The FIFA 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 48 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup final is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.
Bulgaria has appeared in the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions, the first being at the 1962 tournament. 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 recordFIFA World Cup qualification recordYearRoundPositionPosition 1930Did not enterWas not invited 1934Did not qualify3rd3003314 19382nd201117 1950Did not enterDeclined participation 1954Did not qualify3rd401337 19582nd4202117 1962Group stage13th3012171st540174 196612th3003181st5401117 197012th3012591st6411127 197411th3021251st6420133 1978Did not qualify2nd412156 19823rd84131110 1986Round of 1615th4022262nd8512135 1990Did not qualify4th611468 1994Fourth place4th731310112nd106221910 1998Group stage22nd3012171st8602189 2002Did not qualify3rd105231415 20063rd104331717 20103rd103521713 20144th10343149 20184th104151419 20224th8224614 20264th6105319 2030To be determinedTo be determined 2034TotalFourth place7/232638152253Total137622946215191 *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out
By match
World CupRoundOpponentScoreResultVenueScorers1962Group 40–1LRancagua1–6LRancaguaG. Sokolov0–0DRancagua1966Group 30–2LLiverpool0–3LManchester1–3LManchesterG. Asparuhov1970Group 42–3LLeónD. Dermendzhiev, H. Bonev2–5LLeónA. Nikodimov, T. Kolev1–1DLeónD. Zhechev1974Group 30–0DDüsseldorf1–1DHanoverH. Bonev1–4LDortmundR. Krol (o.g.)1986Group A1–1DMexico CityN. Sirakov1–1DMexico CityP. Getov0–2LMexico CityRound of 16 0–2LMexico City1994Group D0–3LDallas4–0WChicagoH. Stoichkov (2), Y. Letchkov, D. Borimirov2–0WDallasH. Stoichkov, N. SirakovRound of 161–1 (3–1 pen.)DEast RutherfordH. StoichkovQuarter-finals2–1WEast RutherfordH. Stoichkov, Y. LetchkovSemi-finals1–2LEast RutherfordH. StoichkovMatch for third place0–4LPasadena1998Group D0–0DMontpellier0–1LParis1–6LLensE. Kostadinov
Record by opponent FIFA World Cup matches (by team)OpponentWinsDrawsLossesTotalGoals ScoredGoals Conceded102323001102010100100121100140002229011223011213010111001114002204010100001123001103010111001116011204010111001125
Tournament summary
1962 FIFA World Cup
England finished ahead of Argentina on goal average.
1966 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
All times local (UTC−6)
GK 1 Luis RubiñosDF 2 Eloy Campos DF 3 Orlando de la TorreDF 4 Héctor Chumpitaz (c)DF 5 Nicolás FuentesMF 6 Ramón MifflinMF 7 Roberto ChalleFW 8 Julio Baylón FW 9 Pedro Pablo LeónFW 10Teófilo CubillasFW 11Alberto GallardoSubstitutions:MF 15Javier González FW 20Hugo Sotil Manager: Didi
GK 1 Simeon SimeonovDF 2 Aleksandar ShalamanovDF 3 Ivan Dimitrov (c)DF 5 Ivan DavidovDF 4 Stefan AladzhovMF 8 Hristo Bonev MF 6 Dimitar PenevMF 10Dimitar YakimovFW 7 Georgi Popov FW 9 Petar ZhekovFW 11Dinko DermendzhievSubstitutions:FW 18Dimitar Marashliev FW 19Georgi Asparuhov Manager:Stefan Bozhkov
Assistant referees: Abel Aguilar Elizalde (Mexico) Yoshiyuki Maruyama (Japan)
GK 1 Simeon SimeonovDF 12Milko GaydarskiDF 14Dobromir ZhechevDF 17Todor KolevDF 6 Dimitar PenevMF 15Boris Gaganelov (c) MF 16Asparuh NikodimovMF 11Dinko Dermendzhiev MF 19Georgi AsparuhovFW 18Dimitar MarashlievFW 8 Hristo BonevSubstitutions:DF 2 Aleksandar Shalamanov MF 20Vasil Mitkov Manager:Stefan Bozhkov
GK 1 Sepp MaierDF 7 Berti VogtsDF 3 Karl-Heinz SchnellingerDF 11Klaus FichtelDF 2 Horst-Dieter HöttgesMF 4 Franz Beckenbauer MF 12Wolfgang OverathRW 14Reinhard LibudaFW 9 Uwe Seeler (c)FW 13Gerd MüllerLW 17Hannes Löhr Substitutions:MF 6 Wolfgang Weber FW 20Jürgen Grabowski Manager:Helmut Schön
Assistant referees: Guillermo Velasquez (Colombia) Antonio Saldanha Ribeiro (Portugal)
GK 13Stoyan YordanovDF 12Milko GaydarskiDF 14Dobromir ZhechevDF 10Dimitar Yakimov DF 6 Dimitar Penev MF 2 Aleksandar Shalamanov (c)MF 16Asparuh NikodimovMF 17Todor KolevMF 7 Georgi PopovFW 20Vasil MitkovFW 19Georgi AsparuhovSubstitutions:DF 3 Ivan Dimitrov FW 8 Hristo Bonev Manager:Stefan Bozhkov
GK 12Mohammed HazzazDF 3 Boujemaa BenkhrifDF 13 Jalili FadiliDF 4 Moulay KhanousiDF 5 Kacem SlimaniMF 6 Mohammed MahroufiMF 8 Driss Bamous (c) MF 10Mohammed El FilaliMF 7 Said GhandiFW 17Ahmed Alaoui FW 11Maouhoub GhazouaniSubstitutions:FW 9 Ahmed Faras MF 16Moustapha Choukri Manager: Blagoje Vidinić
Assistant referees: Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union) Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands)
1974 FIFA World Cup
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.
GK 1 Borislav MihaylovDF 3 Nikolay ArabovDF 5 Georgi Dimitrov (c)DF 13Aleksandar Markov MF 11Plamen GetovMF 10Zhivko Gospodinov MF 8 Ayan SadakovMF 12Radoslav ZdravkovMF 2 Nasko SirakovFW 7 Bozhidar Iskrenov FW 9 Stoycho MladenovSubstitutions:FW 20Kostadin Kostadinov MF 6 Andrey Zhelyazkov Manager: Ivan Vutsov
GK 1 Giovanni GalliDF 2 Giuseppe Bergomi DF 3 Antonio Cabrini DF 6 Gaetano Scirea (c)DF 8 Pietro VierchowodMF 14Antonio Di GennaroMF 10Salvatore BagniMF 13Fernando De NapoliMF 16Bruno Conti FW 19Giuseppe GalderisiFW 18Alessandro AltobelliSubstitutions:FW 17Gianluca Vialli Manager: Enzo Bearzot
GK 21Oh Yun-kyoDF 2 Park Kyung-hoonDF 5 Chung Yong-hwanDF 8 Cho Young-jeung MF 13Noh Soo-jin MF 4 Cho Kwang-rae MF 17Huh Jung-mooMF 16Kim Joo-sung MF 10Park Chang-sun (c)FW 19Byun Byung-jooFW 11Cha Bum-kunSubstitutions:FW 7 Kim Jong-boo DF 20Kim Yong-se Manager: Kim Jung-nam
GK 1 Borislav MihaylovDF 3 Nikolay ArabovDF 5 Georgi Dimitrov (c)DF 4 Petar PetrovMF 11Plamen Getov MF 10Zhivko Gospodinov MF 8 Ayan SadakovMF 12Radoslav ZdravkovMF 2 Nasko SirakovFW 7 Bozhidar Iskrenov FW 9 Stoycho MladenovSubstitutions:FW 20Kostadin Kostadinov MF 6 Andrey Zhelyazkov Manager: Ivan Vutsov
GK 18Nery PumpidoDF 5 José Luis BrownDF 13Oscar GarréDF 9 José Luis Cuciuffo DF 19Oscar RuggeriMF 2 Sergio Batista MF 14Ricardo GiustiMF 7 Jorge BurruchagaMF 10Diego Maradona (c)FW 4 Claudio Borghi FW 11Jorge ValdanoSubstitutions:MF 16Julio Olarticoechea MF 12Héctor Enrique Manager: Carlos Bilardo
GK 1 Borislav MihaylovDF 4 Petar PetrovDF 5 Georgi Dimitrov (c)MF 11Plamen GetovMF 15Georgi YordanovMF 6 Andrey ZhelyazkovMF 8 Ayan SadakovMF 13Aleksandar MarkovMF 2 Nasko Sirakov FW 14Plamen MarkovFW 9 Stoycho Mladenov Substitutions:FW 18Boycho Velichkov MF 12Radoslav Zdravkov Manager: Ivan Vutsov
GK 1 Pablo LariosDF 18 Rafael AmadorDF 3 Fernando QuirarteDF 14 Félix CruzDF 17 Raúl ServínMF 7 Miguel EspañaMF 16 Carlos MuñozMF 10 Tomás Boy (c) MF 13 Javier AguirreFW 22 Manuel NegreteFW 9 Hugo SánchezSubstitutions:MF 6 Carlos de los Cobos Manager: Bora Milutinović
GK 1 Borislav MihaylovDF 3 Nikolay Arabov DF 5 Georgi Dimitrov (c)DF 4 Petar PetrovMF 11 Plamen Getov MF 15 Georgi YordanovMF 19 Atanas Pashev MF 10 Zhivko GospodinovMF 8 Ayan SadakovMF 12 Radoslav ZdravkovFW 20 Kostadin KostadinovSubstitutions:MF 2 Nasko Sirakov FW 7 Bozhidar Iskrenov Manager: Ivan Vutsov
1994 FIFA World Cup Certainly 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 Mihaylov 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 match for third place 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.
All times local (EDT/UTC–4, CDT/UTC–5, PDT/UTC–7)
GK 1 Peter Rufai (c)DF 2 Augustine EguavoenDF 3 Benedict IrohaDF 5 Uche OkechukwuDF 6 Chidi NwanuMF 7 Finidi George FW 9 Rashidi YekiniMF 11Emmanuel Amunike FW 12Samson Siasia FW 14Daniel AmokachiMF 15Sunday OlisehSubstitutions:MF 21Mutiu Adepoju DF 13Emeka Ezeugo Manager: Clemens Westerhof