The recently-elected President of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), Georgi Ivanov, has met Gianni Infantino in Paris where discussions centred on ways of sustainably developing football in the country.

Bulgarian football enjoyed a golden period in the 1990s when the national team, inspired by Hristo Stoichkov, reached the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup 1994™. However, they failed to maintain that level and have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup™ since 1998, while their last appearance at any major tournament was at UEFA EURO 2004.

During the meeting with Mr Infantino, Mr Ivanov, himself a former international striker who was elected President in March, and the BFU’s Head of Strategic Management, Andrey Petrov, agreed that providing top-class facilities was the key to future success in the long run.

“We had a very open and wide-ranging discussion with the President and Andrey Petrov, on how we can work together to get Bulgaria participating at major tournaments once again,” the FIFA President said.

“The FIFA Series from earlier this year was certainly of help in that regard, as it offered a great learning experience for national teams when they participated in competitive games against teams from different confederations.

“We also spoke about the need to provide high-quality facilities for everyone, from grassroots upwards, and how the FIFA Forward programme can play a significant role in developing these. The growth of women's football was also an important topic of discussion.”

With support from the FIFA Forward programme, three mini-complexes have been built in Sofia, Vidin and Kazanlak, aimed at boosting participation amongst children aged five to nine. These complexes can also be used by senior amateur teams.

Bulgaria took part in the Azerbaijan group of the FIFA Series™ in March 2024, where they beat Tanzania 1-0 and drew 1-1 with the hosts. .

The BFU has also been working to develop women’s football and history was made in May with the appointment of a female referee to a top division men’s match for the first time when Hristiyana Guteva took charge of the match between FC Krumovgrad 1925 and PFC Levski Sofia.