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Revision as of 03:30, 8 September 2015 editBulgariaSources (talk | contribs)301 edits →Recent call-ups← Previous edit Revision as of 03:38, 8 September 2015 edit undoBulgariaSources (talk | contribs)301 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox National football team {{Infobox National football team
| Name = ] | Name = ]
Line 12: Line 12:
| Home Ground = ] | Home Ground = ]
| FIFA Trigramme = BUL | FIFA Trigramme = BUL
| FIFA Rank = 69{{Decrease}} 1 | FIFA Rank = 68{{Increase}} 1
| FIFA max = 3 | FIFA max = 3
| FIFA max date = June 1995 | FIFA max date = June 1995
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| Elo min = 40 | Elo min = 40
| Elo min date = August 1955 | Elo min date = August 1955
|pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_collargreen|pattern_ra1=|pattern_sh1=|pattern_so1= | pattern_la1=_rus12a|pattern_b1=_adidasonwhite|pattern_ra1=_rus12a|pattern_sh1=_adidaswhite|pattern_so1=_3_stripes_white
|leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=007000|socks1=FF0000| | leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=115926|socks1=FF0000
|pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|pattern_sh2=|pattern_so2= | pattern_la2=_peter1011a|pattern_b2=_adidaswhite|pattern_ra2=_peter1011a|pattern_sh2=_adidaswhite|pattern_so2=_3_stripes_red
|leftarm2=FF0000|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF| | leftarm2=FF0000|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=115926|socks2=FFFFFF
| First game = {{fb|Bulgaria}} 2–0 Austria {{flagicon|Austria|1878}} <br> (], ]; 21 May 1924) | First game = {{fb|Bulgaria}} 2–0 Austria {{flagicon|Austria|1878}} <br> (], ]; 21 May 1924)
| Largest win = {{flagicon|Bulgaria|1971}} '''Bulgaria''' 10–0 {{fb-rt|Ghana}} <br> (], ]; 14 October 1968) | Largest win = {{flagicon|Bulgaria|1971}} '''Bulgaria''' 10–0 {{fb-rt|Ghana}} <br> (], ]; 14 October 1968)
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| World cup first = 1930 | World cup first = 1930
| World cup best = Semi-Finals: ] | World cup best = Semi-Finals: ]
| Regional name = ] | Regional name = ]
| Regional cup apps = 3 | Regional cup apps = 3
| Regional cup first = ] | Regional cup first = ]
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===1930 World Cup withdrawal=== ===1930 World Cup withdrawal===
Bulgaria's first appearance in a World Cup was the ] in ], 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. Bulgaria's first appearance in a World Cup was the ] in ], 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
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! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} ]
|2||2||0||0||6||1||+5||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BRA|1889}}
|2||1||0||1||5||2||+3||'''2'''
|-style="background:#FFCCCC"
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1946}}
|0||0||0||0||0||0||+0||'''0'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BOL}}
|2||0||0||2||0||8||−8||'''0'''
|}


===Years in international wilderness=== ===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. 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===
===1960s and 1970s===
Bulgaria qualified for the ] for the first time in ] and followed that up with consecutive appearances in ], ] and ]. The team, however, did not have much success and finished third in their group three out of the four times. Bulgaria qualified for the ] for the first time in ] and followed that up with consecutive appearances in ], ] and ]. The team, however, did not have much success and finished third in their group three out of the four times.


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


====1962 World Cup==== ===1962 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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
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! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|HUN}}
|3||2||1||0||8||2||+6||'''5'''
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|ENG}}
|3||1||1||1||4||3||+1||'''3'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ARG|alt}}
|3||1||1||1||2||3||-1||'''3'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1946}}
|3||0||1||2||1||7||-6||'''1'''
|}
{{Football box
|date = 30 May 1962
|time = 15:00 ] (])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 1
|report= Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1447/report.html|title=1962 FIFA World Cup Chile Match Report: Argentina - Bulgaria|website=]|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071022203152/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1447/report.html|archivedate=22 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ARG|alt}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|4}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 7,134
|referee = Juan Gardeazábal Garay (])
}}
{{Football box
|date = 3 June 1962
|time = 15:00 ] (])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 6
|report= Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1470/report.html|title=1962 FIFA World Cup Chile Match Report: Hungary - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071022203243/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1470/report.html|archivedate=22 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|HUN}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|64}}<ref group=note>RSSSF credits this goal to ].</ref>
|goals2 = ] {{goal|1||6||53}}<br />] {{goal|8||70}}<br />] {{goal|12}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 7,442
|referee = Juan Gardeazábal Garay (])
}}
{{Football box
|date = 7 June 1962
|time = 15:00 ] (])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 0
|report= Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1464/report.html|title=1962 FIFA World Cup Chile Match Report: England - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071022203238/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=21/results/matches/match=1464/report.html|archivedate=22 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ENG}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 5,700
|referee = Antoine Blavier (])
}}


====1966 World Cup==== ===1966 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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
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! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
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! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|POR}}
|3||3||0||0||9||2||+7||'''6'''
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|HUN|1957}}
|3||2||0||1||7||5||+2||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BRA|1960}}
|3||1||0||2||4||6||-2||'''2'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1946}}
|3||0||0||3||1||8||-7||'''0'''
|}
{{football box
|date = 12 July 1966
|time = 19:30 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 0 – 2
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1596/report.html|title=1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Brazil - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016184143/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1596/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|BRA|1960}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|15}}<br />] {{goal|63}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 48,000
|referee = Kurt Tschenscher (]) }}
{{football box
|date = 16 July 1966
|time = 15:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 0 – 3
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1602/report.html|title=1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Portugal - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016184203/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1602/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|POR}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|17|o.g.}}<br />] {{goal|38}}<br />] {{goal|81}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 26,000
|referee = José María Codesal (]) }}
{{football box
|date = 20 July 1966
|time = 19:30 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 1 – 3
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1599/report.html|title=1966 FIFA World Cup England Match Report: Hungary - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016184158/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=26/results/matches/match=1599/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate= 28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb-rt|HUN|1957}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|15}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|43|o.g.}}<br />] {{goal|45}}<br />] {{goal|54}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 22,000
|referee = Roberto Goicoechea (]) }}


====1968 Euro Cup: Quarter-finals==== ===1968 Euro Cup: Quarter-finals===
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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- bgcolor=#C0FFC0 align="center"
|align=left| {{fb|Bulgaria|1946}}
| 3
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 8
| 2
| +6
| '''9'''
|- bgcolor=#C0FFC0 align="center"
|align=left| {{fb|Portugal}}
| 3
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 3
| 3
| +0
| '''4'''
|- align="center"
|align=left| {{fb|Sweden}}
| 3
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 6
| 6
| +0
| '''3'''
|- align="center"
|align=left| {{fb|Norway}}
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 5
| 11
| -6
| '''0'''
|}<br />
{{football box
|date = 13 November 1966<br />15:00
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 4 &ndash; 2
|team2 = {{fb|NOR}}
|goals1 = ] 18', 43'<br />] 42', 85'
|goals2 = ] 59', 86'
|stadium = ], ]| attendance = 30,000 | referee = Muzaffer Sarvan (Turkey)
}}
{{football box
|date = 12 November 1967<br />15:00
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 3 &ndash; 0
|team2 = {{fb|SWE}}
|goals1 = Vasel Mitkov|Mitkov 43'<br />Nikola Kotkov|Kotkov 44'<br />] 75'
|goals2 =
|stadium = ], ]| attendance = 28,000| referee = Josip Drago Horvat (Yugoslavia)
}}
{{football box
|date = 26 November 1967<br />14:30
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1946}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 0
|team2 = {{fb|POR}}
|goals1 = ] 63'
|goals2 =
|stadium = ], ]| attendance = 55,000| referee = Anvar Zverev (RUS)


}}
====1968 Summer Olympics====

====Two-legged quarter-final====
{{football box
|date = 6 April 1968<br>17:00<br>First Leg
|team1 = {{fb-rt|Bulgaria|1967}}
|score = 3 – 2
|report = <!--match report link goes here -->
|team2 = {{fb|Italy}}
|goals1 = ] 12' (])<br>] 66'<br>] 73'
|goals2 = ] 60' (])<br>] 83'
|stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 70,000
| referee = Gerhard Schulenburg (FRG)
}}
{{football box
|date = 20 April 1968<br>16:00<br>Second Leg
|team1 = {{fb-rt|Bulgaria|1967}}
|score = 0 – 2
|report = <!--match report link goes here -->
|team2 = {{fb-rt|Italy}}
|goals1 =
|goals2 =] 14'<br>] 55'
|stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 95,000
| referee = Gottfried Dienst (SUI)
}}
<span style ="font-size:85%"> '''''] won 4 – 3 on aggregete''''' </span>

===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. 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.
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|-
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|align=left|{{fb|BUL|1967}}
|3||2||1||0||11||3||+8||'''5'''
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|align=left|{{fb|GUA}}
|3||2||0||1||6||3||+3||'''4'''
|-
|align=left|{{fb|TCH}}
|3||1||1||1||10||3||+7||'''3'''
|-
|align=left|{{fb|THA}}
|3||0||0||3||1||19||&minus;18||'''0'''
|}
{{football box
| date = 14 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 7 &ndash; 0
| report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32099/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Thailand|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090221233135/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32099/report.html|archivedate=21 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|THA}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|25}} <br />] {{goal|55}} <br />] {{goal|56}} {{goal|61}} <br />] {{goal|73}} <br />] {{goal|85}} <br />] {{goal|88}}
| goals2 =
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance =
| referee = Guillermo Velasquez {{flagicon|COL}}
}}
{{football box
| date = 16 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 2 &ndash; 2
| report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32108/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Czechoslovakia|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090221235845/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32108/report.html|archivedate=21 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|TCH}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|44}} <br />] {{goal|77}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|25}} <br />] {{goal|42}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance =
| referee = Abel Aguilar Elizalde {{flagicon|MEX}}
}}
{{football box
| date = 18 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 2 &ndash; 1
| report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32115/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Guatemala|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090221234644/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32115/report.html|archivedate=21 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|GUA}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|50}} <br />] {{goal|84}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|88}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance =
| referee = Raul Osorio {{flagicon|MEX}}
}}


====1970 World Cup==== ====Quarter-finals====
{{football box
| date = 20 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 1 &ndash; 1
| report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32119/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Israel|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090221235855/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32119/report.html|archivedate=21 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|ISR}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|5}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|89}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance =
| referee = Michel Kitabdjian {{flagicon|FRA}}
}}
Bulgaria progressed after a ].

====Semi-finals====
{{football box
| date = 22 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 3 &ndash; 2
| report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32122/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090222001845/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32122/report.html|archivedate=22 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|MEX}}
| goals1 =] {{goal|8}} <br />] {{goal|9}} <br />] {{goal|
|58}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|39}} <br />] {{goal|48}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance =
| referee = Seyoum Tarekegn {{flagicon|ETH|1897}}
}}

====Gold Medal match====
{{football box
| date = 26 October 1968
| time = 12:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
| score = 1 &ndash; 4
| report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32124/report.html|title=Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 Match Report: Bulgaria - Hungary|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090222001319/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197099/matches/match=32124/report.html|archivedate=22 February 2009|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|HUN}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|22}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|40}}<br/>] {{goal|41}} {{goal|49}}<br/>] {{goal|62}}
| stadium = ]
| attendance = 75,000
| referee = Diego De Leo {{flagicon|MEX}}
}}

===1970 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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|GER}}
|3||3||0||0||10||4||+6||'''6'''
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|PER}}
|3||2||0||1||7||5||+2||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1967}}
|3||0||1||2||5||9||&minus;4||'''1'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|MAR}}
|3||0||1||2||2||6||&minus;4||'''1'''
|}
{{football box
|date = 2 June 1970
|time = 16:00 (])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
|score = 2 &ndash; 3
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1780/report.html|title=1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Peru - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016132702/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1780/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|PER}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|13}}<br />] {{goal|49}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|50}}<br />] {{goal|55}}<br />] {{goal|73}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 13,765
|referee = Antonio Sbardella (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 7 June 1970
|time = 12:00 (])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
|score = 2 &ndash; 5
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1774/report.html|title=1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Germany Federal Republic - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016132652/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1774/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|GER}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|12}}<br />] {{goal|89}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|20}}<br />] {{goal|27||52|pen.|88}}<br />] {{goal|67}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 12,710
|referee = José María Ortiz de Mendibil (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 11 June 1970
|time = 16:00 (])
|team1 ={{fb-rt|BUL|1967}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 1
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1779/report.html|title=1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Bulgaria - Morocco|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071016132657/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/results/matches/match=1779/report.html|archivedate=16 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|MAR}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|40}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|61}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 12,299
|referee = Antonio Ribeiro Saldanha (])
}}


====1974 World Cup==== ===1974 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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|NED}}
|3||2||1||0||6||1||+5||'''5'''
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|SWE}}
|3||1||2||0||3||0||+3||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1971}}
|3||0||2||1||2||5||&minus;3||'''2'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|URU}}
|3||0||1||2||1||6||&minus;5||'''1'''
|}
{{football box
|date = 15 June 1974
|time = 16:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 0
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1995/report.html|title=1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Sweden - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018145548/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1995/report.html|archivedate=18 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|SWE}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 22,500
|referee = Edison Perez Nunez (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 19 June 1974
|time = 19:30 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 1
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1996/report.html|title=1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Bulgaria - Uruguay|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018145554/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1996/report.html|archivedate=18 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|URU}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|75}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|87}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 12,000
|referee = Jack Taylor (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 23 June 1974
|time = 16:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 4
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1990/report.html|title=1974 FIFA World Cup Germany Match Report: Bulgaria - Netherlands|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018145543/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=1990/report.html|archivedate=18 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|NED}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|78|o.g.}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|5|pen.|44|pen.}}<br />] {{goal|71}}<br />] {{goal|88}}


|stadium = ], ]
===The 1980s and 1990s===
|attendance = 52,100
====1986 World Cup: The knockout rounds====
|referee = Tony Boskovic (])
}}

===1986 World Cup: The knockout rounds===
Bulgaria qualified for the ] in ] by finishing second in Group Four, behind ] with 11 points, but worse ], ahead of the teams of ], ], and ]. This was their fifth World Cup appearance. They were drawn in Group A with ], ], and ]. In the opening match of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held the defending champions Italy to a 1–1 draw. ] gave the Italians the lead, but an 85th minute equalizer by ] gave the Bulgarians the point. The next match was another 1–1 draw against South Korea with the goal for Bulgaria coming from ] 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 ] 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 ] and lost the match 2–0. ] was the manager of the team. Bulgaria qualified for the ] in ] by finishing second in Group Four, behind ] with 11 points, but worse ], ahead of the teams of ], ], and ]. This was their fifth World Cup appearance. They were drawn in Group A with ], ], and ]. In the opening match of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held the defending champions Italy to a 1–1 draw. ] gave the Italians the lead, but an 85th minute equalizer by ] gave the Bulgarians the point. The next match was another 1–1 draw against South Korea with the goal for Bulgaria coming from ] 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 ] 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 ] and lost the match 2–0. ] was the manager of the team.


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
====1994 World Cup: Semi-final triumph====
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|ARG}}
|3||2||1||0||6||2||+4||'''5'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|ITA}}
|3||1||2||0||5||4||+1||'''4'''
|- bgcolor="#ffffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL|1971}}
|3||0||2||1||2||4||&minus;2||'''2'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|KOR}}
|3||0||1||2||4||7||&minus;3||'''1'''
|}

{{football box
|date = 31 May 1986
|time = 12:00 ]
|team1 ={{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 1
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=459/report.html|title=1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Bulgaria - Italy|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014184124/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=459/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ITA}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|85}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|43}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 96,000
|referee = Erik Fredriksson (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 5 June 1986
|time = 16:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 1
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=460/report.html|title=1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Korea Republic - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014184129/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=460/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|KOR}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|11}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|70}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 45,000
|referee = Fallaj Al Shanar (])
}}
{{football box
|date = 10 June 1986
|time = 12:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 2
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=389/report.html|title=1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Argentina - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014184004/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=389/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ARG}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|3}}<br />] {{goal|79}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 65,000
|referee = Berny Ulloa Morera (])
}}

====Round of 16====
{{football box
|date = 15 June 1986
|time = 12:00 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL|1971}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 2
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=463/report.html|title=1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014184134/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=68/results/matches/match=463/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|MEX}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|34}}<br />] {{goal|61}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 114,580
|referee = ] (])
}}

====Stoitchkov's reign and the "Golden Generation"====

=== 1994 World Cup: Semi-final triumph===
Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, a date where ] scored two goals to beat ] in ], allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the ] in ]. Under the management of ], the Bulgarians, led by players such as ], ], and ] — along with a multitude of other talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the "]" — made a strong impression by reaching the semi-finals. They entered Group D with ], ], and ]. 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 ]. Despite the bad start, the team won 4–0 against World Cup-debuting featherweights ] and 2–0 against ]. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time. A 91st minute strike from ], however, meant that they dropped two places and finished third. Bulgaria continued to the next round, where they faced ]. The match ended 1–1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties would decide which team would go through. Team captain ] 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 ]. ] scored from a penalty. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by ] and ], 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 ] 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 ] and were eventually given the bronze medals. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the ] as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals. Later in December, Stoitchkov 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. ] was named in the all-star team along with Stoichkov. Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, a date where ] scored two goals to beat ] in ], allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the ] in ]. Under the management of ], the Bulgarians, led by players such as ], ], and ] — along with a multitude of other talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the "]" — made a strong impression by reaching the semi-finals. They entered Group D with ], ], and ]. 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 ]. Despite the bad start, the team won 4–0 against World Cup-debuting featherweights ] and 2–0 against ]. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time. A 91st minute strike from ], however, meant that they dropped two places and finished third. Bulgaria continued to the next round, where they faced ]. The match ended 1–1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties would decide which team would go through. Team captain ] 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 ]. ] scored from a penalty. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by ] and ], 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 ] 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 ] and were eventually given the bronze medals. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the ] as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals. Later in December, Stoitchkov 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. ] 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. 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.


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
====1996 Euro Cup: Group stage or quarter-final?====
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|NGA}}
|3||2||0||1||6||2||+4||'''6'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL}}
|3||2||0||1||7||3||+4||'''6'''
|- bgcolor="#ffffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|ARG}}
|3||2||0||1||6||3||+3||'''6'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|GRE}}
|3||0||0||3||0||10||&minus;10||'''0'''
|}
{{football box
|date = 21 June 1994
|time = 18:35 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 3
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3061/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Nigeria - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125659/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3061/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|NGA}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|32}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|21}}<br />] {{goal|43}}<br />] {{goal|55}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 44,132
|referee = Rodrigo Badilla (]) }}
{{football box
|date = 26 June 1994
|time = 11:35 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 4 &ndash; 0
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3072/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Greece|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125749/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3072/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|GRE}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|5|pen.|55|pen.}}<br />] {{goal|65}}<br />] {{goal|90}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 63,160
|referee = Ali Bujsaim (]) }}

{{football box
|date = 30 June 1994
|time = 18:35 ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 2 &ndash; 0
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3084/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Argentina - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125845/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3084/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ARG}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|61}}<br />] {{goal|90}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 63,998
|referee = Neji Jouini (]) }}

====Round of 16====
{{football box
|date = 5 July 1994
|time = 16:35
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 1<br />(])
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3092/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Mexico - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125920/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3092/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|MEX}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|6}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|18|pen.}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 71,030
|referee = Jamal Al Sharif (])
|penaltyscore = 3 &ndash; 1
|penalties1 = ] {{penmiss}}<br />] {{pengoal}}<br />] {{pengoal}}<br />] {{pengoal}}
|penalties2 = {{penmiss}} ]<br />{{penmiss}} ]<br />{{penmiss}} ]<br />{{pengoal}} ]
|}}

====Quarter-finals====
{{football box
|date = 10 July 1994
|time = 12:05
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 2 &ndash; 1
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3096/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Germany|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125930/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3096/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|GER}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|75}}<br />] {{goal|78}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|47|pen.}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 72,000
|referee = José Torres Cadena (]) }}

====Semi-finals====
{{football box
|date = 13 July 1994
|time = 16:05
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 2
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3100/report.html|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA Match Report: Bulgaria - Italy|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014125940/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=84/results/matches/match=3100/report.html|archivedate=14 October 2007|accessdate=28 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|ITA}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|44|pen.}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|21||25}}
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 74,110
|referee = Joël Quiniou (]) }}

===1996 Euro Cup: Group stage or quarter-final?===
In 1996, the team qualified for the ] for the first time, after some good results in the qualifying group, including a stunning 3–2 turnaround win against future ] champions ]. They were drawn in Group B with ], ], and ]. 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. In 1996, the team qualified for the ] for the first time, after some good results in the qualifying group, including a stunning 3–2 turnaround win against future ] champions ]. They were drawn in Group B with ], ], and ]. 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.


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
====1998 World Cup: The last stand of the "Golden Team"====
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|FRA}}
|3||2||1||0||5||2||+3||'''7'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{fb|ESP}}
|3||1||2||0||4||3||+1||'''5'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL}}
|3||1||1||1||3||4||–1||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ROU}}
|3||0||0||3||1||4||–3||'''0'''
|}

{{football box
|date=9 June 1996
|time=14:30
|team1={{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score=1 – 1
|report=Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s);No-byline-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1996/matches/round=227/match=52500/postmatch/report/index.html|title=Spain start with a point against Bulgaria|date=6 October 2003|website=]|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2={{fb|ESP}}
|goals1=] {{goal|65|pen.}}
|goals2= ] {{goal|74}}
|stadium=], ]
|attendance=24,006
|referee= Piero Ceccarini (])
}}

{{football box
|date=13 June 1996
|time=16:30
|team1={{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score= 1 – 0
|report=Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s);No-byline-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1996/matches/round=227/match=52502/postmatch/report/index.html |title=Stoichkov strike puts Romania out|date=6 October 2003|website=UEFA|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2={{fb|ROU}}
|goals1=] {{goal|3}}
|stadium=], ]
|attendance=19,107
|referee= Peter Mikkelsen (])
}}

{{Football box
|date=18 June 1996
|time=16:30
|team1={{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score=1 – 3
|report=Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s);No-byline-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1996/matches/round=227/match=52504/postmatch/report/index.html|title=France beat Bulgaria to reach last eight|date=6 October 2003|website=UEFA|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2={{fb|FRA}}
|goals1=] {{goal|69}}
|goals2= ] {{goal|21}}<br />] {{goal|63|o.g.}}<br />] {{goal|90}}
|stadium=], ]
|attendance=26,976
|referee= Dermot Gallagher (]){{0}}{{suboff|28}}
}}

===1998 World Cup: The last stand of the "Golden Team"===
Bulgaria qualified for the ] in ] by finishing first in the Group 5, followed by ]. They entered the competition with a new manager ]. Bulgaria drew ], ], and ] 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. Bulgaria qualified for the ] in ] by finishing first in the Group 5, followed by ]. They entered the competition with a new manager ]. Bulgaria drew ], ], and ] 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|1998 FIFA World Cup Group D}} {{Main|1998 FIFA World Cup Group D}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|NGA}}
|3||2||0||1||5||5||0||'''6'''
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|{{fb|PAR}}
|3||1||2||0||3||1||+2||'''5'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ESP}}
|3||1||1||1||8||4||+4||'''4'''
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BUL}}
|3||0||1||2||1||7||−6||'''1'''
|}
{{football box
|date = 12 June 1998
|time = 14:30
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 0
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8728/report.html|title=1998 FIFA World Cup France Match Report: Paraguay - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001023437/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8728/report.html|archivedate=1 October 2007|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|PAR}}
|goals1 =
|goals2 =
|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 27,650
|referee = Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid (]) }}
{{football box
|date = 19 June 1998
|time = 17:30
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 0 &ndash; 1
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8747/report.html|title=1998 FIFA World Cup France Match Report: Nigeria - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011231639/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8747/report.html|archivedate=11 October 2007|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
|team2 = {{fb|NGA}}
|goals1 =
|goals2 = ] {{goal|26}}
|stadium = ], Paris
|attendance = 45,500
|referee = Mario Sánchez Yanten (]) }}
{{football box
|date = 24 June 1998
|time = 21:00
|team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
|score = 1 &ndash; 6
|report =Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8761/report.html|title=1998 FIFA World Cup France Match Report:Spain - Bulgaria|website=FIFA|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011231520/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8761/report.html|archivedate=11 October 2007|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>|team2 = {{fb|ESP}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|56}}
|goals2 = ] {{goal|5|pen.}}<br />] {{goal|18}}<br />] {{goal|53||80}}<br />] {{goal|88||90}}

|stadium = ], ]
|attendance = 38,100
|referee = Mario van der Ende (]) }}

====The 2000s: Playoffs and close calls====


====2000 Euro Cup qualification: The end of a legendary era==== ===2000 Euro Cup qualification: The end of a legendary era===
Bulgaria was drawn in a tough qualifying group with teams like ], ], and ]. 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 ] before his international retirement. Bulgaria finished third with eight points and failed to make the final stages of ]. Bulgaria was drawn in a tough qualifying group with teams like ], ], and ]. 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 ] before his international retirement. Bulgaria finished third with eight points and failed to make the final stages of ].


===Berbatov's Era=== ====Berbatov's Era====


====2002 World Cup qualification: Beginning of the World Cup drought==== ===2002 World Cup qualification: Beginning of the World Cup drought===
Bulgaria, ], and ] 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 ] in ] and ]. Bulgaria, ], and ] 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 ] in ] and ].


====2004 Euro Cup==== ===2004 Euro Cup===
Bulgaria managed to qualify for the ] in ] by finishing first in the group ahead of teams like ] and ] with 17 points. They drew ], ], and ] 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 ] and ], but a last minute goal by ] gave the Italians the win. They finished fourth with zero points and were sent home without reaching the knockout round. Bulgaria managed to qualify for the ] in ] by finishing first in the group ahead of teams like ] and ] with 17 points. They drew ], ], and ] 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 ] and ], but a last minute goal by ] gave the Italians the win. They finished fourth with zero points and were sent home without reaching the knockout round.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goals difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|{{fb|SWE}}
|3||1||2||0||8||3||+5||'''5'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align=left|{{fb|DEN}}
|3||1||2||0||4||2||+2||'''5'''
|-
|align=left|{{fb|ITA}}
|3||1||2||0||3||2||+1||'''5'''
|-
|align=left|{{fb|BUL}}
|3||0||0||3||1||9||−8||'''0'''
|}
{{Football box
| date = {{Start date|2004|6|14|df=y}}
| time = 19:45
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
| team2 = {{fb|SWE}}
| score = 0 – 4
| goals2 = ] {{goal|32}}<br />] {{goal|57}} <br />] {{goal|78|pen.}}<br />] {{goal|90+1}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 31,652
| referee = Mike Riley (])
| report = Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2004/matches/round=1581/match=1059169/postmatch/report/index.html|title=Larsson lights up Sweden on dark day for Bulgaria|date=15 June 2004|website=UEFA|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{Football box
| date = {{Start date|2004|6|18|df=y}}
| time = 17:00
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
| team2 = {{fb|DEN}}
| score = 0 – 2
| goals2 = ] {{goal|44}}<br />] {{goal|90+2}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 24,131
| referee = Lucílio Batista (])
| report = ReportReport<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2004/matches/round=1581/match=1059176/postmatch/report/index.html|title=Denmark delight after Bulgaria win|date=19 June 2004|website=UEFA|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{Football box
| date = {{Start date|2004|6|22|df=y}}
| time = 19:45
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
| team2 = {{fb|ITA}}
| score = 1 – 2
| goals2 = ] {{goal|48}}<br />] {{goal|90+4}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|45|pen.}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 16,002
| referee = Valentin Ivanov (])
| report = Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2004/matches/round=1581/match=1059184/postmatch/report/index.html|title=Unbeaten Italy out despite Bulgaria win|date=23 June 2004|website=UEFA|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
}}


====2006 World Cup qualification: Failure==== ===2006 World Cup qualification: Failure===
Bulgaria failed to qualify for the ] in ] 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 ] and ] with 15 points. Bulgaria failed to qualify for the ] in ] 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 ] and ] with 15 points.


====2006 Kirin Cup==== ===2006 Kirin Cup===
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. 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Teams|Teams}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|SCO}}
|2||1||1||0||5||1||+4||4
|-bgcolor=Silver
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|BUL}}
|2||1||0||1||3||6||-3||4
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|JPN}}
|2||0||1||1||1||2||-1||4
|-
|}

{{football box
| date = 9 May 2006
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
| score = 2 &ndash; 1
| report = Report<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer)s); No by-line-->|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4760205.stm|title=Bulgaria stun Japan with late win|date=10 May 2006|website=]|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|JPN}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|1}}<br />] {{goal|90+1}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|76}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 44,851
| referee = Carlos Megia Davila {{flagicon|ESP}}
}}

====Kirin Cup group final====
{{football box
| date = 11 May 2006
| team1 = {{fb-rt|BUL}}
| score = 1 &ndash; 5
| report = Report<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer)s); No by-line-->|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/japan/4758301.stm|title=Scotland 5-1 Bulgaria|date=11 May 2006|website=BBC Sport|accessdate=29 July 2015}}</ref>
| team2 = {{fb|SCO}}
| goals1 = ] {{goal|26}}
| goals2 = ] {{goal|13}} {{goal|43}}<br />] {{goal|69}}<br />] {{goal|77}} {{goal|88}}
| stadium = ], ]
| attendance = 5,780
| referee = Toru Kamikawa {{flagicon|JPN}}
}}


====2008 Euro Cup qualification: Euro Cup near miss ==== ===2008 Euro Cup qualification: Euro Cup near miss ===
] had ], ], and Bulgaria as the main contestants for a qualifying spot for the ] in ] and ]. 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 ] and ], with only one lost match against the Dutch. ] had ], ], and Bulgaria as the main contestants for a qualifying spot for the ] in ] and ]. 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 ] and ], with only one lost match against the Dutch.


====2010 World Cup qualification: Close call==== ===2010 World Cup qualification: Close call===
] ]
Bulgaria were drawn against ] and ] in qualifying ]. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. After the unconvincing start, the manager ] was replaced by ] in January 2009. The Bulgarians then recorded their first win in the group against ], and also won against ] and ]. They finished in third place in the group with 14 points, therefore failing to qualify directly or for a play-off place. Bulgarian top scorer Berbatov resigned from the national side after this result.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} Bulgaria were drawn against ] and ] in qualifying ]. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. After the unconvincing start, the manager ] was replaced by ] in January 2009. The Bulgarians then recorded their first win in the group against ], and also won against ] and ].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.


===2012 Euro Cup qualification: Upset===
===The 2010s===

====2012 Euro Cup qualification: Upset====
] ]
Bulgaria were drawn in ] along with ], ], ], and ]. 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. Bulgaria were drawn in ] along with ], ], ], and ]. 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 World Cup qualification: World Cup near miss ==== ===2014 World Cup qualification: World Cup near miss ===
In the qualification phase for the ] Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of ], ], ], ] and ]. Under the guidance of former player ] 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 ] in ]. 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 ].. 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 ], 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. In the qualification phase for the ] Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of ], ], ], ] and ]. Under the guidance of former player ] 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 ] in ]. 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 ].. 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 ], 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 Cup qualification: In progess==== ===2016 Euro Cup qualification: In progess===
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 ] 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. When June came around Bulgaria took down Malta 1-0 to edge 2 points ever closer to that third place playoff position.Bulgaria currently is rank fourth in the group with their next match at home against Norway. A match in which could secure them a potential playoff spot if they come away with a decisive victory. 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 ] 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. When June came around Bulgaria took down Malta 1-0 to edge 2 points ever closer to that third place playoff position. They later lost at the hands of Norway 1-0 and to Italy 1-0 to an early penalty in the 4th minute. Their chances of qualifying to the finals tournament in France are very slim. Bulgaria currently is ranked fourth in the group with their next match at home against Croatia.
===2018 World Cup qualification: The qualifying group of death ===

=====Current standings=====
{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group H|show_s=yes}}

====2018 World Cup qualification: The qualifying group of death ====
Bulgaria have been drawn in a tough world cup qualification group with powerhouses Netherlands, France, Sweden along with other members Belarus and Luxembourg. Bulgaria has already had a recent meeting with the Netherlands within the year 2013 in which Bulgaria came out on top with a 2-1 victory. Bulgaria has also had a 100 percent record history against Luxembourg while recently defeating Belarus 2-1 in a friendly in 2014. To add to this aspect, the last time Bulgaria was drawn within a world cup qualification group with Sweden and France was in 1994. Bulgaria drew level with Sweden once, and defeated France twice, decisively, to reach the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where Bulgaria reached its all time high of going to the Semi-Finals. Although placed with tough opponents, Bulgaria has luckily drawn Luxembourg at home for their first match in September. This will give them the brief opportunity to re-group hopeing to earn an early victory. This can lead the team on to starting off their qualifying campaign on a very positive level at the top of the group while building momentum overtime for when the time comes to face the stronger and tougher opponents. Bulgaria have been drawn in a tough world cup qualification group with powerhouses Netherlands, France, Sweden along with other members Belarus and Luxembourg. Bulgaria has already had a recent meeting with the Netherlands within the year 2013 in which Bulgaria came out on top with a 2-1 victory. Bulgaria has also had a 100 percent record history against Luxembourg while recently defeating Belarus 2-1 in a friendly in 2014. To add to this aspect, the last time Bulgaria was drawn within a world cup qualification group with Sweden and France was in 1994. Bulgaria drew level with Sweden once, and defeated France twice, decisively, to reach the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where Bulgaria reached its all time high of going to the Semi-Finals. Although placed with tough opponents, Bulgaria has luckily drawn Luxembourg at home for their first match in September. This will give them the brief opportunity to re-group hopeing to earn an early victory. This can lead the team on to starting off their qualifying campaign on a very positive level at the top of the group while building momentum overtime for when the time comes to face the stronger and tougher opponents.
===Standings===

=====Standings=====
{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A table |show_matches=yes}} {{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A table |show_matches=yes}}

==Team image== ==Team image==

===Colours=== ===Colours===
]n ] flag]] ]n ] flag]]
Traditionally the squad of Bulgarian plays at home entirely in colours of the Bulgarian ], with predominantly white. This explains the very commonly used ] The Lions. Traditionally the squad of Bulgarian plays at home entirely in colours of the Bulgarian ], with predominantly white. This explains the very commonly used ] The Lions.

===Strip manufacturer===
{|width=50% align="Left"
|valign=top width=50%|

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Manufacturer
!Period
|-
|align="Left"|{{flagicon|Germany}} ] ||1975–1995
|-
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Germany}} ] ||1995–2011
|-
|align="Left"|{{flagicon|Italy}} ]||2011–2014
|-
|align="Left"|{{flagicon|Spain}} ]||2014–Present
|-
|}
|}


====Historical kits==== ====Historical kits====
Throughout the football nation's sartorial history, the outfield players wore equipments with the following colour patterns: Throughout the football nation's sartorial history, the outfield players wore equipments with the following colour patterns:
{|border=0 align=center | {|border=0 align=center |
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center; color:yellow; background:#e62020;"|'''Home kits''' || || colspan="5" style="text-align:center; color:yellow; background:#e62020;"|'''Away kits'''|| || colspan="1" style="text-align:center; color:yellow; background:#e62020;"|'''Third kit''' | colspan="5" style="text-align:center; color:white; background:#00966E;"|'''Home kits''' || || colspan="5" style="text-align:center; color:white; background:#00966E;"|'''Away kits'''|| || colspan="1" style="text-align:center; color:white; background:#00966E;"|'''Third kit'''
|- |-
| |
Line 190: Line 1,094:
|shorts = 008000 |shorts = 008000
|socks = ff0000 |socks = ff0000
| title= 1924-1975,<br />2014–current | title= 1924-1975
}} }}
|| ||
Line 204: Line 1,108:
|socks=ffffff |socks=ffffff
|pattern_so= |pattern_so=
|title=1975-1978,<br />1996–2014 |title=1975-1978
}} }}
|| ||
Line 258: Line 1,162:
| shorts = FFFFFF | shorts = FFFFFF
| socks = FFFFFF | socks = FFFFFF
| title= 1924–1975,<br />2014–current | title= 1924–1975
}} }}
| |
Line 286: Line 1,190:
| shorts = FFFFFF | shorts = FFFFFF
| socks = FF0000 | socks = FF0000
| title= 1984–1993,<br />1995–2014 | title= 1984–1993
}} }}
| |
Line 326: Line 1,230:
| shorts = FFFFFF | shorts = FFFFFF
| socks = 008000 | socks = 008000
| title= 2011-current | title= 2012-current
}} }}
|} |}
Line 333: Line 1,237:
] ]


Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the ] 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 ] final matches. It is the second largest stadium in Bulgaria just behind the Plovdiv Stadium with a capacity 55,000. During the ], the stadium was used for the games of ] with ], ], and ]. 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 ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] halls, as well as a general physical training hall, two conference halls, and three restaurants. Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the ] with a capacity of 44,000. Vasil Levski was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002.It is currently eligible to host ] final matches. It is the second largest stadium in Bulgaria just behind the Plovdiv Stadium with a capacity 55,000. During the ], the stadium was used for the games of ] with ], ], and ]. 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 ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] 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 ] suburb of ], the Minister of Youth and Sports, ], has announced. On November 4, 2011 it was announced that Bulgaria's new national stadium is going to be built in the ] suburb of ], the Minister of Youth and Sports, ], has announced.
Line 341: Line 1,245:


===World Cup record=== ===World Cup record===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"
{{main|Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- style="color:white;"
! style="background:#00966E;" colspan=9|FIFA World Cup Record
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:80px; background:#00966E;"|Year
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Result
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Position
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D*|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Uruguay}}]||Qualified but withdrew||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
!Year
!Result
!Position
!{{Tooltip|GP|Games played}}
!Won
!Drawn*
!Lost
!{{Tooltip|GS|Goals scored}}
!{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Uruguay}}] |] to ]
|colspan=8|Years in international wilderness
|Colspan=8|Did Not Enter
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} ] |{{flagicon|Chile}} ]||Group stage||13th||3||0||1||2||1||7
|rowspan=2 colspan=8|''Did Not Qualify''
|- |-
|{{flagicon|France}} ] |{{flagicon|England}} ]||Group stage||12th||3||0||0||3||1||8
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Brazil}}] |{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||Group stage||12th||3||0||1||2||5||9
|Colspan=8|Did Not Enter
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Switzerland}}] |{{flagicon|West Germany}} ]||Group stage||11th||3||0||2||1||2||5
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|rowspan=2 colspan=8|''Did Not Qualify''
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||'''Round of 16'''||10th||4||0||2||2||2||6
|-bgcolor=cc9966
|{{flagicon|USA}} ]||'''Semi-finals'''||3rd||7||5||0||2||12||7
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} ] |{{flagicon|France}} ]||Group stage||22nd||3||0||1||2||1||7
|-
|{{flagicon|Chile}} ]||rowspan=4|Group Stage||15th||3||0||1||2||1||7
|-
|{{flagicon|England}} ]||15th||3||0||0||3||1||8
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||13th||3||0||1||2||5||9
|-
|{{flagicon|West Germany}} ]||12th||3||0||2||1||2||5
|-
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} ]
|rowspan=2 colspan=8|''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} ]
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||Round of 16||15th||4||0||2||2||2||6
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} ]
|Colspan=8|Did not qualify
|- style="background:#9acdff;"
|{{flagicon|United States}} ]||'''Fourth Place'''||'''4th'''||'''7'''||'''3'''||'''1'''||'''3'''||'''10'''||'''11'''
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} ]||Group Stage||29th||3||0||1||2||1||7
|-
|{{flagicon|Japan}}{{flagicon|South Korea}} ]
|rowspan=4 colspan=8|''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} ]
|-
|{{flagicon|South Africa}} ]
|-
|{{flagicon|BRA}} ]
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Russia}} ] |{{flagicon|Russia}} ]
|colspan=8|''To Be Determined'' |colspan=8|To be determined
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Qatar}} ] |{{flagicon|Qatar}} ]
|colspan=8|''To Be Determined'' |colspan=8|To be determined
|- |-
|-style="color:white;"
|'''Total'''||'''Fourth Place'''||'''7/20'''||'''26'''||'''3'''||'''8'''||'''15'''||'''19'''||'''53'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|Total
!style="background:#00966E;"|
!style="background:#00966E;"|8/20
!style="background:#00966E;"|26
!style="background:#00966E;"|5
!style="background:#00966E;"|7
!style="background:#00966E;"|15
!style="background:#00966E;"|20
!style="background:#00966E;"|53
|} |}


===European Championship record=== ===Euro Cup record===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"
{{main|Bulgaria at the UEFA European Football Championship}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- style="color:white;"
! style="background:#00966E;" colspan=9|UEFA Euro Cup Record
|-
|- style="color:white;"
!colspan=9|]
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Year
|-
! style="width:90px; background:#00966E;"|Result
!Year
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Position
!Round
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
!Position
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
!GP
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D*|Drawn}}
!W
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
!D*
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
!L
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
!GS
!GA
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} ]
|rowspan=9 colspan=9|Did Not Qualify
|-
|{{flagicon|Spain|1945}} ]
|- |-
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{flagicon|Italy}} ] |{{flagicon|Italy}} ]
|'''Quarter-finals'''
|-
|5th
|{{flagicon|Belgium}} ]
|- |5
|4
|{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ]
|- |0
|1
|{{flagicon|Italy}} ]
|- |8
|6
|{{flagicon|France}} ]
|-
|{{flagicon|West Germany}} ]
|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} ]
|- |-
|{{flagicon|England}} ] |{{flagicon|England}} ]
|Group Stage |Group stage
|9th
|11th
|3 |3
|1 |1
Line 454: Line 1,331:
|3 |3
|4 |4
|-
|{{flagicon|Belgium}} {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ]
|colspan=8|Did Not Qualify
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} ] |{{flagicon|Portugal}} ]
|Group Stage |Group stage
|14th
|16th
|3 |3
|0 |0
Line 467: Line 1,341:
|1 |1
|9 |9
|-
|{{flagicon|Austria}} {{flagicon|Switzerland}} ]
|rowspan=3 colspan=8|Did Not Qualify
|-
|{{flagicon|Poland}} {{flagicon|Ukraine}} ]
|- |-
|{{flagicon|France}} ] |{{flagicon|France}} ]
|colspan=8|To be determined
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Europe}} ] |{{flagicon|Europe}} ]
|rowspan=1 colspan=8|To Be Determined |colspan=8|To be determined
|- |-
|-style="color:white;"
|'''Total'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|Total
|'''Group Stage'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|
|'''2/14'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|3/14
|'''6'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|10
|'''1'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|5
|'''1'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|1
|'''4'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|5
|'''4'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|16
|'''13'''
!style="background:#00966E;"|19
|} |}


===Olympic record===
Since 1992 the olympic roster may consist out of under-23 year old players, plus three over the age players.<ref></ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;" {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"
|- style="color:white;"
! style="background:#00966E;" colspan=9| Olympic Record
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Year
! style="width:90px; background:#00966E;"|Result
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Position
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D*|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
|- |-
|{{flagicon|France}} ]||Round of 16||12th||1||0||0||1||0||1
!Host Nation(s) - Year
!Result
!GP
!W
!D*
!L
!GS
!GA
|-
|{{flagicon|Greece|old}} ]||''no Olympic football tournament'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} ]||''Did not enter'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} ]||''Did not enter'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} ]||''Did not enter'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} ]||''Did not enter'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Belgium}} ]||''Did not enter'' ||-||-||-||-||-||- ||{{flagicon|Finland}} ]||Round of 16||13th||1||0||0||1||1||2
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} ]||Round 1||1||0||0||1||0||1
|-
|{{flagicon|Netherlands}} ]||''Did not qualify'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|United States|1912}} ]||''no Olympic football tournament'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} ]||''Did not qualify'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} ]||''Did not qualify'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|Finland}} ]||Preliminary Round||1||0||0||1||1||2
|- bgcolor=#cc9966 |- bgcolor=#cc9966
|{{flagicon|Australia}} ]||'''Bronze medal'''||3||2||0||1||10||3 |{{flagicon|Australia}} ]||'''Semi-finals'''||3rd||3||2||0||1||10||3
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} ]||Group stage||3||2||1||0||8||3 |{{flagicon|Italy}} ]||'''Group stage'''||8th||3||2||1||0||8||3
|-
|{{flagicon|Japan}} ]||''Did not qualify'' ||-||-||-||-||-||-
|- bgcolor=silver |- bgcolor=silver
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||'''Silver medal'''||6||3||2||1||16||10 |{{flagicon|Mexico}} ]||'''Runners-up'''||2nd||6||3||2||1||16||10
|- |-
|{{flagicon|West Germany}} ]||rowspan=11|''Did not qualify'' ||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Japan}} ]
|colspan=8|To be determined
|- |-
|-style="color:white;"
|{{flagicon|Canada}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||-
!style="background:#00966E;"|Total
!style="background:#00966E;"|
!style="background:#00966E;"|5/23
!style="background:#00966E;"|14
!style="background:#00966E;"|7
!style="background:#00966E;"|3
!style="background:#00966E;"|4
!style="background:#00966E;"|35
!style="background:#00966E;"|19
|}

=== Balkan Cup record ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center;"
|- style="color:white;"
! style="background:#00966E;" colspan=9|Balkan Cup Record
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Year
! style="width:90px; background:#00966E;"|Result
! style="width:60px; background:#00966E;"|Position
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|W|Won}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|D*|Drawn}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|L|Lost}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Romania}} 1930 ||Group stage ||4th||6||2||0||4||10||19
|- bgcolor=Gold
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} 1931 ||'''Champions''' ||1st||2||2||0||0||8||3
|- bgcolor=Gold
|{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} 1932 ||'''Champions''' ||1st||3||3||0||0||7||2
|- bgcolor=#cc9966
|{{flagicon|Romania}} 1933 ||'''Semi-finals''' ||3rd||3||1||0||2||2||11
|- |-
|{{flagicon|United States}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Greece}} 1934 ||Group stage ||4th||3||1||0||2||7||8
|- bgcolor=Silver
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} 1935 ||'''Runners-up''' ||2nd||3||2||1||0||12||5
|- bgcolor=Silver
|{{flagicon|Romania}} 1936 ||'''Runners-up''' ||2nd||2||1||0||2||6||8
|- |-
|{{flagicon|South Korea}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Albania}} 1946 ||Group stage ||4th||2||0||1||2||4||7
|- |-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Hungary}} 1947 ||Group stage ||4th||4||1||0||3||5||14
|- bgcolor=Gold
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} 1948 ||'''Champions''' ||1st||5||2||1||2||6||7
|- bgcolor=Gold
|-
|{{flagicon|Australia}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Romania}} 1976 ||'''Champions''' ||1st||4||2||0||2||9||9
|- bgcolor=#cc9966
|-
|{{flagicon|Greece}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||- |{{flagicon|Turkey}} 1980 ||'''Semi-finals''' ||3rd||4||1||1||2||4||8
|-
|{{flagicon|China}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} ]||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
!'''Total'''||5/23||14||7||3||4||35||19
|- |-
|-style="color:white;"
!style="background:#00966E;"|Total
!style="background:#00966E;"|
!style="background:#00966E;"|12/12
!style="background:#00966E;"|41
!style="background:#00966E;"|19
!style="background:#00966E;"|4
!style="background:#00966E;"|19
!style="background:#00966E;"|80
!style="background:#00966E;"|101
|} |}


===Honours=== ===Honours===


{| class="wikitable" style="width:30%; font-size:90%; text-align:center;" {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|- |-
|- style="color:white;"
!Competition !!{{gold1}} !!{{silver2}} !!{{bronze3}} !!Total
! style="width:120px; background:#00966E;"|Competition
|-
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{gold1}}
|align=left|]
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{silver2}}
|0 || 1 || 1 || 2
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|{{bronze3}}
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"|Total
|- |-
|align=left|] |align=left|]
|0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |0 || 0 || 1 || 1
|- |-
|align=left|] |align=left|]
|0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
|align=left|]
|0 || 1 || 1 || 2
|- |-
|align=left|] |align=left|]
|3 || 2 || 1 || 6 |4 || 2 || 2 || 8
|- |-
|-style="color:white;"
! Total !! 3 !! 3 !! 2 !! 8
!style="background:#00966E;"|Total
!style="background:#00966E;"|4
!style="background:#00966E;"|3
!style="background:#00966E;"|4
!style="background:#00966E;"|11
|} |}


* ''']'''
** Fourth place (1): ]


* ''']'''
** Fifth place (1): ]


*] ''']'''
* ''']'''
** ] Second place (1): ] **] '''Semi-Finals''' (1): ]

** ] Third place (1): ]
*] ''']'''
** '''Quarter-Finals''' (1): ]

*] ''']'''
**] '''Runners-up''' (1): ]
**] '''Third place''' (1): ]


* ''']''' * ''']'''
** ] Winners (3): ], ], ] **] '''Winners''' (4): 1931, 1932, 1935, 1976
** ] Second place (2): ], ] **] '''Runners-up''' (2): 1935, 1936
** ] Third place (1): ] **] '''Third place''' (2) : 1933, 1980
=== Undefeated run===

Bulgaria has 21 undefeated matches all together in a row. ] and ] hold the longest string of 35 unbeaten matches.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|- style="color:white;"
! style="width:180px; background:#00966E;"|Opponent
! style="width:20px; background:#00966E;"| Type
! style="width:130px; background:#00966E;"| Date
! style="width:1px; background:#00966E;"| Result
|-
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|WAL}}
| ]
| 15 August 2006
| 0 – 0
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|ROU}}
| ]
| 2 September 2006
| 2 – 2
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|SVN}}
| ]
| 6 September 2006
| 3 – 0
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|NED}}
| ]
| 7 October 2006
| 1 – 1
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|LUX}}
| ]
| 11 October 2006
| 1 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|LAT}}
| ]
| 15 November 2006
| 2 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|CYP}}
| ]
| 7 February 2007
| 3 – 0
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|ALB}}
| ]
| 28 March 2007
| 0 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|BLR}}
| ]
| 2 June 2007
| 2 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|BLR}}
| ]
| 6 June 2007
| 2 – 1
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|WAL}}
| ]
| 22 August 2007
| 1 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|LUX}}
| ]
| 12 September 2007
| 3 – 0
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|ALB}}
| ]
| 17 October 2007
| 1 – 1
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|ROU}}
| ]
| 21 November 2007
| 1 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|SVN}}
| ]
| 6 February 2008
| 2 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|NIR}}
| ]
| 26 March 2008
| 1 – 0
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|FIN}}
| ]
| 20 August 2008
| 2 – 1
|-bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| {{fb|BIH}}
| ]
| 6 September 2008
| 2 – 1
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|MNE}}
| ]
| 11 October 2008
| 2 – 2
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|ITA}}
| ]
| 12 October 2008
| 0 – 0
|-bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| {{fb|GEO}}
| ]
| 15 October 2008
| 0 – 0
|}


==Recent results== ==Recent results==
Line 745: Line 1,768:
|note = |note =
|stack = yes |stack = yes
}}
{{footballbox_collapsible
|date = <br>8 June 2015
|time =
|round = ]
|team1 = {{fb-rt|Bulgaria}}
|score = 3 - 0
|report =
|team2 = {{fb|ALB}}
|goals1 = ] {{goal|5}}, {{goal|27}} <br> ] {{goal|88}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = ]
|location = ], ]
|attendance = 11,000
|referee =
|result = W
|stack= yes
}} }}
{{footballbox collapsible {{footballbox collapsible
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|time = 20:45<br>(20:45 ]) |time = 20:45<br>(20:45 ])
|team1 = {{fb-rt|ITA}} |team1 = {{fb-rt|ITA}}
|score = – |score = 0 – 1
|team2 = {{fb|BUL}} |team2 = {{fb|BUL}}
|report = Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/qualifiers/season=2016/matches/round=2000446/match=2014004/index.html|title=UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifying: Pre-match Head-to-head - Italy vs. Bulgaria|website=UEFA|accessdate=30 July 2015}}</ref> |report = Report<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/qualifiers/season=2016/matches/round=2000446/match=2014004/index.html|title=UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifying: Pre-match Head-to-head - Italy vs. Bulgaria|website=UEFA|accessdate=30 July 2015}}</ref>
|goals1 = |goals1 =
|goals2 = ] {{goal|4}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = |stadium =
|location = ] |location = ]
|attendance = |attendance =
|referee = |referee =
|result = |result = L
|note = |note =
|stack = yes |stack = yes
Line 872: Line 1,912:
|result = |result =
|note = |note =
|stack = yes |stack =
}} }}
{{footballbox collapsible {{footballbox collapsible
Line 890: Line 1,930:
|result = |result =
|note = |note =
|stack = yes |stack =
}} }}
{{footballbox collapsible {{footballbox collapsible
Line 908: Line 1,948:
|result = |result =
|note = |note =
|stack = yes |stack =
}} }}
{{footballbox collapsible {{footballbox collapsible
Line 947: Line 1,987:
|- bgcolor="#FFFACD" |- bgcolor="#FFFACD"
| Current Rank | Current Rank
| 69 | 68
| September 2015 | September 2015
|} |}
Line 953: Line 1,993:
==Players== ==Players==


===Current Squad===
===Current squad=== ===Current squad===
The following players are in the squad for the ] against {{nft|Norway}} on 3 September and {{nft|Italy}} on 6 September.<br> The following players are in the squad for the ] against {{nft|Norway}} on 3 September and {{nft|Italy}} on 6 September.<br>
Line 985: Line 2,026:
{{nat fs end|background=#00966E}} {{nat fs end|background=#00966E}}


===Recent call-ups=== ===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. The following players have also been called up to the Bulgarian squad within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.
<!--Sorted by position, most recent call-up, caps, goals and last name.--> <!--Sorted by position, most recent call-up, caps, goals and last name.-->
Line 1,036: Line 2,077:
|- |-
|'''BFU president'''|| {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} ] |'''BFU president'''|| {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} ]
|-
|'''Current national stadium'''|| {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} ]
|- |-
|} |}
Line 1,057: Line 2,100:
|- |-
|- style="color:white;" |- style="color:white;"
! style="width:145px; background:#00960E;"|Opponents ! style="width:145px; background:#00966E;"|Opponents
! style="width:1px; background:#00960E;"| Played ! style="width:1px; background:#00966E;"| Played
! style="width:1px; background:#00960E;"| Won ! style="width:1px; background:#00966E;"| Won
! style="width:1px; background:#00960E;"| Drawn ! style="width:1px; background:#00966E;"| Drawn
! style="width:1px; background:#00960E;"| Lost ! style="width:1px; background:#00966E;"| Lost
|- |-
|- |-
Line 1,173: Line 2,216:
|- |-
|- bgcolor="#FFCCCC" |- bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
| style="text-align:left;"| {{fb|ITA}} || 17 || 2 || 8 || 7 | style="text-align:left;"| {{fb|ITA}} || 18 || 2 || 8 || 8
|- |-
|- bgcolor="#FFFACD" |- bgcolor="#FFFACD"
Line 1,227: Line 2,270:
|- |-
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
| style="text-align:left;"| {{fb|NOR}} || 12 || 6 || 4 || 2 | style="text-align:left;"| {{fb|NOR}} || 13 || 6 || 4 || 3
|- |-
|- bgcolor="#FFFACD" |- bgcolor="#FFFACD"

Revision as of 03:38, 8 September 2015

Bulgaria
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
Current68Increase 1
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
Euro Cup
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 (Template:Lang-bg) is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Ivaylo Petev 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.

Teams 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 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.

Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Hungary 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 5
 England 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 3
 Argentina 3 1 1 1 2 3 -1 3
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 -6 1
Bulgaria 0 – 1 Argentina
Report Facundo 4'
Estadio El Teniente, RancaguaAttendance: 7,134Referee: Juan Gardeazábal Garay (Spain)
Bulgaria 1 – 6 Hungary
Asparuhov 64' Report Albert 1', 6', 53'
Tichy 8', 70'
Solymosi 12'
Estadio El Teniente, RancaguaAttendance: 7,442Referee: Juan Gardeazábal Garay (Spain)
Bulgaria 0 – 0 England
Report
Estadio El Teniente, RancaguaAttendance: 5,700Referee: Antoine Blavier (Belgium)

1966 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.

Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Portugal 3 3 0 0 9 2 +7 6
 Hungary 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 4
 Brazil 3 1 0 2 4 6 -2 2
 Bulgaria 3 0 0 3 1 8 -7 0
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Brazil
Report Pelé 15'
Garrincha 63'
Goodison Park, LiverpoolAttendance: 48,000Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (West Germany)
Bulgaria 0 – 3 Portugal
Report Vutsov 17' (o.g.)
Eusébio 38'
Torres 81'
Old Trafford, ManchesterAttendance: 26,000Referee: José María Codesal (Uruguay)
Bulgaria 1 – 3Hungary 
Asparuhov 15' Report Davidov 43' (o.g.)
Mészöly 45'
Bene 54'
Old Trafford, ManchesterAttendance: 22,000Referee: Roberto Goicoechea (Argentina)

1968 Euro Cup: Quarter-finals

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.

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


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

Two-legged quarter-final

Bulgaria 3 – 2 Italy
Kotkov 12' (pen)
Dermendzhiev 66'
Zhekov 73'		 Penev 60' (og)
Prati 83'
Vasil Levski, SofiaAttendance: 70,000Referee: Gerhard Schulenburg (FRG)
Bulgaria 0 – 2Italy 
Prati 14'
Domenghini 55'
Stadio San Paolo, NaplesAttendance: 95,000Referee: 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.

Teams 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
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónReferee: Guillermo Velasquez Colombia
Bulgaria 2 – 2 Czechoslovakia
I.Georgiev 44'
P.Zhekov 77'		 Report Jarabinský 25'
Petráš 42'
Estadio Jalisco, GuadalajaraReferee: Abel Aguilar Elizalde Mexico
Bulgaria 2 – 1 Guatemala
A.Nikodimov "Paro" 50'
P.Zhekov 84'		 Report López Oliva 88'
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónReferee: Raul Osorio Mexico

Quarter-finals

Bulgaria 1 – 1 Israel
Hristakiev 5' Report Feigenbaum 89'
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónReferee: Michel Kitabdjian France

Bulgaria progressed after a drawing of lots.

Semi-finals

Bulgaria 3 – 2 Mexico
P.Zhekov 8'
A.Mihaylov 9'
Ts. Veselinov (58)		 Report Morales 39'
Pulido Rodríguez 48'
Estadio Jalisco, GuadalajaraReferee: Seyoum Tarekegn Ethiopia

Gold Medal match

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

1970 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.

Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 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 Gallardo 50'
Chumpitaz 55'
Cubillas 73'
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónAttendance: 13,765Referee: Antonio Sbardella (Italy)
Bulgaria 2 – 5 Germany
Nikodimov 12'
Kolev 89'		 Report Libuda 20'
Müller 27', 52' (pen.), 88'
Seeler 67'
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónAttendance: 12,710Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendibil (Spain)
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Morocco
Zhechev 40' Report Ghazouani 61'
Estadio Nou Camp, LeónAttendance: 12,299Referee: Antonio Ribeiro Saldanha (Portugal)

1974 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.

Teams 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
Rheinstadion, DüsseldorfAttendance: 22,500Referee: Edison Perez Nunez (Peru)
Bulgaria 1 – 1 Uruguay
Bonev 75' Report Pavoni 87'
Niedersachsenstadion, HanoverAttendance: 12,000Referee: Jack Taylor (England)
Bulgaria 1 – 4 Netherlands
Krol 78' (o.g.) Report Neeskens 5' (pen.), 44' (pen.)
Rep 71'
de Jong 88'
Westfalenstadion, DortmundAttendance: 52,100Referee: Tony Boskovic (Australia)

1986 World Cup: 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.

Teams 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 Altobelli 43'
Estadio Azteca, Mexico CityAttendance: 96,000Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)
Bulgaria 1 – 1 South Korea
Getov 11' Report Kim Jong-Boo 70'
Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico CityAttendance: 45,000Referee: Fallaj Al Shanar (Saudi Arabia)
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Argentina
Report Valdano 3'
Burruchaga 79'
Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico CityAttendance: 65,000Referee: Berny Ulloa Morera (Costa Rica)

Round of 16

Bulgaria 0 – 2 Mexico
Report Negrete 34'
Servín 61'
Estadio Azteca, Mexico CityAttendance: 114,580Referee: Romualdo Arppi Filho (Brazil)

Stoitchkov's reign and the "Golden Generation"

1994 World Cup: Semi-final 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. Later in December, Stoitchkov 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. 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.

Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
 Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 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 Yekini 21'
Amokachi 43'
Amuneke 55'
Cotton Bowl, DallasAttendance: 44,132Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)
Bulgaria 4 – 0 Greece
Stoichkov 5' (pen.), 55' (pen.)
Letchkov 65'
Borimirov 90'		 Report
Soldier Field, ChicagoAttendance: 63,160Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)
Bulgaria 2 – 0 Argentina
Stoichkov 61'
Sirakov 90'		 Report
Cotton Bowl, DallasAttendance: 63,998Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

Round of 16

Bulgaria 1 – 1
(a.e.t.)		 Mexico
Stoichkov 6' Report 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
Giants Stadium, East RutherfordAttendance: 71,030Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

Quarter-finals

Bulgaria 2 – 1 Germany
Stoichkov 75'
Letchkov 78'		 Report Matthäus 47' (pen.)
Giants Stadium, East RutherfordAttendance: 72,000Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)

Semi-finals

Bulgaria 1 – 2 Italy
Stoichkov 44' (pen.) Report R. Baggio 21', 25'
Giants Stadium, East RutherfordAttendance: 74,110Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)

1996 Euro Cup: Group stage or quarter-final?

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.

Teams 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'
Elland Road, LeedsAttendance: 24,006Referee: Piero Ceccarini (Italy)
Bulgaria 1 – 0 Romania
Stoichkov 3' Report
St James' Park, Newcastle upon TyneAttendance: 19,107Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Bulgaria 1 – 3 France
Stoichkov 69' Report Blanc 21'
Penev 63' (o.g.)
Loko 90'
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance: 26,976Referee: Dermot Gallagher (England)0downward-facing red arrow 28'

1998 World Cup: The last stand 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
Teams 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
Stade de la Mosson, MontpellierAttendance: 27,650Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid (Saudi Arabia)
Bulgaria 0 – 1 Nigeria
Report Ikpeba 26'
Parc des Princes, ParisAttendance: 45,500Referee: Mario Sánchez Yanten (Chile)
Bulgaria 1 – 6 Spain
Kostadinov 56' Report Hierro 5' (pen.)
Luis Enrique 18'
Morientes 53', 80'
Kiko 88', 90'
Stade Félix-Bollaert, LensAttendance: 38,100Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

The 2000s: Playoffs and close calls

2000 Euro Cup qualification: The end of a legendary era

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

2002 World Cup qualification: Beginning of the World Cup drought

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.

2004 Euro Cup

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.

Teams 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'
Estádio José Alvalade, LisbonAttendance: 31,652Referee: Mike Riley (England)
Bulgaria 0 – 2 Denmark
ReportReport Tomasson 44'
Grønkjær 90+2'
Estádio Municipal de Braga, BragaAttendance: 24,131Referee: Lucílio Batista (Portugal)
Bulgaria 1 – 2 Italy
M. Petrov 45' (pen.) Report Perrotta 48'
Cassano 90+4'
Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, GuimarãesAttendance: 16,002Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)

2006 World Cup qualification: Failure

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.

2006 Kirin Cup

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.

Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Scotland 2 1 1 0 5 1 +4 4
 Bulgaria 2 1 0 1 3 6 -3 4
 Japan 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 4
Bulgaria 2 – 1 Japan
S. Todorov 1'
Yanev 90+1'		 Report Maki 76'
Nagai Stadium, OsakaAttendance: 44,851Referee: Carlos Megia Davila Spain

Kirin Cup group final

Bulgaria 1 – 5 Scotland
Y. Todorov 26' Report Boyd 13' 43'
McFadden 69'
Burke 77' 88'
Kobe Wing Stadium, KobeAttendance: 5,780Referee: Toru Kamikawa Japan

2008 Euro Cup qualification: Euro Cup 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.

2010 World Cup qualification: Close call

Bulgaria National Football Team in 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.

2012 Euro Cup qualification: Upset

The National Team in 2012.

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 World Cup qualification: World Cup near miss

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 Cup qualification: In progess

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. When June came around Bulgaria took down Malta 1-0 to edge 2 points ever closer to that third place playoff position. They later lost at the hands of Norway 1-0 and to Italy 1-0 to an early penalty in the 4th minute. Their chances of qualifying to the finals tournament in France are very slim. Bulgaria currently is ranked fourth in the group with their next match at home against Croatia.

2018 World Cup qualification: The qualifying group of death

Bulgaria have been drawn in a tough world cup qualification group with powerhouses Netherlands, France, Sweden along with other members Belarus and Luxembourg. Bulgaria has already had a recent meeting with the Netherlands within the year 2013 in which Bulgaria came out on top with a 2-1 victory. Bulgaria has also had a 100 percent record history against Luxembourg while recently defeating Belarus 2-1 in a friendly in 2014. To add to this aspect, the last time Bulgaria was drawn within a world cup qualification group with Sweden and France was in 1994. Bulgaria drew level with Sweden once, and defeated France twice, decisively, to reach the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where Bulgaria reached its all time high of going to the Semi-Finals. Although placed with tough opponents, Bulgaria has luckily drawn Luxembourg at home for their first match in September. This will give them the brief opportunity to re-group hopeing to earn an early victory. This can lead the team on to starting off their qualifying campaign on a very positive level at the top of the group while building momentum overtime for when the time comes to face the stronger and tougher opponents.

Standings

Template:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A table

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.

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 1975-1978 1993-1994 2005-2008 2008-2011 1924–1975 1975-1984 1984–1993 1993–1994 2006-2008 2012-current

National stadium

The National Stadium

Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the Vasil Levski National Stadium with a capacity of 44,000. Vasil Levski was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002.It is currently eligible to host UEFA Europa League final matches. It is the second largest stadium in Bulgaria just behind the Plovdiv Stadium with a capacity 55,000. During the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the stadium was used for the games of Levski Sofia with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. It was also given three stars for its excellence in art construction of the stadium. The Bulgarian national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions. The stadium also offers judo, artistic gymnastics, basketball, boxing, aerobics, fencing and table tennis halls, as well as a general physical training hall, two conference halls, and three restaurants.

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

FIFA World Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Uruguay1930 Qualified but withdrew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1934 to 1958 Years in 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 5 0 2 12 7
France 1998 Group stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 1 7
Russia 2018 To be determined
Qatar 2022 To be determined
Total 8/20 26 5 7 15 20 53

Euro Cup record

UEFA Euro Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Italy 1968 Quarter-finals 5th 5 4 0 1 8 6
England 1996 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 4
Portugal 2004 Group stage 14th 3 0 0 3 1 9
France 2016 To be determined
Europe 2020 To be determined
Total 3/14 10 5 1 5 16 19

Olympic record

Olympic Record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1924 Round of 16 12th 1 0 0 1 0 1
Finland 1952 Round of 16 13th 1 0 0 1 1 2
Australia 1956 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 2020 To be determined
Total 5/23 14 7 3 4 35 19

Balkan Cup record

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

Honours

Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
World Cup 0 0 1 1
Euro Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 0 1 1 2
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 hold the longest string of 35 unbeaten matches.

Opponent Type Date Result
 Wales Friendly 15 August 2006 0 – 0
 Romania Friendly 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 15 November 2006 2 – 0
 Cyprus Friendly 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 20 August 2008 2 – 1
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Friendly 6 September 2008 2 – 1
 Montenegro Qualifier 11 October 2008 2 – 2
 Italy Qualifier 12 October 2008 0 – 0
 Georgia Qualifier 15 October 2008 0 – 0

Recent results

Main article: Bulgaria national football team results

2014

Bulgaria  v  Belarus

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)
Bulgaria  v  Canada

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)
Azerbaijan  v  Bulgaria

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)
Bulgaria  v  Croatia

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)
Norway  v  Bulgaria

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)
Bulgaria  v  Malta

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

Romania  v  Bulgaria

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)
Bulgaria  v  Italy

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)
Bulgaria  v  Albania

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

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)
Malta  v  Bulgaria

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)
Bulgaria  v  Norway

3 September 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Bulgaria  0 – 1  Norway Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Report Forren 57' Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (the Netherlands)
Italy  v  Bulgaria

6 September 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q		 Italy  0 – 1  Bulgaria Italy
20:45
(20:45 UTC+2)		 Report De Rossi 4'
Croatia  v  Bulgaria

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

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

2016

Bulgaria  v  Luxembourg

6 September 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q		 Bulgaria  –  Luxembourg Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium
France  v  Bulgaria

7 October 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q		 France  –  Bulgaria Saint-Denis, France
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Stadium: Stade de France
Sweden  v  Bulgaria

10 October 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q		 Sweden  –  Bulgaria Solna, Sweden
20:45
(21:45 UTC+3)		 Stadium: Friends Arena
Bulgaria  v  Belarus

13 November 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q		 Bulgaria  –  Belarus Sofia, Bulgaria
18:00
(19:00 UTC+3)		 Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium

Ranking history

Rank Date
Worst Rank 96 August 2012
Best Rank 3 June 1995
Current Rank 68 September 2015

Players

Current Squad

Current squad

The following players are in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification matches against Norway on 3 September and Italy on 6 September.
Caps and goals updated as of 6 September 2015 after the match against Italy.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
12 1GK Bozhidar Mitrev (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) 4 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
13 1GK Blagoy Makendzhiev (1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
11 2DF Stanislav Manolev (1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 39) 45 4 Russia Kuban Krasnodar
5 2DF Nikolay Bodurov (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38) 33 1 England Fulham
14 2DF Veselin Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44) 24 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
6 2DF Yordan Minev (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44) 23 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
2 2DF Ivan Bandalovski (1986-11-23) 23 November 1986 (age 38) 16 0 Serbia Partizan
3 2DF Aleksandar Aleksandrov (1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38) 7 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
4 2DF Georgi Terziev (1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32) 5 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
16 2DF Ivo Ivanov (1985-03-11) 11 March 1985 (age 39) 1 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora
17 3MF Georgi Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) 26 2 Russia CSKA Moscow
21 3MF Svetoslav Dyakov (1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40) 26 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
20 3MF Aleksandar Tonev (1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34) 19 3 Italy Frosinone
23 3MF Hristo Zlatinski (1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 39) 10 0 Romania CSU Craiova
7 3MF Mihail Aleksandrov (1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35) 9 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
22 3MF Todor Nedelev (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) 8 0 Germany Mainz 05
15 3MF Ivaylo Chochev (1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Italy Palermo
18 3MF Simeon Slavchev (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Cyprus Apollon Limassol
10 4FW Ivelin Popov (1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37) 56 10 Russia Spartak Moscow
8 4FW Dimitar Rangelov (1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41) 32 3 Turkey Konyaspor
19 4FW Iliyan Mitsanski (1985-12-20) 20 December 1985 (age 39) 17 4 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
9 4FW Ventsislav Hristov (1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 36) 5 1 Albania Skënderbeu Korçë
24 4FW Aleksandar Kolev (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 32) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv

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.  Norway, 3 September 2015
GK Vladislav Stoyanov (1987-06-08) 8 June 1987 (age 37) 14 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Norway, 3 September 2015
GK Plamen Iliev (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 33) 2 0 Romania Botoșani v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
GK Ivan Čvorović (1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 (age 39) 1 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014
DF Petar Zanev (1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 39) 26 0 Russia Amkar Perm v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
DF Borislav Stoychev (1986-11-26) 26 November 1986 (age 38) 0 0 Israel Hapoel Ra'anana v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
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
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 34) 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 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 42) 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
MF Vladimir Gadzhev (1987-07-18) 18 July 1987 (age 37) 28 1 Bulgaria Free Agent v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
MF Kristiyan Malinov (1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Bulgaria Litex Lovech v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
MF Atanas Zehirov (1989-02-13) 13 February 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora v.  Turkey, 8 June 2015
MF Stefan Velev (1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35) 3 0 Bulgaria Free Agent 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 43) 24 2 China Shijiazhuang Ever Bright v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF Marquinhos (1982-04-30) 30 April 1982 (age 42) 6 0 Bulgaria Pirin Blagoevgrad 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
FW Valeri Bojinov (1986-02-15) 15 February 1986 (age 38) 43 6 Serbia Partizan v.  Norway, 3 September 2015
FW Andrey Galabinov (1988-11-27) 27 November 1988 (age 36) 6 2 Italy Novara v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
FW Radoslav Vasilev (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 34) 2 0 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia v.  Malta, 12 June 2015
FW Kiril Despodov (1996-11-11) 11 November 1996 (age 28) 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 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 Bulgaria Free Agent v.  Croatia, 10 October 2014
Notes

Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
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 18 2 8 8
 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 13 6 4 3
 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

Most appearances

# Player Pos. Career Caps Goals Average
1 Stiliyan Petrov MF 1998–2013 106 8 0.08
2 Borislav Mihaylov GK 1983–1998 102 0 0.00
3 Hristo Bonev FW 1967–1979 96 47 0.49
4 Krasimir Balakov MF 1988–2003 92 16 0.17
5 Dimitar Penev DF 1965–1974 90 2 0.02
6 Martin Petrov MF 1999–2013 89 19 0.21
7 Radostin Kishishev DF 1996–2009 88 1 0.01
8 Hristo Stoichkov FW 1986–1999 83 37 0.45
9 Nasko Sirakov FW 1983–1996 82 23 0.28
10 Zlatko Yankov MF 1989–1999 80 4 0.05
11 Ayan Sadakov MF 1981–1991 79 9 0.11
12 Dimitar Berbatov FW 1999–2010 77 48 0.62

Most goals

# Player Career Goals Caps Average
1 Dimitar Berbatov 1999–2010 48 77 0.60
2 Hristo Bonev 1967–1979 47 96 0.49
3 Hristo Stoichkov 1987–1999 37 83 0.45
4 Emil Kostadinov 1988–1998 26 70 0.37
5 Petar Zhekov 1963–1972 25 44 0.57
6 Ivan Kolev 1950–1963 25 75 0.33
7 Atanas Mihaylov 1970–1981 23 45 0.51
8 Nasko Sirakov 1983–1996 23 82 0.28
9 Dimitar Milanov 1948–1959 20 39 0.51
10 Georgi Asparuhov 1962–1970 19 50 0.38
11 Dinko Dermendzhiev 1966–1977 19 58 0.33
12 Martin Petrov 1999–2013 19 89 0.21

Head coaches

See also

Notes

  1. RSSSF credits this goal to Georgi Asparuhov.

Sources

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