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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
  1930 Did not enter Was not invited
  1934 Did not qualify 3rd 3 0 0 3 3 14
  1938 2nd 2 0 1 1 1 7
  1950 Did not enter -
  1954 Did not qualify 3rd 4 0 1 3 3 7
  1958 2nd 4 2 0 2 11 7
  1962 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 7 1st 5 4 0 1 7 4
  1966 12th 3 0 0 3 1 8 1st 5 4 0 1 11 7
  1970 12th 3 0 1 2 5 9 1st 6 4 1 1 12 7
  1974 11th 3 0 2 1 2 5 1st 6 4 2 0 13 3
  1978 Did not qualify 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 6
  1982 3rd 8 4 1 3 11 10
  1986 Round of 16 10th 4 0 2 2 2 6 2nd 8 5 1 2 13 5
  1990 Did not qualify 4th 6 1 1 4 6 8
  1994 Fourth Place 4th 7 3 1 3 10 11 2nd 10 6 2 2 19 10
  1998 Group stage 22nd 3 0 1 2 1 7 1st 8 6 0 2 18 9
   2002 Did not qualify 3rd 10 5 2 3 14 15
  2006 3rd 10 4 3 3 17 17
  2010 3rd 10 3 5 2 17 13
  2014 4th 10 3 4 3 14 9
  2018 4th 10 4 1 5 14 19
  2022 To be determined To be determined
      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]
Argentina  1–0  Bulgaria
Facundo   4' Report
Attendance: 7,134
Hungary  6–1  Bulgaria
Albert   1', 6', 53'
Tichy   8', 70'
Solymosi   12'		 Report Sokolov   64'[1]
Attendance: 7,442
England  0–0  Bulgaria
Report
Attendance: 5,700

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   15'
Garrincha   63'		 Report
Attendance: 48,000
Portugal  3–0  Bulgaria
Vutsov   17' (o.g.)
Eusébio   38'
Torres   81'		 Report
Attendance: 26,000
Hungary  3–1  Bulgaria
Davidov   43' (o.g.)
Mészöly   45'
Bene   54'		 Report Asparuhov   15'
Attendance: 22,000

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   50'
Chumpitaz   55'
Cubillas   73'		 Report Dermendzhiev   13'
Bonev   49'
Attendance: 13,765

Assistant referees:
Abel Aguilar Elizalde (Mexico)
Yoshiyuki Maruyama (Japan)

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

Assistant referees:
Guillermo Velasquez (Colombia)
Antonio Saldanha Ribeiro (Portugal)

Bulgaria  1–1  Morocco
Zhechev   40' Report Ghazouani   61'
Attendance: 12,299

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
  Bulgaria1–1Uruguay  
Bonev   75' Report Pavoni   87'
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Jack Taylor (England)
Netherlands  4–1  Bulgaria
Neeskens   5' (pen.), 44' (pen.)
Rep   71'
de Jong   88'		 Report Krol   78' (o.g.)
Attendance: 52,100

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   85' Report Altobelli   43'
Attendance: 96,000
South Korea  1–1  Bulgaria
Kim Jong-boo   70' Report Getov   11'
Attendance: 45,000
Argentina  2–0  Bulgaria
Valdano   3'
Burruchaga   76'		 Report
Attendance: 65,000
Mexico  2–0  Bulgaria
Negrete   34'
Servín   61'		 Report
Attendance: 114,580

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]

Template:1994 FIFA World Cup Group D

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

Nigeria  3–0  Bulgaria
Yekini   21'
Amokachi   43'
Amuneke   55'		 Report
Attendance: 44,132

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

Bulgaria  4–0  Greece
Stoichkov   5' (pen.), 55' (pen.)
Letchkov   65'
Borimirov   90'		 Report
Attendance: 63,160

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

Argentina  0–2  Bulgaria
Report Stoichkov   61'
Sirakov   90'
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   18' (pen.) Report Stoichkov   6'
Penalties
García Aspe  
Bernal  
Rodríguez  
Suárez  		 1–3   Balakov
  Guentchev
  Borimirov
  Letchkov
Attendance: 71,030
Bulgaria  2–1  Germany
Stoichkov   75'
Letchkov   78'		 Report Matthäus   47' (pen.)
Attendance: 72,000
Bulgaria  1–2  Italy
Stoichkov   44' (pen.) Report R. Baggio   21', 25'
Attendance: 74,110
Sweden  4–0  Bulgaria
Brolin   8'
Mild   30'
Larsson   37'
K. Andersson   40'		 Report
Attendance: 91,500

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
Attendance: 27,650

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

Nigeria  1–0  Bulgaria
Ikpeba   26' Report
Attendance: 45,500

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

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

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

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.
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