Bulgaria’s 1994 World Cup Team

At a glance

Source: Wikipedia (Bulgarian): България на Световното първенство по футбол 1994; Wikipedia: Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup^1,2

Road to the Finals

Bulgaria qualified after a 2–1 away win over France in Paris on 17 November 1993. France took the lead through Eric Cantona, before Emil Kostadinov equalised and scored the winning goal in the final moments. At the 1994 finals, Bulgaria began with a 3–0 defeat by Nigeria. It then beat Greece 4–0 and Argentina 2–0, finishing second in its group and advancing to the knockout rounds.^1,2

Knockout Matches

Bulgaria drew 1–1 with Mexico after extra time in the round of 16, then won the penalty shoot-out 3–1. In the quarter-final, Germany led through a Lothar Matthäus penalty. Hristo Stoichkov equalised in the 75th minute, and Yordan Letchkov scored three minutes later to give Bulgaria a 2–1 win. Bulgaria then lost 2–1 to Italy in the semi-final; Stoichkov scored from the penalty spot.^1,2

In the match for third place, Bulgaria lost 4–0 to Sweden and finished fourth overall.^1,2

Tournament Record

Bulgaria played seven matches at the 1994 tournament, winning three, drawing one and losing three. The team scored 10 goals and conceded 11. Its fourth-place finish was Bulgaria’s best result at a FIFA World Cup. The team’s earlier appearances came in 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974 and 1986; it also qualified for the 1998 tournament. Bulgaria did not qualify for a World Cup after 1998.^1,2

Bulgaria did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup; its last World Cup was in 1998.^1,2