FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his admiration for Bulgaria's rich and proud football tradition, including seven FIFA World Cup™ appearances, when he attended a gala dinner to celebrate the Bulgarian Football Union's (BFU) centenary in Sofia, the country's capital.

Thanking the BFU President Georgi Ivanov - a former player who won 34 caps for the national team - for a warm welcome, he said football in the country had a bright future thanks to the BFU's plans to develop the sport and increase participation among young people.

The celebration took place 30 years after Bulgaria memorably reached the semi-finals at the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ held in the United States with a team captained by Hristo Stoichkov, who finished as joint-top scorer with six goals.

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev attended the event, while other participants included UEFA President and FIFA Vice-President Aleksander Čeferin. FIFA Senior Football Advisor Youri Djorkaeff and FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov were among the members of the FIFA delegation.

“Bulgaria has an incredible footballing heritage, and everyone remembers the famous 1994 FIFA World Cup campaign spearheaded by Hristo Stoichkov who was the joint top goalscorer at that edition, as well as memories from players such as Yordan Letchkov and Emil Kostadinov among other Bulgarian greats,” the FIFA President said.

Georgi Ivanov was elected BFU President in March 2024 and previously met Mr Infantino in Paris in August this year, when he outlined extensive plans to get more children to play football.

“Football has had many successes in Bulgaria and continues to produce young girls and boys who enjoy our sport,” Mr Infantino continued. “The plan and future that the BFU and the whole country have for football here is looking very bright, and I am certain that the next 100 years will be even more glorious for this great country.”

With the support of the FIFA Forward programme, the BFU has sought to boost football’s popularity in the country from grassroots level upwards by constructing a series of mini-complexes nationwide. Three such complexes have been built in Sofia, Vidin and Kazanlak with the support of FIFA Forward. Aimed at boosting participation levels among children aged five to nine and providing schools’ and girls’ teams with quality infrastructure, the complexes boast artificial pitches to make play possible all year round.

Pitches are floodlit and complemented by new and renovated stands and changing rooms, as well as office and conference spaces.