Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup
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 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 has appeared in the finals of 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 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 | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | Declined participation | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | 15th | 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 Korea Japan 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 | 4th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | |||||||||
| Canada Mexico United States 2026 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia 2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Fourth place | 7/25 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 53 | Total | 137 | 62 | 29 | 46 | 215 | 191 | |
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
- *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out
By Match
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
Record by Opponent
| FIFA World Cup matches (by team) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Wins | Draws | Losses | Total | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded |
| File:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| File:Flag of England.svg England | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| File:Flag of Peru (state).svg Peru | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| File:Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg West Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Tournament Summary
1962 FIFA World Cup
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 4.000 | 5 |
| File:Flag of England.svg England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1.333 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Argentina (civil).svg Argentina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.667 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria (1948–1967).svg Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 1 |
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
- England finished ahead of Argentina on goal average.
| Argentina File:Flag of Argentina (civil).svg | 1–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria (1948–1967).svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Facundo File:Soccerball shade.svg 4' | Report |
1966 FIFA World Cup
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 4.500 | 6 |
| File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1.400 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Brazil (1960–1968).svg Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.667 | 2 |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria (1948–1967).svg Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0.125 | 0 |
| Brazil File:Flag of Brazil (1960–1968).svg | 2–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria (1948–1967).svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Pelé File:Soccerball shade.svg 15' Garrincha File:Soccerball shade.svg 63' |
Report |
1970 FIFA World Cup
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Germany.svg West Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 6 |
| File:Flag of Peru (state).svg Peru | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 1 |
All times local (UTC−6)
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg){kind=link}
Assistant referees:
Abel Aguilar Elizalde (Mexico)
Yoshiyuki Maruyama (Japan)
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees:
Guillermo Velasquez (Colombia)
Antonio Saldanha Ribeiro (Portugal)
| Bulgaria File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg | 1–1 | File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco |
|---|---|---|
| Zhechev File:Soccerball shade.svg 40' | Report | Ghazouani File:Soccerball shade.svg 61' |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg){kind=link}
Assistant referees:
Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union)
Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands)
1974 FIFA World Cup
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 |
| File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 |
.svg){kind=link}
| File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg Bulgaria | 1–1 | Uruguay File:Flag of Uruguay.svg |
|---|---|---|
| Bonev File:Soccerball shade.svg 75' | Report | Pavoni File:Soccerball shade.svg 87' |
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 File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg | 1–1 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Sirakov File:Soccerball shade.svg 85' | Report | Altobelli File:Soccerball shade.svg 43' |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Korea File:Flag of South Korea.svg | 1–1 | File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Jong-boo File:Soccerball shade.svg 70' | Report | Getov File:Soccerball shade.svg 11' |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Argentina File:Flag of Argentina.svg | 2–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Valdano File:Soccerball shade.svg 3' Burruchaga File:Soccerball shade.svg 76' |
Report |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mexico File:Flag of Mexico.svg | 2–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971–1990).svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Negrete File:Soccerball shade.svg 34' Servín File:Soccerball shade.svg 61' |
Report |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 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 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 | File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | File:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 4 | File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
All times local (EDT/UTC–4, CDT/UTC–5, PDT/UTC–7)
| Nigeria File:Flag of Nigeria.svg | 3–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Yekini File:Soccerball shade.svg 21' Amokachi File:Soccerball shade.svg 43' Amuneke File:Soccerball shade.svg 55' |
Report |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees:
Gordon Dunster (Australia)
Eugene Brazzale (Australia)
Fourth official:
Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)
|
Greece
|
Assistant referees:
Abdulla Al Ghattan (Bahrain)
Raimundo Calix Garcia (Honduras)
Fourth official:
Arturo Angeles (United States)
| Argentina File:Flag of Argentina.svg | 0–2 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Stoichkov File:Soccerball shade.svg 61' Sirakov File:Soccerball shade.svg 90' |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees:
Tapio Yli-Karro (Finland)
El Jilali Rharib (Morocco)
Fourth official:
Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)
| Mexico File:Flag of Mexico.svg | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| García Aspe File:Soccerball shade.svg 18' (pen.) | Report | Stoichkov File:Soccerball shade.svg 6' |
| Penalties | ||
| García Aspe soccer ball with red X Bernal soccer ball with red X Rodríguez soccer ball with red X Suárez soccer ball with check mark |
1–3 | soccer ball with red X Balakov soccer ball with check mark Guentchev soccer ball with check mark Borimirov soccer ball with check mark Letchkov |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bulgaria File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg | 2–1 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Stoichkov File:Soccerball shade.svg 75' Letchkov File:Soccerball shade.svg 78' |
Report | Matthäus File:Soccerball shade.svg 47' (pen.) |
|
Germany
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bulgaria File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg | 1–2 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Stoichkov File:Soccerball shade.svg 44' (pen.) | Report | R. Baggio File:Soccerball shade.svg 21', 25' |
|
Italy
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden File:Flag of Sweden.svg | 4–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Brolin File:Soccerball shade.svg 8' Mild File:Soccerball shade.svg 30' Larsson File:Soccerball shade.svg 37' K. Andersson File:Soccerball shade.svg 40' |
Report |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| File:Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 4 |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees:
Achmat Salie (South Africa)
Hussain Ghadanfari (Kuwait)
Fourth official:
Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)
| Nigeria File:Flag of Nigeria.svg | 1–0 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Ikpeba File:Soccerball shade.svg 26' | Report |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
;_Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro_(2003%E2%80%932006).svg){kind=link}
Assistant referees:
Jorge Diaz Galvez (Chile)
Arnaldo Pinto (Brazil)
Fourth official:
Marcio Rezende (Brazil)
| Spain File:Flag of Spain.svg | 6–1 | File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Hierro File:Soccerball shade.svg 5' (pen.) Luis Enrique File:Soccerball shade.svg 18' Morientes File:Soccerball shade.svg 53', 80' Kiko File:Soccerball shade.svg 88', 90' |
Report | Kostadinov File:Soccerball shade.svg 56' |
|
Bulgaria
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees:
Nicolae Grigorescu (Romania)
Claudio Rossi (Argentina)
Fourth official:
Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)
Record players
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borislav Mihaylov | 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
| Rank | Player | 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
See also
References
- ↑ RSSSF credits this goal to Georgi Asparuhov.
- ↑ "WORLD CUP '94; Bulgaria, a Small Foot in Soccer, Steps Closer to Glass Slipper – New York Times". The New York Times. Germany; Bulgaria. 1994-07-11. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ↑ "Bulgaria: Can Soccer Success Mean Business? – Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. 1994-07-31. Retrieved 2014-03-09.