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Bulgaria national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Bulgaria national football team represents Bulgaria in international men's football (soccer) games. It's managed by the Bulgarian Football Union, which is part of UEFA (the European football body).

Bulgaria's biggest achievements include winning a silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics and finishing fourth at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The team has played in seven World Cups and two European Championships. They have also won the Balkan Cup three times.

Quick facts for kids
Bulgaria
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Лъвовете / Lavovete
(The Lions)
Трикольорите / Trikolyorite
(The Tricolours)
Association Bulgarian Football Union (BFU)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Ilian Iliev
Captain Kiril Despodov
Most caps Stiliyan Petrov (105)
Top scorer Dimitar Berbatov
Hristo Bonev (48)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code BUL
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 48 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 8 (June 1995)
Lowest 96 (May 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 50 Increase 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest 3 (August 1975)
Lowest 82 (15 November 2020)
First international
 Austria 6–0 Bulgaria 
(Vienna, Austria; 21 May 1924)
Biggest win
 Singapore 2–10 Bulgaria 
(Singapore; 13 December 1956)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 13–0 Bulgaria 
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (first in 1962)
Best result Fourth place (1994)
European Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 1996)
Best result Group stage (1996, 2004)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver 1968 Mexico City Team
Bronze 1956 Melbourne Team
Balkan Cup
Gold 1931 Bulgaria Team
Gold 1932 Yugoslavia Team
Gold 1973–76 Europe Team
Silver 1935 Bulgaria Team
Silver 1936 Romania Team
Bronze 1933 Romania Team

History of Bulgarian Football

Early Years (1922–1945)

The Bulgaria national football team started in 1922. The Bulgarian Football Union was formed in 1923. Their first game was on May 21, 1924, in Vienna, where they lost 6–0 to Austria. A few days later, Bulgaria also played in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

For almost 30 years, Bulgaria didn't qualify for any major tournaments. They often finished second or third in their qualifying groups. However, they did well in smaller tournaments like the Balkan Cup. They won this competition three times: in 1931, 1932, and 1973–76. This makes them the second most successful team in the Balkan Cup.

Success in the 1960s and 1970s

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-N0615-0022, Fußball-WM, Schweden - Bulgarien 0-0
Bulgaria vs. Sweden 0–0 at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Bulgaria played in the World Cup for the first time in 1962. They then qualified for three more World Cups in a row: 1966, 1970, and 1974. However, they didn't get past the group stage in these tournaments.

In 1968, Bulgaria almost made it to the European Championship. They won their qualifying group but lost to Italy in a play-off. Italy went on to win the tournament that year.

A big moment for the team was at the 1968 Summer Olympics. They won the silver medal! They played well in their group, beating Thailand 7–0 and Guatemala 2–1. They also drew 2–2 with Czechoslovakia. They then beat Israel and the host country, Mexico, to reach the final. In the final, they lost to Hungary but still earned a silver medal.

Bulgaria also continued their success in the Balkan Cup, winning it in 1973 and 1976. They beat strong teams like Hungary, Greece, and Romania.

The Golden Generation (1986–2000)

Bulgaria qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. They drew their first two matches against Italy and South Korea. They lost to Argentina, who later won the tournament. Even without a win, Bulgaria made it to the knockout stage. They were one of the first teams to do this without winning a group game. In the Round of 16, they lost to host Mexico.

WorldCup1994BulgariaOverGermany
Bulgarian players celebrate their win over world champions Germany at the 1994 World Cup.

One of the most famous moments in Bulgarian football was on November 17, 1993. Emil Kostadinov scored a goal in the last minute against France in Paris. This amazing goal helped Bulgaria qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Under coach Dimitar Penev, the team was known as the "Golden Generation." Star players like Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Lechkov, and Krasimir Balakov led the team. They surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals!

They started with a 3–0 loss to Nigeria. But then they bounced back with a huge 4–0 win against Greece, which was their first-ever World Cup win. In their final group match, they shocked Argentina with a 2–0 victory.

In the Round of 16, Bulgaria faced Mexico. The game ended 1–1, and Bulgaria won on penalties. Their goalkeeper, Borislav Mihaylov, saved three penalty kicks in a row! In the quarter-finals, they played against the defending champions, Germany. Bulgaria won 2–1 with goals from Stoichkov and Lechkov.

They lost 2–1 to Italy in the semi-finals. Stoichkov scored Bulgaria's only goal. They then lost 4–0 to Sweden in the third-place play-off. Still, finishing fourth was Bulgaria's best World Cup performance ever!

Stoichkov in 2016
Hristo Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or and Golden Boot in 1994.

Hristo Stoichkov was the top scorer of the tournament with six goals. He also won the 1994 Ballon d'Or award, which is given to the best football player in Europe.

In 1996, Bulgaria qualified for the European Championship for the first time. They drew with Spain and beat Romania. However, they lost to France and were eliminated from the group stage.

Bulgaria also qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France. They drew with Paraguay but lost to Nigeria and Spain. They finished last in their group. This was Bulgaria's last World Cup appearance.

Early 21st Century Challenges

Bulgaria tried to qualify for the 2002 World Cup but finished third in their group. This period saw the debut of Dimitar Berbatov, who would become one of Bulgaria's top goal scorers.

They did qualify for Euro 2004 in Portugal. However, they lost all three of their group matches.

Bulgaria failed to qualify for the World Cups in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. They also missed out on the European Championships in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. Despite some good performances, like a 2–1 win over the Netherlands in 2012, they couldn't make it to the final tournaments.

In recent years, Bulgaria has played in the UEFA Nations League. They finished second in their group in 2018–19. However, they were relegated to a lower league in 2020–21. In 2022–23, they stayed in League C.

Team Image

Bulgaria's traditional colours are white, green, and red. These are the colours of the country's flag. The team usually wears white shirts, green shorts, and red socks. Their away kits are often red.

The team's nickname is "The Lions." This name comes from the lions shown on the coat of arms of Bulgaria.

Kit Sponsors

Over the years, different companies have made Bulgaria's football kits. Some of these include Adidas, Puma, Kappa, Joma, and currently, Macron.

Home Stadium

The main home stadium for the Bulgaria national football team is the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. It can hold 44,000 people. This stadium was opened in 1953 and has been updated several times. It's the second-largest stadium in Bulgaria. Many important matches, like Bulgarian Cup finals, are played here.

Recently, the national team has also played some home games at the Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad. This stadium holds 10,422 people. Some games have also been played at Stadion Hristo Botev in Plovdiv.

Results and Upcoming Games

Here are some of Bulgaria's recent match results and future games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

2025 Matches

Current Team and Records

Coaching Staff

The current head coach of the Bulgaria national football team is Ilian Iliev. He works with assistant coaches, a goalkeeping coach, and other staff members.

Current Players

Here are the players recently called up for the Bulgaria national team. Their "caps" mean how many games they have played for the national team. "Goals" means how many goals they have scored.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mitov, DimitarDimitar Mitov (1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 28) 9 0 Scotland Aberdeen
21 1GK Vutsov, SvetoslavSvetoslav Vutsov (2002-07-09) 9 July 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia
23 1GK Iliev, PlamenPlamen Iliev (1991-11-30) 30 November 1991 (age 33) 19 0 Bulgaria Cherno More
2 2DF Popov, ViktorViktor Popov (2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 25) 21 0 Bulgaria Cherno More
3 2DF Atanasov, ZhivkoZhivko Atanasov (1991-02-03) 3 February 1991 (age 34) 12 0 Bulgaria Cherno More
4 2DF Minkov, NikolayNikolay Minkov (1997-08-13) 13 August 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Bulgaria Botev Plovdiv
5 2DF Petkov, AleksAleks Petkov (1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 (age 25) 15 0 Poland Śląsk Wrocław
6 2DF Antov, ValentinValentin Antov (2000-11-09) 9 November 2000 (age 24) 32 1 Italy Cremonese
13 2DF Nürnberger, FabianFabian Nürnberger (1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 (age 25) 5 0 Germany Darmstadt
15 2DF Petrov, SimeonSimeon Petrov (2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 25) 9 0 Poland Śląsk Wrocław
2DF Hristov, PetkoPetko Hristov (1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 (age 26) 19 0 Italy Spezia
2DF Petrov, HristiyanHristiyan Petrov (2002-06-24) 24 June 2002 (age 23) 5 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
8 3MF Kraev, AndrianAndrian Kraev (1999-02-14) 14 February 1999 (age 26) 10 1 Portugal Casa Pia
14 3MF Krastev, FilipFilip Krastev (2001-10-15) 15 October 2001 (age 23) 22 1 Netherlands PEC Zwolle
16 3MF Petkov, MarinMarin Petkov (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 (age 21) 12 2 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
17 3MF Milanov, GeorgiGeorgi Milanov (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 33) 49 2 Romania Dinamo București
18 3MF Panayotov, VasilVasil Panayotov (1990-07-16) 16 July 1990 (age 34) 5 1 Bulgaria Cherno More
22 3MF Iliev Jr., IlianIlian Iliev Jr. (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 25) 17 0 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
7 4FW Rusev, GeorgiGeorgi Rusev (1998-07-02) 2 July 1998 (age 26) 18 1 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
9 4FW Kolev, AleksandarAleksandar Kolev (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 32) 11 0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia
10 4FW Kirilov, RadoslavRadoslav Kirilov (1992-06-29) 29 June 1992 (age 32) 20 2 Bulgaria CSKA 1948
11 4FW Minchev, MartinMartin Minchev (2001-04-22) 22 April 2001 (age 24) 22 0 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor
12 4FW Petkov, LukasLukas Petkov (2000-11-01) 1 November 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Germany Elversberg
19 4FW Ahmedov, AhmedAhmed Ahmedov (1995-03-04) 4 March 1995 (age 30) 4 0 Bulgaria Spartak Varna
20 4FW Ivanov, StanislavStanislav Ivanov (1999-04-16) 16 April 1999 (age 26) 5 0 Bulgaria Arda

Most Games Played

Stiliyan Petrov
Stiliyan Petrov has played the most games for Bulgaria.

The player with the most appearances for Bulgaria is Stiliyan Petrov, who played 105 games.

Top Goal Scorers

Hristo Bonev and Dimitar Berbatov are Bulgaria's joint all-time top scorers.

The top goal scorers for Bulgaria are Dimitar Berbatov and Hristo Bonev, both with 48 goals. Hristo Stoichkov is third with 37 goals.

Bulgaria's Football Achievements

Major Competitions

Regional Competitions

  • Balkan Cup
    • 1 Champions (3): 1931, 1932, 1976

Friendly Competitions

  • Cyprus International Football Tournament
    • 1 Champions (1): 2007
  • FIFA Series: Azerbaijan
    • 1 Champions (1): 2024

Images for kids

  • Vassil levski national stadium

    Vasil Levski National Stadium

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