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
1930	Did not enter								Was not invited
1934	Did not qualify								3rd	3	0	0	3	3	14
1938	Did not qualify								2nd	2	0	1	1	1	7
1950	Did not enter								Declined participation
1954	Did not qualify								3rd	4	0	1	3	3	7
1958	Did not qualify								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	Did not qualify								3rd	8	4	1	3	11	10
1986	Round of 16	15th	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									4th	8	2	2	4	6	14
2026	To be determined								To be determined
2030
2034
Total	Fourth place	7/25	26	3	8	15	22	53	Total	137	62	29	46	215	191

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out

By Match

World Cup	Round	Opponent	Score	Result	Venue	Scorers
1962	Group 4	Argentina	0–1	L	Rancagua	—
		Hungary	1–6	L	Rancagua	G. Sokolov
		England	0–0	D	Rancagua	—
1966	Group 3	Brazil	0–2	L	Liverpool	—
		Portugal	0–3	L	Manchester	—
		Hungary	1–3	L	Manchester	G. Asparuhov
1970	Group 4	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 3	Sweden	0–0	D	Düsseldorf	—
		Uruguay	1–1	D	Hanover	H. Bonev
		Netherlands	1–4	L	Dortmund	R. Krol (o.g.)
1986	Group A	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 D	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 D	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]}

England finished ahead of Argentina on goal average.

30 May 1962 (first round)

15:00 CLT (UTC-04)

Argentina	1–0	Bulgaria
Facundo 4'	Report

Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua

Attendance: 7,134

Referee: Juan Gardeazábal Garay (Spain)

3 June 1962 (first round)

15:00 CLT (UTC-04)

Hungary	6–1	Bulgaria
Albert 1', 6', 53' Tichy 8', 70' Solymosi 12'	Report	Sokolov 64'^[1]

Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua

Attendance: 7,442

Referee: Juan Gardeazábal Garay (Spain)

7 June 1962 (first round)

15:00 CLT (UTC-04)

England	0–0	Bulgaria
	Report

Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua

Attendance: 5,700

Referee: Antoine Blavier (Belgium)

1966 FIFA World Cup

Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts
Portugal	3	3	0	9	2	4.500	6
Hungary	3	2	1	7	5	1.400	4
Brazil	3	1	2	4	6	0.667	2
Bulgaria	3	0	3	1	8	0.125	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

12 July 1966 (first round)

19:30 BST

Brazil	2–0	Bulgaria
Pelé 15' Garrincha 63'	Report

Goodison Park, Liverpool

Attendance: 48,000

Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (West Germany)

16 July 1966 (first round)

15:00 BST

Portugal	3–0	Bulgaria
Vutsov 17' (o.g.) Eusébio 38' Torres 81'	Report

Old Trafford, Manchester

Attendance: 26,000

Referee: José María Codesal (Uruguay)

20 July 1966 (first round)

19:30 BST

Hungary	3–1	Bulgaria
Davidov 43' (o.g.) Mészöly 45' Bene 54'	Report	Asparuhov 15'

Old Trafford, Manchester

Attendance: 22,000

Referee: Roberto Goicoechea (Argentina)

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)

2 June 1970 (first round)

16:00

Peru	3–2	Bulgaria
Gallardo 50' Chumpitaz 55' Cubillas 73'	Report	Dermendzhiev 13' Bonev 49'

Estadio Nou Camp, León

Attendance: 13,765

Referee: Antonio Sbardella (Italy)


GK	1	Luis Rubiños
DF	2	Eloy Campos	29'
DF	3	Orlando de la Torre
DF	4	Héctor Chumpitaz (c)
DF	5	Nicolás Fuentes
MF	6	Ramón Mifflin
MF	7	Roberto Challe
FW	8	Julio Baylón	51'
FW	9	Pedro Pablo León
FW	10	Teófilo Cubillas
FW	11	Alberto Gallardo
Substitutions:
MF	15	Javier González	29'
FW	20	Hugo Sotil	51'
Manager:
Didi


GK	1	Simeon Simeonov
DF	2	Aleksandar Shalamanov
DF	3	Ivan Dimitrov (c)
DF	5	Ivan Davidov
DF	4	Stefan Aladzhov
MF	8	Hristo Bonev	73'
MF	6	Dimitar Penev
MF	10	Dimitar Yakimov
FW	7	Georgi Popov	59'
FW	9	Petar Zhekov
FW	11	Dinko Dermendzhiev
Substitutions:
FW	18	Dimitar Marashliev	59'
FW	19	Georgi Asparuhov	73'
Manager:
Stefan Bozhkov

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

7 June 1970 (first round)

12:00

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

Estadio Nou Camp, León

Attendance: 12,710

Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendibil (Spain)


GK	1	Simeon Simeonov
DF	12	Milko Gaydarski
DF	14	Dobromir Zhechev
DF	17	Todor Kolev
DF	6	Dimitar Penev
MF	15	Boris Gaganelov (c)	58'
MF	16	Asparuh Nikodimov
MF	11	Dinko Dermendzhiev	46'
MF	19	Georgi Asparuhov
FW	18	Dimitar Marashliev
FW	8	Hristo Bonev
Substitutions:
DF	2	Aleksandar Shalamanov	58'
MF	20	Vasil Mitkov	46'
Manager:
Stefan Bozhkov


GK	1	Sepp Maier
DF	7	Berti Vogts
DF	3	Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
DF	11	Klaus Fichtel
DF	2	Horst-Dieter Höttges
MF	4	Franz Beckenbauer	72'
MF	12	Wolfgang Overath
RW	14	Reinhard Libuda
FW	9	Uwe Seeler (c)
FW	13	Gerd Müller
LW	17	Hannes Löhr	58'
Substitutions:
MF	6	Wolfgang Weber	72'
FW	20	Jürgen Grabowski	58'
Manager:
Helmut Schön

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

11 June 1970 (first round)

16:00

Bulgaria	1–1	Morocco
Zhechev 40'	Report	Ghazouani 61'

Estadio Nou Camp, León

Attendance: 12,299

Referee: Antonio Ribeiro Saldanha (Portugal)


GK	13	Stoyan Yordanov
DF	12	Milko Gaydarski
DF	14	Dobromir Zhechev
DF	10	Dimitar Yakimov	50'
DF	6	Dimitar Penev	42'
MF	2	Aleksandar Shalamanov (c)
MF	16	Asparuh Nikodimov
MF	17	Todor Kolev
MF	7	Georgi Popov
FW	20	Vasil Mitkov
FW	19	Georgi Asparuhov
Substitutions:
DF	3	Ivan Dimitrov	42'
FW	8	Hristo Bonev	50'
Manager:
Stefan Bozhkov


GK	12	Mohammed Hazzaz
DF	3	Boujemaa Benkhrif
DF	13	Jalili Fadili
DF	4	Moulay Khanousi
DF	5	Kacem Slimani
MF	6	Mohammed Mahroufi
MF	8	Driss Bamous (c)	46'
MF	10	Mohammed El Filali
MF	7	Said Ghandi
FW	17	Ahmed Alaoui	74'
FW	11	Maouhoub Ghazouani
Substitutions:
FW	9	Ahmed Faras	74'
MF	16	Moustapha Choukri	46'
Manager:
Blagoje Vidinić

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]}

15 June 1974 (first round)

16:00 CET

Sweden	0–0	Bulgaria
	Report

Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf

Attendance: 22,500

Referee: Edison Perez Nunez (Peru)

19 June 1974 (first round)

19:30 CET

Bulgaria	1–1	Uruguay
Bonev 75'	Report	Pavoni 87'

Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover

Attendance: 12,000

Referee: Jack Taylor (England)

23 June 1974 (first round)

16:00 CET

Netherlands	4–1	Bulgaria
Neeskens 5' (pen.), 44' (pen.) Rep 71' de Jong 88'	Report	Krol 78' (o.g.)

Westfalenstadion, Dortmund

Attendance: 52,100

Referee: Tony Boskovic (Australia)

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.

31 May 1986 (first round)

12:00 CST

Bulgaria	1–1	Italy
Sirakov 85'	Report	Altobelli 43'

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Attendance: 96,000

Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov
DF	3	Nikolay Arabov
DF	5	Georgi Dimitrov (c)
DF	13	Aleksandar Markov	51'
MF	11	Plamen Getov
MF	10	Zhivko Gospodinov		74'
MF	8	Ayan Sadakov
MF	12	Radoslav Zdravkov
MF	2	Nasko Sirakov
FW	7	Bozhidar Iskrenov		65'
FW	9	Stoycho Mladenov
Substitutions:
FW	20	Kostadin Kostadinov		65'
MF	6	Andrey Zhelyazkov		74'
Manager:
Ivan Vutsov


GK	1	Giovanni Galli
DF	2	Giuseppe Bergomi	48'
DF	3	Antonio Cabrini	64'
DF	6	Gaetano Scirea (c)
DF	8	Pietro Vierchowod
MF	14	Antonio Di Gennaro
MF	10	Salvatore Bagni
MF	13	Fernando De Napoli
MF	16	Bruno Conti		65'
FW	19	Giuseppe Galderisi
FW	18	Alessandro Altobelli
Substitutions:
FW	17	Gianluca Vialli		65'
Manager:
Enzo Bearzot

5 June 1986 (first round)

16:00 CST

South Korea	1–1	Bulgaria
Kim Jong-boo 70'	Report	Getov 11'

Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City

Attendance: 45,000

Referee: Fallaj Al Shanar (Saudi Arabia)


GK	21	Oh Yun-kyo
DF	2	Park Kyung-hoon
DF	5	Chung Yong-hwan
DF	8	Cho Young-jeung	60'
MF	13	Noh Soo-jin		46'
MF	4	Cho Kwang-rae		72'
MF	17	Huh Jung-moo
MF	16	Kim Joo-sung	31'
MF	10	Park Chang-sun (c)
FW	19	Byun Byung-joo
FW	11	Cha Bum-kun
Substitutions:
FW	7	Kim Jong-boo		46'
DF	20	Kim Yong-se		72'
Manager:
Kim Jung-nam


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov
DF	3	Nikolay Arabov
DF	5	Georgi Dimitrov (c)
DF	4	Petar Petrov
MF	11	Plamen Getov		58'
MF	10	Zhivko Gospodinov	49'
MF	8	Ayan Sadakov
MF	12	Radoslav Zdravkov
MF	2	Nasko Sirakov
FW	7	Bozhidar Iskrenov		46'
FW	9	Stoycho Mladenov
Substitutions:
FW	20	Kostadin Kostadinov		46'
MF	6	Andrey Zhelyazkov		58'
Manager:
Ivan Vutsov

10 June 1986 (first round)

12:00 CST

Argentina	2–0	Bulgaria
Valdano 3' Burruchaga 76'	Report

Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City

Attendance: 65,000

Referee: Berny Ulloa Morera (Costa Rica)


GK	18	Nery Pumpido
DF	5	José Luis Brown
DF	13	Oscar Garré
DF	9	José Luis Cuciuffo	25'
DF	19	Oscar Ruggeri
MF	2	Sergio Batista		46'
MF	14	Ricardo Giusti
MF	7	Jorge Burruchaga
MF	10	Diego Maradona (c)
FW	4	Claudio Borghi		46'
FW	11	Jorge Valdano
Substitutions:
MF	16	Julio Olarticoechea		46'
MF	12	Héctor Enrique		46'
Manager:
Carlos Bilardo


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov
DF	4	Petar Petrov
DF	5	Georgi Dimitrov (c)
MF	11	Plamen Getov
MF	15	Georgi Yordanov
MF	6	Andrey Zhelyazkov
MF	8	Ayan Sadakov
MF	13	Aleksandar Markov
MF	2	Nasko Sirakov	71'
FW	14	Plamen Markov
FW	9	Stoycho Mladenov	52'
Substitutions:
FW	18	Boycho Velichkov	52'
MF	12	Radoslav Zdravkov	71'
Manager:
Ivan Vutsov

15 June 1986 (round of 16)

12:00 CST

Mexico	2–0	Bulgaria
Negrete 34' Servín 61'	Report

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Attendance: 114,580

Referee: Romualdo Arppi Filho (Brazil)


GK	1	Pablo Larios
DF	18	Rafael Amador
DF	3	Fernando Quirarte
DF	14	Félix Cruz
DF	17	Raúl Servín
MF	7	Miguel España
MF	16	Carlos Muñoz
MF	10	Tomás Boy (c)	79'
MF	13	Javier Aguirre
FW	22	Manuel Negrete
FW	9	Hugo Sánchez
Substitutions:
MF	6	Carlos de los Cobos	79'
Manager:
Bora Milutinović


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov
DF	3	Nikolay Arabov	58'
DF	5	Georgi Dimitrov (c)
DF	4	Petar Petrov
MF	11	Plamen Getov		59'
MF	15	Georgi Yordanov
MF	19	Atanas Pashev		70'
MF	10	Zhivko Gospodinov
MF	8	Ayan Sadakov
MF	12	Radoslav Zdravkov
FW	20	Kostadin Kostadinov
Substitutions:
MF	2	Nasko Sirakov		59'
FW	7	Bozhidar Iskrenov		70'
Manager:
Ivan Vutsov

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 v t e	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Nigeria	3	2	1	6	2	+4	6	Advance to knockout stage
2	Bulgaria	3	2	1	6	3	+3	6
3	Argentina	3	2	1	6	3	+3	6
4	Greece	3	0	3	0	10	−10	0

Source: FIFA

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

21 June 1994 (first round)

18:30 CDT

Nigeria	3–0	Bulgaria
Yekini 21' Amokachi 43' Amuneke 55'	Report

Cotton Bowl, Dallas

Attendance: 44,132

Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)

Nigeria

Bulgaria


GK	1	Peter Rufai (c)
DF	2	Augustine Eguavoen
DF	3	Benedict Iroha
DF	5	Uche Okechukwu
DF	6	Chidi Nwanu
MF	7	Finidi George		77'
FW	9	Rashidi Yekini
MF	11	Emmanuel Amunike	73'
FW	12	Samson Siasia		69'
FW	14	Daniel Amokachi
MF	15	Sunday Oliseh
Substitutions:
MF	21	Mutiu Adepoju		69'
DF	13	Emeka Ezeugo		77'
Manager:
Clemens Westerhof


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)
RB	2	Emil Kremenliev
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov
LB	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov	54'	59'
MF	11	Daniel Borimirov		73'
MF	20	Krasimir Balakov
Substitutions:
FW	10	Nasko Sirakov		59'
FW	13	Ivaylo Yordanov		73'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev

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

26 June 1994 (first round)

11:30 CDT

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

Soldier Field, Chicago

Attendance: 63,160

Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)

Bulgaria

Greece


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)
DF	2	Emil Kremenliev
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov	26'
DF	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov		77'
DF	5	Petar Houbchev	17'
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov	33'
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov		82'
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov
MF	10	Nasko Sirakov
MF	20	Krasimir Balakov
Substitutions:
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov		77'
MF	11	Daniel Borimirov	84'	82'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev


GK	20	Elias Atmatsidis
DF	2	Stratos Apostolakis (c)
DF	5	Ioannis Kalitzakis
MF	8	Nikos Nioplias
FW	9	Nikos Machlas
MF	12	Spiros Marangos
DF	13	Vaios Karagiannis	70'
FW	16	Alexis Alexoudis	6'	58'
MF	17	Minas Hantzidis	42'	48'
DF	18	Kiriakos Karataidis
MF	19	Savvas Kofidis
Substitutions:
MF	10	Tasos Mitropoulos	59'	48'
FW	14	Vasilis Dimitriadis		58'
Manager:
Alketas Panagoulias

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

30 June 1994 (first round)

18:30 CDT

Argentina	0–2	Bulgaria
	Report	Stoichkov 61' Sirakov 90'

Cotton Bowl, Dallas

Attendance: 63,998

Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

Argentina

Bulgaria


GK	12	Luis Islas
DF	3	José Chamot
MF	5	Fernando Redondo
DF	6	Oscar Ruggeri (c)	34'
FW	7	Claudio Caniggia		26'
FW	9	Gabriel Batistuta	81'
DF	13	Fernando Cáceres
MF	14	Diego Simeone
DF	16	Hernán Díaz
FW	19	Abel Balbo
MF	20	Leonardo Rodríguez	44'	67'
Substitutions:
FW	17	Ariel Ortega		26'
FW	11	Ramón Medina Bello		67'
Manager:
Alfio Basile


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)
RB	2	Emil Kremenliev
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov	58'
LB	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov	45'	67'
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov	24'
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov			74'
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov	7'
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov			76'
MF	10	Nasko Sirakov
MF	20	Krasimir Balakov	74'
Substitutions:
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov		74'
MF	11	Daniel Borimirov		76'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev

Assistant referees:
Tapio Yli-Karro (Finland)
El Jilali Rharib (Morocco)
Fourth official:
Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)

5 July 1994 (round of 16)

16:35

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

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford

Attendance: 71,030

Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

Mexico

Bulgaria


GK	1	Jorge Campos
DF	2	Claudio Suárez	14'
DF	3	Juan Ramírez
DF	4	Ignacio Ambríz (c)
DF	5	Ramón Ramírez	70'
MF	6	Marcelino Bernal
MF	8	Alberto García Aspe	76'
FW	10	Luis García	28' 57'
FW	11	Luís Roberto Alves
MF	17	Benjamín Galindo
MF	20	Jorge Rodríguez
Substitutions:
Manager:
Miguel Mejía Barón


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)
DF	2	Emil Kremenliev	12' 50'
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov		119'
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov
FW	10	Nasko Sirakov	17'	104'
MF	11	Daniel Borimirov
FW	13	Ivaylo Yordanov	67'
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov	34'
MF	20	Krassimir Balakov
Substitutions:
MF	14	Bontcho Guentchev		104'
MF	17	Petar Mihtarski		119'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev

10 July 1994 (quarter-finals)

12:05

Bulgaria	2–1	Germany
Stoichkov 75' Letchkov 78'	Report	Matthäus 47' (pen.)

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford

Attendance: 72,000

Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)

Bulgaria

Germany


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)	85'
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov	22'
DF	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov		90'
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov	82'	85'
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov
MF	10	Nasko Sirakov
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov
MF	20	Krassimir Balakov
Substitutions:
FW	13	Ivaylo Yordanov		85'
FW	14	Boncho Genchev		90'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev


GK	1	Bodo Illgner
DF	4	Jürgen Kohler
DF	5	Thomas Helmer	14'
DF	6	Guido Buchwald
MF	7	Andreas Möller
MF	8	Thomas Häßler	49'	83'
MF	10	Lothar Matthäus (c)
FW	13	Rudi Völler	89'
DF	14	Thomas Berthold
MF	17	Martin Wagner	15'	59'
FW	18	Jürgen Klinsmann	50'
Substitutions:
MF	2	Thomas Strunz		59'
DF	3	Andreas Brehme		83'
Manager:
Berti Vogts

13 July 1994 (semi-finals)

16:05

Bulgaria	1–2	Italy
Stoichkov 44' (pen.)	Report	R. Baggio 21', 25'

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford

Attendance: 74,110

Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)

Bulgaria

Italy


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov
DF	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov	83'
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov	52'	72'
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov		79'
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov	65'
MF	10	Nasko Sirakov
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov
MF	20	Krassimir Balakov
Substitutions:
FW	13	Ivaylo Yordanov		72'
MF	14	Bontcho Guentchev		79'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev


GK	1	Gianluca Pagliuca
DF	3	Antonio Benarrivo
DF	4	Alessandro Costacurta	61'
DF	5	Paolo Maldini (c)
DF	8	Roberto Mussi
FW	10	Roberto Baggio		71'
MF	11	Demetrio Albertini	80'
MF	13	Dino Baggio		56'
MF	14	Nicola Berti
MF	16	Roberto Donadoni
FW	18	Pierluigi Casiraghi
Substitutions:
MF	15	Antonio Conte		56'
FW	20	Giuseppe Signori		71'
Manager:
Arrigo Sacchi

16 July 1994 (Third-Place Match)

12:35

Sweden	4–0	Bulgaria
Brolin 8' Mild 30' Larsson 37' K. Andersson 40'	Report

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Attendance: 91,500

Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)

Sweden

Bulgaria


GK	1	Thomas Ravelli
DF	2	Roland Nilsson (c)
DF	3	Patrik Andersson
DF	4	Joachim Björklund
MF	6	Stefan Schwarz
FW	7	Henrik Larsson		79'
MF	8	Klas Ingesson
FW	11	Tomas Brolin
DF	14	Pontus Kåmark
MF	18	Håkan Mild
FW	19	Kennet Andersson	82'
Substitutions:
MF	16	Anders Limpar		79'
Manager:
Tommy Svensson


GK	1	Borislav Mihaylov (c)		45'
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov		42'
DF	4	Tsanko Tsvetanov
DF	5	Petar Houbchev
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov	70'
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov
MF	9	Yordan Letchkov
MF	10	Nasko Sirakov		45'
DF	16	Ilian Kiriakov
MF	20	Krassimir Balakov
Substitutions:
DF	2	Emil Kremenliev		42'
GK	12	Plamen Nikolov		45'
FW	13	Ivaylo Yordanov		45'
Manager:
Dimitar Penev

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]}

12 June 1998 (first round)

14:30

Paraguay	0–0	Bulgaria
	Report

Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier

Attendance: 27,650

Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid (Saudi Arabia)

Paraguay

Bulgaria


GK	1	José Luis Chilavert (c)
DF	4	Carlos Gamarra
DF	5	Celso Ayala
FW	9	José Cardozo		70'
MF	10	Roberto Acuña
DF	11	Pedro Sarabia
MF	13	Carlos Paredes
FW	15	Miguel Benítez	45'
MF	16	Julio César Enciso
MF	19	Carlos Morales		43'
MF	21	Jorge Campos		78'
Substitutions:
DF	20	Denis Caniza		43'
FW	18	César Ramírez		70'
MF	7	Julio César Yegros		78'
Manager:
Paulo César Carpegiani


GK	1	Zdravko Zdravkov
DF	2	Radostin Kishishev
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov (c)	73'
DF	4	Ivaylo Petkov
MF	5	Ivaylo Yordanov
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov	45'
FW	9	Luboslav Penev		68'
MF	10	Krassimir Balakov
MF	11	Ilian Iliev		77'
MF	16	Anatoli Nankov	27' 89'
Substitutions:
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov		68'
MF	18	Daniel Borimirov		77'
Manager:
Hristo Bonev

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

19 June 1998 (first round)

17:30

Nigeria	1–0	Bulgaria
Ikpeba 26'	Report

Parc des Princes, Paris

Attendance: 45,500

Referee: Mario Sánchez Yanten (Chile)

Nigeria

Bulgaria


GK	1	Peter Rufai
DF	3	Celestine Babayaro
DF	5	Uche Okechukwu (c)	44'
DF	6	Taribo West
MF	7	Finidi George		84'
MF	8	Mutiu Adepoju	20'
MF	10	Jay-Jay Okocha	70'
MF	11	Garba Lawal
FW	14	Daniel Amokachi		67'
MF	15	Sunday Oliseh
FW	20	Victor Ikpeba	49'	75'
Substitutions:
FW	4	Nwankwo Kanu		67'
FW	9	Rasheed Yekini		75'
MF	13	Tijani Babangida		84'
Manager:
Bora Milutinović


GK	1	Zdravko Zdravkov
DF	2	Radostin Kishishev	78'
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov (c)
DF	4	Ivaylo Petkov
MF	6	Zlatko Yankov		84'
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov
MF	10	Krassimir Balakov
MF	11	Ilian Iliev	66'	66'
DF	13	Gosho Ginchev
MF	14	Marian Hristov		45'
Substitutions:
MF	18	Daniel Borimirov		45'
FW	9	Luboslav Penev		66'
FW	19	Georgi Bachev		84'
Manager:
Hristo Bonev

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

24 June 1998 (first round)

21:00

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

Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens

Attendance: 38,100

Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

Spain

Bulgaria


GK	1	Andoni Zubizarreta (c)
RB	15	Juan Carlos Aguilera	16'
CB	20	Miguel Ángel Nadal
CB	4	Rafael Alkorta
LB	12	Sergi
RM	17	Joseba Etxeberria		50'
CM	6	Fernando Hierro
CM	18	Guillermo Amor
LM	21	Luis Enrique		69'
CF	7	Fernando Morientes
CF	11	Alfonso		65'
Substitutions:
FW	10	Raúl		50'
FW	19	Kiko		65'
MF	8	Julen Guerrero	73'	69'
Manager:
Javier Clemente


GK	1	Zdravko Zdravkov
DF	2	Radostin Kishishev
DF	3	Trifon Ivanov (c)
MF	5	Ivaylo Yordanov
FW	7	Emil Kostadinov
FW	8	Hristo Stoichkov		45'
MF	10	Krassimir Balakov		61'
DF	13	Gosho Ginchev
MF	16	Anatoli Nankov		28'
MF	18	Daniel Borimirov
FW	19	Georgi Bachev	85'
Substitutions:
FW	9	Luboslav Penev	45'	28'
MF	11	Ilian Iliev		45'
MF	14	Marian Hristov		61'
Manager:
Hristo Bonev

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
1	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
6	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