The 2024–25 First Professional Football League, also known as efbet League for sponsorship reasons, was the 101st season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 77th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid, and also the 9th season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season began on 19 July 2024 and finished on 31 May 2025.
Ludogorets Razgrad were the 13-time defending champions and successfully defended the title, winning it for a record-extending fourteenth consecutive time.
Teams As in the last season, 16 teams will compete in the league this year. Two teams were promoted from the 2023–24 Second League, and another place is for 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 two finish after Marek lost to Sportist Svoge on 3 May. Spartak return to the top level after 1-year absence.
The second team to earn promotion from the Second League was Septemvri Sofia, who mathematically secured a top two finish after winning against Chernomorets Balchik on the last matchday of the season. Septemvri return to the top level also after a 1-year absence.
Additionally, Botev Vratsa managed to defeat Marek with a score of 4–2 after penalties in the promotion/relegation playoff, thus remaining in the First League.
Stadia and locations Arda Beroe Botev Plovdiv Botev Vratsa Arena Arda Stadion Beroe Stadion Hristo Botev Stadion Hristo Botev Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 18,777 Capacity: 25,000 Cherno More CSKA 1948 CSKA Sofia Hebar Stadion Ticha Stadion Bistritsa Vasil Levski National Stadium Stadion Georgi Benkovski Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 4,000 Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 13,000 Krumovgrad Levski Sofia Nikola Shterev - Starika Sports Complex Stadion Georgi Asparuhov Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: 18,000 Lokomotiv Plovdiv Lokomotiv Sofia Stadion Lokomotiv Stadion Lokomotiv Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 22,000 Ludogorets Razgrad Septemvri Sofia Slavia Sofia Spartak Varna Huvepharma Arena Stadion Lokomotiv Stadion Aleksandar Shalamanov Stadion Spartak Capacity: 10,500 Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 10,000
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 AdditionalArda Aleksandar Tunchev Anatoli GospodinovUhlsportefbetIK Nataliya Ltd.Beroe Plamen Lipenski (interim) Franco Ramos MingoNike8888.bg—Botev Plovdiv Dušan Kerkez Ivelin PopovMacronWinBetBitcoinBotev Vratsa Hristo Yanev Daniel GenovErimaWinBetVratsa Municipality, Inex, Predsednik Ltd.Cherno More Ilian Iliev Daniel DimovMacronArmeets—CSKA 1948 Ivan Stoyanov Radoslav KirilovPumaefbetBachkovoCSKA Sofia Aleksandar Tomash Liam CooperMacronWinBetA1Hebar Velislav Vutsov Róbert MazáňErimaefbet—Krumovgrad Rosen Kirilov Yanko GeorgievUhlsportCompass Cargo AirlinesBethubLevski Sofia Julio Velázquez Wenderson TsunamiAdidasPalmsBetCT Interactive, LacrimaLokomotiv Plovdiv Dušan Kosič Dimitar IlievJomaWinBetGeneral Broker ClubLokomotiv Sofia Ratko Dostanić Aleksandar LyubenovJoma8888.bgVIA 2000Ludogorets Razgrad Igor Jovićević Anton NedyalkovJakoefbetVivacom, Huvepharma, NavibulgarSeptemvri Sofia Nikolay Mitov Asen ChandarovUhlsport8888.bg—Slavia Sofia Zlatomir Zagorčić Georgi PetkovZeusbet365Asset Insurance, SportRespectSpartak Varna Nikolay Kirov Viktor MitevNikeefbetIntercom Group, Mussala Insurance Broker, 100 Tona 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 TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentLudogorets Razgrad Georgi Dermendzhiev Resigned 15 August 2024 8th Zahari Sirakov (interim) 15 August 2024Spartak Varna Aleksandar TomashMutual agreement 28 August 2024 3rd Ivan Tsvetanov (interim) 28 August 2024CSKA Sofia Tomislav StipićSacked 28 August 2024 13th Aleksandar Tomash 28 August 2024 Botev Vratsa Todor Yanchev 1 September 2024 13th Hristo Yanev 6 September 2024Spartak Varna Ivan TsvetanovEnd of interim spell 5 September 2024 3rd Kyriakos Georgiou 5 September 2024 Ludogorets Razgrad Zahari Sirakov 26 September 2024 1st Igor Jovićević 26 September 2024Spartak Varna Kyriakos GeorgiouResigned 28 September 2024 5th Ivan Tsvetanov (interim) 12 October 2024Lokomotiv Sofia Ivan KolevMutual agreement 30 September 2024 12th Anton Velkov 30 September 2024Beroe José Acciari 30 September 2024 8th Josu Uribe 3 October 2024Hebar Veselin Velikov 1 October 2024 16th Yordan Minev (interim) 12 October 2024Lokomotiv Plovdiv Lyuboslav Penev 11 October 2024 10th Hristo Zlatinski (interim) 11 October 2024Hebar Yordan MinevEnd of interim spell 16 October 2024 16th Bruno Akrapović 16 October 2024Spartak Varna Ivan Tsvetanov 20 October 2024 5th Nikolay Kirov 20 October 2024CSKA 1948 Valentin Iliev Sacked 30 October 2024 9th Ivan Ivanov 30 October 2024Lokomotiv Plovdiv Hristo Zlatinski End of interim spell 7 December 2024 14th Vasil Garkov (interim) 7 December 2024Levski Sofia Stanislav Genchev Mutual agreement 16 December 2024 4th Julio Velázquez 6 January 2025Lokomotiv Plovdiv Vasil Garkov (interim) End of interim spell 19 December 2024 14th Dušan Kosič 19 December 2024CSKA 1948 Ivan Ivanov Sacked 18 February 2025 12th Borislav Kyosev 20 February 2025Krumovgrad Atanas Ribarski 4 March 2025 14th Miroslav Kosev 4 March 2025Hebar Bruno Akrapović Mutual agreement 11 March 2025 16th Yordan Cholov (interim) 11 March 2025 Yordan Cholov End of interim spell 17 March 2025 16th Velislav Vutsov 17 March 2025Lokomotiv Sofia Anton Velkov Resigned 17 March 2025 14th Ratko Dostanić 21 March 2025CSKA 1948 Borislav KyosevSacked 4 April 2025 10th Aleksandar Aleksandrov 4 April 2025Krumovgrad Miroslav Kosev 5 April 2025 14th Rosen Kirilov 5 April 2025CSKA 1948 Aleksandar Aleksandrov Mutual agreement 30 April 2025 10th Ivan Stoyanov 30 April 2025Beroe Josu Uribe Sacked 16 May 2025 8th Plamen Lipenski (interim) 16 May 2025
Regular season League table
Results
Championship round Points and goals carried over in full from regular season.
Conference League round Points and goals carried over in full from regular season.
Relegation round Points and goals carried over in full from regular season.
Conference League play-off
Promotion/relegation play-offs
Season statistics Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Santiago GodoyBeroe182 Ahmed AhmedovSpartak Varna16 Ante AralicaLokomotiv Sofia4 Goduine KoyalipouCSKA Sofia145 Borislav RupanovSeptemvri Sofia126 Stanislav IvanovArda11 Tonislav Yordanov8 Rwan CruzLudogorets Razgrad10 Ivan MinchevSlavia Sofia Vladimir Nikolov
Clean sheets
Rank Goalkeeper Club Cleansheets1 Plamen IlievCherno More142 Hans Christian BernatBotev Plovdiv13 Yanko GeorgievKrumovgrad4 Petar MarinovCSKA 1948125 Anatoli GospodinovArda11 Aleksandar LyubenovLokomotiv Sofia Arthur MottaBeroe Sergio PadtLudogorets Razgrad Martin VelichkovSpartak Varna10 Hendrik BonmannLudogorets Razgrad8
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Ahmed AhmedovSpartak VarnaHebar4–0 (H)22 November 2024 Santiago Godoy4BeroeBotev Vratsa5–1 (H)4 December 2024 Santiago GodoySpartak Varna3–0 (A)1 March 2025
Note 4 Player scored 4 goals
Attendances
No. Club Average attendancehttps://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/bgr/avebgr25.htm Change Highest 1 Levski Sofia 8,192 -4,4% 31,948 2 Botev Plovdiv 4,215 -12,8% 14,035 3 CSKA Sofia 3,943 -36,5% 25,000 4 Cherno More Varna 2,295 -8,9% 8,000 5 Spartak Varna 1,991 - 6,500 6 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 1,975 -42,8% 6,500 7 Ludogorets Razgrad 1,627 -11,9% 6,000 8 Beroe Stara Zagora 1,197 9,5% 5,500 9 Arda Kardzhali 910 -23,1% 3,896 10 Botev Vratsa 881 6,0% 2,000 11 Hebar Pazardzhik 843 -60,6% 3,800 12 Slavia Sofia 735 82,7% 5,500 13 Lokomotiv Sofia 692 30,8% 4,300 14 Krumovgrad 385 -39,5% 1,300 15 Septemvri Sofia 298 - 2,000 16 CSKA 1948 200 -15,9% 550
References