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Bulgaria

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Лъвовете (The Lions)
Association	Bulgarian Football Union
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Ivaylo Petev
Captain	Svetoslav Dyakov
Most caps	Stiliyan Petrov (106)
Top scorer	Dimitar Berbatov (48)
FIFA code	BUL
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	67 4
Highest	3 (June 1995)
Lowest	96 (August 2012)
First international
Bulgaria 2–0 Austria (Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana  (Leon, Mexico; 14 October 1968)
Biggest defeat
Bulgaria 0–13 Spain (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1930)
Best result	Semi-Finals: 1994
European Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 1968)
Best result	Quarter-Finals: 1968
Summer Olympics
Appearances	5 (first in 1924)
Best result	Runners-Up: 1968

Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
	1968 Mexico City	Team
	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 Lyuboslav Penev is national manager. Their best World Cup performance was in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where they beat defending champions Germany to reach the semi-finals, losing to Italy. Although defeating strong top ranked teams in international friendlies throughout the years, the team's strength has diminished slowly, failing to qualify for any major tournament since 2004.

History

The Beginning

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

World Cup 1930 Withdrawal

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
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 of International Wilderness

The Bulgarian side, at this time, could not progress in qualifying to any major tournaments from the time of 1930 to 1960. This period of time was the international wilderness for Bulgaria. They would end up 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, there time came, when they qualified for the World Cup for the second time, in Chile, 1962.

1960s and 1970s: Four Time World Cup Streak, First Time Euro, Olympic Finale and Balkan Triumph

In the 1960s and '70s, Bulgaria qualified for four straight World Cup tournaments, in 1962 (their second time), 1966, 1970, and 1974, but without much success, finishing third in the Group stage three out of the four times. They would finally qualify for there first Euro, Euro 1968. They would win there group with a 4-2 win over Norway, a 3-0 win over Sweden, and a 1-0 win over a very powerful Portuguese side. The national side would then go on to a two legged qaurterfinal against eventaul Champions and hosts Italy. Bulgaria would win the first leg 3-2, but lose the second by a 2-0 score. This performance was Bulgaria's best at the time and till now. Bulgaria later on won the Balkan Cup in 1976 by beating Romania in the two legged final 1–0, 3–2. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, they won a silver medal with a tournament finale loss. They finished first in Group D by beating Thailand 7–0, Guatemala 2–1, and a 2–2 draw against Czechoslovakia. They passed the quarter-finals by beating Israel and the semi-finals by beating Olympic hosts Mexico. In the final, they would be defeated by the Hungary, giving the Bulgarians the silver Olympic medals.

1962 FIFA World Cup

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Hungary	3	2	1	0	8	2	5
England	3	1	1	1	4	3	3
Argentina	3	1	1	1	2	3	3
Bulgaria	3	0	1	2	1	7	1

Bulgaria	0 – 1	Argentina
	Report	Facundo 4'

Bulgaria	1 – 6	Hungary
Asparuhov 64'	Report	Albert 1', 6', 53' Tichy 8', 70' Solymosi 12'

Bulgaria	0 – 0	England
	Report

1966 FIFA World Cup

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Portugal	3	3	0	0	9	2	6
Hungary	3	2	0	1	7	5	4
Brazil	3	1	0	2	4	6	2
Bulgaria	3	0	0	3	1	8	0

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Brazil
	Report	Pelé 15' Garrincha 63'

Bulgaria	0 – 3	Portugal
	Report	Vutsov 17' (o.g.) Eusébio 38' Torres 81'

Bulgaria	1 – 3	Hungary
Asparuhov 15'	Report	Davidov 43' (o.g.) Mészöly 45' Bene 54'

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.

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

Bulgaria	4 – 2	Norway
Tsanev 18', 43' Zhekov 42', 85'		Hasund 59', 86'

Bulgaria	3 – 0	Sweden
Vasel Mitkov

Bulgaria	1 – 0	Portugal
Dermendjiev 63'

Two Legged Quarter-Final

Bulgaria	3 – 2	Italy
Kotkov 12' (pen) Dermendzhiev 66' Zhekov 73'		Penev 60' (og) Prati 83'

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Italy
		Prati 14' Domenghini 55'

Italy won 4 – 3 on aggregete

1968 Summer Olympic Finale

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Bulgaria	3	2	1	0	11	3	+8	5
Guatemala	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	4
Czechoslovakia	3	1	1	1	10	3	+7	3
Thailand	3	0	0	3	1	19	−18	0

Bulgaria	7 – 0	Thailand
M.Gyonin 25' P.Zhekov 55' A.Mihaylov "Natchko" 56' 61' I.Zafirov "Kopata" 73' A.Nikodimov "Paro" 85' K.Ivkov 88'	Report

Bulgaria	2 – 2	Czechoslovakia
I.Georgiev 44' P.Zhekov 77'	Report	Jarabinský 25' Petráš 42'

Bulgaria	2 – 1	Guatemala
A.Nikodimov "Paro" 50' P.Zhekov 84'	Report	López Oliva 88'

Olympic Quarter-Finals

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Israel
Hristakiev 5'	Report	Feigenbaum 89'

Bulgaria progressed after a drawing of lots.

Olympic Semi-Finals

Bulgaria	3 – 2	Mexico
P.Zhekov 8' A.Mihaylov 9' Ts. Veselinov (58)	Report	Morales 39' Pulido Rodríguez 48'

Olympic Gold Medal Match

Bulgaria	1 – 4	Hungary
Ts. Veselinov 22'	Report	Menczel 40' A. Dunai 41' 49' Juhász 62'

1970 FIFA World Cup

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
West Germany	3	3	0	0	10	4	+6	6
Peru	3	2	0	1	7	5	+2	4
Bulgaria	3	0	1	2	5	9	−4	1
Morocco	3	0	1	2	2	6	−4	1

Bulgaria	2 – 3	Peru
Dermendzhiev 13' Bonev 49'	Report	Gallardo 50' Chumpitaz 55' Cubillas 73'

Bulgaria	2 – 5	West Germany
Nikodimov 12' Kolev 89'	Report	Libuda 20' Müller 27', 52' (pen.), 88' Seeler 67'

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Morocco
Zhechev 40'	Report	Ghazouani 61'

1974 FIFA World Cup

Four years later, in Germany, Bulgaria would qualify for their fourth straight world cup. They were drawn in a decently tough group, with destroyers the Netherlands, up setters Sweden and shockers Uruguay. Bulgaria would start off with Sweden and after 90 minutes the game would remain goalless in a 0-0 draw. Although no goals, Bulgaria were down set from the disallowed goal they scored, that was ruled offside by the side ref. Later on though Bulgaria would tie with Uruguay 1-1 after a hard fought match. Bulgaria remained in good qualifying contention; all they needed to do was tie against the Netherlands. As the final match came, Bulgaria would fall by a 1-4 score. The ironic thing though was that Netherlands scored all the goals including an own goal for Bulgaria. Bulgaria would remain in 3rd place in the group and sadly fall short of the next round once again. The good thing was that this was their best performance at a world cup since 1930; with 2 draws and 1 loss. Though, their best performances were soon to come.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	2	1	0	6	1	+5	5
Sweden	3	1	2	0	3	0	+3	4
Bulgaria	3	0	2	1	2	5	−3	2
Uruguay	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5	1

Bulgaria	0 – 0	Sweden
	Report

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Uruguay
Bonev 75'	Report	Pavoni 87'

Bulgaria	1 – 4	Netherlands
Krol 78' (o.g.)	Report	Neeskens 5' (pen.), 44' (pen.) Rep 71' de Jong 88'

World Cup 1986: The Knockout Rounds

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	5
Italy	3	1	2	0	5	4	+1	4
Bulgaria	3	0	2	1	2	4	−2	2
South Korea	3	0	1	2	4	7	−3	1

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Italy
Sirakov 85'	Report	Altobelli 43'

Bulgaria	1 – 1	South Korea
Getov 11'	Report	Kim Jong-Boo 70'

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Argentina
	Report	Valdano 3' Burruchaga 79'

Round of 16

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Mexico
	Report	Negrete 34' Servín 61'

Stoitchkov’s Reign And The Golden Generation

World Cup 1994: Semifinal Triumph

Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, a date where Emil Kostadinov scored two goals to beat France in Paris, allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994. Under the management of Dimitar Penev, the Bulgarians, led by players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Lechkov, and Krasimir Balakov — along with a multitude of other talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the "Golden Generation" — made a strong impression by reaching the semi-finals. They entered Group D with Argentina, Nigeria, and Greece. Before that, the Bulgarians hadn't won a single match in five World Cup finals appearances. The first match ended with a 3–1 defeat by Nigeria. Despite the bad start, the team won 4–0 against World Cup-debuting featherweights Greece and 2–0 against Argentina. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time. A 91st minute strike from Nasko Sirakov, however, meant that they dropped two places and finished third. Bulgaria continued to the next round, where they faced Mexico. The match ended 1–1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties would decide which team would go through. Team captain Borislav Mihaylov made a good performance saving the first three penalty kicks, making it a world cup record. Bulgaria won 3–1 on penalties with Mihaylov becoming the hero for the Bulgarian team. In the quarter-finals, Bulgaria faced the then-defending World Cup champions Germany. Lothar Matthäus scored from a penalty. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Lechkov, giving them a 2–1 win and recording one of the most memorable wins for the team. Millions of Bulgarians celebrated this win in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. Having reached the semi-finals, this was the best Bulgarian performance in the World Cup. In the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 to Italy and were eventually given the bronze medals. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals. Krasimir Balakov was named in the all-star team along with Stoichkov. Starting 11: GK-Mihaylov(c); RB-Kiryakov/Kremenliev, CB/SW-Hubchev, CB-Ivanov, LB-Tsvetanov; DM-Yankov, CM-Lechkov, CM-Balakov, AM/CF-Sirakov/Borimirov; CF/RW-Kostadinov, CF/LW-Stoichkov.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Nigeria	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	6
Bulgaria	3	2	0	1	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'

Bulgaria	4 – 0	Greece
Stoichkov 5' (pen.), 55' (pen.) Letchkov 65' Borimirov 90'	Report

Bulgaria	2 – 0	Argentina
Stoichkov 61' Sirakov 90'	Report

Round of 16

Bulgaria	1 – 1 (a.e.t.)	Mexico
Stoichkov 6'	Report	García Aspe 18' (pen.)
Penalties
Balakov Guentchev Borimirov Letchkov	3 – 1	García Aspe Bernal Rodríguez Suárez

Quarter-Finals

Bulgaria	2 – 1	Germany
Stoichkov 75' Letchkov 78'	Report	Matthäus 47' (pen.)

Semi-Finals

Bulgaria	1 – 2	Italy
Stoichkov 44' (pen.)	Report	R. Baggio 21', 25'

Euro 1996: 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.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
France	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7
Spain	3	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
Bulgaria	3	1	1	1	3	4	–1	4
Romania	3	0	0	3	1	4	–3	0

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Spain
Stoichkov 65' (pen.)	Report	Alfonso 74'

Bulgaria	1 – 0	Romania
Stoichkov 3'	Report

Bulgaria	1 – 3	France
Stoichkov 69'	Report	Blanc 21' Penev 63' (o.g.) Loko 90'

World Cup 1998: The Last Of The Golden Team

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Nigeria	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Spain	3	1	1	1	8	4	+4	4
Bulgaria	3	0	1	2	1	7	−6	1

Bulgaria	0 – 0	Paraguay
	Report

Bulgaria	0 – 1	Nigeria
	Report	Ikpeba 26'

Bulgaria	1 – 6	Spain
Kostadinov 56'	Report	Hierro 5' (pen.) Luis Enrique 18' Morientes 53', 80' Kiko 88', 90'

The 2000s: Playoffs and Close Calls

Euro 2000 Qualifiers and the End of a Legend

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

Berbatov's Era

World Cup 2002 Qualifiers

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

Euro 2004

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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Sweden	3	1	2	0	8	3	+5	5
Denmark	3	1	2	0	4	2	+2	5
Italy	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5
Bulgaria	3	0	0	3	1	8	−7	0

Bulgaria	0 – 4	Sweden
	Report	Ljungberg 32' Larsson 58' Ibrahimović 78' (pen.) Allbäck 90+1'

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Denmark
	Report	Tomasson 44' Grønkjær 90+2'

Bulgaria	1 – 2	Italy
M. Petrov 45' (pen.)	Report	Perrotta 48' Cassano 90+4'

World Cup 2006 Qualifiers

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results,they started off good with wins over Hungary and other weaker teams. They tied with Sweden and Croatia the first run but lost the other meetings to the two sides. Berbatov scored many key goals in the qaulifier including a last minute eqaulizer against Croatia. Bulgaria sadly finished third in Group Eight, behind Sweden and Croatia with 15 points.

Kirin Cup 2006

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

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Scotland	4	2	1	1	0	5	1	+4
Bulgaria	3	2	1	0	1	3	6	-3
Japan	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	-1

Bulgaria	2 – 1	Japan
S. Todorov 1' Yanev 90+1'	(Report)	Maki 76'

Kirin Cup Group Final

Bulgaria	1 – 5	Scotland
Y. Todorov 26'	(Report)	Boyd 13' 43' McFadden 69' Burke 77' 88'

Euro 2008: Playoffs

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.

Two Legged Playoff

Bulgaria	1 – 1	Netherlands
M. Petrov 12'	Report	van Persie 62'

Bulgaria	0 – 2	Netherlands
	Report	Sneijder 23' van Nistelrooy 58'

World Cup 2010 Qualifiers

Bulgaria were drawn against Italy and Ireland in qualifying Group Eight. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. After the unconvincing start, the manager Plamen Markov was replaced by Stanimir Stoilov in January 2009. The Bulgarians then recorded their first win in the group against Cyprus, and also won against Montenegro and Georgia.They finished in third place in the group with 14 points, therefore failing to qualify directly or for a play-off place. Sadly, Bulgarian top scorer Berbatov resigned from the national side because of family problems and qaurrels with the coach. He although does still have a mindset of returning to the national side in the future.

Euro 2012 Qualifier Upset

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

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

In the qualification phase for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Armenia and Malta. Under the guidance of former player Lyuboslav Penev as head coach, Bulgaria enjoyed a revival and put in credible performance in friendly matches before the start of the qualifications, most notably a 1-2 victory over World Cup 2010 runner-ups Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started with a well-earned 2-2 draw against the Euro 2012 runner-up Italy on home soil. Bulgaria then edged a tight match against Armenia which ended 1-0. Later on Bulgaria narrowly drew 1-1 against Denmark. Another good performance followed four days later, Bulgaria earning a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to the Czech Republic. As a result of these performances when Penev took over the team climbed from 96th in the FIFA Ranking, their lowest position ever, to 40th in November 2012. Nevertheless, Penev's players hosted and defeated Malta 6-0 under a heavy snowfall for their next qualifier. Four days later, Bulgaria once again set a draw with Denmark 1-1 in Copenhagen.. This result left Bulgaria second in the group with 10 points and still undefeated. Bulgaria travelled to Italy 3, a game where they narrowly lost 1-0. Further on, the lions secured three more points with a 1-2 away win against Malta, leaving them hopeful of securing their second place in the group and a spot in the play-offs. However, after Bulgaria was defeated by Armenia 2-1 and the Czech Republic 1-0 at home, the dream of qualifying ended.

2016 Euro Qualification: In Process

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

Standings

Team image

Colours

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

Strip manufacturer

Manufacturer Period Adidas 1975–1995 Puma 1995–2011 Kappa 2011–2014 Joma 2014–present

Historical Kits

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

Home kits

Away kits

Third kit

1924-1975, 2014–current

1975-1978, 1996–2014

1993-1994

2005-2008

2008-2011

1924–1975, 2014–current

1975-1984

1984–1993, 1995–2014

1993–1994

2006-2008

2011-current

The National Stadium

Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the Vasil Levski National Stadium with a capacity of 43,632. Vasil Levski was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002.It is currently eligible to host UEFA Europa League final matches. It is the second largest stadium in Bulgaria just behind the Plovdiv Stadium with a capacity 55,000. During the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the stadium was used for the games of Levski Sofia with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. It was also given three stars for its excellence in art construction of the stadium. The Bulgarian national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions. The stadium also offers judo, artistic gymnastics, basketball, boxing, aerobics, fencing and table tennis halls, as well as a general physical training hall, two conference halls, and three restaurants.

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

Competition history

World Cup Record

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1930	Qualified But Withdrew	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1934 to 1958	Years of International Wilderness
1962	Group Stage	13th	3	0	1	2	1	7
1966	Group Stage	12th	3	0	0	3	1	8
1970	Group Stage	12th	3	0	1	2	5	9
1974	Group Stage	11th	3	0	2	1	2	5
1986	Round of 16	10th	4	0	2	2	2	6
1994	Semi-Finals	3rd	7	6	0	1	10	11
1998	Group Stage	22nd	3	0	1	2	1	7
2018	To Be Determined
2022	To Be Determined
Total	8/19		26	6	7	15	20	53

European Championship Record

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1968	Quarter-Finals	5th	5	4	0	1	8	6
1996	Group Stage	9th	3	1	1	1	3	4
2004	Group Stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	9
2016	To Be Determined
2020	To Be Determined
Total	3/14	'	10	5	1	5	16	19

Olympic Record

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1924	Round of 16	12th	1	0	0	1	0	1
1952	Round of 16	13th	1	0	0	1	1	2
1956	Semi-Finals	3rd	3	2	0	1	10	3
1960	Group Stage	8th	3	2	1	0	8	3
1968	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	2	1	16	10
2020	To Be Determined
Total	5/23		14	7	3	4	35	19

Balkan Cup Record

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Group Stage	4th	6	2	0	4	10	19
1931	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	8	3
1932	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	7	2
1933	Semi-Finals	3rd	3	1	0	2	2	11
1934	Group Stage	4th	3	1	0	2	7	8
1935	Runners-Up	2nd	3	2	1	0	12	5
1936	Runners-Up	2nd	2	1	0	2	6	8
1946	Group Stage	4th	2	0	1	2	4	7
1947	Group Stage	4th	4	1	0	3	5	14
1948	Champions	1st	5	2	1	2	6	7
1976	Champions	1st	4	2	0	2	9	9
1980	Semi-Finals	3rd	4	1	1	2	4	8
Total	12/12		41	19	4	19	80	101

Honours

Competition				Total
Olympic Games	0	1	1	2
World Cup	0	0	1	1
European Championship	0	0	0	0
Balkan Cup	4	2	2	8
Total	4	3	4	11

• File:W.Cup2.svg FIFA World Cup
  • Semi-Finals (1): 1994

• Olympic football tournament
  • Runners-up (1): 1968
  • Third place (1): 1956

• UEFA European Football Championship
  • Quarter-Finals (1): 1968

• Balkan Cup
  • Winners (4): 1931, 1932, 1935, 1976
  • Runners-up (2): 1935, 1936
  • Third Place (2) : 1933, 1980

Bulgaria's Undefeated Run

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

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

Players

Current squad

Squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying game against Italy on 28 March 2015 in Sofia.
Caps and goals updated as of 29 March 2015 after the game against Italy.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
13	1GK	Nikolay Mihaylov	(1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 36)	31	0	Mersin İdmanyurdu
1	1GK	Vladislav Stoyanov	(1987-06-08) 8 June 1987 (age 37)	14	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
12	1GK	Bozhidar Mitrev	(1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37)	0	0	Lokomotiv Sofia
5	2DF	Nikolay Bodurov	(1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38)	29	1	Fulham
6	2DF	Yordan Minev	(1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44)	19	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
2	2DF	Ivan Bandalovski	(1986-11-23) 23 November 1986 (age 38)	12	0	Partizan
4	2DF	Georgi Terziev	(1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32)	4	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
23	2DF	Aleksandar Aleksandrov	(1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38)	3	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
16	2DF	Ventsislav Vasilev	(1988-07-08) 8 July 1988 (age 36)	1	0	CSKA Sofia
3	2DF	Borislav Stoychev	(1986-11-26) 26 November 1986 (age 38)	0	0	Levski Sofia
11	3MF	Stanislav Manolev	(1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 39)	42	4	Kuban Krasnodar
18	3MF	Vladimir Gadzhev	(1987-07-18) 18 July 1987 (age 37)	26	1	Levski Sofia
17	3MF	Georgi Milanov	(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32)	23	2	CSKA Moscow
21	3MF	Svetoslav Dyakov	(1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40)	22	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
7	3MF	Mihail Aleksandrov	(1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35)	6	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
8	3MF	Simeon Slavchev	(1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31)	4	0	Bolton Wanderers
15	3MF	Ivaylo Chochev	(1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Palermo
14	3MF	Kristiyan Malinov	(1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Litex Lovech
10	4FW	Ivelin Popov	(1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37)	52	9	Kuban Krasnodar
9	4FW	Valeri Bojinov	(1986-02-15) 15 February 1986 (age 38)	43	6	Ternana
20	4FW	Aleksandar Tonev	(1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34)	17	3	Celtic
19	4FW	Iliyan Mitsanski	(1985-12-20) 20 December 1985 (age 39)	13	4	Karlsruher SC
22	4FW	Radoslav Vasilev	(1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 34)	0	0	Slavia Sofia

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Blagoy Makendzhiev	(1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 36)	0	0	Beroe Stara Zagora	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
GK	Ivan Čvorović	(1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 (age 39)	1	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014
GK	Georgi Kitanov	(1995-03-06) 6 March 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Cherno More Varna	v.  Canada, 23 May 2014
DF	Petar Zanev	(1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 39)	25	0	Amkar Perm	v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
DF	Iliya Milanov	(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32)	6	0	Litex Lovech	v.  Italy, 28 March 2015
DF	Mihail Venkov	(1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 (age 41)	7	0	Cherno More Varna	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF	Strahil Popov	(1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 34)	1	0	Litex Lovech	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF	Radoslav Terziev	(1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
DF	Veselin Minev	(1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44)	23	0	Levski Sofia	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
DF	Yordan Hristov	(1984-02-12) 12 February 1984 (age 40)	4	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
DF	Apostol Popov	(1982-12-22) 22 December 1982 (age 42)	4	0	CSKA Sofia	v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
DF	Ivan Ivanov	(1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 (age 36)	39	3	Basel	v.  Azerbaijan, 9 September 2014
DF	Pavel Vidanov	(1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 37)	5	0	Trapani	v.  Canada, 23 May 2014
MF	Stefan Velev	(1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35)	3	0	Levski Sofia	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF	Daniel Genov	(1989-05-19) 19 May 1989 (age 35)	0	0	Lokomotiv Sofia	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF	Lachezar Baltanov	(1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 36)	0	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
MF	Marquinhos	(1982-04-30) 30 April 1982 (age 42)	6	0	CSKA Sofia	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF	Georgi Iliev	(1981-09-05) 5 September 1981 (age 43)	24	2	Shijiazhuang Yongchang	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF	Milen Gamakov	(1994-04-12) 12 April 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF	Todor Nedelev	(1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31)	6	0	Mainz 05	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
MF	Hristo Zlatinski	(1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 39)	10	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Norway, 13 October 2014
FW	Ismail Isa	(1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 35)	0	0	Sheriff Tiraspol	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
FW	Kiril Despodov	(1996-11-11) 11 November 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Litex Lovech	v.  Romania, 8 February 2015
FW	Georgi Bozhilov	(1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 (age 37)	1	0	Cherno More Varna	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW	Andrey Galabinov	(1988-11-27) 27 November 1988 (age 36)	6	2	Livorno	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW	Ventsislav Hristov	(1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 36)	5	1	Rijeka	v.  Malta, 16 November 2014
FW	Emil Gargorov	(1981-02-15) 15 February 1981 (age 43)	22	3	Shijiazhuang Yongchang	v.  Croatia, 10 October 2014
FW	Dimitar Rangelov	(1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41)	30	3	Konyaspor	v.  Canada, 23 May 2014

Notes

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

Bulgarian Coaching Staff

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

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup squads

• 1962 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1966 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1970 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1974 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1986 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1994 FIFA World Cup squad
• 1998 FIFA World Cup squad

UEFA European Football Championship squads

• UEFA Euro 1996 squad
• UEFA Euro 2004 squad

Current Ranking and Ranking History

Recent Results

2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

2015

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

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

8 June 2015 Friendly

Turkey

VS.

Bulgaria

Turkey

June 2015 Friendly

Bulgaria

VS.

Albania

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

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

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

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

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

International Match Records

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

Player records

Head coaches

See also

• Bulgaria national under-21 football team
• Bulgaria national under-19 football team

External links

• Bulgarian football - history, teams, stadiums, fan clubs
• RSSSF archive of results 1924-
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• Bulgarian football legends
• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup
• Planet World Cup archive of squads in the World Cup
• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup qualifiers

Sources

1. RSSSF credits this goal to Georgi Asparuhov.
2. Cite error: The named reference FIFA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
3. "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". fifa.com. Retrieved 21 September 2011.

v t e Football in Bulgaria
League competitions	First League Second League Third League (4 divisions) Regional Groups Bulgarian Women's League
Cup competitions	Bulgarian Cup Bulgarian Supercup Cup of AFL Bulgarian Women's Cup
Defunct competitions	State Championship (1924–1936, 1941–1945) Tsar's Cup (1924–44) National Football Division (1937–1940) Republic Championship (1945–1948) Cup of the Soviet Army (1983–90) BFU's Cup (1990–91) PFL's Cup (1994–97) Doubles Group (2008–2010) A Group (1948–2016)
National teams	Men Women Olympic team (U-23) Under-21 Under-19 Under-18 Under-17
Regional Amateur Football Groups	Blagoevgrad Burgas Dobrich Gabrovo Haskovo Kardzhali Kyustendil Lovech Montana Pazardzhik Pernik Pleven Plovdiv Razgrad Ruse Shumen Silistra Sliven Smolyan Sofia City Sofia (province) Stara Zagora Targovishte Varna Veliko Tarnovo Vidin Vratsa Yambol
Lists	Clubs Stadiums Foreign players National team results Clubs in European competitions Bulgarian club rivalries
Awards	Footballers' Footballer of the Year
BFU PFL

v t e International association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Rankings The Best FIFA Football Awards Timeline Most successful clubs
World (FIFA)	FIFA World Cup U-20 U-17 FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Gold Cup Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games
Asia (AFC)	AFC Asian Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 AFC Challenge Cup AFC Solidarity Cup Asian Games Regional ASEAN CAFA EAFF SAFF WAFF Arabian Gulf Cup East Asian Games Far Eastern Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games
Africa (CAF)	CAF Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 CAF African Nations Championship African Games Regional CECAFA COSAFA UNIFFAC WAFU Central African Games Indian Ocean Island Games
North America (CONCACAF)	CONCACAF Gold Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 CONCACAF Championship CONCACAF Nations League CONCACAF Cup NAFC Championship CCCF Championship Central America and Caribbean Games Regional North American Nations Cup Copa Centroamericana CFU Championship Caribbean Cup LIFA Cup WIFA Cup Central America Games
South America (CONMEBOL)	CONMEBOL Copa América U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 South American Games Regional Bolivarian Games
Oceania (OFC)	OFC Nations Cup U-23 U-19 U-17 Regional Melanesia Cup Polynesia Cup Pacific Games Pacific Mini Games
Europe (UEFA)	UEFA European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 UEFA Nations League Regional Central European Cup Balkan Cup Baltic Cup British Home Championship Nordic Championship
Inter-Continental	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions CPF Panamerican Championship CAF-AFC Afro-Asian Cup of Nations AFC–OFC Challenge Cup FIFA Arab Cup Palestine Cup Kuneitra Cup Overseas Cup Afro-Asian Games Arab Games Francophone Games GANEFO Goodwill Games Islamic Games Islamic Solidarity Games Lusofonia Games Mediterranean Cup Mediterranean Games Pan American Games
Non-FIFA	CONIFA World Football Cup CONIFA European Football Cup CONIFA South America Football Cup CONIFA Africa Football Cup FIFI Wild Cup UIAFA Great European Tournament Island Games Micronesian Games Universiade World Unity Football Alliance
See also Geography Codes Player/Club of the Century Women's football

• Use dmy dates from September 2012
• Bulgaria national football team
• European national association football teams
• Football in Bulgaria
• National sports teams of Bulgaria