Bulgarian national football team

The Bulgaria national soccer team represents the country in men's international soccer and is administered by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's headquarters is the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, and is currently managed by Yasen Petrov.

Bulgaria's best achievements are reaching the final of the 1968 Olympic Games and the semi-finals of the 1994 Soccer World Cup. They have also competed in the Balkan Cup, winning three titles. However, Bulgaria have not qualified for any major tournament since Euro 2004.

History

Beginnings

The Bulgarian national team was formed in 1922. In 1923, the Bulgarian Football Union was created and the team's first match was held in Vienna on May 21, 1924, resulting in a 6-0 loss against Austria. Bulgaria also participated in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris a few days later.

After failing to compete in the 1930 Soccer World Cup, the Bulgarian team failed to qualify for any major tournament for almost 30 years, coming very close to qualifying on numerous occasions. The national team had gone on a run of finishing second or third in their qualifying groups along with progressing to the play-offs, but in the end, they failed to qualify. Despite their qualification problems, the national team managed to defeat many elite teams during memorable international friendlies during those years. It also seemed that the only tournaments they managed to qualify for were smaller tournaments, like the Balkan Cup, which they won three times.

1960s and 1970s

Bulgarian table in the 1962 World Cup of Football

The Bulgarian team qualified for the first time to a Soccer World Cup specifically in the tournament played in Chile 1962, Bulgaria was framed in a complicated group with elite rivals such as England, the powerhouse Argentina and Hungary. Bulgaria opened their campaign with a narrow 0-1 loss to Argentina. Later, Bulgaria would lose their second group game by a score of 6-1 against Hungary. Bulgaria's hopes of qualifying were over, but the national team drew 1966 World Cup winners England impressively 0-0 and finished fourth in the group with just one point.

Bulgaria qualified for the second time in a row to a soccer World Cup, drawn into a group that is still very difficult compared to the previous World Cup. They were placed in the group of death with superpowers Hungary, Portugal and Brazil, with Pele at the helm. Bulgaria opened their campaign match with a 0-2 loss to Brazil thanks to two free-kick goals from Pelé and Garrincha. In their second match, Bulgaria lost 0-3 to Eusebio's Portugal. Finally, Bulgaria, with no chance of advancing to the next round, ended their last match with a 1-3 loss to Hungary. Bulgaria again finished fourth with zero points in the group, eliminated for the second time in a row in the first round.

After their poor performance in World Cup soccer, Bulgaria was determined to redeem itself. It was tied in a very difficult qualifying group, with Norway, Sweden, along with Eusebio's Portugal. Bulgaria started with a 4-2 win over Norway. They would add to their winning streak with a 2-0 win against Sweden. In their next two matches, Bulgaria would draw 0-0 against Norway and dominate Sweden 3-0. In their last two group matches, Bulgaria faced Portugal with a 1-0 win at home and a 0-0 draw away, but it was enough to advance to the two-legged qualifying tie. There, Bulgaria faced eventual Euro 1968 hosts Italy. Italy were beaten in the first leg 3-2, but won the second by a score of 0-2 to advance 4-3 on aggregate. Italy would win the playoffs and win the tournament,

A month and a half after the Euro 1968 Qualification came the Olympic Games, Bulgaria had qualified for the fifth time in its history. They were drawn in a single group with Thailand, Guatemala, and Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria started by beating Thailand 7-0. They later drew with Czechoslovakia 2-2 to increase their points standards. Their last game once again determined whether they would advance to the quarterfinals. Needing a decisive victory, Bulgaria defeated Guatemala 2-1 and won their Olympic group. They qualified directly to the quarterfinals against the underdogs, Israel. The game remained 1-1 for most of the match until a draw determined who would proceed to the semi-finals of the tournament. By winning the tie, Bulgaria advanced to the semifinals against hosts Mexico. After a hard-fought match, Bulgaria proved stronger by coming out on top with a 3-2 win. Bulgaria advanced to the final for the first time in their Olympic history. They were determined to win the gold medal, but fell short with a 1-4 loss to the Hungary national football team. Although fighting hard, Bulgaria came away with the silver medal.

Bulgaria vs. the Sweden Soccer Team 0 – 0, in the 1974 World Cup

Bulgaria qualified for its third consecutive World Cup, held in Mexico, just like the 1968 Olympic Games. They were drawn in a very difficult group with West Germany, Peru and Morocco. Bulgaria played their first game against Peru, where they started winning but ended up losing by a splendid 3-2 comeback. Germany won the second game over Bulgaria, 5-2. The last game of the group stage ended 1-1; Bulgaria finished in third place with 1 point beating Morocco on goal difference, they finished in 13th place. The 1974 World Cup was held in West Germany. They were part of a decently tough group, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Uruguay. Bulgaria started with a goalless draw with Sweden. They tied again, this time 1-1 with Uruguay. When the final game came, Bulgaria fell 4-1 to the Netherlands. Bulgaria held on to third place in the group stage and finished in 12th place.

Despite winning the Balkan Cup twice in 1931 and 1932, the Bulgarian national team added two more trophies to their cabinet, while winning the tournament in 1973 and 1976. In both 1973 and 1976, Bulgaria had used his World Cup experience to create a very tactical team. This paid off as they won many decisive victories over Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Poland, Albania and Romania. In fact, the team won the 1976 Balkan Cup by beating the Romanian soccer team in the two-legged final 1-0, 3-2.

1986 World Cup

Valdano scored the first goal to the Bulgarian team

Bulgaria qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico by finishing second in Group Four, behind France with 11 points, but ahead of powerful rivals Yugoslavia and Democratic Germany. This was their fifth World Cup appearance after failing to qualify for Spain 1982. They were drawn in Group A with Italy, Argentina and South Korea. In the opening game of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held defending champions Italy to an impressive 1-1 draw. Alessandro Altobelli gave the Italians the lead, but an 85th-minute equalizer from Nasko Sirakov gave the Bulgarians the point they needed. The next game was another 1-1 draw against South Korea with Bulgaria's goal coming from Plamen Getov in the 11th minute. They lost the last group game 2-0 against Argentina, who eventually won the tournament.

Despite not recording a win, the Bulgarians advanced to the knockout stage by being the third-best team in third place for the first time in their history. In doing so, Bulgaria along with 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, who were seeking revenge for their earlier Olympic semi-final loss at home to Bulgaria in Mexico City in 1968. The match was close from both sides. of the ladder, but in the end, Mexico was left with a 2-0 victory.

Stoichkov's reign in the Golden Generation

1994 World Cup: Fourth place in a World Cup

Without a doubt, one of the most important dates in the history of Bulgarian football is November 17, 1993, the date on which Emil Kostadinov scored a decisive goal in the 90th minute to beat France in Paris, allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the United States 1994. Under the guidance of Dimitar Penev, the Bulgarians led by the likes of Hristo Stoichkov Iordan Letchkov and Krasimir Balakov plus a host of talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the " Generación Dorada ", made a strong impression by surprisingly reaching the semifinals. They entered a very tough Group D with Argentina, runner-up in the 1990 World Cup, led by Diego Maradona, Nigeria, champion of the African Cup of Nations and Greece, a rival from the Balkans. The first match ended in a 3-0 loss to Nigeria. Despite the poor start, the team made a big statement by beating Greece 4-0 and increasing their goal difference. His third and last match was against Argentina. The mighty Bulgarian team came away with a shocking 2-0 victory. Going into stoppage time, Argentina were leading the pack. However, a 91' minute goal from Nasko Sirakov meant they dropped two places and finished third.

Bulgarian footballers celebrating the victory in quarters of the end in Germany

Bulgaria continued to the round of 16, where they faced Mexico. Stoichkov opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an incredible shot from outside the area, adding his fourth goal. The match ended 1-1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties decided which team would go through. Team captain Borislav Mikhailov saved the first three penalty kicks in a row, breaking the World Cup record. Bulgaria won 3-1 on penalties. In the quarterfinals, Bulgaria faced defending champions Germany. Early in the match held at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Bulgarians dominated impressively, hitting the post twice in the process, but ultimately fell behind after Lothar Matthäus scored the opening goal for the Germans. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game around with a deflected free kick from Hristo Stoichkov and a flying header from Iordan Letchkov to give them a 2–1 win. In the semi-finals, they controversially lost 2-1 to Italy. Stoichkov scored Bulgaria's only goal of the first half to add to his sixth goal, which led the tournament. In the second half, Bulgaria were dismissed in a non-penalty sanction in which an Italian defender had clearly committed a handball in the box, following an Emil Kostadinov cross. Instead of playing the final, it became a playoff for third place. Bulgaria lost to Sweden 4-0, but fourth place was Bulgaria's best performance in history up to that point.

Hristo Stoichkov won the Golden Boot shared with Oleg Salenko as the tournament's top scorer with his six goals. Krasimir Balakov was named in the 1994 World Cup Dream Team along with Stoichkov. Later in December, Stoichkov was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy for his great skill and leadership, becoming the first Bulgarian and third Barcelona player to win it in history.

First European Championship: Euro 1996

Alineacion de Bulgaria en su debut ante España

In 1996, the team qualified for the Eurocup for the first time, specifically Eurocopa 1996 held in England. They were drawn in Group B with France, Spain and Romania. Bulgaria started with a 1-1 draw against Spain where they went ahead with a penalty goal from Stoichkov plus he scored his second goal with a wonderful volley, ruled offside; but they were tied with Alfonso's goal. Bulgaria defeated Romania 1-0 in the next group stage match with another goal from Stoichkov which marked his second goal of the tournament. In the last group game, the Bulgarian team lost 3-1 against France; Stoichkov scored a goal from a free kick to give Bulgaria their only goal of the game, along with their only loss. At the same time, Spain defeated Romania 2-1 and Bulgaria was eliminated.

1998 World Cup: The Last Stand of the "Golden Team"

Bulgaria qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France by finishing first in Group 5, with decisive wins over Russia. They entered the competition under a new coach Hristo Bonev. Bulgaria drew Spain, Nigeria and Paraguay in Group D. The first match ended decently, in a goalless draw against eventual group runners-up Paraguay. In the second game, the Bulgarians lost 1-0 for the second time in a row against Nigeria in a World Cup. The final match ended in a 6-1 loss to Spain. After poor results, Bulgaria finished fourth in the group, with just one point. This was the last appearance of Bulgaria in a World Cup.

2002 World Cup qualification: start of the World Cup drought

Bulgaria again entered a tough group with Denmark and the Czech Republic. The group also marked the debut of Bulgaria's top goalscoring legend, Dimitar Berbatov. Bulgaria won the games against the weaker teams, but lost once and drew once with Denmark and the Czech Republic. Bulgaria finished third with 17 points, three points behind the second-placed Czech Republic, thus failing to reach the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Last participation in an International tournament: Euro 2004

Bulgaria managed to qualify for their second European Championship, Euro 2004 in Portugal by finishing first with victories over Croatia and Belgium. They were grouped in Group C along with Sweden, Italy and Denmark. All three group stage matches ended in defeats for Bulgaria, with Martin Petrov being the team's only goalscorer in the country's 1–2 loss to Italy; besides being the last time that Bulgaria qualified for a major international tournament.

Beginning of Decline (2004-2019)

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results. They drew with Sweden and Croatia in the first race, but lost the other meetings to the two. Although Berbatov scored many goals in the qualifiers, including a last-minute equalizer against Croatia, Bulgaria finished third in the standings with 15 points.

Bulgaria in 2010

Bulgaria participated in a minor tournament in Japan known as the Kirin Cup. They started well with a 2-1 win over hosts Japan. However, Bulgaria lost 5-1 to eventual cup holders Scotland. Bulgaria finished as runners-up and received the silver medal.

Group G of Euro 2008 qualifying had the Netherlands, Romania and Bulgaria attempting to qualify for Euro 2008, hosted by Switzerland and Austria. Bulgaria performed well after a run of good results finishing third just 1 point away from going directly to the Euro.

Bulgaria faced Italy and Ireland in Group 8 qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Bulgaria kicked off the campaign with a series of draws. Manager Plamen Markov was replaced by Stanimir Stoilov in January 2009. The Bulgarians recorded their first group wins over Cyprus, Montenegro and Georgia. They finished in third place with 14 points, just 4 points behind second place (1 win and 1 draw), so they did not qualify for a play-off spot.

For Euro 2012 qualification, Bulgaria was drawn into Group G along with England, Switzerland, Wales and Montenegro. Bulgaria finished bottom of the group.

In the 2014 World Cup Qualification, Bulgaria was placed in group A, along with teams like Denmark, Italy and the Czech Republic, reaching the penultimate date with only one game lost against Italy away, and with 13 points, and with 17 they ensured the playoffs, however Bulgaria surprisingly lost against Armenia 2-1 and at home against the Czech Republic 0-1, being eliminated. In the Qualification for the Eurocopa 2016 it was fourth in its group with 11 points, again failing in a qualifier.

However, in the Qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they managed to raise the level, being located in group A together with the runner-up in Europe France, the semifinalist of the previous World Cup the Netherlands, Belarus, Luxembourg and Sweden. They beat the Belarusians and the Luxembourgers at home, but lost to France 4-1 on the road, and then Bulgaria surprised by beating the Netherlands 2-0 and Sweden 3-2 at home, but stumbled to a surprising loss against Belarus 2-1, and was eliminated after losing to the Dutch 3-1 away and against the French 0-1 at home.

Worst era (2019-present)

In the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League, Bulgaria was placed in league C, in group C3 along with Cyprus, Slovenia and Norway, where it came in second place and secured the play-offs for qualification For Euro 2020, however, through regular qualifying, they were fourth out of 5 teams in their group, with 6 points, highlighting their 0-4 and 0-6 defeats against England and 2-3 against Kosovo. In the play-offs they lost 1-3 against Hungary at home, being eliminated.

In qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, they once again showed a low level, being placed in group C along with Northern Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Switzerland, finishing penultimate with 8 points, highlighting their away tie against defending Eurocup champions Italy 1-1, and their 3-1 defeat against Lithuania.

Last matches and upcoming matches

Updated to the last game played on March 24, 2023.

Date	City	Local	Outcome	Visitor	Competition
09-06-2022	Gibraltar	GibraltarGIB	1:1	BULBulgaria	EUFA League 2022-23
12-06-2022	Tiflis	GeorgiaGEO	0:0	BULBulgaria	EUFA League 2022-23
23-09-2022	Razgrad	BulgariaBUL	5:1	GIBGibraltar	EUFA League 2022-23
26-09-2022	Skopie	Northern MacedoniaMKD	0:1	BULBulgaria	EUFA League 2022-23
26-11-2022	Larnaca	CyprusCYP	0:2	BULBulgaria	Friendly Party
20-11-2022	Luxembourg	LuxembourgLUX	0:0	BULBulgaria	Friendly Party
24-03-2023	Razgrad	BulgariaBUL	0:1	MontenegroMontenegro	Euro Cup 2024
27-03-2023	Budapest	HungaryHUN	-:	BULBulgaria	Euro Cup 2024
17-06-2023	Kaunas	LithuaniaLithuania	-:	BULBulgaria	Euro Cup 2024
20-06-2023	Razgrad	BulgariaBUL	-:	SRBSerbia	Euro Cup 2024

Statistics

Olympic Games

Olympic Games
Year	Round	J	G	E	P	GF	GC
1908 - 1920	There was no selection
1924	Final Octavos	1	0	0	1	0	1
1928 - 1948	No.
Total	1/7	1	0	0	1	0	1

Soccer World Cup

World Cup Soccer
Year	Round	J	G	E	P	GF	GC
1930	No.
1934	He didn't qualify.
1938
1950	No.
1954	He didn't qualify.
1958
1962	Group phase	3	0	1	2	1	7
1966	Group phase	3	0	0	3	1	8
1970	Group phase	3	0	1	2	5	9
1974	First round	3	0	2	1	2	5
1978	He didn't qualify.
1982
1986	Final Octavos	4	0	2	2	2	6
1990	He didn't qualify.
1994	Fourth place	7	3	1	3	10	11
1998	Group phase	3	0	1	2	1	7
2002	He didn't qualify.
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026	To dispute
Total	7/22	26	3	8	15	22	53

European Cup

Euro
Year	Round	J	G	E	P	GF	GC
1960 - 1992	He didn't qualify.
1996	Group phase	3	1	1	1	3	4
2000	He didn't qualify.
2004	Group phase	3	0	0	3	1	9
2008	He didn't qualify.
2012
2016
2020
2024	To dispute
Total	2/16	6	1	1	4	4	13

UEFA Nations League

EUFA League of Nations
Year	L	G	Round	J	G	E	P	GF	GC
2018-19	C	3	Second place	6	3	2	1	7	5
2020-21	B	4	Fourth place	6	0	2	4	2	7
2022-23	C	4	Second place	6	2	3	1	10	8
Total			3/3	18	5	7	6	19	20

Uniforms

1922

(See Evolution)

2020- Actual

Players

Last call

The following players were called up for the matches against Italy, Lithuania and Georgia in September 2021.

N.o	Name	Position	Age	PJ	Goles	Equipment
13	Nikolay Mihaylov	Porter	34 years	40	0	PFC Levski Sofia
23	Georgi Georgiev	Porter	34 years	8	0	PFC Cherno More Varna
1	Daniel Naumov	Porter	24 years	3	0	FC CSKA 1948 Sofia
2	Ivan Turitsov	Defence	23 years	5	0	PFC CSKA Sofia
3	Andrea Hristov	Defence	24 years	6	1	PFC Slavia Sofia
4	Valentin Antov	Defence	22 years	10	0	A. C. Monza
5	Petko Hristov	Defence	24 years	7	0	Spezia Calcio
14	Anton Nedyalkov	Defence	29 years	21	0	P. F. C. Ludogorets Razgrad
15	Vasil Bozhikov	Defence	34 years	35	2	ŠK Slovan Bratislava
21	Dimitar Velkovski	Defence	28 years	4	0	Bruges Circle
7	Georgi Kostadinov	Camper center	32 years	31	3	PFC Arsenal Tula
6	Petar Vitanov	Camper center	28 years	7	0	Lokomotiv Plovdiv
16	Kristiyan Malinov	Camper center	28 years	25	0	OH Leuven
24	Dominik Yankov	Camper center	22 years	8	0	PFC Ludogorets Razgrad
12	Bircent Karagaren	Camper center	30 years	13	0	Lokomotiv Plovdiv
18	Ivaylo Chochev	Camper center	30 years	27	4	F. C. CSKA 1948 Sofia
22	Ilian Iliev	Camper center	23 years	3	0	PFC Cherno More Varna
11	Borislav Tsonev	Camper center	27 years	1	0	Levski Sofia
8	Todor Nedelev	Camper center	30 years	35	3	PFC Botev Plovdiv
17	Kaloyan Krastev	Delantero	24 years	3	0	PFC CSKA Sofia
9	Spas Delev	Delantero	33 years	34	3	FC Arda Kardzhali
10	Radoslav Kirilov	Delantero	30 years	4	0	P. F. C. Slavia Sofia
20	Dimitar Iliev	Delantero	30 years	12	3	Lokomotiv Plovdiv
19	Atanas Iliev	Delantero	28 years	8	2	Ascoli Calcio 1898
DT	Yasen Petrov	Coach	54 years	9	+8

More entries

Stiliyan Petrov is the most matched player in the Bulgarian selection with 105.

Updated on June 10, 2019.

Top scorers

Dimitar Berbatov is the maximum Bulgarian selection with 49 goals.

Updated on June 10, 2019.

Coaches

Honours of Prizes