The 2023–24 First Professional Football League, also known as efbet League for sponsorship reasons, is the 100th season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 76th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid, and also the 8th season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season began on 14 July 2023.
Ludogorets Razgrad were the 12-time defending champions and successfully managed to defend the title, winning it for the thirteenth consecutive time.
Teams As in the last season, 16 teams will compete in the league this year. Two teams were promoted from the 2022–23 Second League, and another place is for the winner of the promotion/relegation playoff.
The first team to earn promotion from the Second League was Etar, who mathematically secured a top three finish after Sportist Svoge lost to Yantra on May 25. Etar return to the top level after a 2-year absence.
The second team to earn promotion from the Second League was Krumovgrad, who mathematically secured a top three finish after winning against Botev Plovdiv II on May 27. This is going to be Krumovgrad's maiden participation in the Bulgarian top flight.
Additionally, Beroe managed to defeat Sportist Svoge with a score of 1–0 in the promotion/relegation playoff, thus maintaining its place in the First League.
Stadia and locations Arda Beroe Botev Plovdiv Botev Vratsa Arena Arda Beroe Hristo Botev Hristo Botev Capacity: 11,114 Capacity: 12,128 Capacity: 18,777 Capacity: 6,417 Cherno More CSKA 1948 CSKA Sofia Etar Ticha Bistritsa Vasil Levski National Stadium Ivaylo Capacity: 6,250 Capacity: 2,500 Capacity: 43,000 Capacity: 18,000 Hebar Krumovgrad Georgi Benkovski Krumovgrad Capacity: 13,128 Capacity: 1,500 Levski Sofia Lokomotiv Plovdiv Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov Lokomotiv Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 8,610 Lokomotiv Sofia Ludogorets Razgrad Pirin Blagoevgrad Slavia Sofia Lokomotiv Huvepharma Arena Hristo Botev Aleksandar Shalamanov Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 10,422 Capacity: 7,500 Capacity: 25,556
Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor AdditionalArda Nikolay Kirov Ivan KokonovUhlsportefbetIK Nataliya Ltd.Beroe José Acciari Bozhidar PenchevDryworldefbet—Botev Plovdiv Dušan Kerkez Lachezar BaltanovMacronWinBet—Botev Vratsa Hristo Yanev Krasimir KostovNikeWinBetVratsa Municipality, SportRespect, Inex, Predsednik Ltd.Cherno More Ilian Iliev Daniel DimovUhlsportArmeetsPlanex Ltd.CSKA 1948 Valentin Iliev Daniel NaumovPumaefbetBachkovoCSKA Sofia Stamen Belchev Jurgen MattheijMacronWinBetHavalEtar Svetoslav Petrov Krum StoyanovNikeWinBet—Hebar Lyuboslav Penev Petar DebarlievJakoefbetPazardzhik MunicipalityKrumovgrad Atanas Ribarski Bozhidar KatsarovUhlsportCompass Cargo AirlinesPIMKLevski Sofia Stanislav Genchev Nikolay MihaylovAdidasPalmsBet—Lokomotiv PlovdivVacant Dimitar IlievJomaWinBetMoney+, Fuel Card DistributionLokomotiv Sofia Krasimir Balakov Krasimir MiloshevJomaBetanoCasa Boyana, Malizia, Intesa, VIA 2000, Club 33Ludogorets Razgrad Georgi Dermendzhiev Anton NedyalkovNikeefbetVivacom, HuvepharmaPirin Blagoevgrad Oleksandr Babych Aleksandar DyulgerovUhlsport8888.bg—Slavia Sofia Zlatomir Zagorčić Georgi PetkovZeusbet365Asset Insurance, SportRespect Note: Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey for official tournaments organised by UEFA in addition to that of the kit manufacturer (exceptions are made for non-profit organisations). Clubs in the domestic league can have more than one sponsorship per jersey which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. Shorts also have space available for advertisement.
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentLevski Sofia Elin TopuzakovEnd of interim period 12 June 2023Pre-season Nikolay Kostov 13 June 2023Beroe Veselin Penev 14 June 2023 Gustavo Aragolaza 15 June 2023Pirin Blagoevgrad Hristo Yanev End of contract 17 June 2023 Radoslav Mitrevski 17 June 2023Slavia Sofia Angel Slavkov End of interim period 22 June 2023 José Mari Bakero 23 June 2023CSKA Sofia Saša Ilić Sacked 29 July 2023 5th Nestor El Maestro 29 July 2023CSKA 1948 Atanas Ribarski Resigned 15 August 2023 7th Nikolay Panayotov 15 August 2023Botev Plovdiv Stanislav Genchev Mutual agreement 22 August 2023 14th Rafael Ferreira (interim) 22 August 2023Pirin Blagoevgrad Radoslav Mitrevski Sacked 27 August 2023 15th Ivo Trenchev 31 August 2023Botev Plovdiv Rafael Ferreira End of interim period 4 September 2023 11th Dušan Kerkez 4 September 2023Lokomotiv Sofia Stoycho StoevResigned 4 September 2023 12th Danilo Dončić 4 September 2023Botev Vratsa Daniel Morales 18 September 2023 13th Hristo Yanev 19 September 2023Beroe Gustavo AragolazaSacked 18 September 2023 6th José Acciari 20 September 2023Slavia Sofia José Mari Bakero 19 September 2023 14th Ivan Kolev 20 September 2023Etar Emanuel Lukanov 30 September 2023 16th Marin Stefanov (interim) 30 September 2023 Marin Stefanov End of interim period 2 October 2023 16th Svetoslav Petrov 2 October 2023Slavia Sofia Ivan Kolev Mutual agreement 23 October 2023 15th Zlatomir Zagorčić 23 October 2023Ludogorets Razgrad Ivaylo Petev Sacked 23 October 2023 5th Georgi Dermendzhiev 24 October 2023Krumovgrad Nemanja Miljanović 28 October 2023 10th Stanislav Genchev 24 October 2023Pirin Blagoevgrad Ivo Trenchev 4 February 2024 14th Oleksandr Babych 5 February 2024Arda Aleksandar Tunchev Mutual agreement 25 February 2024 8th Nikolay Kirov 26 February 2024CSKA 1948 Nikolay Panayotov Sacked 5 April 2024 7th Valentin Iliev 5 April 2024CSKA Sofia Nestor El Maestro 14 April 2024 3rd Stamen Belchev 14 April 2024Lokomotiv Sofia Danilo Dončić 22 April 2024 14th Krasimir Balakov 22 April 2024Lokomotiv Plovdiv Aleksandar TomashMutual agreement 27 May 2024 5thKrumovgrad Stanislav Genchev 28 May 2024 6th Atanas Ribarski 28 May 2024Levski Sofia Nikolay KostovEnd of contract 28 May 2024 4th Stanislav Genchev 28 May 2024Arda Nikolay Kirov Mutual agreement 31 May 2024 8th CSKA Sofia Stamen Belchev Resigned 31 May 2024 3rd
Regular season League table
Results
Championship round Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
Conference League round Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
Relegation round Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
Conference League play-off
Promotion/relegation play-off
Season statistics Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Aleksandar KolevKrumovgrad152 Rwan CruzLudogorets143 Kwadwo DuahLudogorets134 Atanas IlievCherno More12 Georgi NikolovHebar / Botev Plovdiv6 Jakub PiotrowskiLudogorets117 Toni TasevSlavia Sofia10 Bernard TekpeteyLudogorets9 Jonathan LindsethCSKA Sofia9 RicardinhoLevski Sofia11 Antoine BaroanBotev Plovdiv8 Jawad El JemiliLevski Sofia PedrinhoCSKA 1948 Vinni TribouletBeroe
Clean sheets
Rank Goalkeeper Club Cleansheets1 Plamen AndreevLevski Sofia172 Ivan DyulgerovCherno More163 Gustavo BusattoCSKA Sofia154 Anatoli GospodinovArda135 Sergio PadtLudogorets126 Yanko GeorgievKrumovgrad10 Hidajet HankićBotev Plovdiv Aleksandar LyubenovLokomotiv Sofia9 Rodrìgo AccinelliBeroe8 Dinko HorkašLokomotiv Plovdiv Maksym KovalyovPirin Blagoevgrad Simon SlugaLudogorets
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Georgi NikolovHebarLokomotiv Plovdiv3–4 (H)25 August 2023 Antoine BaroanBotev PlovdivBeroe4–1 (H)30 September 2023 Atanas IlievCherno MoreLokomotiv Sofia3–0 (H)4 April 2024
Attendances
# Club Average 1 Levski 8,571 2 CSKA Sofia 6,206 3 PFC Botev 4,837 4 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 3,451 5 Cherno More 2,519 6 Etar 2,187 7 Hebar 2,138 8 Ludogorets 1,847 9 Pirin 1,414 10 Arda 1,183 11 Beroe 1,093 12 Botev Vratsa 831 13 Krumovgrad 636 14 Lokomotiv Sofia 529 15 Slavia Sofia 402 16 CSKA 1948 237
Source:https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/bgr/avebgr24.htm
References