Bulgarian football league system

The Bulgarian football league system or the Bulgarian football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Bulgaria. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to dream of rising to the very top of the system.

History

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The first organised national tournament was founded in 1924. It was called the National championship (Bulgarian: Държавно първенство). The teams taking part in the tournament were separated in different regional divisions and the winners of each division then played for the Championship title via play-offs.

In 1948, A Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „А“ Републиканска футболна група) was founded, a new national top division. The second level of the football league system - the B Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „Б“ Републиканска футболна група) was founded two years later. The lower levels of the pyramid - V Republican Football Group (Bulgarian: „В“ Републиканска футболна група) and below - were structured in 1959.

This system (with minor changes during the years) existed until 2000. Then experimentally a new Bulgarian Premier Football League (Bulgarian: Висша лига по футбол) was founded replacing A Football Group. B Football Group was replaced by the new Bulgarian First Football League (Bulgarian: Първа лига по футбол). But these changes lasted for just three years - in 2003 the old A and B Football Groups were restored at the top of the football pyramid.

From 2016, the top level league name was changed to First Professional Football League and B Group name to Second Professional Football League.[1]

Structure

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Currently the Bulgarian football league system consists of 55 different divisions forming 5 levels of the pyramid:[2][3]

Level League/Group
Professional Leagues
1 First League

16 clubs
↓ 2 relegation spots + 1 relegation playoff spot

2 Second League

18 clubs
↑ 2 promotion spot + 1 promotion playoff spots
↓ 4 relegation spots

Non-professional Leagues
3 North-East Third League

15 clubs
↑ 1 promotion spot
↓ 1 relegation spot + 2 relegation playoff spots

North-West Third League

16 clubs
↑ 1 promotion spot
↓ 1 relegation spot + 3 relegation playoff spots

South-East Third League

20 clubs
↑ 1 promotion spot
↓ 2 relegation spots + 3 relegation playoff spots

South-West Third League

22 clubs
↑ 1 promotion spot
↓ 2 to 5 relegation spots

4 A OFGs
(A OFGs - A Oblast Football Groups)

39 in total (all divisions run in parallel):

  • A OFG Blagoevgrad Struma
  • A OFG Blagoevgrad Bistritsa
  • A OFG Blagoevgrad Mesta
  • A OFG Burgas
  • A OFG Varna
  • A OFG Veliko Tarnovo
  • A OFG Vidin
  • A OFG Vratsa
  • A OFG Gabrovo West
  • A OFG Gabrovo East
  • A OFG Dobrich West
  • A OFG Dobrich East
  • A OFG Kardzhali
  • A OFG Kyustendil Osogovo
  • A OFG Kyustendil Rila
  • A OFG Lovech
  • A OFG Montana
  • A OFG Pazardzhik
  • A OFG Pernik North
  • A OFG Pernik South
  • A OFG Pleven
  • A OFG Plovdiv
  • A OFG Razgrad
  • A OFG Rousse West
  • A OFG Rousse East
  • A OFG Silistra
  • A OFG Sliven
  • A OFG Smolyan
  • A OFG Sofia (capital) North
  • A OFG Sofia (capital) South
  • A OFG Sofia West
  • A OFG Sofia East
  • A OFG Stara Zagora
  • A OFG Targovishte East
  • A OFG Targovishte Middle
  • A OFG Targovishte West
  • A OFG Haskovo
  • A OFG Shumen
  • A OFG Yambol
5 B OFGs
(B OFGs - B Oblast Football Groups)

10 in total (all divisions run in parallel):

  • B OFG Burgas North
  • B OFG Burgas South
  • B OFG Veliko Tarnovo
  • B OFG Pazardzhik North
  • B OFG Pazardzhik South
  • B OFG Pleven West
  • B OFG Pleven East
  • B OFG Plovdiv North
  • B OFG Plovdiv Centre
  • B OFG Plovdiv South

References

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