BC CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional basketball club based in the capital Sofia and part of the CSKA Sofia sports club.
CSKA Sofia men's team have been champions of Bulgaria 12 times and Bulgarian cup winners 17 times. They played their home games at "CSKA" Hall in Sofia. In 2006–07, they took part in the FIBA EuroCup tournament, which is the last participation of the club in European club tournaments
History The CSKA Basketball team took over the AC–23, a team which finished in the second place in the national championship in 1942. In 1946, BC "Chavdar" was formed and finished third in the championship.
Basketball is one of the sports that developed in CSKA right from the creation of the Club on 5 May 1948. This "September in CDV" practically takes the whole male and female teams of AS–23, which proves clearly the relationship between CSKA and the first "army" Club in Bulgaria. The new team continued with the composition and the asset of CDV in the current Championship. In the autumn of the same year second place was won, and in 1949 it won the first CDV and the first in its history title in basketball. It was followed by two more titles over the next two seasons, while men generally earned 12 titles and 17 cups in the country. The founders of the Club were Konstantin Totev, Iliya Angelov, Tonko Raynov, Lubomir Katerinski, etc. Later, on the team played Konstantin Kotsev, who after his career became an artist in the National Theatre. At the time still a soldier, Daniel recited excerpts from plays in front of his teammates and he is remembered as one of the most colourful personalities in the "red" Club.
The strongest periods of men's basketball at CSKA were the 1950s and mid–' 60s and ' 70s, when they earned most titles, and in Europe basketball teams such as CSKA (Moscow), AEK (Athens), Olympiakos (Piraeus) and Huventud (Badalona) have been defeated in the european tournaments.
Thus the basketball CSKA won recognition beyond the borders of Bulgaria as well. Reaching of a semifinal in the Cup Winners ' Cup in 1975 and the quarterfinals of the European Cup in 1966 and 1968 are achieved.
In total, for the period 1948–1974 basketball bands broadcast 26 masters of sports and many of them are national team players.
Among the most famous basketball players of CSKA are Dimitar Donev, Kliment Kamenarov, Konstantin Totev, Iliya Angelov, Tonko Raynov, Georgi Maleev, Tsvyatko Barchovski, Temelaki Dimitrov, Atanas Golomeev, Petko Marinov, Milko Arabadzhiiski, Rumen Peychev and others. In CSKA famous coaches like Lubomir Katerinski, Ilia Totev, Kosyo Totev, Tsvyatko Barchovski, Omurtag Kuzmanov and Petko Marinov have worked.
In the mid–80s, on the European scene the "army men" were still performing well, and would play against the big teams in front of large crowds, which CSKA plays in to this day.
After the changes made on the 10th of November, 1989, the "army" basketball gradually fell into crisis and was on the way of vanishing. The military stopped taking part in developing the sport, which hits the club quite harshly. After 1992 the club cannot manage to win gold in the championship and only wins the "Cup of Bulgaria" in 2005.
During the 2006/2007 season Emil Koen and Vladimir Fedyaev take control over CSKA. They have the ambition to get the legendary team to get up on his feet. The women's team is also recovered, as the "Red angels" make the best season in their history.
In Bulgaria the "Red Angels" won a golden double. The highest achievement is the winning of the prestige "Adriatic league", which is one of the most competitive tournaments in Europe. After winning the golden double, Emil Koen died in 2007.
In the two years after 2007, various owners came and went and in the end the basketball team ended its competitive actions.
Only in 2012 a group of enthusiasts led by Alexander Chamakov and Robert Gergov began gradual attempts to reincarnate the red team. Because of the lack of enough financial resources, they started working solely on the youth academy, but the ambition was that there be a men's representative team starting from the 2016–2017 season. After several seasons in the second level, in 2022 CSKA won the second division (victory against Shumen II in the final) and from the 2022–23 season returned to the NBL.
After returning to the NBL, the coach of the team is the club legend and at the same time coach of the national team Rosen Barchovski. In the 2022–23 season, CSKA reached the Cup final, where they lost to their eternal rival Levski. For CSKA, this is the first final since 2005. For the championship, the army team won the bronze medals, first ranking in the top 3 since 2007. For the first time in its history, CSKA has a second team competing in the second division of Bulgaria. In the 2023–24 season, CSKA reached quarterfinals in the NBL playoffs and in the Bulgarian Cup. In 2024 CSKA didn't apply to play in the NBL, because of financial issues. After 2 years of extinction CSKA returned to the NBL.
Honours National Basketball League (12): 1949, 1950, 1951, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992 Bulgarian Cup (17) (record): 1953, 1955, 1962, 1963, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2005 BBL A Group/Second League (1): 2022 European Champions' Cup 1/4 finalists (2): 1966, 1968 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1/2 finalists (1): 1975 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1/4 finalists (2): 1974, 1976
BC CSKA Sofia in European Basketball FIBA European Champions Cup / FIBA European League SeasonRoundClubHomeAway3rd legAggregate 1965–66First round BBC Etzella90–4772–51162–98Second round Denain Voltaire86–6553–61139–126Quarter–finals, Group B CSKA Moscow78–6364–773rd place Zadar84–5853–7980–73 AEK94–6945–75 1967–68Second round KTP 89–6189–86 178–147Quarter–finals, Group A Simmenthal Milano106–11264–764th place Zadar89–7564–79 Juventud Kalso106–10171–80 1977–78Quarter–finals, Group C Sutton & Crystal Palace87–8684–802nd place ASVEL75–6671–99 1980–81Quarter–finals, Group D Eczacıbaşı85–6786–95 2nd place Partizani Tirana110–9183–89 Sinudyne Bologna86–9075–1061983–84 First round Sunair Oostende74–6276–89 150–1511984–85 First round Cibona97–9173–89170–180 1990–91First round ENAD94–8970–66 164–155Eighth–finals Limoges CSP90–10599–119189–2241991–92Round of 32 Bayer 04 Leverkusen77–13263–103140–2351992–93First round Partizani Tirana125–58107–75232–133Round of 32 Real Madrid Teka73–10378–97151–200 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup / FIBA European Cup SeasonRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate 1973–74First round Gießen 46ers93–8174–75167–156Second round Olympiacos79–6959–67138–136Quarter–finals, Group A Crvena zvezda88–81 72–803rd place Saclà Asti75–8359–751974–75Second round AEK74–5985–87146–159Quarter–finals, Group A Juventud Schweppes79–5165–882nd place Crvena zvezda72–7591–102 Thorens Antwerpen64–5758–69Semi–finals Spartak Leningrad57–6469–79126–1431975–76Quarter–finals, Group A Olympiacos99–7778–913rd place Rabotnički90–8488–117 ASPO Tours95–9184–951979–80First round APOEL124–62111–69235–131Eighth–finals Panathinaikos96–9385–100181–1931985–86First round Jugoplastika85–8487–99172–1831988–89First round Çukurova Üniversitesi77–6874–80151–148Eighth–finals Snaidero Caserta74–8480–103154–1871989–90Eighth–finals Real Madrid92–10987–95179–2041992–93Third round Benfica80–8483–111163–1951993–94First round Postojna86–7766–55152–132Second round Tofaş67–6364–71131–134 FIBA Europe League / FIBA EuroCup SeasonRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate 2004–05Qualifying Round, Group A ČEZ Nymburk76–8081–846th place Fersped Rabotnički97–8481–82 Fenerbahçe81–8661–90 UNICS88–9367–98 Hapoel Galil Elyon80–83103–90 Kyiv92–9671–942006–07Round I, Group G Ural Great Perm78–8679–934th place Türk Telekom75–7986–93 Panionios Forthnet86–8370–88 FIBA Korać Cup SeasonRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate1976–77Second round Bosna117–10078–102195–2021986–87First roundPAOK85–8377–89162–1722000–01Round of 64Avtodor Saratov75–10962–92137–201
Season by season +Men'sSeasonLeaguePostseason1948 "A" Group2nd – –1949 "A" GroupChampion 1950 "A" GroupChampion 1951 "A" GroupChampion 1952 "A" Group4th 1953 "A" Group3rd Winner1954 "A" Group4th3rd1955 "A" Group4th Winner1956 "A" Group3rd Semifinalist1958–59 "A" Group7th 1959–60 "A" Group7th Not held1961 "A" Group10th 1962 "A" Group5th Winner1963 "A" Group3rd Winner1964 "A" Group2nd 1964–65 "A" GroupChampion 1965–66 "A" Group2nd 1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1966–67 "A" GroupChampion –1967–68 "A" Group2nd 1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1968–69 "A" Group3rd –1969–70 "A" Group3rd 1970–71 "A" Group3rd 1971–72 "A" Group4th 1972–73 "A" Group2nd Winner1973–74 "A" Group3rd Winner2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1974–75 "A" Group6th 3rd2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1975–76 "A" Group2nd 2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1976–77 "A" GroupChampion Winner3 FIBA Korać Cup 1977–78 "A" Group2nd Winner1 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1978–79 "A" Group2nd 2nd –1979–80 "A" GroupChampion 2nd2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1980–81 "A" Group2nd Winner1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1981–82 "A" Group2nd –1982–83 "A" Group1st Champion –1983–84 "A" GroupChampion Winner1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1984–85 "A" Group3rd Winner1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1985–86 "A" Group2nd 2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1986–87 "A" Group4th QF – 5th Fourth3 FIBA Korać Cup 1987–88 "A" Group3rd Third –1988–89 "A" Group4th Fourth Winner2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1989–90 "A" Group1st Champion Winner2 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1990–91 "A" Group1st Champion Winner1 FIBA European Champions Cup 1991–92 "A" Group1st Champion Winner1 FIBA European League 1992–93 "A" Group2nd Runner–up Finalist1 FIBA European League 2 FIBA European Cup 1993–94 "A" Group4th Fourth Winner2 FIBA European Cup 1994–951 "A" Group10th7–15DNQ –1995–96 "A" Group12th ↓ 1996–97 "B" GroupDNE1997–98 "A" Group4th Fourth 1998–99 "A" Group7th Quarterfinalist 1999–00 "A" Group4th Fourth Quarterfinalist2000–01 "A" Group5th Quarterfinalist Fourth 3 FIBA Korać Cup 2001–02 "A" Group6th Quarterfinalist Fourth –2002–03 "A" Group5th Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist2003–04 "A" Group2nd Runner–up Finalist2004–05 "A" Group2nd Runner–up Winner 3 FIBA Europe League 2005–06 "A" Group8th Quarterfinalist First round –2006–07 "A" Group2nd Runner–up Third 3 FIBA EuroCup 2007–08 "A" Group6th Quarterfinalist Fourth –2008–09 NBLDisqualified3–11 First round2009–16 2016–17 "A" Group11th DNE –2017–18 "A" Group7th 2018–19 2019–20 "A" GroupAbandoned DNE –2020–21 BBL "A" Group West6th Quarterfinalist 2021–22 BBL "A" Group3rd 1st ↑ 2022–23 NBL3rd 20–10Third Finalist2023–24 NBL5th 15–17Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist2024–25 2025–26 BBL "B" Group West3rd Quarterfinalist DNE –2026–271NBL
+Women'sSeasonDivisionPosCupEuropean competitions1950"A" Group7th – –1951"A" Group6th –1952"A" Group6th –1953–1963 –1963–64 –4th –1964–65"A" Group5th –1965–66"A" Group8th –1966–67"A" Group5th –1967–68"A" Group5th –1968–69"A" Group5th –1969–70"A" Group6th –1970–71"A" Group6th –1971–72"A" Group8th –1972–73"A" Group10th –1973–74"A" Group8th2nd –1974–75"A" Group6th –1975–76"A" Group8th –1976–77"A" Group8th –1977–78"A" Group10th –1978–79"A" Group10th – –1979–2006 –2006–07"A" GroupChampionWAdriatic League – WinnerEuroCup – Round of 32
Players Current roster
Depth chart
Notable players
Dimitar Donev Kliment Kamenarov Georgi Maleev Tsvyatko Barchovski Temelaki Dimitrov Atanas Golomeev Petko Marinov Milko Arabadzhiyski Rumen Peychev Georgi Glouchkov Kosta Iliev Omorogbe Nosa Allan Tošić Trevor Harvey Leandro Palladino
Head coaches