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| Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Nickname(s) | Лъвовете (The Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Bulgarian Football Union | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Petar Hubchev | ||
| Captain | Svetoslav Dyakov | ||
| Most caps | Stiliyan Petrov (106) | ||
| Top scorer | Dimitar Berbatov (48) | ||
| FIFA code | BUL | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 89  15 (20 October 2016) | ||
| Highest | 3 (June 1995) | ||
| Lowest | 96 (August 2012) | ||
| First international | |||
 Bulgaria 0–0 Austria  (Sofia, Bulgaria; 2 May 1924) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana  (Leon, Mexico; 14 October 1968) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Bulgaria 1–8 Spain  (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1930) | ||
| Best result | Semi-Finals: 1994 | ||
| Euro Cup | |||
| 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 stadium is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Ivaylo Petev is the current national manager. The country's finest hour came in the 1994 World Cup performance was in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where they beat defending champions Germany to reach the semi-finals, controversially losing to Italy. Bulgaria's major 1994 World Cup performance provided the tournament's top scorer and future Ballon d'Or recipient, Hristo Stoichkov. Although defeating strong top ranked teams in many international friendlies throughout the years, the team's strength has slowly diminished, failing to qualify for any major tournament since Euro 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 at home in Sofia on 2 May 1924. The match ended as a 0–0 draw with Austria, the away match was not resulted as likely. Bulgaria had later qualified for the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, but had to withdraw due to strong tropical storms and hurricanes on the Atlantic Ocean at that time. Despite this unfortunate event, Bulgaria’s power would overtime grow and eventually reach its maximum peak within the next 60 years.
Years in international wilderness
The Bulgarian side, at this time, could not progress in qualifying to any major tournaments from the time of 1930 to 1960. This period of time was the international wilderness for Bulgaria. They would end up on many occasions getting 2nd or 3rd in their qualifying group and proceeding to the play offs, but in the end not able to qualify. Bulgaria although, did defeat many great teams in international friendlies during those years. The only tournaments they seemed to qualify for were smaller tournaments, such as the Balkan Cup, which they have won four times. Finally, their time came, when they qualified for the World Cup for the second time, in Chile, 1962.
1960s and 1970s
Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1962 and followed that up with consecutive appearances in 1966, 1970 and 1974. The team, however, did not have much success and finished third in their group three out of the four times.
The team qualified for its first UEFA European Championship in 1968 and went on to win their group with wins over Norway (4–2), Sweden (3–0) and Portugal (1–0) before losing to eventual champion and host Italy in a two-legged quarterfinal. Bulgaria won the first leg 3–2, but lost the second by a 2–0 score to lose 4–3 on aggregate.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics, the team won the silver medal. They finished first in Group D by beating Thailand 7–0, Guatemala 2–1, and drawing 2–2 against Czechoslovakia. They advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Israel and the semifinals by beating host Mexico. In the final, the team was defeated by Hungary.
In 1976, the team won the Balkan Cup by beating Romania in the two-legged final 1–0 and 3–2.
1962 World Cup
Bulgaria finally would qualify after a while to their second world cup, although this is the first one they would be competing in. Bulgaria was drawn in a tough group with tough opponents England, power machine Argentina and super power house Hungary. Bulgaria would open up their campaign with a narrow 0–1 loss to Argentina. Later on, misery would strike, as Bulgaria would lose their second group match by a 1–6 score to Hungary. Bulgaria's hopes of qualifying were over, but with one world cup match left, they gave it a shot. They would end up drawing with England 0–0 and finish fourth in the group with only one point.
1966 World Cup
As 4 years passed, so did another chance of world cup success. Bulgaria would qualify for their second straight world cup. They were drawn into an even harder group than last world cup. They would end up in a group of death with super powers Hungary, Portugal and Brazil with Pele at the helm. Bulgaria would open their campaign match with a 0–2 loss to Brazil thanks to two free kick goals by Pele and Garrincha. Later on Bulgaria would lose 0–3 to Eusebio 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 their history.
1968 Euro Cup
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 Eusebio 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.
1968 Summer Olympics
A month and a half after the European Championship came the Olympics, which Bulgaria had qualified for the 5th time in their history. They were drawn in a simple group with minnows Thailand, tough opponents Guatemala and giants Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria would start off with a 7–0 thrashing of Thailand. They would later go on and draw with Czechoslovakia 2–2 to increase their point standards. Their final match would determine if they would go on to the quarterfinals. As the time came Bulgaria would defeat Guatemala 2–1 and win their first round Olympic group. They would pass on to the Quarterfinals to face underdogs Israel. That game would remain 1–1 for most of the match until a drawing of lots would determine who would go to the semifinals of the tournament. Bulgaria would with the draw and advance to play Mexico. They would have a hard fought match, but overtime they would come out on top with a 3–2 victory. Bulgaria would advance to the finals for the first time in their Olympic history. They were determined to win the gold medal, but would fall short badly with a 1–4 loss to Hungary. Bulgaria worked hard but could only come out with a silver medal. It was a good performance but not enough for the final and most important game of the tournament.
1970 World Cup
Bulgaria qualified for their third straight world cup. This time it was in Mexico just like the Olympics two years before it. Bulgaria was hoping for another great result like in the Olympics but this time in world cup standards. They were drawn in a medially tough group with power giants Germany, South American powers Peru and African underdogs Morocco. Bulgaria played their first match against Peru. They were leading the match 2–0 until near the end when the Peruvians woke up and began to score. Bulgaria would clumsily fall to Peru 2–3, and start their group in slow fashion. The second match didn’t change much for Bulgaria as they would fall to the giants Germany 5–2. Bulgaria still had a chance to qualify for the next round but they would need a win against Morocco to do that. When that time came Bulgaria would lead Morocco for most of the game until the 61st minute. Bulgaria would end up drawing with Morocco 1–1. They would finish the group in 3rd place but fall short of next round qualification.
1974 World Cup
Four years later, in Germany, Bulgaria would qualify for their fourth straight world cup. They were drawn in a decently tough group, with destroyers the Netherlands, up setters Sweden and shockers Uruguay. Bulgaria would start off with Sweden and after 90 minutes the game would remain goalless in a 0–0 draw. Although no goals, Bulgaria were down set from the disallowed goal they scored, that was ruled offside by the side ref. Later on though Bulgaria would tie with Uruguay 1–1 after a hard fought match. Bulgaria remained in good qualifying contention; all they needed to do was tie against the Netherlands. As the final match came, Bulgaria would fall by a 1–4 score. The ironic thing though was that Netherlands scored all the goals including an own goal for Bulgaria. Bulgaria would remain in 3rd place in the group and sadly fall short of the next round once again. The good thing was that this was their best performance at a world cup since 1930; with 2 draws and 1 loss. Though, their best performances were soon to come.
The 1980s and 1990s
1986 World Cup: The knockout rounds
Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in Mexico by finishing second in Group Four, behind France with 11 points, but worse goal difference, ahead of the teams of Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Luxembourg. This was their fifth World Cup appearance. They were drawn in Group A with Italy, Argentina, and South Korea. In the opening match of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held the defending champions Italy to a 1–1 draw. Alessandro Altobelli gave the Italians the lead, but an 85th minute equalizer by Nasko Sirakov gave the Bulgarians the point. The next match was another 1–1 draw against South Korea with the goal for Bulgaria coming from Plamen Getov in the 11th minute. They lost the final match of the group 2–0 against Argentina, who ended up winning the tournament. Despite not recording a win, the Bulgarians advanced to the knockout stage by being the third-best third placed team. That way, Bulgaria and also Uruguay became the first nations to qualify for the knockout stage without winning a game in the first round. In the Round of 16, they faced World Cup hosts Mexico and lost the match 2–0. Ivan Vutsov was the manager of the team.
1994 World Cup: Semi-Final Triumph
Certainly one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, a date where Emil Kostadinov scored two goals in the 90th minute 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 surprisingly reaching the semi-finals and earning the bronze medal. They entered a very tough Group D with 1990 World Cup Runners-up Argentina with Diego Maradona at the helm, African Nations Cup Champions Nigeria, and Balkan rivals Greece. The first match ended with a 3–1 defeat to Nigeria. Stoichkov scoring the only goal for Bulgaria off an incredible 40 yard curling free-kick in the 32nd minute to tie the game at 1. Despite the bad start, the team made quite a huge statement by winning 4–0 against their Balkan rivals Greece and increasing their goal difference. Their third and final match came against power house and world cup favorites Argentina. The powerful Bulgarian side came away with a shocking 2–0 victory. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time. A 91st minute strike from Nasko Sirakov, however, meant that they'd drop two places and finish third. Bulgaria continued to the round of 16, where they faced Mexico. Stoichkov opened the scoring in the 6th minute with an incredible strike off a break away from outside the box, tallying his fourth goal. The match ended 1–1 and after no goals were scored in extra time, penalties decided which team would go through. Team captain Borislav Mihaylov made a very shocking performance by saving the first three penalty kicks in a row, and breaking the world cup record. Bulgaria won 3–1 on penalties with Mihaylov becoming the hero for the Bulgarian Lions. In the quarter-finals, Bulgaria faced the defending world cup champions Germany. At the start of the match held in Giant's Stadium, the Bulgarians were dominating impressivley, hitting the post twice in the process. A majority of the world's football fans were rooting for the legendary Bulgarian side until Lothar Matthäus silenced them by scoring from a penalty to open the scoring. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with a swerving free kick by Hristo Stoichkov and a flying header by Yordan Lechkov, giving them a 2–1 win and recording one of the most memorable wins in world cup history. Millions of Bulgarians celebrated this win in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia along with other notable Bulgarian cities. Having reached the semi-finals, this had become the best Bulgarian performance in their world cup history. In the semi-finals, they controversially lost 2–1 to Italy. Stoichkov scored Bulgaria's only goal in the first half to tally his seventh goal, which led the tournament. In the second half, Bulgaria were waved off a penalty in which the Italian defender had clearly committed a handball in the box, off a Kostadinov cross. Despite the unfair officiating, the Bulgarians shocked the world with their entire world cup performance and were eventually given the bronze medals. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with his seven goals, along with making the world cup's top ten best goals list. Krasimir Balakov was named in the all-star 1994 world cup dream team along with Stoichkov. Later on in December, Stoichkov was awarded the FIFA Ballon D'or trophy for his great skill and leadership, becoming the first Bulgarian and third Barcelona Player to win it in history. 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: Group stage
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 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 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.
1998 World Cup: The last stand of the "Golden Team"
Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in France by finishing first in the Group 5, followed by Russia. They entered the competition with a new manager Hristo Bonev. Bulgaria drew Spain, Nigeria, and Paraguay in Group D. The first match ended in a 0–0 goalless draw against Paraguay. In the second match, the Bulgarians lost 1–0 for a second-straight World Cup to Nigeria. The final match ended with a disappointing 6–1 defeat to Spain, even though two offsides goals were ruled out. Following the bad results, Bulgaria finished fourth in the group, with only one point, and didn't go through the next round. This was the last major appearance at World Cup level for Bulgaria.
Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup Group D2000 Euro Cup qualification: The end of a legendary era
Bulgaria was drawn in a tough qualifying group with teams like England, Sweden, and Poland. The campaign started bad with a draw and a defeat by Poland and Sweden. The most memorable match for Bulgaria in the group was the 1–1 draw against England, which was also the last one for Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov before his international retirement. Bulgaria finished third with eight points and failed to make the final stages of Euro 2000.
New millennium
2002 World Cup qualification: Beginning of a drought
Bulgaria, Denmark, and Czech Republic amongst the main contenders for the qualifying spots. This is also the debut of Bulgaria's top scoring legend Dimitar Berbatov. Bulgaria won the matches against the weaker teams, but lost 2–0 to Denmark and one match with the Czech Republic. That way, Bulgaria finished third with 17 points and three points behind second-placed Czech Republic, thus failing to make the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
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.
2006 World Cup qualification: Failure
Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany after a run of poor results,they started off good with wins over Hungary and other weaker teams. They tied with Sweden and Croatia the first run but lost the other meetings to the two sides. Although Berbatov scored many key goals in the qualifier including a last minute eqaulizer against Croatia, Bulgaria still finished third in Group Eight, behind Sweden and Croatia with 15 points.
2006 Kirin Cup
Although not making it to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Bulgaria found themselves in a minor tournament in Japan. Known as the Kirin Cup, Bulgaria entered for the first time. They started off well with a 2–1 victory over the hosts Japan. Later on though, things went downhill as they lost 5–1 to Scotland, the eventual champions of the Kirin Cup. Bulgaria became the Runners Up and received the silver medal.
2008 European qualification: Near miss
Group G had Netherlands, Romania, and Bulgaria as the main contestants for a qualifying spot for the Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. Bulgaria performed well after a run of good results from Romania that gave them the first place. Bulgaria would go on to the playoffs but draw the first match 1–1 with a goal by Petrov in the 10th minute and lose the second 2–0. The Bulgarians were robbed of a Euro and finished with 25 points, after Romania and Netherlands, with only one lost match against the Dutch.
2010 World Cup qualification: Close call
Bulgaria 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. Bulgarian top scorer Berbatov resigned from the national side after this result.
Era of Decline
2012 European qualification: Upset
Bulgaria were drawn in Group G along with England, Switzerland, Wales, and Montenegro. Bulgaria started off horribly with an opening away loss to England. They later on drew level with Switzerland along with defeating Wales and Montenegro. Sadly, Bulgaria finished in fifth behind Switzerland  and all of the other teams;– marking the fourth instance during 2000s that the nation had failed to finish in third (or better).
2014 World Cup Qualification: World Cup near miss
In the qualification phase for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Bulgaria were placed in Group B together with the teams of Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Armenia and Malta. Under the guidance of former player Lyuboslav Penev as head coach, Bulgaria enjoyed a revival and put up an incredible performance in many friendly matches before the start of the qualification stage, most notably a 2–1 victory over world cup 2010 runners-up Netherlands in Amsterdam. The qualifications started with a well-earned 2–2 draw against the Euro 2012 runners-up Italy. 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, the team climbed from 96th in the FIFA Ranking, their lowest position in history, to 40th in November 2012, earning FIFA best mover of the year. Nevertheless, Penev's players hosted and defeated Malta 6–0 under heavy snowfall. 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 traveled to Italy, a game where they narrowly lost 1–0. Further on, the lions secured three more points with a 2–0 away win against Malta, leaving them hopeful of securing their second place in the group and a spot in the play-offs. However, after Bulgaria was defeated by Armenia 2–1 and the Czech Republic 1–0 at home, the dream of qualifying ended.
2016 Euro Cup Qualification: Continuation of the drought
Bulgaria were placed in a group with Italy, Croatia, Norway, Azerbaijan, and Malta. Bulgaria opened up their first match with a 2–1 victory over Azerbaijan. They were defeated 1–0 by Croatia, which was followed by a 2–1 defeat to Norway. Bulgaria then drew with Malta 1–1 at home, but this cost Head Coach Lyuboslav Penev his position and he was replaced by former Ludogorets Razgrad Coach Ivaylo Petev. In his debut match in February 2015, Petev's squad drew Romania 0–0 in a friendly, which was then followed at the end of March by a 2–2 qualifier match draw with Italy, a match which Bulgaria had led till the 84th minute. In June, Bulgaria defeated Malta 1–0 to move within 2 points of the third place playoff position. They then, however, lost their next three matches against Norway, Italy and Croatia before winning their final match 2–0 over Azerbaijan, thus failing to qualify for the finals tournament.
2018 World Cup qualification
Bulgaria have been drawn in a world cup qualification group with Netherlands, who failed to reach Euro 2016, France, and Sweden, whose all-time leading goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic just retired from international play, along with other members Belarus and Luxembourg. Bulgaria has already had a recent meeting with the Netherlands within the year 2013 in which Bulgaria came out on top with a 2–1 victory. Bulgaria has also had a 100 percent record history against Luxembourg while recently defeating Belarus 2–1 in a friendly in 2014. To add to this aspect, the last time Bulgaria was drawn within a world cup qualification group with Sweden and France was in 1994. Bulgaria drew level with Sweden once, and defeated France twice, decisively, to reach the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where Bulgaria reached its all-time high of going to the Semi-Finals. Bulgaria has luckily drawn Luxembourg at home for their first match in September. This will give them the brief opportunity to re-group hoping to earn an early victory. This can lead the team on to starting off their qualifying campaign on a very positive level at the top of the group while building momentum overtime for when the time comes to face the stronger and tougher opponents.
Standings
Template:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A table
Team image
Colours
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.
Kit suppliers
| Kit Provider | Period |
|---|---|
| Tomy Sport
|
1922–1988 |
 Adidas
|
1988–2008 |
| Puma
|
2008–2010 |
 Kappa
|
2010–2015 |
| Joma
|
2015– |
Historical Kits
Throughout the football nation's sartorial history, the outfield players wore equipment with the following color patterns of white, green or red signifying the Bulgarian flag.
| Home Kits | ||||||||||||||||||||
1922-1950
|
1950-1985
|
1985-1993
|
1993-1995
|
1995-1998
|
1998-2000
|
2004-2007
|
2007-2010
|
2010-2012
|
2015-
|
| Away Kits | |||||
|
1922–1950
|
1950-1985
|
1985–1993
|
1993–1995
|
1995-1998
|
1998-2000
|
2004-2007
|
2007-2010
|
2010-2012
|
2015-
|
National stadium
The Bulgaria national football team's traditional home stadium has been the multi-purpose Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, which has a capacity of 43,230 people. The venue was officially opened in 1953 and was reconstructed in 1966 and 2002, with its most recent renovation dating back to 2015. A principle host of the Bulgarian Cup final match, the stadium was also used by Levski Sofia for their domestic group stage matches during the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League season. Ludogorets Razgrad also used the stadium for their Champions League campaigns in 2014 and 2016. The Bulgarian national football team's home matches have been held regularly at the venue since its reconstruction in 2002, as well as athletics competitions and major concerts. 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.
Competition History
Champions Runners-Up Semi-Finals Other Top Results
World Cup Record
| FIFA World Cup Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
 1930 |
Qualified - 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 | 4th | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 |
 1998 |
Group Stage | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
 2018
|
To Be Determined | |||||||
 2022
|
To Be Determined | |||||||
| Total | 8/20 | 26 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 53 | |
Euro Cup Record
| UEFA Euro Cup Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 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 |
 2020
|
To Be Determined | |||||||
| Total | 3/14 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 19 | |
Olympic Record
| Olympic Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 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
| Balkan Cup Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Euro Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Olympic Games | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Balkan Cup | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
FIFA World Cup
Semi-Finals (1): 1994
UEFA Euro Cup
- Quarter-Finals (1): 1968
- Balkan Cup
Winners (4): 1931, 1932, 1935, 1976
Runners-up (2): 1935, 1936
Third place (2) : 1933, 1980
Recent Results
Win Draw Loss
Bulgaria v 
Azerbaijan
13 October 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 Q | Bulgaria | 2 – 0 | Azerbaijan | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
M. Aleksandrov  20'Rangelov 56' |
Report | Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Tamás Bognár (Hungary) |
Bulgaria v Portugal
25 March 2016 Friendly | Bulgaria | 1 – 0 | Portugal | Leiria, Portugal |
| 21:45 (20:45 UTC+1) |
Marcelinho 19' |
Stadium: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Clos Gomez (Spain) |
Bulgaria v 
North Macedonia
29 March 2016 Friendly | Bulgaria | 2 – 0 | North Macedonia | Skopje, Macedonia |
| 19:00 (19:00 UTC+2) |
Rangelov 65' Tonev 87' |
Stadium: Philip II Arena Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albania) |
Bulgaria v Japan
3 June 2016 Kirin Cup Semi Final | Bulgaria | 2 – 7 | Japan | Aichi, Japan |
| 12:40 (19:40 UTC+9) |
Aleksandrov 59' Chochev 82' |
Okazaki 3' Kagawa 26', 35'Yoshida 38', 53'Usami 57'Asano 87' (pen.) |
Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 41,940 Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland) |
Bulgaria v 
Denmark
7 June 2016 Kirin Cup 3rd-Place Playoff | Bulgaria | 0 – 4 | Denmark | Osaka, Japan |
| 9:00 (16:00 UTC+9) |
Rasmussen 39' Eriksen 72', 74', 82' |
Stadium: Suita City Football Stadium Attendance: 14,223 Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan) |
Bulgaria v 
Luxembourg
6 September 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q | Bulgaria | 4 – 3 | Luxembourg | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Rangelov 16' Marcelinho 65'I. Popov 79'Tonev 90+2' |
Joachim 60', 62' Bohnert 90+1' |
Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium Attendance: 4,202 Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (Lithuania) |
Bulgaria v France
October 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q | Bulgaria | 1 – 4 | France | Saint-Denis, France |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Aleksandrov 6' (pen.) |
Gameiro 23', 59' Payet 26'Griezmann 38' |
Stadium: Stade de France Attendance: 65,475 Referee: Luca Banti (Italy) |
Bulgaria v 
Sweden
10 October 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q | Bulgaria | 0 – 3 | Sweden | Solna, Sweden |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Toivonen 39' Hiljemark 45'Lindelöf 58' |
Stadium: Friends Arena Attendance: 21,777 Referee: Michael Oliver (England) |
Bulgaria v 
Belarus
13 November 2016 FIFA World Cup 2018 Q | Bulgaria | 1 – 0 | Belarus | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 18:00 (19:00 UTC+3) |
Popov 10' |
Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium Attendance: 1,994 Referee: Stephan Klossner (Switzerland) |
Bulgaria v 
United Arab Emirates
26 November 2016 Friendly | Bulgaria | v | United Arab Emirates | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Stadium: Vasil Levski Stadium |
Ranking history
See also: FIFA World Rankings| Rank | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Rank | 3 | June 1995 |
| Current Rank | 89 | October 2016 |
| Worst Rank | 96 | May 2012 |
Players
The following players were called-up for the preliminary squad against Belarus on November 13, 2016.
Caps and goals updated as of 13 November 2016 after the match against Belarus.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1GK | Nikolay Mihaylov | (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) | 31 | 0 | Mersin İdmanyurdu
|
| 23 | 1GK | Vladislav Stoyanov | (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 36) | 19 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad
|
| 1 | 1GK | Georgi Kitanov | (1995-03-06) March 6, 1995 (age 29) | 0 | 0 | CSKA Sofia
|
| 4 | 2DF | Petar Zanev | (1985-10-18) 18 October 1985 (age 39) | 27 | 0 | Amkar Perm
|
| 3 | 2DF | Aleksandar Aleksandrov | (1986-04-13) 13 April 1986 (age 38) | 16 | 0 | Levski Sofia
|
| 2 | 2DF | Strahil Popov | (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 34) | 10 | 0 | Kasımpaşa
|
| 14 | 2DF | Vasil Bozhikov | (1988-06-02) 2 June 1988 (age 36) | 5 | 0 | Kasımpaşa
|
| 22 | 2DF | Anton Nedyalkov | (1993-04-30) 30 April 1993 (age 31) | 2 | 0 | CSKA Sofia
|
| 5 | 2DF | Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski | (1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | CSKA Sofia
|
| 16 | 2DF | Atanas Zehirov | (1989-02-13) 13 February 1989 (age 35) | 0 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
| 15 | 2DF | Daniel Zlatkov | (1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 (age 35) | 0 | 0 | Botev Plovdiv
|
| 21 | 3MF | Svetoslav Dyakov ( )
|
(1984-05-31) 31 May 1984 (age 40) | 35 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad
|
| 17 | 3MF | Georgi Milanov | (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) | 34 | 2 | CSKA Moscow
|
| 20 | 3MF | Aleksandar Tonev | (1990-02-02) 2 February 1990 (age 34) | 25 | 5 | Crotone
|
| 18 | 3MF | Ivaylo Chochev | (1993-02-18) 18 February 1993 (age 31) | 11 | 1 | Palermo
|
| 8 | 3MF | Todor Nedelev | (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) | 11 | 0 | Botev Plovdiv
|
| 19 | 3MF | Nikolay Dimitrov | (1987-10-15) 15 October 1987 (age 37) | 7 | 0 | Slavia Sofia
|
| 6 | 3MF | Simeon Slavchev | (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31) | 9 | 0 |  Lechia Gdańsk
|
| 12 | 3MF | Bozhidar Kraev | (1997-06-27) June 27, 1997 (age 27) | 0 | 0 | Levski Sofia
|
| 10 | 4FW | Ivelin Popov | (1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37) | 66 | 12 | Spartak Moscow
|
| 7 | 4FW | Spas Delev | (1989-09-22) 22 September 1989 (age 35) | 13 | 0 | Pogoń Szczecin
|
| 11 | 4FW | Radoslav Kirilov | (1992-06-29) 29 June 1992 (age 32) | 1 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
| 9 | 4FW | Preslav Yordanov | (1989-07-21) 21 July 1989 (age 35) | 1 | 0 | CSKA 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 | (1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 36) | 0 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| GK | Bozhidar Mitrev | (1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 37) | 9 | 0 |  Sheriff Tiraspol
|
v. Sweden, 11 October 2016
|
| GK | Plamen Iliev | (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 33) | 2 | 0 | Botoșani
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| DF | Georgi Terziev | (1992-04-18) 18 April 1992 (age 32) | 9 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| DF | Radoslav Terziev | (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30) | 0 | 0 | Botev Plovdiv
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| DF | Zhivko Milanov | (1984-07-15) 15 July 1984 (age 40) | 28 | 0 |  APOEL
|
v. Sweden, 11 October 2016
|
| DF | Dimitar Pirgov | (1989-10-23) 23 October 1989 (age 35) | 1 | 0 | Levski Sofia
|
v. Sweden, 11 October 2016
|
| DF | Yordan Minev | (1980-10-14) 14 October 1980 (age 44) | 24 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad
|
v. France, 7 October 2016
|
| DF | Ivan Ivanov | (1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 (age 36) | 40 | 3 | Panathinaikos
|
v. Luxembourg, 6 September 2016
|
| DF | Iliya Milanov | (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) | 6 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
v. Luxembourg, 6 September 2016
|
| DF | Ventsislav Vasilev | (1988-07-08) 8 July 1988 (age 36) | 3 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| DF | Ivo Ivanov | (1985-03-11) 11 March 1985 (age 39) | 6 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| DF | Plamen Galabov | (1995-11-02) 2 November 1995 (age 29) | 0 | 0 | CSKA Sofia
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| DF | Nikolay Bodurov | (1986-05-30) 30 May 1986 (age 38) | 35 | 1 | Unattached | v. North Macedonia, 29 March 2016
|
| MF | Georgi Kostadinov | (1990-09-07) 7 September 1990 (age 34) | 2 | 0 | Levski Sofia
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| MF | Martin Raynov | (1992-04-25) 25 April 1992 (age 32) | 1 | 0 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| MF | Milen Zhelev | (1993-07-17) July 17, 1993 (age 31) | 0 | 0 | Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| MF | Marcelinho | (1984-08-24) 24 August 1984 (age 40) | 7 | 2 | Ludogorets Razgrad
|
v. Sweden, 11 October 2016
|
| MF | Mihail Aleksandrov | (1989-06-11) 11 June 1989 (age 35) | 18 | 3 | Legia Warsaw
|
v. Sweden, 11 October 2016
|
| MF | Galin Ivanov | (1988-03-15) 15 March 1988 (age 36) | 1 | 0 | Levski Sofia
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| MF | Stefan Velev | (1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 35) | 5 | 0 |  Dinamo Tbilisi
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| MF | Yanis Karabelyov | (1996-01-23) 23 January 1996 (age 28) | 0 | 0 | Slavia Sofia
|
v. North Macedonia, 29 March 2016
|
| MF | Kristiyan Malinov | (1994-03-30) 30 March 1994 (age 30) | 1 | 0 | CSKA Sofia
|
v. Portugal, 25 March 2016
|
| FW | Dimitar Rangelov | (1983-02-09) 9 February 1983 (age 41) | 40 | 6 | Konyaspor
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| FW | Andrey Galabinov | (1988-11-27) 27 November 1988 (age 36) | 6 | 2 | Novara
|
v. Belarus, 13 November 2016
|
| FW | Georgi Bozhilov | (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 (age 37) | 2 | 0 | Beroe Stara Zagora
|
v. Luxembourg, 6 September 2016
|
| FW | Ventsislav Hristov | (1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 36) | 8 | 1 | Neftochimic
|
2016 Kirin Cup Squad |
| FW | Toni Tasev | (1994-03-25) 25 March 1994 (age 30) | 0 | 0 | Pirin Blagoevgrad
|
v. North Macedonia, 29 March 2016
|
Current Coaching Staff
| Head coach | Petar Hubchev
|
| Assistant coach | Georgi Donkov
|
| Assistant coach | Levon Apkaryan
|
| Goalkeepers coach |  Armen Ambartsumyan
|
| BFU president | Borislav Mikhailov
|
| Team captain | Svetoslav Dyakov
|
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
- Summer Olympics Football Tournament Squads
- 1924 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1952 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1956 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1960 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1968 Summer Olympics football squad
Player records
Most appearances
Most goals
International match records
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
Head coaches
See also
Sources
External links
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