Bulgaria women's national football team

Bulgaria
Nickname(s)	Лъвиците (The Lionesses)
Association	Bulgarian Football Union
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Silvia Radoyska
Captain	Nikoleta Boycheva
Home stadium	Lovech Stadium
FIFA code	BUL
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	90 2 (24 March 2023)[1]
Highest	33 (December 2008)
Lowest	92 (August 2022)
First international
	Bulgaria 1–1 Spain ; (Sofia, Bulgaria; 11 October 1987)
Biggest win
	Estonia 0–5 Bulgaria ; (Otopeni, Romania; 18 November 2006); Bulgaria 5–0 Luxembourg ; (Ta' Qali, Malta; 5 June 2009); Bulgaria 5–0 Georgia ; (Lovech, Bulgaria; 21 November 2009)
Biggest defeat
	France 14–0 Bulgaria ; (Le Mans, France; 28 November 2013)

The Bulgaria women's national football team (Bulgarian: Български женски национален отбор по футбол) represents Bulgaria in international women's football, and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. The team's major success came in 2008 when they won the Balkan Championship and the Albena Cup in the same year. These major tournament victories brought them up to their all-time highest FIFA world ranking of 33rd.

History

Team image

Nicknames

The Bulgaria women's national football team have been nicknamed as "Лъвиците (The Lionesses)".

Home stadium

Bulgaria plays their home matches on the Lovech Stadium.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

Win Draw Lose Fixture

2022

12 Apr 2022 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualfiying Group H	Portugal	3–0	Bulgaria	Barcelos, Portugal
19:00 UTC+1	Di. Silva 18' Marques 26' C. Costa 42'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Barcelos Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)

23 Jun 2022 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualfiying Group H	Bulgaria	0–2	Israel	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
19:00 UTC+3		Report	Selimhodzic 29' Avital 32'	Stadium: Stadion Lokomotiv Referee: Martina Molinaro (Italy)

1 Sept 2022 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualfiying Group H	Israel	2–0	Bulgaria	Ness Ziona, Israel
19:30 UTC+2	Avital 54' Sharabi 73'	Report		Stadium: Ness Ziona Stadium Referee: Araksya Saribekyan (Armenia)

6 Sept 2022 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualfiying Group H	Bulgaria	0–8	Germany	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
19:30 UTC+3		Report	Schüller 35', 45+1', 52' Freigang 45', 64', 87' Lohmann 54' Huth 81' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadion Lokomotiv Attendance: 200 Referee: Elvira Nurmustafina (Kazakhstan)

2023

15 February 2023 Turkish Women's Cup	Bulgaria	2–0	Hong Kong	Alanya, Turkey
15:00	Popadinova 11' Naydenova 22'	Report		Stadium: Gold City Sport Complex

18 February 2023 Turkish Women's Cup	North Macedonia	1–2	Bulgaria	Alanya, Turkey
11:00	Rochi 9'		Yaneva 15' Popadinova 87'	Stadium: Gold City Sport Complex

21 February 2023 Turkish Women's Cup	Bulgaria	1–2	Kosovo	Alanya, Turkey
11:00				Stadium: Gold City Sport Complex

6 April BFU International Women's Cup 2023 SF	Bulgaria	3–0	Lithuania	Sofia, Bulgaria
11:00 UTC+2	Yaneva 23' Dimitrova 55' Karadzhova 81'			Stadium: Boyana Sports Complex

10 April BFU International Women's Cup 2023 F	Bulgaria	0–1	Kosovo	Sofia, Bulgaria
--:-- UTC+2				Stadium: Boyana Sports Complex

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of 28 November 2022.

Role	Name
Head coach	Silvia Radoyska
Assistant coach
Goalkeeping coach
Physical Coach
Technical Staff

Manager history

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Winning %
Emil Atanasov	18 November 2006–25 August 2010	21	11	4	6	52.38%
Valentin Chakarov	24 November 2010–19 September 2012	13	0	1	12	0%
Emil Kartselski	20 August 2013–21 August 2014	11	2	1	8	18.18%
Silvia Radoyska	17 September 2014–present	29	5	2	22	22.73%

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2023 Turkish Women's Cup.[2]
Match dates: 15–21 February 2023
Opposition: Hong Kong, North Macedonia and Kosovo

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Roksana Shahanska	(1992-04-23) 23 April 1992	13	0	Lokomotiv
1GK	Viktoria Dimova	(2002-01-08) 8 January 2002	0	0	NSA
1GK	Victoria Ivanova	(2001-01-25) 25 January 2001	0	0	Sevlievo Ladies

2DF	Nikoleta Boycheva	(1994-08-20) 20 August 1994	9	0	Lokomotiv
2DF	Nora Dimitrova	(1996-07-26) 26 July 1996	12	0	Lokomotiv
2DF	Mariela Nedeva	(2000-07-12) 12 July 2000	2	0	NSA
2DF	Silviya Kefalova	(2001-06-06) 6 June 2001	2	0	NSA
2DF	Zhasmina Atanasova	(1996-06-25) 25 June 1996	5	0	LP Super Sport
2DF	Ivet Vasileva	(1998-07-12) 12 July 1998	0	0	LP Super Sport
2DF	Yanitsa Ivanova	(2001-01-05) 5 January 2001	13	0	ASD Real Meda
2DF	Gergana Iliycheva	(2002-02-24) 24 February 2002	2	0	Chita di Matera

3MF	Ivana Naydenova	(2001-12-21) 21 December 2001	12	2	Orobica Bergamo
3MF	Lora Petrova	(1998-10-12) 12 October 1998	12	1	Orobica Bergamo
3MF	Dessi Dupuy	(1993-06-10) 10 June 1993	3	0	Växjö DFF
3MF	Leonora Zheleva	(1999-05-13) 13 May 1999	6	0	Deportivo Parquesol
3MF	Ivelina Pavlova	(2003-07-18) 18 July 2003	1	0	NSA
3MF	Zdravka Parapunova	(2003-08-06) 6 August 2003	0	0	NSA

4FW	Polina Rasina	(1999-03-12) 12 March 1999	9	0	NSA
4FW	Bilyana Pencheva	(1997-05-23) 23 May 1997	3	0	Lokomotiv
4FW	Mirela Moeva	(2000-09-29) 29 September 2000	0	0	Etar VT
4FW	Evdokiya Popadinova	(1996-10-26) 26 October 1996	6	1	Sassuolo
4FW	Aleksandra Yaneva	(2001-02-24) 24 February 2001	0	0	Chita di Matera

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Bulgaria squad in the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up



FW	Evdokiya Popadinova	(1996-10-26) 26 October 1996	7	0	Sassuolo	v. Germany, 6 September 2022

Captains

Radoslava Slavcheva (????–)

Records

As of 23 May 2021

Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 2021.

Most capped players

#	Player	Year(s)	Caps

Top goalscorers

#	Player	Year(s)	Goals	Caps

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA		GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA
FIFA Women's World Cup record									Qualification record
1991	did not qualify								UEFA Euro 1991
1995									UEFA Euro 1995
1999									6	2	1	3	11	12
2003	did not enter								did not enter
2007	did not enter								did not enter
2011	did not qualify								8	2	2	4	9	25
2015	did not qualify								10	0	1	9	3	62
2019	did not enter								did not enter
2023	to be determined								to be determined
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	24	4	4	16	23	99

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA		GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA
UEFA Women's Championship record									Qualifying record
1984	did not enter								did not enter
1987	did not enter								did not enter
1989	did not qualify								8	0	2	6	1	18
1991									6	0	0	6	3	18
1993									4	0	0	4	1	9
1995									4	1	1	2	3	11
1997									6	4	0	2	13	6
2001	did not enter								did not enter
2005	did not enter								did not enter
2009	did not qualify								3	2	0	1	8	1
2013	did not qualify								10	0	0	10	1	54
2017	did not enter								did not enter
2022	did not enter								did not enter
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	41	7	3	31	30	117