First League is a men’s football league in Bulgaria, formed in 1948, with recorded season coverage from 2018 to 2025. Follow live scores, fixtures and results, review standings, and explore player and team statistics across the competition’s available seasons. The page offers a practical reference for match and season information.
Upcoming matches, First League
Regular Season - 14
-
- Regular Season - 14
Lokomotiv Sofia
Botev Plovdiv
Stadion Lokomotiv -
- Regular Season - 14
Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Ludogorets
Stadion Lokomotiv -
- Regular Season - 14
Dunav Ruse
Levski Sofia
-
- Regular Season - 14
CSKA Sofia
Slavia Sofia
Stadion Bâlgarska Armija -
- Regular Season - 14
Cherno More Varna
Botev Vratsa
-
- Regular Season - 14
Arda Kardzhali
Septemvri Sofia
Arena Arda
Regular Season - 13
-
- Regular Season - 13
Septemvri Sofia
Lokomotiv Sofia
-
- Regular Season - 13
Botev Plovdiv
Dunav Ruse
Stadion Hristo Botev
-
- Regular Season - 13
Botev Vratsa
Lokomotiv Plovdiv
-
- Regular Season - 13
Slavia Sofia
Cherno More Varna
Stadion Aleksandar Shalamanov
Latest played matches, First League
Regular Season - 14
Regular Season - 12
Regular Season - 11
First League Standings
A PFG
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
CSKA Sofia | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 30 | WWDWW |
| 2 |
|
Levski Sofia | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 19 | 29 | DWDWW |
| 3 |
|
Ludogorets | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 26 | LWWWD |
| 4 |
|
CSKA 1948 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 25 | WLWWL |
| 5 |
|
Botev Plovdiv | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 19 | LWWWW |
| 6 |
|
Arda Kardzhali | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 18 | DLDLL |
| 7 |
|
Spartak Varna | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 | -6 | 13 | LWLDD |
| 8 |
|
Slavia Sofia | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 12 | DLLDW |
| 9 |
|
Dunav Ruse | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 21 | -6 | 11 | WWDLL |
| 10 |
|
Botev Vratsa | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 10 | DLDDW |
| 11 |
|
Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 9 | DDDLW |
| 12 |
|
Lokomotiv Sofia | 12 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 9 | DDWLD |
| 13 |
|
Cherno More Varna | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 22 | -9 | 9 | WLDDL |
| 14 |
|
Septemvri Sofia | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 23 | -13 | 8 | LLLLL |
First League Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|
Top key passes
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
Top red cards
First League teams participation since 2018
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Ludogorets | 8 |
| Botev Plovdiv | 8 |
| Levski Sofia | 8 |
| Cherno More Varna | 8 |
| CSKA Sofia | 8 |
| Slavia Sofia | 8 |
| Beroe | 8 |
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 8 |
| Botev Vratsa | 8 |
| Arda Kardzhali | 7 |
| Septemvri Sofia | 6 |
| CSKA 1948 | 6 |
| Etar Veliko Tarnovo | 5 |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | 5 |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | 4 |
| Tsarsko Selo | 3 |
| Montana | 3 |
| Hebar 1918 | 3 |
| Spartak Varna | 3 |
| Dunav Ruse | 2 |
| Vitosha Bistritsa | 2 |
| Marek | 2 |
| Levski Krumovgrad | 2 |
| Vereya Stara Zagora | 1 |
| Dobrudzha | 1 |
| Sportist Svoge | 1 |
First League top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSKA 1948 | 18 | 81 |
|
| CSKA Sofia | 16 | 101 |
|
| Levski Sofia | 15 | 53 |
|
| Ludogorets | 11 | 42 |
|
| Dunav Ruse | 11 | 34 |
|
| Arda Kardzhali | 11 | 46 |
|
| Botev Plovdiv | 10 | 50 |
|
| Lokomotiv Sofia | 9 | 47 |
|
| Cherno More Varna | 9 | 39 |
|
| Septemvri Sofia | 8 | 51 |
|
| Botev Vratsa | 7 | 50 |
|
| Slavia Sofia | 5 | 43 |
|
| Spartak Varna | 4 | 62 |
|
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 3 | 34 |
|
First League About
First League, currently branded the efbet League and also known as the Bulgarian First League, is Bulgaria’s premier men’s professional football competition and the top tier of the country’s football pyramid. It determines the national champion, provides routes into UEFA club competitions and links the highest level of Bulgarian football with the promotion and relegation system below it.
Identity and purpose
The competition is a national league rather than a knockout cup. Its central purpose is to establish Bulgaria’s champion over a full season of scheduled league matches, while also ranking clubs for European qualification and determining which teams retain their place in the top division. Clubs enter primarily through sporting merit, either by remaining in the First League or by earning promotion from the Second Professional Football League. Participation is also subject to the required Bulgarian Football Union and UEFA licensing, financial and infrastructure standards.
The modern league structure dates from 1948, although Bulgarian national championships have a longer history reaching back to 1924. That distinction helps explain the competition’s historical depth: the present top-flight league is part of a national championship tradition that predates the modern professional format. Over the decades, the title race has featured major Sofia clubs such as CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia, while Ludogorets Razgrad has become the defining force of the modern era.
Governance and place in Bulgarian football
The First League is governed within the Bulgarian football system by the Bulgarian Football Union, in conjunction with the Bulgarian Professional Football League. The division sits above the Second Professional Football League and forms the sporting gateway to Bulgaria’s representation in UEFA competitions. Clubs must meet entry requirements as well as sporting requirements, so promotion or survival alone does not remove the need to satisfy the relevant licensing conditions.
The competition also has an important developmental and financial role. A high finish brings greater prestige, stronger exposure and the opportunity to compete in Europe, while relegation means losing top-tier status and the associated sporting and commercial benefits. The title is therefore only one of several important objectives across the table.
How the competition works
In the latest verified format, the league features 16 clubs. The regular season uses a double round-robin schedule: each team plays every other team once at home and once away, producing 30 matches per club before the split. Results are carried into the next stage, where the table is divided according to position into three groups.
The Championship Group contains the leading clubs and decides the Bulgarian champion. It also determines the principal European qualification positions, including the route into the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds available to the champion. The European or Conference League Group brings together the middle-ranking teams and creates an additional route towards UEFA Conference League qualification, including a subsequent deciding match where the regulations require one. The Relegation Group contains the lowest-ranked clubs and settles the battle to avoid direct relegation or a promotion-relegation play-off against a team from the Second Professional Football League.
The exact composition and scheduling of the groups can be affected by competition regulations and future reforms. A reduction from 16 clubs to 14 is scheduled for the 2026–27 season, so the format should be read in the context of the edition being analysed rather than assumed to be permanent.
Points, rankings and decisive matches
League matches use the standard football points system: three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. When teams finish level on points, their order is settled by the applicable competition regulations and the relevant ranking criteria. These criteria include measures such as wins, goal difference and goals scored; published competition rules may also apply head-to-head criteria before or alongside broader table statistics. For that reason, a club’s final position cannot always be determined by goal difference alone.
Most playoff-group fixtures remain league matches and are decided by the result after 90 minutes. Separate European or relegation deciders that require a winner may use extra time and penalty shootouts, while a two-legged tie may be used where the regulations specify home-and-away legs. These mechanisms distinguish a deciding playoff from ordinary table standings.
Season calendar and competitive stakes
A typical season begins in late July and concludes in late May, with a winter break during the coldest part of the year, often between December and February. The calendar combines the long-term challenge of the regular season with the concentrated pressure of the playoff phase. Clubs must manage home and away fixtures, changing league objectives and the demands of possible European matches.
For the champion, the reward is national recognition as Champion of Bulgaria and entry into the UEFA Champions League qualifying pathway. Other high finishers may gain access to UEFA’s Europa League or Conference League routes, subject to the applicable qualification places and licensing requirements for that season. At the bottom, survival can be decided by direct relegation or a play-off against Second League opposition.
Xtra-Stats records this competition across eight seasons from 2018 through 2025, providing a statistical view of its recent era. Those records place historic rivalries, modern title dominance, European ambition and the constant pressure of promotion and relegation within one of the most significant competitions in Bulgarian football.