List of Bulgarian football champions
Bulgarian football champions are those that won the highest league in Bulgarian football, which since 2016–17 is known as the First Professional Football League, or just First League.[1]
The first national football competition in Bulgaria was established in 1924 by the Bulgarian National Sport Federation and was named Bulgarian State Football Championship. The championship was a knockout tournament featuring six clubs that had won six regional divisions. These divisions were round-robin tournaments that included football clubs that were founded in different geographic areas. The winners of each division were drawn in pairs at random for each of the three one-match rounds. Two of the clubs qualified directly for the second round (the semi-final stage) and the other four had to play two quarter-final matches. The championship didn't finish in years 1924, 1927 and 1944 because of different reasons. At the end of the 1925 season, Vladislav Varna were the first club to be crowned champions.
The championship had many changes in its format during the years, mainly in the number of legs played in each round and the number of teams that qualified from the regional divisions. In seasons 1937–38, 1938–39 and 1939–40 the championship was reorganised to a 10 club National Football Division but it proved to be an unsuccessful decision and from season 1940–41 the division was reverted to a knockout tournament.
After 1944 it was replaced by the Republic Championship. It was organised for only four years between 1945 and 1948. The championship was a knockout tournament featuring clubs that had finished at the top of six regional divisions. These divisions were round-robin tournaments that included football clubs from different geographic areas.
CSKA Sofia have won 31 titles, the most of any club. CSKA's rivals, Levski Sofia, are second with 26. Ludogorets Razgrad are third; the team is currently in a streak of 14 consecutive titles, which is a record in Bulgarian football. The previous record for consecutive titles was held by CSKA Sofia with nine consecutive titles from 1954 until 1962. Slavia Sofia is in fourth place, with 7 titles, 6 of which were won before the Second World War.
State Championship (1924–1944)
| Season | Champions (titles) | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Not finished | ||
| 1925 | Vladislav Varna (1) | Levski Sofia | – |
| 1926 | Vladislav Varna (2) | Slavia Sofia | – |
| 1927 | Not held | ||
| 1928 | Slavia Sofia (1) | Vladislav Varna | – |
| 1929 | Botev Plovdiv (1) | Levski Sofia | – |
| 1930 | Slavia Sofia (2) | Vladislav Varna | – |
| 1931 | Atletik-Slava 23 (1) | Spartak Varna | – |
| 1932 | Spartak Varna (1) | Slavia Sofia | – |
| 1933 | Levski Sofia (1) | Spartak Varna | – |
| 1934 | Vladislav Varna (3) | Slavia Sofia | – |
| 1935 | Sportklub Sofia (1) | Ticha Varna | – |
| 1936 | Slavia Sofia (3) | Ticha Varna | – |
| 1937 | Levski Sofia (2) | Levski Ruse | – |
| 1937–38 | Ticha Varna (1) | Vladislav Varna | Shipka Sofia |
| 1938–39 | Slavia Sofia (4) | Vladislav Varna | Ticha Varna |
| 1939–40 | Lokomotiv Sofia (1) | Levski Sofia | Slavia Sofia |
| 1941 | Slavia Sofia (5) | Lokomotiv Sofia | – |
| 1942 | Levski Sofia (3) | Makedonia Skopie | – |
| 1943 | Slavia Sofia (6) | Levski Sofia | – |
| 1944 | Not finished | ||
Republic Championship (1945–1948)
- Key
| Double winners – i.e. League and Bulgarian Cup winners. |
| Season | Champions (titles) | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Lokomotiv Sofia (2) | Sportist Sofia |
| 1946 | Levski Sofia (4) | Lokomotiv Sofia |
| 1947 | Levski Sofia (5) | Lokomotiv Sofia |
| 1948 | CSKA Sofia (1) | Levski Sofia |
A Grupa (1948–2016)/ First League (2016–present)
- Key
| League champions also won the Bulgarian Cup, i.e. they completed the domestic Double. | |
| * | League champions also won the Bulgarian Cup and Bulgarian Supercup, i.e. they completed the domestic Treble. |
Performances
Performance by club
- Bold indicates clubs currently playing in the top division.
- Italics indicates clubs that no longer exist.
Notes:
- CSKA Sofia titles include those won as AS-23, Septemvri pri CDNV, CDNA, CFKA-Sredets.
- Levski Sofia titles include those won as Dinamo, Levski-Spartak, Vitosha.
- Cherno More Varna titles include those won as Vladislav Varna, Ticha Varna.
- Botev Plovdiv titles include those won as Trakia.
- Spartak Varna titles include those won as Shipchenski Sokol.
Performance by city
The following table lists the Bulgarian champions by cities.
| City / Town | Title(s) | Winning Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia | 69
|
CSKA (31), Levski (26), Slavia (7), Lokomotiv (4), Septemvri (1) |
| Razgrad | 14
|
Ludogorets (14) |
| Varna | 5
|
Cherno More (4), Spartak (1) |
| Plovdiv | 4
|
Botev (2), Lokomotiv (1), Spartak (1) |
| Lovech | 4
|
Lovech (4) |
| Stara Zagora | 1
|
Beroe (1) |
| Veliko Tarnovo | 1
|
Etar (1) |
References
- ^ "Всички шампиони на България по футбол от 1924-а година досега" (in Bulgarian). novsport.com. 7 May 2014.