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Bulgaria

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Association	Български футболен съюз
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Ivaylo Petev
Captain	Svetoslav Dyakov
Most caps	Stiliyan Petrov (106)
Top scorer	Dimitar Berbatov (48)
Home stadium	Vasil Levski National Stadium
FIFA code	BUL
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	71 1 (12 March 2015)
Highest	8 (June 1995)
Lowest	96 (May 2012)
First international
Austria 6–0 Bulgaria  (Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana  (León, Mexico; 14 October 1968)
Biggest defeat
Spain 13–0 Bulgaria  (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1962)
Best result	Semi-Finals: 1994
European Championship
Appearances	2 (first in 1996)
Best result	Quarter-Finals: 1968

Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
	1968 Mexico City	Team
	1956 Melbourne	Team

The Bulgaria national football team (Template:Lang-bg) is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), a member association of UEFA.

The team's home ground is Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. Their best World Cup performance was in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where they beat defending champions Germany to reach the semi-finals, losing to Italy and eventually finishing in the fourth position. The team has failed to qualify for any major tournament since UEFA Euro 2004.

History

The Bulgarian national football team was formed in 1922. In 1923 The Bulgarian Football Union was formed and the team's first match was held in Vienna on 21 May 1924, a 6–0 defeat by Austria.

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

Years of international wilderness

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

1960s and 1970s

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

World Cup 1986: The knockout rounds

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

World Cup 1994: Semifinal triumph

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

Euro 1996

In 1996, the team qualified for the European Football Championship for the first time, after some good results in the qualifying group, including a stunning 3–2 turnaround win against future Euro 1996 champions Germany. They were drawn in Group B with France, Spain, and Romania. Bulgaria started with a 1–1 draw against Spain, followed by a 1–0 win against Romania. In the final group match, they lost 3–1 against France. At the same time, Spain defeated Romania 2–1 with the winner coming in the 84th minute, and the Bulgarians subsequently failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

World Cup 1998

Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in France by finishing first in the Group 5, followed by Russia. They entered the competition with a new manager Hristo Bonev, since Dimitar Penev was sacked after Euro 1996. Bulgaria drew Spain, Nigeria, and Paraguay in Group D. The first match ended in a 0–0 goalless draw against Paraguay. In the second match, the Bulgarians lost 1–0 for a second-straight World Cup to Nigeria. The final match ended with a disappointing 6–1 defeat by Spain. Following the bad results, Bulgaria finished fourth in the group, with only one point, and didn't go through the next round. This was the last major appearance at World Cup level for Bulgaria.

Euro 2000

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

World Cup 2002

Bulgaria, Denmark, and Czech Republic amongst the main contenders for the qualifying spots. Bulgaria won the matches against the weaker teams, but lost 2–0 to Denmark and both matches with Czech Republic, including a disappointing 6–0 defeat. That way, Bulgaria finished third with 17 points and three points behind second-placed Czech Republic, thus failing to make the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Euro 2004

Bulgaria managed to qualify for the Euro 2004 in Portugal by finishing first in the group ahead of teams like Croatia and Belgium with 17 points and just one defeat. They drew Sweden, Italy, and Denmark in Group C. They started very disappointing with an embarrassing 5–0 defeat by Sweden, followed by a 2–0 defeat by Denmark. 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. After the disappointing performance, the manager Plamen Markov was sacked.

World Cup 2006

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

Euro 2008

Group G had Netherlands, Romania, and Bulgaria as the main contestants for a qualifying spot for the Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. Bulgaria performed well after a run of good results from Romania that gave them the first place. The Bulgarians finished third with 25 points, after Romania and Netherlands, with only one lost match against the Dutch.

World Cup 2010

Bulgaria were drawn against Italy and Ireland in qualifying Group Eight. Bulgaria started the campaign with a series of draws in the 2010 qualifiers. After the unconvincing start, the manager Plamen Markov was sacked and replaced by Stanimir Stoilov in January 2009. The Bulgarians then recorded their first win in the group against Cyprus, and also won against Montenegro and Georgia. They finished in third place in the group with 14 points, therefore failing to qualify directly or for a play-off place.

Euro 2012

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

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

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

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

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

In the qualification phase for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Armenia and Malta. Under the guidance of former player Lyuboslav Penev as head coach, Bulgaria enjoyed a revival and put in credible performance in friendly matches before the start of the qualifications, most notably a 1-2 victory over World Cup 2010 runner-ups Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started on 7 September 2012 with a well-earned 2-2 draw against the Euro 2012 runner-up Italy on home soil, Stanislav Manolev and young talent Georgi Milanov with the goals. Bulgaria then edged a tight match against Armenia in Sofia, in which one Bulgarian and two Armenian players were sent off, thanks to a single goal from Manolev. Another home game followed on 12 October 2012, against Denmark, which finished in a 1-1 draw. In that match Bulgaria started better and scored in the 7th minute through Dimitar Rangelov but had defender Ivan Bandalovski sent off in the 27th minute and had to settle for a draw. Another good performance followed four days later, Bulgaria earning a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to the Czech Republic. As a result of these performances when Penev took over the team climbed from 96th in the FIFA Ranking, their lowest position ever, to 40th in November 2012. On 22 March 2013, Bulgaria hosted Malta in an empty Vasil Levski stadium due to allegations of racism directed towards Denmark's Patrick Mtiliga during the game in Sofia. Nevertheless, Penev's players defeated Malta 6-0 under a heavy snowfall, with Aleksandar Tonev scoring a hat-trick. Four days later, Bulgaria led Denmark 1-0 in Copenhagen after Manolev's third goal in the qualifications but the match eventually finished 1-1 after Daniel Agger equalised from the penalty spot. This result left Bulgaria second in the group with 10 points and still undefeated, having played one game more than Denmark and the Czech Republic and two more than Armenia. Bulgaria travelled to Italy for their next match on 6 September 2013, a game which they narrowly lost 1-0, after a decisive first-half goal by Alberto Gilardino. On 10 September 2013, the lions secured three more points with a 1-2 away win against Malta, leaving them hopeful of securing their second place in the group and a spot in the play-offs. However, after Bulgaria was defeated by the host Armenia with a score of 2-1 on 11 October 2013, the Bulgarian team practically lost their chances of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brasil. Although, they were still placed second in the group the performance taken into account for the play-offs would leave them as the worst performing second placed team among the ones in the same respective position at that time so they could not enter that final phase of the qualifications. A virtual chance of qualifying for the play-off phase depended on the outcome of the games in either Group D or Group E and the Bulgarian team needed a victory of at least three goals in their last game against the Czech Republic. Thus, on 15 October 2013 the Bulgarians came out with a very attacking strategy which left much room for error in defence, so despite the pressure over the Czechs they couldn't score and received a goal in the beginning of the second part finishing 0-1. The defeat that ended the participation in World Cup 2014 for the Bulgarian team costed them two positions in the final standing in the group finishing 4th.

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

Stadium

Normally, the Bulgarian national football team's home stadium is the Vasil Levski National Stadium with a capacity of 43,632. Vasil Levski was officially opened in 1953 and reconstructed in 1966 and 2002. It is currently eligible to host UEFA Europa League final matches. During the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the stadium was used for the games of Levski Sofia with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Werder Bremen. The Bulgarian national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions.

The stadium also offers judo, artistic gymnastics, basketball, boxing, aerobics, fencing and table tennis halls, as well as a general physical training hall, two conference halls, and three restaurants.

On 4 November 2011 it was announced that Bulgaria's new national stadium is going to be built in the Sofia suburb of Vrazhdebna, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Svilen Neykov, has announced.

The new national stadium will be called "Arena of the Rose" and will be constructed near the International Airport where Vrazhdebna is located. It will have 60,000 seats and seen from above it will look like a rose.

Competition history

World Cup record

Year	Result	Position	GP	Won	Drawn*	Lost	GS	GA
1930	Did Not Enter
1934	Did Not Qualify
1938
1950	Did Not Enter
1954	Did Not Qualify
1958
1962	Group Stage	15th	3	0	1	2	1	7
1966		15th	3	0	0	3	1	8
1970		13th	3	0	1	2	5	9
1974		12th	3	0	2	1	2	5
1978	Did Not Qualify
1982
1986	Round of 16	15th	4	0	2	2	2	6
1990	Did not qualify
1994	Fourth Place	4th	7	3	1	3	10	11
1998	Group Stage	29th	3	0	1	2	1	7
2002	Did Not Qualify
2006
2010
2014
2018	To Be Determined
2022	To Be Determined
Total	Fourth Place	7/20	26	3	8	15	19	53

European Championship record

UEFA European Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960	Did Not Qualify
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996	Group Stage	11th	3	1	1	1	3	4
2000	Did Not Qualify
2004	Group Stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	9
2008	Did Not Qualify
2012
2016	To Be Determined
Total	Group Stage	2/14	6	1	1	4	4	13

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

Host Nation(s) - Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1896	no Olympic football tournament	-	-	-	-	-	-
1900	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1904	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1908	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1912	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1920	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1924	Round 1	1	0	0	1	0	1
1928	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1932	no Olympic football tournament	-	-	-	-	-	-
1936	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1948	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1952	Preliminary Round	1	0	0	1	1	2
1956	Bronze medal	3	2	0	1	10	3
1960	Group stage	3	2	1	0	8	3
1964	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	Silver medal	6	3	2	1	16	10
1972	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1976		-	-	-	-	-	-
1980		-	-	-	-	-	-
1984		-	-	-	-	-	-
1988		-	-	-	-	-	-
1992		-	-	-	-	-	-
1996		-	-	-	-	-	-
2000		-	-	-	-	-	-
2004		-	-	-	-	-	-
2008		-	-	-	-	-	-
2012		-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	5/23	14	7	3	4	35	19

Honours

Competition				Total
Olympic Games	0	1	1	2
World Cup	0	0	0	0
European Championship	0	0	0	0
Balkan Cup	3	2	1	6
Total	3	3	2	8

• FIFA World Cup
  • Fourth place (1): 1994

• UEFA European Championship
  • Fifth place (1): 1968

• Olympic football tournament
  • Second place (1): 1968
  • Third place (1): 1956

• Balkan Cup
  • Winners (3): 1931, 1932, 1973–76
  • Second place (2): 1935, 1936
  • Third place (1): 1933

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

2015

7 February 2015 Unofficial friendly	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	v	Bulgaria	Turkey

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

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

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

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

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

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 36)	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.

Previous squads

Records

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

Head coaches

See also

• Bulgaria national under-23 football team
• Bulgaria national under-21 football team
• Bulgaria national under-19 football team
• Bulgaria national under-17 football team

Notes

References

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

External links

• Official website
• Bulgarian football - history, teams, stadiums, fan clubs
• RSSSF archive of results 1924-
• 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
• Soccerway page
• UEFA Euro 1968 Quarter-Finals

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
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

• Bulgaria national football team
• European national association football teams
• Football in Bulgaria
• National sports teams of Bulgaria