Bulgaria national football team
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 | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 55 | ||
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 | ||
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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[clarification needed] 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. This was a major disappointment to the national side. Bulgaria’s next major tournament was the entrance to the 1962 world cup.
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.
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 3–0 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 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.
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: Hopefuls for the Future
Bulgaria are drawn in a tough group of death qualifier for the 2014 World Cup. They are in with Euro Cup finalists Italy, powerful opponents Czech Republic and Denmark and tough up-seters Armenia. With a tough group ahead Bulgaria are hopeful to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
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 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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 | ||||||||
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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
- UEFA European Football Championship
- Quarterfinals (1): 1968
Players
Colours and kits
Bulgarian Kit Evolution
30s
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50s
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1994 Home
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2000
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2008
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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 |
Current squad
Squad for the friendly games against the Netherlands on 26 May 2012 and Turkey on 29 May 2012.
Caps and goals updated as of 26 May 2012, subsequent to the game against the Netherlands.
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 | Nikolay Mihaylov | June 28, 1988 | 19 | 0 | Twente | v. Netherlands, May 26, 2012INJ | ||
GK | Vladislav Stoyanov | June 8, 1987 | 4 | 0 | Sheriff Tiraspol | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
GK | Ivan Karadzhov | July 12, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | v. Cyprus, March 29, 2011 | ||
DF | Georgi Terziev | April 18, 1992 | 2 | 0 | Chernomorets Burgas | v. Netherlands, May 26, 2012INJ | ||
DF | Iliya Milanov | February 19, 1992 | 0 | 0 | Litex Lovech | v. Netherlands, May 26, 2012INJ | ||
DF | Kostadin Stoyanov | May 8, 1985 | 10 | 0 | CSKA Sofia | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
DF | Plamen Krachunov | January 11, 1989 | 0 | 0 | CSKA Sofia | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
DF | Zhivko Milanov | July 15, 1984 | 23 | 0 | Vaslui | v. Switzerland, September 6, 2011 | ||
DF | Aleksandar Tunchev | July 10, 1981 | 26 | 1 | Leicester City | v. England, September 2, 2011 | ||
DF | Apostol Popov | December 22, 1982 | 1 | 0 | CSKA Sofia | v. Belarus, August 11, 2011 | ||
DF | Rumen Trifonov | February 21, 1985 | 0 | 0 | CSKA Sofia | v. Belarus, August 11, 2011INJ | ||
MF | Georgi Sarmov | September 7, 1985 | 4 | 0 | Kasımpaşa | v. Netherlands, May 26, 2012 | ||
MF | Mihail Aleksandrov | June 11, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad | v. Hungary, February 29, 2012 | ||
MF | Aleksandar Tsvetkov | August 31, 1990 | 1 | 0 | Litex Lovech | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
MF | Martin Petrov | January 15, 1979 | 89 | 19 | Bolton Wanderers | v. Switzerland, September 6, 2011 | ||
MF | Chavdar Yankov | March 29, 1984 | 50 | 5 | Slavia Sofia | v. Belarus, August 11, 2011 | ||
MF | Nikolay Dimitrov | October 15, 1987 | 8 | 0 | Kasımpaşa | v. Belarus, August 11, 2011 | ||
MF | Hristo Yanev | May 4, 1979 | 11 | 3 | Litex Lovech | v. Montenegro, June 4, 2011 | ||
FW | Tsvetan Genkov | February 8, 1984 | 18 | 0 | Wisła Kraków | v. Netherlands, May 26, 2012 | ||
FW | Dimitar Rangelov | March 7, 1983 | 24 | 2 | FC Luzern | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
FW | Spas Delev | September 22, 1989 | 5 | 0 | Mersin İdmanyurdu SK | v. Wales, October 11, 2011 | ||
FW | Georgi Bozhilov | February 11, 1987 | 1 | 0 | Cherno More Varna | v. England, September 2, 2011 |
- Notes
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
Bulgarian Coaching Staff
Head Coach | Lyuboslav Penev |
Assistant Coach | Michial Madanski |
Team Captain | Stiliyan Petrov |
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
Recent Fixtures and Results
Records
Player records
As of match played 11 October 2011. Players in bold are still currently playing for the national team.
Most appearances
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Most goals
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Head coaches
See also
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