Revision as of 18:08, 16 April 2013

Bulgaria

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Лъвовете (The Lions) Трикольорите (The Tricolors)
Association	Bulgarian Football Union
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Lyuboslav Penev
Captain	Stiliyan Petrov
Most caps	Stiliyan Petrov (126)
Top scorer	Dimitar Berbatov (48)
FIFA code	BUL
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	51 5
Highest	3 (June 1995)
Lowest	58 (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 1–9 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 & Group Stage; 1996 & 2004

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 qaulify 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.

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

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

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

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

Round of 16

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

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. 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	6	3	+3	6
Argentina	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	6
Greece	3	0	0	3	0	10	−10	0

Nigeria	3 – 1	Bulgaria
Yekini 21' Amokachi 43' Amuneke 55'	Report	Stoichkov 32'

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

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

Round of 16

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

Quarterfinals

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

Semifinals

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

Euro 1996: Group Stage or Quarterfinal

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.

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.

The 2000's: 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.

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.

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.

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 mind set 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 2000's that Bulgaria has finished third in there qualifier group.

World Cup 2014 Qualifier: Now in Action and Hopefuls for the Future

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 2-1 victory over World Cup runner-ups Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started on 7 September 2012 with a well-earned 2-2 draw against 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. Bulgaria started better, 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. Bulgaria currently stand second in Group B with nine points from five matches and still undefeated. Bulgaria hosted Malta at theVasil Levski stadium. Lyuboslav Penev's boys defeated Malta under heavy snow 6-0, with Aleksandar Tonev scoring a hat-trick.

World Cup 2014 Standings

Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B

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 look like 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	Round 1	13th	3	0	1	2	1	7
1966	Round 1	12th	3	0	0	3	1	8
1970	Round 1	12th	3	0	1	2	5	9
1974	Round 1	11th	3	0	2	1	2	5
1978 to 1982	Did Not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1986	Round of 16	10th	4	0	2	2	2	6
1990	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1994	Semifinals	3rd	7	6	0	1	10	11
1998	Round 1	22nd	3	0	1	2	1	7
2002 to 2010	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	7/19		26	6	7	15	19	53

European Championship Record

UEFA European Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960 to 1964	Did Not Qualify
1968	Quarterfinals	5th	5	4	0	1	8	6
1972 to 1992	Did Not Qualify
1996	Group Stage	9th	3	1	1	1	3	4
2000	Did Not Qualify
2004	Group Stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	9
2008 to 2012	Did Not Qualify
2016	To Be Determined
Total	Group Stage	2/14	6	1	1	4	4	13

Olympic Record

Host Nation(s) - Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1896 to 1920	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1924	Round 1	1	0	0	1	0	1
1928 to 1948	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1952	Round 1	1	0	0	1	1	2
1956	3rd place	3	2	0	1	10	3
1960	Round 1	3	2	1	0	8	3
1964	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	16	10
1972 to 2012	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	5/23	14	7	3	4	35	19

Honours

• File:W.Cup.svg FIFA World Cup
  • Semifinals (1): 1994

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

• UEFA European Football Championship
  • Quarterfinals (1): 1968

• Balkan Cup
  • Winners (4): 1931, 1932, 1935, 1973/76
  • Runners-up (2): 1935, 1936
  • Third Place (2) : 1934/35, 1977/80

Colours and kits

Bulgarian Kit Evolution

30s

50s

1994 Home

2000

2008

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 Febuary 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 Febuary 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 2014 World Cup qualification games against Malta and Denmark on 22 and 26 March 2013.

Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2013, subsequent to the game against Denmark.

Current squad

#	Pos.	Player	Date of Birth (Age)	Caps	Goals	Club
13	1GK	Nikolay Mihaylov	(1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 36)	26	0	Twente
1	1GK	Vladislav Stoyanov	(1987-06-08) 8 June 1987 (age 37)	5	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
25	1GK	Plamen Iliev	(1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 33)	1	0	Levski Sofia
15	2DF	Ivan Ivanov	(1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 (age 36)	32	2	Partizan
2	2DF	Stanislav Manolev	(1985-12-16) 16 December 1985 (age 39)	29	3	Fulham
3	2DF	Petar Zanev	(1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 39)	22	0	Volyn Lutsk
5	2DF	Nikolay Bodurov	(1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38)	18	0	Litex Lovech
14	2DF	Veselin Minev	(1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44)	16	0	Botev Plovdiv
24	2DF	Yordan Minev	(1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44)	9	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
4	2DF	Pavel Vidanov	(1988-06-01) 1 June 1988 (age 36)	4	0	Zagłębie Lubin
16	2DF	Iliya Milanov	(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32)	3	0	Litex Lovech
11	2DF	Radoslav Dimitrov	(1988-06-12) 12 June 1988 (age 36)	2	0	Slavia Sofia
22	3MF	Georgi Iliev	(1981-09-05) 5 September 1981 (age 43)	17	1	Cherno More Varna
18	3MF	Vladimir Gadzhev	(1987-07-18) 18 July 1987 (age 37)	15	0	Levski Sofia
8	3MF	Georgi Sarmov	(1985-09-07) 7 September 1985 (age 39)	12	0	Kasımpaşa
17	3MF	Georgi Milanov	(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32)	11	1	Litex Lovech
20	3MF	Aleksandar Tonev	(1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 34)	11	3	Lech Poznań
21	3MF	Svetoslav Dyakov	(1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40)	9	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
6	3MF	Hristo Zlatinski	(1985-11-22) 22 November 1985 (age 39)	4	0	Lokomotiv Plovdiv
7	3MF	Todor Nedelev	(1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Botev Plovdiv
12	3MF	Simeon Slavchev	(1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Litex Lovech
10	4FW	Valeri Bojinov	(1986-02-15) 15 February 1986 (age 38)	41	6	Vicenza
9	4FW	Ivelin Popov	(1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37)	39	7	Kuban Krasnodar
23	4FW	Emil Gargorov	(1981-02-15) 15 February 1981 (age 43)	18	2	Ludogorets Razgrad
19	4FW	Iliyan Mitsanski	(1985-12-20) 20 December 1985 (age 39)	6	2	Ingolstadt 04

Recent callups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of Birth (Age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest Call-up
GK	Stoyan Kolev	(1976-02-03) 3 February 1976 (age 48)	16	0	Chernomorets Burgas	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
GK	Ivan Čvorović	(1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 (age 39)	1	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
DF	Ivan Bandalovski	(1986-11-23) 23 November 1986 (age 38)	12	0	CSKA Sofia	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
DF	Aleksandar Aleksandrov	(1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38)	0	0	Cherno More Varna	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
DF	Mihail Venkov	(1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 (age 41)	7	0	CSKA Sofia	v.  Czech Republic, 16 October 2012
DF	Valentin Iliev	(1980-08-11) 11 August 1980 (age 44)	22	0	Volyn Lutsk	v.  Turkey, 29 May 2012
DF	Georgi Terziev	(1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32)	2	0	Chernomorets Burgas	v.  Netherlands, 26 May 2012
MF	Marquinhos	(1982-04-30) 30 April 1982 (age 42)	4	0	Lokomotiv Sofia	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
MF	Stefan Velev	(1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35)	1	0	Levski Sofia	v.  Czech Republic, 16 October 2012
MF	Boris Galchev	(1983-10-31) 31 October 1983 (age 41)	1	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Armenia, 11 September 2012
FW	Dimitar Rangelov	(1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41)	26	3	Luzern	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
FW	Ivan Tsvetkov	(1979-08-31) 31 August 1979 (age 45)	1	0	Botev Plovdiv	v.  Ukraine, 14 November 2012
FW	Ivan Stoyanov	(1983-07-24) 24 July 1983 (age 41)	12	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Czech Republic, 16 October 2012
FW	Tsvetan Genkov	(1984-02-08) 8 February 1984 (age 40)	18	0	Wisła Kraków	v.  Armenia, 11 September 2012

Notes

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

Bulgarian Coaching Staff

Head Coach	Lyuboslav Penev
Assistant Coach	Michial Madanski
Team Captain	Stiliyan Petrov
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

2012

29 February 2012	Hungary	1 – 1	Bulgaria	Győr, Hungary
17:00 GMT	Szalai 42'	Report	Bojinov 87'	Stadium: ETO Park Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Jonas Eriksson

26 May 2012	Netherlands	1 – 2	Bulgaria	Amsterdam, Netherlands
19:00 BST	van Persie 45'	Report	Popov 49' (pen.) Mitsanski 90+3'	Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes

29 May 2012	Bulgaria	0 – 2	Turkey	Salzburg, Austria
21:00		Report	Toprak 22' Yılmaz 90+1'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Gerhard Grobelnik

15 August 2012	Bulgaria	1 – 0	Cyprus	Sofia, Bulgaria
19:00 BST	Mitsanski 66'	Report		Stadium: Georgi Asparuhov Stadium Attendance: 400

7 September 2012	Bulgaria	2 – 2	Italy	Sofia, Bulgaria
20:00 UTC+2	Manolev 30' G. Milanov 66'	Report	Osvaldo 36', 40'	Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 12,993 Referee: Martin Atkinson

11 September 2012	Bulgaria	1 – 0	Armenia	Sofia, Bulgaria
21:00 UTC+3	Manolev 43'	Report		Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Stephan Studer

12 October 2012	Bulgaria	1 – 1	Denmark	Sofia, Bulgaria
21:00 UTC+3	Rangelov 7'	Report	Bendtner 40'	Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 24,000 Referee: Tony Chapron

16 October 2012	Czech Republic	0 – 0	Bulgaria	Prague, Czech Republic
20:00 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Generali Arena Attendance: 16,163 Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov

14 November 2012	Bulgaria	0 – 1	Ukraine	Sofia, Bulgaria
18:00		Report	Kucher 34'	Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Milorad Mažić

2013

22 March 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q	Bulgaria	6 – 0	Malta	Sofia, Bulgaria
16:00 GMT	Tonev 6', 38', 68' Popov 47' Gargorov 55' Ivanov 78'	Report		Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Referee: Eitan Shmuelevich (Israel)

26 March 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q	Denmark	1 − 1	Bulgaria	Copenhagen, Denmark
19:15 GMT	Agger 63' (pen.)	Report	Manolev 51'	Stadium: Parken Stadium Attendance: 22,182 Referee: Fırat Aydınus (Turkey)

30 May 2013 Friendly	Japan	v	Bulgaria	Toyota, Japan
				Stadium: Toyota Stadium

5 June 2013 Friendly	Bulgaria	v	Kazakhstan	Sofia, Bulgaria
				Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium

14 August 2013 Friendly	North Macedonia	v	Bulgaria	Skopje, Macedonia
				Stadium: Philip II Arena

6 September 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q

Italy

v

Bulgaria

Italia

10 September 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q	Malta	v	Bulgaria	Ta' Qali, Malta
				Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium

11 October 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q

Armenia

v

Bulgaria

Armenia

15 October 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup Q	Bulgaria	v	Czech Republic	Sofia, Bulgaria
				Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium

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	1	1	0	0
Australia	4	2	2	0
Austria	8	2	2	4
Azerbaijan	1	0	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	18	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	1	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	5	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	9	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

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-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

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

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