First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)
Contested by 16 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Second Professional Football League.Additionally, two UEFA Europa Conference League spots are allocated to the second team in the final standings and the winner of the European playoffs.A total of 75 clubs have competed in the Bulgarian top-tier since its establishment, with FC Krumovgrad being the newest member of the top tier, after promotion in 2023.The six inaugural teams were Vladislav Varna, Orel Vratsa, Levski Sofia, Krakra Pernik, Pobeda Plovdiv and Chernomorets Burgas, each having won and representing its regional sports federation, called sportna federatsiya.The ten teams participating in the league were Levski, Septemvri, Lokomotiv, Slavia and Spartak from the capital city Sofia, and Botev Varna, Botev Burgas, Slavia Plovdiv, Marek Stanke Dimitrov, Benkovski in a spring-autumn cycle like in the Soviet Union.The most-famous are between CSKA Red Flag and Septemvri Sofia in CSKA September Flag, the capital teams Levski and Spartak in Levski-Spartak, Lokomotiv and Slavia in Slavia, the Plovdiv teams Botev, Spartak and Academic in Trakiya.In the following season Levski Sofia won their last A Group title, finishing one point ahead of CSKA.The Bulgarian Football Union made some changes in the format of A Group prior to season 2013–14 with the reduction of the number of the teams participating in the top league from 16 to 14 and the reintroduction of the two phase league with a regular season and a playoff/play out phase.Both teams had accumulated debts and did not have the financial resources to pay them, so the BFU decided to take away their professional licenses.Three matches are played in every fixture of the top six, with the results and points after the regular season also included.The team that ranks second is awarded with a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.Note: If the Bulgarian Cup winner has secured its qualification for the European tournaments for the next season through results from Parva Liga, then the place in the UEFA Europa League play-off is awarded to the fourth ranked team in the final standings.Notes: The all-time Parva Liga table[7] is an overall record of all match results, points and goals for each team that has participated in the league since its inception in 1948.[update] In order to put the teams on equal terms, 3 points are awarded for a win and 1 for a tie, although the regulation of the various championships was different.Canceled matches, as well as playoffs for promotion/remaining or participation in European tournaments, are not taken into account and are not included in the assets of the clubs.Finally after the first set of fixtures, the satellite broadcaster Bulsatcom with its channel TV+ bought the rights, along with BNT.The following is a table of all current Parva Liga head coaches and managers, and the time they've spent working with their respective clubs.
Bulgarian Football Unionknockoutround-robinBulgariaConfederationRelegationSecond LeagueBulgarian CupBulgarian SupercupUEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Europa LeagueUEFA Conference LeagueLudogorets Razgrad2023–24CSKA SofiaGeorgi IlievMartin KamburovNova Broadcasting Group2024–25 seasonBulgarianromanizedassociation footballBulgarian football league systempromotion and relegationSecond Professional Football LeagueBulgarian State Football ChampionshipUEFA Europa Conference LeagueFC KrumovgradLevski Sofia2022–23Vladislav VarnaOrel VratsaKrakra PernikChernomorets Burgasround-robin tournamentLevskiSeptemvriLokomotivSlaviaSpartakBotev VarnaBotev BurgasSlavia PlovdivMarek Stanke DimitrovBenkovskiSoviet UnionBulgaria national team1967/68Septemvri SofiaPlovdiv1968/691971/721972/732000/012001/022002/036 years2003–04Lokomotiv Plovdiv2004–05Stanimir Stoilov2005–062007–08Litex Lovech1997–981998–992011–12B Group2013–142014–15 season2015–16 seasonCroatian First Football LeagueKategoria Superiore2022–23 seasonList of Bulgarian football champions2024–25 First League1958–591959–601960–611961–621965–661968–691970–711971–721972–731974–751975–761979–801980–811981–821982–831986–871988–891989–901991–921996–972002–031948–491964–651967–681969–701973–741976–771978–791983–841984–851987–881992–931993–941994–951999–20002000–012001–022006–072008–09Ludogorets2012–132014–152015–162016–172017–182018–192019–202020–212021–22Slavia Sofia