The 2022–23 First Professional Football League, also known as efbet League for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 99th season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 75th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid, and also the 7th season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season began on 8 July 2022. Due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the last round before the league's winter break was held on 11–12 November. The league resumed on 11 February 2023.
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 July 2022 – 11 June 2023 |
| Champions | Ludogorets Razgrad (12th title) |
| Relegated | Spartak Varna Septemvri Sofia |
| Champions League | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| Europa Conference League | CSKA Sofia CSKA 1948 Sofia Levski Sofia |
| Matches played | 284 |
| Goals scored | 670 (2.36 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ivaylo Chochev (21 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Plamen Andreev (22 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Ludogorets 8–1 Botev Vratsa (8 April 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Lokomotiv Sofia 0–6 CSKA 1948 (3 March 2023) |
| Highest scoring | Ludogorets 8–1 Botev Vratsa (8 April 2023) |
| Longest winning run | 9 games Ludogorets |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 games CSKA Sofia |
| Longest winless run | 11 games Levski Sofia |
| Longest losing run | 7 games Spartak Varna Septemvri Sofia |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → All statistics correct as of 22:31, 11 June 2023 (UTC). | |
Ludogorets Razgrad were the 11-time defending champions. On 7 June 2023, they won their 12th straight title in a dramatic final matchday, winning 1–0 away at Cherno More and finishing one point above second-placed CSKA Sofia.[2]
Teams
From this season, the league was expanded from 14 to 16 teams, with 12 teams returning from last season, three teams promoted from the 2021–22 Second League, as well as the winner of the promotion/relegation playoff.
The first team to earn promotion from the Second League was Spartak Varna, who mathematically secured a top three finish after winning their game against Sozopol on May 5, coupled with Etar losing to CSKA 1948 II.[3] Spartak return to the top level after a 13-year absence.
The second team to earn promotion from the Second League was Septemvri Sofia, who mathematically secured a top three finish after drawing with Sportist Svoge on May 9. Septemvri Sofia return to the top level after a 3-year absence.[4]
The third team to earn promotion from the Second League was Hebar, who secured a top three finish in the very last round of the Second League, on May 21. Hebar return to the top level of Bulgarian football after a 21-year absence.[5]
Additionally, Botev Vratsa managed to defeat Etar with a score of 3–2 in the promotion/relegation playoff, thus maintaining its place in the First League.[6]
Stadia and locations
| Arda | Beroe | Botev Plovdiv | Botev Vratsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arena Arda | Beroe | Hristo Botev | Hristo Botev |
| Capacity: 11,114 | Capacity: 12,128 | Capacity: 18,777 | Capacity: 6,417 |
 |  |  |  |
| Cherno More | CSKA 1948 | CSKA Sofia | Hebar |
| Ticha | Bistritsa | Balgarska Armia | Georgi Benkovski |
| Capacity: 6,250 | Capacity: 2,500 | Capacity: 22,995 | Capacity: 13,128 |
 |  |  |  |
| Levski Sofia |   Sofia Location of teams in 2022–23 First League Sofia 2022–23 First League football clubs | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | |
| Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov | Lokomotiv | ||
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 8,610 | ||
 | |||
| Lokomotiv Sofia | Ludogorets | ||
| Lokomotiv | Huvepharma Arena | ||
| Capacity: 22,000 | Capacity: 10,422 | ||
 | |||
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Septemvri Sofia | Slavia Sofia | Spartak Varna |
| Hristo Botev | Vasil Levski National Stadium | Aleksandar Shalamanov | Spartak |
| Capacity: 7,500 | Capacity: 43,230 | Capacity: 25,556 | Capacity: 7,500 |
 |  |  |  |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Additional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arda |  Aleksandar Tunchev | Ivan Kokonov | Uhlsport | efbet | IA Nataliya Ltd. |
| Beroe | Nikolay Kirov | Ivan Karadzhov | Jako[7] | efbet | Chahov Ltd. |
| Botev Plovdiv |  Bruno Baltazar | Viktor Genev | Macron[8] | WinBet | — |
| Botev Vratsa |  Daniel Morales | Krasimir Kostov | Zeus[9] | WinBet | Vratsa Municipality, SportRespect |
| Cherno More | Ilian Iliev | Daniel Dimov | Uhlsport | Armeets | — |
| CSKA 1948 | Todor Yanchev | Daniel Naumov | Adidas[10] | efbet | Bachkovo |
| CSKA Sofia |  Saša Ilić |  Jurgen Mattheij | Macron[11] | WinBet | — |
| Hebar | Lyuboslav Penev | Petar Debarliev | Jako | efbet | Pazardzhik Municipality |
| Levski Sofia | Elin Topuzakov | Nikolay Mihaylov | Joma[12] | PalmsBet | — |
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | Aleksandar Tomash | Dimitar Iliev | Nike[13] | WinBet | General Broker, Money+ |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | Stanislav Genchev | Krasimir Miloshev | Joma | Betano | Casa Boyana, Malizia, Intesa, VIA 2000, Club 33 |
| Ludogorets | Ivaylo Petev | Anton Nedyalkov | Nike[14] | efbet | Vivacom, HUVESEPT |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Hristo Yanev | Krasimir Stanoev | Adidas | 8888.bg | — |
| Septemvri Sofia | Svetoslav Petrov | Asen Georgiev | Uhlsport | 8888.bg | — |
| Slavia Sofia | Zlatomir Zagorčić | Georgi Petkov | Uhlsport | bet365 | Asset Insurance |
| Spartak Varna | Dimitar Dimitrov | Rumen Rumenov | Jako | efbet | Intercom Group |
Note: Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey for official tournaments organised by UEFA in addition to that of the kit manufacturer (exceptions are made for non-profit organisations).Clubs in the domestic league can have more than one sponsorship per jersey which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. Shorts also have space available for advertisement.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arda | Stamen Belchev | End of contract | 16 May 2022[15] | Pre-season | Aleksandar Tunchev | 19 May 2022[16] |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | Ivan Kolev | 23 May 2022[17] | Stanislav Genchev | 25 May 2022[18] | ||
| CSKA 1948 | Nikolay Kirov | Mutual consent | 23 May 2022[19] | Lyuboslav Penev | 28 May 2022[20] | |
| CSKA Sofia |  Alan Pardew | 1 June 2022[21] | Saša Ilić | 2 June 2022[22] | ||
| Botev Vratsa |  Gennaro Iezzo | Sacked | 2 June 2022[23] | Rosen Kirilov | 2 June 2022[24] | |
| Hebar | Nikolay Mitov | End of contract | 8 June 2022[25] | Fulvio Pea | 13 June 2022[26] | |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Radoslav Mitrevski | Resigned | 20 June 2022[27] | Petar Mihtarski (interim) | 21 June 2022 | |
| Petar Mihtarski | End of interim period | 3 July 2022[28] | Krasimir Petrov | 4 July 2022[29] | ||
| Botev Plovdiv |  Azrudin Valentić | Promoted to advisor | 29 July 2022[30] | 16th |  Željko Kopić | 3 August 2022[31] |
| Spartak Varna | Vasil Petrov | Resigned | 11 August 2022[32] | 15th | Georgi Ivanov (interim) | 11 August 2022[32] |
| Georgi Ivanov | End of interim period | 22 August 2022 | 16th | Todor Kiselichkov | 23 August 2022[33] | |
| Botev Vratsa | Rosen Kirilov | Resigned | 6 September 2022[34] | 12th | Vladislav Vutov (interim) | 6 September 2022[34] |
| Beroe | Petar Hubchev | Mutual consent | 12 September 2022[35] | 10th | Nikolay Kirov | 14 September 2022[36] |
| Botev Vratsa | Vladislav Vutov | End of interim period | 14 September 2022[37] | 14th | Daniel Morales | 14 September 2022[37] |
| Hebar | Fulvio Pea | Promoted to sports director | 23 September 2022[38] | 15th | Vladimir Manchev | 23 September 2022[38] |
| Septemvri Sofia | Slavko Matić | Mutual consent | 9 October 2022[39] | Svetoslav Petrov | 9 October 2022[40] | |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Krasimir Petrov | 18 October 2022[41] | Hristo Yanev | 25 October 2022[42] | ||
| Spartak Varna | Todor Kiselichkov | 28 November 2022 | 16th | Dimitar Dimitrov | 28 November 2022[43] | |
| CSKA 1948 | Lyuboslav Penev | Resigned | 10 December 2022[44] | 3rd | Todor Yanchev | 13 December 2022[45] |
| Botev Plovdiv | Željko Kopić | Sacked | 7 December 2022[46] | 10th | Bruno Baltazar | 3 January 2023[47] |
| Ludogorets |  Ante Šimundža | 7 March 2023[48] | 2nd | Ivaylo Petev | 7 March 2023[49] | |
| Hebar | Vladimir Manchev | 20 March 2023[50] | 15th | Lyuboslav Penev | 21 March 2023[51] | |
| Levski Sofia | Stanimir Stoilov | Resigned | 8 April 2023[52] | 4th | Elin Topuzakov | 12 April 2023[53] |
| Slavia Sofia | Zlatomir Zagorčić | 4 May 2023[54] | 7th | Angel Slavkov | 4 May 2023[55] | |
| Septemvri Sofia | Svetoslav Petrov | 5 May 2023 | 13th | Krasimir Balakov | 5 May 2023[56] | |
| CSKA 1948 | Todor Yanchev | 25 May 2023[57] | 3rd | Atanas Ribarski | 25 May 2023[58] | |
| Botev Plovdiv | Bruno Baltazar | Sacked | 25 May 2023[59] | 10th | Stefan Stoyanov (interim) | 25 May 2023[60] |
| Spartak Varna | Dimitar Dimitrov | Resigned | 6 June 2023[61] | 16th | Valentin Iliev | 6 June 2023[62] |
| Beroe | Nikolay Kirov | Sacked | 6 June 2023[63] | 14th | Veselin Penev (interim) | 6 June 2023 |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | Stanislav Genchev | Resigned | 6 June 2023[64] | 9th | Stoycho Stoev | 8 June 2023[65] |
| Botev Plovdiv | Stefan Stoyanov | End of interim period | 8 June 2023[66] | 10th | Stanislav Genchev | 8 June 2023 |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 72 | 21 | +51 | 74 | Qualification for the Championship group |
| 2 | CSKA Sofia | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 57 | 14 | +43 | 73 | |
| 3 | CSKA 1948 | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 49 | 22 | +27 | 59 | |
| 4 | Levski Sofia | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 38 | 14 | +24 | 54 | |
| 5 | Cherno More | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 53 | |
| 6 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 28 | +5 | 50 | |
| 7 | Slavia Sofia | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 49 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League group |
| 8 | Arda | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 42 | |
| 9 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 38 | |
| 10 | Botev Plovdiv | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 32 | |
| 11 | Botev Vratsa | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 55 | −32 | 28 | Qualification for the Relegation group |
| 12 | Beroe | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 26 | 47 | −21 | 27 | |
| 13 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 39 | −18 | 24 | |
| 14 | Hebar | 30 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 51 | −32 | 23 | |
| 15 | Septemvri Sofia | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 45 | −20 | 22 | |
| 16 | Spartak Varna | 30 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 60 | −33 | 17 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[67]
Results
Results by round
Championship round
Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LUD | CSS | CSK | LEV | LPD | CHM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ludogorets Razgrad (C) | 35 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 81 | 27 | +54 | 85 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round | — | 2–2 | — | 3–2 | 1–0 | — | |
| 2 | CSKA Sofia | 35 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 65 | 17 | +48 | 84 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 3 | CSKA 1948 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 55 | 28 | +27 | 64 | 2–2 | — | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | ||
| 4 | Levski Sofia (O) | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 61 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | 2–1 | |
| 5 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 35 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 54[a] | — | — | — | 0–3 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 6 | Cherno More | 35 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 54[a] | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[68]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Notes:
Europa Conference League round
Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARD | SLA | LSO | BPD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arda | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 47 | 36 | +11 | 58[a] | Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off | — | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Slavia Sofia | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 58[a] | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 42 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | ||
| 4 | Botev Plovdiv | 36 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 41 | 49 | −8 | 36 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[69]
Notes:
Relegation round
Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | PIR | HEB | BVR | BSZ | SEP | SPV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 35 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 34 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | — | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | Hebar | 35 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 59 | −29 | 32[a] | — | — | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | ||
| 3 | Botev Vratsa | 35 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 29 | 64 | −35 | 32[a] | — | 2–3 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Beroe (O) | 35 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 54 | −23 | 32[a] | Qualification for the relegation play-off | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| 5 | Septemvri Sofia (R) | 35 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 28 | Relegation to the Second League | 2–0 | — | 3–1 | — | — | — | |
| 6 | Spartak Varna (R) | 35 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 32 | 65 | −33 | 25 | — | 2–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[70]
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Europa Conference League play-off
| Levski Sofia | 2–0 | Arda |
|---|---|---|
Welton  36', 58' | Report |
Promotion/relegation play-off
| Beroe | 1–0 | Sportist Svoge |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of 11 June 2023[71]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivaylo Chochev | CSKA 1948 | 21 |
| 2 |  Duckens Nazon | CSKA Sofia | 18 |
| 3 | Igor Thiago | Ludogorets | 15 |
| 4 |  Antoine Baroan | Botev Plovdiv | 14 |
| Kiril Despodov | Ludogorets | ||
| 6 |  Matías Tissera | Ludogorets | 12 |
| 7 |  Aboubacar Toungara | Beroe / Arda | 10 |
| Maurício Garcez | CSKA Sofia | ||
| 9 |  Brayan Perea | Botev Vratsa | 9 |
| Brayan Moreno | CSKA Sofia | ||
| Ricardinho | Levski Sofia |
Clean sheets
- As of 11 June 2023[72]
| Rank | Goalkeeper | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plamen Andreev | Levski Sofia | 22 |
| 2 | Gustavo Busatto | CSKA Sofia | 20 |
| 3 | Daniel Naumov | CSKA 1948 | 14 |
| 4 | Sergio Padt | Ludogorets | 13 |
| 5 | Ivan Dyulgerov | Cherno More | 12 |
| 6 | Krasimir Kostov | Botev Vratsa | 11 |
| Anatoli Gospodinov | Arda | ||
| 8 | Dinko Horkaš | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 10 |
| 9 | Svetoslav Vutsov | Slavia Sofia | 9 |
| 10 | Aleksandar Lyubenov | Lokomotiv Sofia | 8 |
Hat-tricks
- As of 11 June 2023
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurício Garcez | CSKA Sofia | Arda | 3–0 (H)[73] | 10 July 2022 |
| Ivaylo Chochev4 | CSKA 1948 | Botev Vratsa | 5–2 (H)[74] | 6 August 2022 |
| Elvis Manu | Botev Plovdiv | Botev Vratsa | 6–0 (H)[75] | 5 November 2022 |
| Kiril Despodov | Ludogorets | Cherno More | 3–2 (H)[76] | 12 March 2023 |
| Igor Thiago | Ludogorets | Botev Vratsa | 8–1 (H)[77] | 8 April 2023 |
| Tonislav Yordanov | Beroe | Spartak Varna | 4–0 (A)[78] | 9 April 2023 |
| Antoine Baroan | Botev Plovdiv | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 4–2 (A)[79] | 4 May 2023 |
| Duckens Nazon | CSKA Sofia | Botev Vratsa | 5–1 (H)[80] | 8 May 2023 |
- Note
4 Player scored 4 goals