Barbera
Attendance: 28,662
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

10 September 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Malta  1 − 2  Bulgaria Ta' Qali, Malta
20:00 UTC+2 Herrera 78' Report Dimitrov 9'
Gargorov 59'		 Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 4,844
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (Romania)

11 October 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Armenia  2 − 1  Bulgaria Yerevan, Armenia
19:00 UTC+4 Özbiliz 45+1'
Movsisyan 87'		 Report Popov 61' Stadium: Republican Stadium
Attendance: 11,000
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

15 October 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q		 Bulgaria  0 − 1  Czech Republic Sofia, Bulgaria
21:15 UTC+2 Report Dočkal 52' Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium
Attendance: 25,464
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

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 Unofficial friendly		 Bulgaria  –  Romania Antalya, Turkey
[ Report]

28 March 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  –  Italy Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+2)		 Report Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium

12 June 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Malta  –  Bulgaria Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Report Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium

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
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

Players

Current squad

Squad for the non-FIFA friendly game against Romania on 7 February 2015 in Antalya.
Caps and goals updated as of 16 November 2014 after the game against Malta.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Blagoy Makendzhiev (1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
12 1GK Bozhidar Mitrev (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) 0 0 Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia
2 2DF Strahil Popov (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 33) 1 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech
3 2DF Iliya Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 6 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech
4 2DF Mihail Venkov (1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 (age 41) 7 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna
5 2DF Borislav Stoychev (1986-11-26) 26 November 1986 (age 37) 0 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
6 2DF Aleksandar Aleksandrov (1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38) 2 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
14 2DF Petar Zanev (1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 38) 25 0 Russia Amkar Perm
15 2DF Radoslav Terziev (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv
16 2DF Ventsislav Vasilev (1988-07-08) 8 July 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
7 3MF Mihail Aleksandrov (1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35) 5 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
8 3MF Stefan Velev (1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35) 3 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
10 3MF Kristiyan Malinov (1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech
11 3MF Stanislav Manolev (1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 38) 41 4 Russia Dynamo Moscow
13 3MF Daniel Genov (1989-05-19) 19 May 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia
17 3MF Lachezar Baltanov (1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv
18 3MF Vladimir Gadzhev (1987-07-18) 18 July 1987 (age 37) 25 1 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
21 3MF Svetoslav Dyakov (1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40) 21 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
9 4FW Ismail Isa (1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
19 4FW Kiril Despodov (1996-11-11) 11 November 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech
20 4FW Radoslav Vasilev (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 33) 0 0 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia

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 Vladislav Stoyanov (1987-06-08) 8 June 1987 (age 37) 14 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
GK Nikolay Mihaylov (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 36) 30 0 Turkey Mersin İdmanyurdu v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
GK Ivan Čvorović (1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 (age 38) 1 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014
GK Georgi Kitanov (1995-03-06) 6 March 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna v.  Canada, 23 May 2014
GK Plamen Iliev (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 32) 2 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia v.  Belarus, 5 March 2014 INJ
DF Georgi Terziev (1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32) 4 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
DF Yordan Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 43) 18 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
DF Veselin Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 43) 23 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
DF Nikolay Bodurov (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38) 28 1 England Fulham 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 Ivan Bandalovski (1986-11-23) 23 November 1986 (age 37) 12 0 Serbia Partizan v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
DF Apostol Popov (1982-12-22) 22 December 1982 (age 41) 4 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 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
DF Pavel Vidanov (1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 36) 5 0 Italy Trapani v.  Canada, 23 May 2014 INJ
DF Vasil Bozhikov (1988-06-08) 8 June 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech v.  Belarus, 5 March 2014
MF Simeon Slavchev (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 30) 3 0 England Bolton Wanderers v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Aleksandar Tonev (1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34) 17 3 Scotland Celtic v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Georgi Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 22 2 Russia CSKA Moscow v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Ivaylo Chochev (1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Italy Palermo 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 Georgi Iliev (1981-09-05) 5 September 1981 (age 42) 24 2 China Shijiazhuang Yongchang 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
MF Hristo Zlatinski (1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 39) 10 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
FW Georgi Bozhilov (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 (age 37) 1 0 Bulgaria Cherno More Varna v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Andrey Galabinov (1988-11-27) 27 November 1988 (age 35) 6 2 Italy Livorno v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Ventsislav Hristov (1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 35) 5 1 Croatia Rijeka v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Iliyan Mitsanski (1985-12-20) 20 December 1985 (age 38) 12 3 Germany Karlsruhe v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW Emil Gargorov (1981-02-15) 15 February 1981 (age 43) 22 3 China Shijiazhuang Yongchang v.  Croatia, 10 October 2014 INJ
FW Dimitar Rangelov (1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41) 30 3 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Canada, 23 May 2014 INJ
Notes

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

Previous squads

Records

As of match played 11 October 2011.[12] Players in bold are still currently playing for the national team.

Head coaches

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b World Football Elo Ratings: Bulgaria
  2. ^ "WORLD CUP '94; Bulgaria, a Small Foot in Soccer, Steps Closer to Glass Slipper - New York Times". Germany; Bulgaria: Nytimes.com. 11 July 1994. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Bulgaria: Can Soccer Success Mean Business? - Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. 31 July 1994. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  4. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Bulgaria | How they qualified: Bulgaria". BBC News. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  5. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Bulgaria 0-2 Denmark". BBC News. 18 June 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  6. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Sweden 5-0 Bulgaria". BBC News. 14 June 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  7. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Italy 2-1 Bulgaria". BBC News. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  8. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Euro 2004 | Bulgaria | Markov steps down". BBC News. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  9. ^ "Matthäus relieved of Bulgaria duties". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  10. ^ Krasimirov, Angel (16 October 2013). "Soccer-Bulgaria look for positives from another campaign failure | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  11. ^ Olympic tournaments
  12. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Bulgaria - Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
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