Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup

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The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.

The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.

Bulgaria have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions, the first being at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. They appeared in the FIFA World Cup subsequently in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1994 and 1998. Their best performance was in 1994, where they finished in fourth place. They have failed to qualify for a FIFA World Cup since 1998.

Record at the FIFA World Cup[]

Bulgaria's first appearance at the World Cup was at the seventh edition of the tournament in 1962. Between 1962 and 1974, they participated at four consecutive World Cup tournaments but did not survive the first round. Their best result followed in 1994, where they reached the semi-finals.

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Was not invited
Kingdom of Italy 1934 Did not qualify 3rd 3 0 0 3 3 14
France 1938 2nd 2 0 1 1 1 7
Brazil 1950 Did not enter -
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify 3rd 4 0 1 3 3 7
Sweden 1958 2nd 4 2 0 2 11 7
Chile 1962 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 7 1st 5 4 0 1 7 4
England 1966 12th 3 0 0 3 1 8 1st 5 4 0 1 11 7
Mexico 1970 12th 3 0 1 2 5 9 1st 6 4 1 1 12 7
West Germany 1974 11th 3 0 2 1 2 5 1st 6 4 2 0 13 3
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 6
Spain 1982 3rd 8 4 1 3 11 10
Mexico 1986 Round of 16 10th 4 0 2 2 2 6 2nd 8 5 1 2 13 5
Italy 1990 Did not qualify 4th 6 1 1 4 6 8
United States 1994 Fourth Place 4th 7 3 1 3 10 11 2nd 10 6 2 2 19 10
France 1998 Group stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 1 7 1st 8 6 0 2 18 9
South KoreaJapan 2002 Did not qualify 3rd 10 5 2 3 14 15
Germany 2006 3rd 10 4 3 3 17 17
South Africa 2010 3rd 10 3 5 2 17 13
Brazil 2014 4th 10 3 4 3 14 9
Russia 2018 4th 10 4 1 5 14 19
Qatar 2022 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total Fourth Place 7/21 26 3 8 15 22 53 Total 129 60 27 42 209 177
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks

By Match[]

World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
1962 Group stage  Argentina 0–1 L Rancagua
 Hungary 1–6 L Rancagua G. Sokolov
 England 0–0 D Rancagua
1966 Group stage  Brazil 0–2 L Liverpool
 Portugal 0–3 L Manchester
 Hungary 1–3 L Manchester G. Asparuhov
1970 Group stage  Peru 2–3 L León D. Dermendzhiev, H. Bonev
 West Germany 2–5 L León A. Nikodimov, T. Kolev
 Morocco 1–1 D León D. Zhechev
1974 Group stage  Sweden 0–0 D Düsseldorf
 Uruguay 1–1 D Hanover H. Bonev
 Netherlands 1–4 L Dortmund R. Krol (o.g.)
1986 Group stage  Italy 1–1 D Mexico City N. Sirakov
 South Korea 1–1 D Mexico City P. Getov
 Argentina 0–2 L Mexico City
Round of 16  Mexico 0–2 L Mexico City
1994 Group stage  Nigeria 0–3 L Dallas
 Greece 4–0 W Chicago H. Stoichkov (2), Y. Letchkov, D. Borimirov
 Argentina 2–0 W Dallas H. Stoichkov, N. Sirakov
Round of 16  Mexico 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–1 pen.)
D East Rutherford H. Stoichkov
Quarter-finals  Germany 2–1 W East Rutherford H. Stoichkov, Y. Letchkov
Semi-finals  Italy 1–2 L East Rutherford H. Stoichkov
Third place play-off  Sweden 0–4 L Pasadena
1998 Group stage  Paraguay 0–0 D Montpellier
 Nigeria 0–1 L Paris
 Spain 1–6 L Lens E. Kostadinov

Record by Opponent[]

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Wins Draws Losses Total Goals Scored Goals Conceded
 Argentina 1 0 2 3 2 3
 Brazil 0 0 1 1 0 2
 England 0 1 0 1 0 0
 Germany 1 0 0 1 2 1
 Greece 1 0 0 1 4 0
 Hungary 0 0 2 2 2 9
 Italy 0 1 1 2 2 3
 Mexico 0 1 1 2 1 3
 Morocco 0 1 0 1 1 1
 Netherlands 0 0 1 1 1 4
 Nigeria 0 0 2 2 0 4
 Paraguay 0 1 0 1 0 0
 Peru 0 0 1 1 2 3
 Portugal 0 0 1 1 0 3
 South Korea 0 1 0 1 1 1
 Spain 0 0 1 1 1 6
 Sweden 0 1 1 2 0 4
 Uruguay 0 1 0 1 1 1
 West Germany 0 0 1 1 2 5

Tournament Summary[]

1962 FIFA World Cup[]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
 Hungary 3 2 1 0 8 2 4.000 5
 England 3 1 1 1 4 3 1.333 3
 Argentina 3 1 1 1 2 3 0.667 3
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 0.143 1
Source:[citation needed]
  • England finished ahead of Argentina on goal average.
Argentina 1–0 Bulgaria
Facundo Goal 4' Report
Attendance: 7,134
Referee: (Spain)

Hungary 6–1 Bulgaria
Albert Goal 1'6'53'
Tichy Goal 8'70'
Solymosi Goal 12'
Report Sokolov Goal 64'[1]
Attendance: 7,442
Referee: (Spain)

England 0–0 Bulgaria
Report
Attendance: 5,700
Referee: Antoine Blavier (Belgium)

1966 FIFA World Cup[]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
 Portugal 3 3 0 0 9 2 4.500 6
 Hungary 3 2 0 1 7 5 1.400 4
 Brazil 3 1 0 2 4 6 0.667 2
 Bulgaria 3 0 0 3 1 8 0.125 0
Source:[citation needed]
Brazil 2–0 Bulgaria
Pelé Goal 15'
Garrincha Goal 63'
Report
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Attendance: 48,000
Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (West Germany)

Portugal 3–0 Bulgaria
Vutsov Goal 17' (o.g.)
Eusébio Goal 38'
Torres Goal 81'
Report
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: (Uruguay)

Hungary 3–1 Bulgaria
Davidov Goal 43' (o.g.)
Mészöly Goal 45'
Bene Goal 54'
Report Asparuhov Goal 15'
Old Trafford, Manchester
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: (Argentina)

1970 FIFA World Cup[]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 West Germany 3 3 0 0 10 4 +6 6
 Peru 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 5 9 −4 1
 Morocco 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
Source:[citation needed]

All times local (UTC−6)

Peru 3–2 Bulgaria
Gallardo Goal 50'
Chumpitaz Goal 55'
Cubillas Goal 73'
Report Dermendzhiev Goal 13'
Bonev Goal 49'
Attendance: 13,765
Referee: Antonio Sbardella (Italy)

Assistant referees:
(Mexico)
(Japan)

Bulgaria 2–5 West Germany
Nikodimov Goal 12'
Kolev Goal 89'
Report Libuda Goal 20'
Müller Goal 27'52' (pen.)88'
Seeler Goal 67'
Attendance: 12,710

Assistant referees:
(Colombia)
(Portugal)

Bulgaria 1–1 Morocco
Zhechev Goal 40' Report Ghazouani Goal 61'
Attendance: 12,299
Referee: (Portugal)

Assistant referees:
Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union)
Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands)

1974 FIFA World Cup[]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 5
 Sweden 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 5 −3 2
 Uruguay 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source:[citation needed]
Sweden 0–0 Bulgaria
Report
Attendance: 22,500
Referee: (Peru)

 Bulgaria1–1Uruguay 
Bonev Goal 75' Report Pavoni Goal 87'
Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Jack Taylor (England)

Netherlands 4–1 Bulgaria
Neeskens Goal 5' (pen.)44' (pen.)
Rep Goal 71'
de Jong Goal 88'
Report Krol Goal 78' (o.g.)
Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
Attendance: 52,100
Referee: Tony Boskovic (Australia)

1986 FIFA World Cup[]

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.

Bulgaria 1–1 Italy
Sirakov Goal 85' Report Altobelli Goal 43'
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Attendance: 96,000
Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)
South Korea 1–1 Bulgaria
Kim Jong-boo Goal 70' Report Getov Goal 11'
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Fallaj Al Shanar (Saudi Arabia)
Argentina 2–0 Bulgaria
Valdano Goal 3'
Burruchaga Goal 76'
Report
Attendance: 65,000
Mexico 2–0 Bulgaria
Negrete Goal 34'
Servín Goal 61'
Report
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Attendance: 114,580
Referee: Romualdo Arppi Filho (Brazil)

1994 FIFA World Cup[]

Certainly[according to whom?] one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, when Emil Kostadinov scored two goals to beat France in Paris, allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994. Under the management of Dimitar Penev, the Bulgarians, led by players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Letchkov, 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 Mikhailov made a good performance saving two of the penalty kicks. Bulgaria won 3–1 on penalties with Mihaylov becoming the hero for the Bulgarian team. In the quarter-finals, Bulgaria faced Germany. Lothar Matthäus scored from a penalty. The Bulgarians, however, managed to turn the game over with two goals by Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov, giving them a 2–1 win and recording one of the most memorable wins for the team. Millions of Bulgarians celebrated this win in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. Having reached the semi-finals, this was the best Bulgarian performance in the World Cup. In the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 to Italy. The third-place match was lost to Sweden, 4–0, and Bulgaria eventually finished in fourth place. Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals (shared with Oleg Salenko). Krasimir Balakov was named in the all-star team along with Stoichkov. Starting 11: GK-Mihaylov(c); RB-Kiryakov/Kremenliev, CB/SW-Hubchev, CB-Ivanov, LB-Tsvetanov; DM-Yankov, CM-Lechkov, CM-Balakov, AM/CF-Sirakov/Borimirov; CF/RW-Kostadinov, CF/LW-Stoichkov.[2][3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
3  Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
4  Greece 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Source: FIFA

All times local (EDT/UTC–4, CDT/UTC–5, PDT/UTC–7)

Nigeria 3–0 Bulgaria
Yekini Goal 21'
Amokachi Goal 43'
Amuneke Goal 55'
Report
Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 44,132
Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)

Assistant referees:
Gordon Dunster (Australia)
Eugene Brazzale (Australia)
Fourth official:
Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)

Bulgaria 4–0 Greece
Stoichkov Goal 5' (pen.)55' (pen.)
Letchkov Goal 65'
Borimirov Goal 90'
Report
Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,160
Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)

Assistant referees:
Abdulla Al Ghattan (Bahrain)
Raimundo Calix Garcia (Honduras)
Fourth official:
Arturo Angeles (United States)

Argentina 0–2 Bulgaria
Report Stoichkov Goal 61'
Sirakov Goal 90'
Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

Assistant referees:
Tapio Yli-Karro (Finland)
El Jilali Rharib (Morocco)
Fourth official:
Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)

Mexico 1 – 1
(a.e.t.)
 Bulgaria
García Aspe Goal 18' (pen.) Report Stoichkov Goal 6'
Penalties
García Aspe Penalty missed
Bernal Penalty missed
Rodríguez Penalty missed
Suárez Penalty scored
1–3 Penalty missed Balakov
Penalty scored Guentchev
Penalty scored Borimirov
Penalty scored Letchkov
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 71,030
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
Bulgaria 2–1 Germany
Stoichkov Goal 75'
Letchkov Goal 78'
Report Matthäus Goal 47' (pen.)
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 72,000
Bulgaria 1–2 Italy
Stoichkov Goal 44' (pen.) Report R. Baggio Goal 21'25'
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 74,110
Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)
Sweden 4–0 Bulgaria
Brolin Goal 8'
Mild Goal 30'
Larsson Goal 37'
K. Andersson Goal 40'
Report
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 91,500
Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)

1998 FIFA World Cup[]

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

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6
 Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5
 Spain 3 1 1 1 8 4 +4 4
 Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1
Source:[citation needed]
Paraguay 0–0 Bulgaria
Report
Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier
Attendance: 27,650
Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid (Saudi Arabia)

Assistant referees:
Achmat Salie (South Africa)
Hussain Ghadanfari (Kuwait)
Fourth official:
Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)

Nigeria 1–0 Bulgaria
Ikpeba Goal 26' Report
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 45,500
Referee: Mario Sánchez Yanten (Chile)

Assistant referees:
Jorge Diaz Galvez (Chile)
Arnaldo Pinto (Brazil)
Fourth official:
Marcio Rezende (Brazil)

Spain 6–1 Bulgaria
Hierro Goal 5' (pen.)
Luis Enrique Goal 18'
Morientes Goal 53'80'
Kiko Goal 88'90'
Report Kostadinov Goal 56'
Attendance: 38,100
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

Assistant referees:
Nicolae Grigorescu (Romania)
Claudio Rossi (Argentina)
Fourth official:
Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)

Record players[]

No. Name Matches World Cups
1 Borislav Mikhailov 11 1986 and 1994
Nasko Sirakov 11 1986 and 1994
3 Krasimir Balakov 10 1994 and 1998
Emil Kostadinov 10 1994 and 1998
Hristo Stoichkov 10 1994 and 1998
6 Dimitar Penev 9 1966, 1970 and 1974
Trifon Ivanov 9 1994 and 1998
8 Zlatko Yankov 8 1994 and 1998
9 Georgi Asparuhov 7 1962, 1966 and 1970
Petar Houbchev 7 1994
Yordan Letchkov 7 1994
Daniel Borimirov 7 1994 and 1998
Ivaylo Yordanov 7 1994 and 1998

Top goalscorers[]

No. Name Goals World Cups
1 Hristo Stoichkov 6 1994
2 Hristo Bonev 2 1970 and 1974
Nasko Sirakov 2 1986 and 1994
Yordan Letchkov 2 1994
5 Georgi Sokolov 1 1962
Georgi Asparuhov 1 1966
Dinko Dermendzhiev 1 1970
Todor Kolev 1 1970
Asparuh Nikodimov 1 1970
Dobromir Zhechev 1 1970
Plamen Getov 1 1986
Daniel Borimirov 1 1994
Emil Kostadinov 1 1998

Individual Awards[]

  • Golden Boot 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (shared)
  • Bronze Ball 1994: Hristo Stoichkov

References[]

  1. ^ RSSSF credits this goal to Georgi Asparuhov.
  2. ^ "WORLD CUP '94; Bulgaria, a Small Foot in Soccer, Steps Closer to Glass Slipper – New York Times". Nytimes.com. Germany; Bulgaria. 1994-07-11. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  3. ^ "Bulgaria: Can Soccer Success Mean Business? – Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. 1994-07-31. Retrieved 2014-03-09.

External links[]

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