PFC Levski Sofia

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football club Template:SC Levski Sofia

PFC Levski Sofia (Template:Langx) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 by a group of high school students, and is named after Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of the country.

Levski have won a total of 74 trophies, including 26 national championships, 26 national cups and 3 supercups, as well as 13 domestic doubles and one treble. They are the only Bulgarian football club to have never been relegated from the top division since the establishment of the league system in 1937.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the international stage, Levski reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup twice and the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup three times. In addition, they finished as runners-up of the Balkans Cup twice, and in 2006, they became the first Bulgarian club to play in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The team's home kit colour is all-blue. LevskiTemplate:'s home ground is the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia, which has a capacity of 17,688 spectators. The club's fiercest rival is CSKA Sofia, and matches between the two capital sides are commonly referred to as the Eternal derby of Bulgaria. Levski also contests the Oldest capital derby with Slavia Sofia, since 1915. The club is a regular member of the European Club Association and the European Multisport Club Association.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

1914–1969: Sports Club Levski

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File:Mk Lv1.png
Makedonia Skopie (left) versus Levski (right), 1942 Bulgarian championship final first leg

Template:Football kit boxSports Club Levski was founded in 1911 by a group of students from the Second Male High School in Sofia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The club's name was chosen in honour of the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, and the club was officially registered on 24 May 1914.Template:Fact

In 1914, Levski lost its first official match against FK 13 Sofia with the score of 2–0. Between 1914 and 1920, football wasn't a popular sport in Bulgaria, and no additional information about the club exists. In the summer of 1921, the Sofia Sports League was established, which united ten clubs from Sofia and marked the beginning of organized football competitions in the city. Levski won the first match in the championship in the 1921–22 season, held on 18 September 1921, against Atletik Sofia with the score of 3–1. The team finished first in the league in 1923 after a 3–2 win over bitter rivals Slavia Sofia, and successfully defended the title in the following two seasons, in 1924 and 1925.Template:Fact

The first National Championship was held in 1924 with Levski representing Sofia. The team went on to win the title in 1933, 1937 and 1942, and established itself as the most popular football club in Bulgaria.Template:Citation needed In 1929, Levski became the first semi-professional football club in Bulgaria, after twelve players staged a boycott of the team in demand of financial remuneration and insurance benefits. The same year Levski met its first international opponents, losing to Gallipoli Istanbul 1–0 and winning against Kuban Istanbul 6–0. Between 1930 and 1932, Levski won the Ulpia Serdica Cup for three consecutive years and was permanently awarded the trophy as a result.Template:Fact

File:Georgi Asparuhov 1969.jpg
Georgi Asparuhov – "Gundi"

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After World War II, Levski became one of the two top clubs in Bulgaria. After winning the championship in 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1953, Levski would not capture the domestic title again until the mid-1960s. In 1949, the authorities changed the club's name to Dinamo following the Soviet traditions, but after the de-Stalinization of Bulgaria, it was reverted in 1957. The 1960s were marked with return to success both on the domestic and on the international stage. Levski's academy would become the most successful in national youth competitions for the years to come, and the results were first seen in the likes of Georgi Asparuhov, Georgi Sokolov, Biser Mihaylov, Kiril Ivkov, Ivan Vutsov, Stefan Aladzhov and Aleksandar Kostov, assisted by experienced veterans like Stefan Abadzhiev, Dimo Pechenikov and Hristo Iliev, which resulted in winning the championship in 1965, 1968 and 1970, including the 7–2 triumph over new bitter rivals CSKA Sofia in 1968. In the 1965–66 European Cup, Levski was eliminated in the first round by Benfica with 5–4 on aggregate.

1969–1985: Levski-Spartak

In January 1969, Levski was forcibly merged with Spartak Sofia by the Bulgarian Communist Party, and put under the auspice of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The name of the club was once again changed, this time to Levski-Spartak.

A new crop of youngsters in the likes of Kiril Milanov, Dobromir Zhechev, Pavel Panov, Stefan Pavlov, Yordan Yordanov, Stefan Staykov, Tomas Lafchis, Todor Barzov, Voyn Voynov, Georgi Tsvetkov, Plamen Nikolov, and Rusi Gochev not only found their place in the first team, but brought new league titles in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984 and 1985. On the international stage, the team reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1969–70 and 1976–77, and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1975–76. In the latter, Levski defeated Barcelona 5–4 in the second leg, becoming one of the two European teams (joined by Bayern Munich in 2020) to have scored five or more goals in one match against the Spanish giants in official UEFA competitions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, Levski became the only Bulgarian club to eliminate a German champion after defeating VfB Stuttgart in the first round of the 1984–85 European Cup. They also eliminated Stuttgart a year earlier in the first round of the 1983–84 UEFA Cup.

1985–1989: Vitosha Sofia

The name of the team was changed to Vitosha by the authorities following the disruptions during and after the Bulgarian Cup final in 1985.<ref name="book1">Template:Cite book</ref> The game ran on high emotions fuelled by the streak of consecutive victories of Levski over CSKA in the two years prior to the game. During the game, which CSKA won 2–1, there were confrontations both on the field and on the stands.<ref name="book1"/> By decree of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, some of the leading players of both clubs were suspended from the sport for life.<ref name="book1"/> The championship title of the club for 1985 was suspended. However, the suspensions were lifted shortly after.<ref name="book1"/> Levski won another cup and league titles in 1986 and 1988, respectively. The fourth European quarter-final came in 1986–87, when Levski knocked out the 1985–86 Danish Cup winners Boldklubben 1903 and the 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup holders Velež Mostar, before losing to the 1985–86 Copa del Rey winners Real Zaragoza.

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1989–2009: Return of Levski Sofia and the Blue Tale

After the 1989–90 season, the club regained its original name. The team was made up of players such as Plamen Nikolov, Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Emil Kremenliev, Zlatko Yankov, Georgi Slavchev, Ilian Iliev, Daniel Borimirov, Stanimir Stoilov, Velko Yotov, Plamen Getov, Nikolay Todorov and Nasko Sirakov, and won three consecutive domestic national championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Levski have contributed a record seven players to the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

In 2005–06, Levski reached the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup after knocking out the 2004–05 Coupe de France winners Auxerre in the first round, finishing above SC Heerenveen, Dinamo București and the reigning title holders CSKA Moscow in the group stage, triumphing over Champions League participants Artmedia Bratislava and Udinese in the knockout stages, before being eliminated by Schalke 04.

File:Levski Werder2.jpg
Levski against Werder Bremen at the National Stadium in the Champions League

Levski, as the champions of Bulgaria, started their 2006–07 UEFA Champions League participation in the second qualifying round, where they eliminated Georgian champions Sioni Bolnisi, defeating them 2–0 both home and away. In the third round, Levski faced the Italian team Chievo Verona, which took part in the tournament because of other clubs' sanctions as part of the 2006 Serie A matchfixing scandal. Levski eliminated Chievo after a decisive 2–0 win in Sofia and a 2–2 draw in Verona, and thus became the first Bulgarian club to ever reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There, they faced the title holders Barcelona, Premier League champions Chelsea, and Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They lost all six games and scored only one goal, in the second round against Chelsea.<ref name="book1"/>

Levski's UEFA Cup run and the consequent participation in the Champions League group stage were considered the club's greatest European successes in the 21st century, hence the period of their occurrence (2005–2007) was informally called the Blue Tale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Levski earned a place in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League after the Bulgarian league champions CSKA Sofia failed to obtain a UEFA license.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Levski lost to BATE Borisov of Belarus in the third qualifying round.

2009–2020: Downfall

During the 2009–10 season, Levski's team started their European campaign with a 9–0 (on aggregate) win against UE Sant Julià in the second qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. In the next round, Levski Sofia faced FK Baku, eliminating the team from Azerbaijan with 2–0 on aggregate. In the play-off round, Levski was eliminated by Debrecen with 4–1 on aggregate. As one of the play-off losers, Levski qualified for the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. In the group stage, Levski faced Villarreal, Lazio and Red Bull Salzburg. Levski achieved only one win and five defeats. Levski won against Lazio in Italy, after Hristo Yovov scored the winning goal in the match.

Levski started the 2010–11 season with a match against Dundalk, in a second qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. Levski won the first match Template:Nowrap.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the return leg at Oriel Park, Levski defeated Dundalk 2–0 with two first half goals from Garra Dembélé. In the next round Levski played against Kalmar FF. The first match ended 1–1 in Sweden. In the return leg in Sofia, Levski won 5–2. In between, The Blues defeated their archrival CSKA Sofia in the Eternal derby with 1–0. Their next match in the Europa League saw them eliminate Swedish champions AIK 2–1 on aggregate, with goals scored by Daniel Mladenov and Garra Dembélé as Levski reached the Europa League group stage. Levski was drawn in Group C, facing Gent, Lille and Sporting CP. The first match was played against Gent at home, which Levski won 3–2 with the winning goal scored by Serginho Greene. With this win, Levski recorded eight consecutive games without a defeat in European competitions. After that, Levski lost to Sporting CP with 5–0, followed by another defeat against Lille. In Sofia, Levski played well against Lille and was leading 2–1 until Ivo Ivanov scored an own goal to make it 2–2. In the last match of the Group C, Levski took a win against Sporting CP with 1–0, with the winning goal scored by Daniel Mladenov.

In the following 2011–12 season, in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Levski were eliminated by Spartak Trnava of Slovakia, following a late game 2–1 win in Sofia, and a loss of the same scoreline in Trnava. The penalty shoot-out costed Levski a place in the play-off round. This caused an upset with the fans and players,Template:Citation needed and the team barely clinched the fourth place at the winter break in the Bulgarian league. Albeit only three points from the leaders Ludogoretz Razgrad, the acting manager Georgi Ivanov was sacked from the position, but remained at the club as a sporting director. Nikolay Kostov was appointed the new manager of the club, giving the supporters a sense of optimism, which, however, faded after a cup knock-out in the hands of Lokomotiv Plovdiv and a home defeat to Minyor Pernik. Kostov handed in his resignation, leaving the managerial post once again vacant. Sporting director Georgi Ivanov once again stepped in to help the club, and accepted being the manager until the summer break, when a new one would be appointed.

File:Football ultras.jpg
Levski Sofia ultras during a derby match against CSKA Sofia

During the summer of 2012, former player Ilian Iliev was appointed the new manager of the club. Under his management, Levski was knocked out from the Europa League by Bosnian side FK Sarajevo. Iliev led the team to 13 league victories and to the semi-finals of the Bulgarian Cup after eliminating Cherno More Varna and Litex Lovech on the away goals rule. Iliev however was sacked after a 1–1 away draw against Pirin Gotse Delchev. Assistant manager Nikolay Mitov took over the team until the end of the season. Under his management Levski won the derby clashes against Litex, CSKA and Ludogorets but failed to win the title after a 1–1 home draw against Slavia Sofia. Levski also reached their first Bulgarian Cup final since 2007, but lost on penalties against Beroe Stara Zagora. Despite the missed opportunity of winning a trophy, Mitov's contract was renewed for the 2013–14 season. However, the team made another disappointing performance in Europa League, being eliminated by the Kazakh side Irtysh Pavlodar. As a result, Nikolay Mitov resigned as manager.

In July 2013, Slaviša Jokanović was appointed as the new manager of the team. Despite losing only two matches in twelve games, Jokanović was released in October 2013. Ivaylo Petev was announced as his successor but during his introduction a few Levski supporters interrupted it, stating that they would not accept his appointment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The next day, Petev refused to take charge of the team and Antoni Zdravkov was named as the new manager. Under his reign the team suffered a heavy 3–0 loss against rivals CSKA, but managed to knock them out in the Bulgarian Cup in December 2013 after penalties. Due to the difficult financial situation, a few key players, such as Antonio Vutov and Garry Rodrigues, were sold to Udinese and Elche, respectively, during the winter break. This reflected on the team's performance and Levski finished fifth and got knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup by Botev Plovdiv. Antoni Zdravkov was sacked in March 2014, and Levski legend Elin Topuzakov took charge as a caretaker until the end of the 2013–14 season. The club did not participate in European competitions for the first time since 1990–91.

On 23 May 2014, the club supporters organized a friendly game against Lazio, marking the 100th anniversary of the club. Club icons like Georgi Ivanov, Dimitar Ivankov, Aleksandar Aleksandrov, Hristo Yovov, Elin Topuzakov and many other former players and celebrities took participation by playing in the game, as well as donating money for the event's organization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The next day, Levski marked 100 years since its founding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The following years were arguably the darkest in the club's history. League-wise, Levski managed to finish higher than third place only once (runners-up in 2015–16), and achieved its lowest ever ranking (seventh place in 2014–15, followed by eighth in 2020–21).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the stage of the Bulgarian Cup, the club lost two more finals, in 2015 to Cherno More<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2018 to Slavia Sofia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In European competitions, Levski faced some of its most unexpected eliminations – against Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Cypriot AEK Larnaca, the latter inflicting the largest ever European defeat on aggregate for Levski Template:Nowrap.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

These years were turbulent not only on the football pitch, but at the higher hierarchy of the club. In June 2015, the long-time president Todor Batkov stepped down and the club was taken over by Ivo Tonev, Aleksandar Angelov and Nikolay Ivanov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From this point onwards, Levski began to experience financial problems. Tonev, Angelov and Ivanov's reign was short-lived and in August 2016, they transferred their shares to businessman Spas Rusev.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Under his governance, Levski signed players like Gabriel Obertan and Jordi Gómez, as well as coach Delio Rossi, in an attempt to return the club's glory. However, Rusev's financing was dubious, and there were complaints for delayed wages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2017, Rusev admitted the club was "practically bankrupt".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 9 February 2019, Rusev stepped down as owner of Levski, leaving the club with more than 30 million BGN in debt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Four days later, businessman and former owner of archrivals CSKA Vasil Bozhkov took over the club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He attempted to stabilize Levski's financial situation by immediately covering the most urgent obligations and selling or releasing the players with the highest wages, investing around 25 million BGN in total throughout his tenure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2020, Bozhkov stepped down as his main business, 7777.bg (National Lottery), had its license withdrawn by the Bulgarian government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The club being left with no financing whatsoever and in a full-scale financial crisis,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> sparkled an unprecedented support campaign amongst the fans, who engaged in various donation initiatives, raising 2.6 million BGN in the span of five months.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, former owner Vasil Bozhkov admitted that he was forced to take over Levski under the threat of business closure by prime minister Boyko Borisov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bozhkov's confession was somewhat of a confirmation of the insinuation that the reason behind Levski's financial problems and occasional ownership changes was Borisov's idea of using the club as an instrument for political influence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2020–present: Return of Sirakov and Stoilov

Template:Multiple image In the summer of 2020, club legend Nasko Sirakov took charge of the majority of shares and the club made some financial cuts, forcing a big part of the players (mainly foreigners) to leave. Levski also changed its transfer policy, signing mainly Bulgarian and homegrown players with lower salaries, allowing the club to start paying off some of the debt accumulated throughout the years. Sirakov set a target for the club to clear most of the debt by 2023, mostly through sponsorship deals, outgoing transfers, television rights and the fans' financial support.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 1 September 2021, Sirakov announced the return of the club's most successful manager in the 21st century, also known as the "author" of the Blue Tale, Stanimir Stoilov. At that time, Levski was in 10th place in the league standings with four defeats and two wins in the first six games. With his arrival, Stoilov released three players – Simeon Slavchev, Valeri Bojinov and Hristofor Hubchev, and signed José Córdoba from Etar and Dimitar Kostadinov from Septemvri Sofia. Under his management, the team managed to improve promptly, earning 20 points by the end of the half-season with 5 wins, 5 draws, and 3 defeats.

On 15 May 2022, Levski won the Bulgarian Cup by defeating its biggest rivals CSKA 1–0 in the final, thus ending the club's longest ever trophyless period (13 years). It was a record 26th cup for the Blues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By winning the cup, the team earned a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifications. In the second qualifying round, they faced PAOK, who reached the quarter-finals of the same competition the previous season. Despite being considered underdogs, Levski managed to eliminate the Greek team 3–1 on aggregate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, Levski crashed out of the tournament in the third qualifying round after an upsetting home defeat on penalties at the hands of Maltese side Ħamrun Spartans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Club symbols

Names and crests

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File:Vasil Levski 01.jpg
Vasil Levski, club's patron

The first club crest was designed by Mircho Kachulev in 1922. Initially in the size of a square with a blue background, it was intentionally written in a stylized letter "Л" (Bulgarian letter "L"; shortened for Levski). The inner space of the letter was filled vertically equally in yellow and red colours. In a later period of time, the Cyrillic letters "С" (Sport) and "К" (club) were added at the top of the square, while the bottom side was inscribed with the name "Sofia". This badge was used by the club until 1949, when it was renamed to Dinamo.

From 1949 to 1956, the emblem of the club was an irregular hexagon filled with vertical red, white, blue and yellow colours, with an inscribed handwritten Cyrillic letter "Д", alongside a five-pointed red star above it and the word "Sofia" underneath. From 1957 to 1968 the original logo of the club was restored, however the letters "C" and "К" were replaced with "Ф" (Athletic) and "Д" (union).

After the merger with Spartak Sofia in 1969, the club crest has been a shield in blue and white with a horizontal red bar above. The shield spawned the letters "Л" and "C", an abbreviation of the new name Levski-Spartak. The football club used this crest until 1985, when it was renamed Vitosha. Vitosha's crest was in the form of a stylized letter "C" surrounding the football in the upper curve of the letter, coloured in blue and white.

In January 1990, the club restored its original name and original logo, and the letters "C" and "K" in the upper corner of the blue square were replaced with the initials "Ф" (football) and "K" (club). However, due to legal issues with the ownership of the rights to the historic crest, the club was forced to change it in 1998, when a brand new shield logo was introduced, entirely in blue. At its centre, an inscription of the letter "Л" was introduced, alongside the year of establishment – 1914. The dome of the shield was labelled "PFC Levski".

After winning the legal dispute for the rights to the historic emblem in 2006, the club decided to use the two different crests simultaneously for a brief period of time. Later that year, the shield crest was replaced by the classic square emblem.

The Cyrillic letter Л (L) is used today as the club's kit crest and on its social media channels.

Club anthem

The first anthem of Levski was written by renowned Bulgarian poet Dimcho Debelyanov and composed by Lyubomir Pipkov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 1999, the club anthem is "Само Левски шампион"<ref>Club anthem Само Левски шампион Template:Webarchive</ref> (Only Levski, the champion), composed by Stefan Dimitrov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Stadium

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File:StadionGeorgiAsparuhov01.jpg
Gerena

Initially, the club did not possess a field of its own and training was held on an empty space called The Hillock (Могилката/Mogilkata), where the National Palace of Culture was built later. In 1924, the Sofia Municipality provided the club with the rights to an empty field on what were then the outskirts of the city, and a decade later the stadium named Levski Field was finally completed. It provided for 10,000 spectators and was regarded as the finest sport facility in the city.

In 1949, the stadium was nationalized and later the Vasil Levski National Stadium was built on the site. The team played in various locations (including the nearby Yunak Stadium) before moving to the Dinamo ground, which was located at the site of the modern Spartak swimming complex. In 1961, after districting, the team moved to Suhata Reka neighborhood, where a new stadium was built by 1963, which was later renamed in 1990 in honour of former Levski player Georgi Asparuhov.

In 1999, the stadium underwent extensive reconstruction with a capacity of 29,000 spectators. The field measures 105 x 68 metres. However, the team plays most of its important international matches on the national stadium Vasil Levski. On one occasion, the former club president Todor Batkov had demanded that Levski should receive Stadion Rakovski on loan. The demand was on grounds that the first club stadium was nationalized and Levski had never been repaid.

In October 2012, it was announced that Levski would be renovating their stadium. The first phase of the planned reconstruction was to be completed in 2014, on the centennial of the club's foundation. As of 2013, the capacity was reduced to 19,000 due to the undergoing reconstruction of the main stand. On 5 July 2013, the first step was made in the construction of the main stand, which has a capacity of 6,000 spectators and meets all the requirements of UEFA for the convenience of fans. The stadium's main stand was officially opened on 23 April 2016 at a special ceremony. Since 2019, the Museum of Glory of Levski Sofia is also located at the stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Supporters

File:Levski Werder1.jpg
Sector B in 2006

Historically, Levski Sofia fans gathered in the south stand of the stadium. This tradition is believed to have its roots in the Sofia Derby, when Levski fans would meet before matches in an area near the southern end of the Vasil Levski National Stadium. Due to the orientation of the stadium and the naming conventions of the stands in most Bulgarian stadiums, Sector B has become synonymous with Levski fans. Recently, fans in Sector B have been seen as part of the ultras movement, which is popular in the Balkans. Today, Sector B initiates most of the songs, choreographies and pyrotechnics at Levski's matches.

Levski supporters are organized by fan clubs, most notably the National Supporters Club, which assists and coordinates fans from all over Bulgaria and supports the organization of events. There are also notable groups from Sofia (Sofia-West, South Division, Blue Junta, HD Boys, LSL and more) and other cities across Bulgaria and globally. Ultras Levski have a long-standing friendship with Lazio fans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to a study performed for UEFA, Levski is the most popular Bulgarian club and share the sixth position in Europe with Juventus, by percentage of support in its own country (31%).<ref name="UEFA">Template:Cite web</ref>

Players

First team

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For recent transfers, see list of Bulgarian football transfers summer 2025.

Reserve team and Youth academy

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Out on loan

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Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU/EEA nationals can be used during a match day (up to two additional non-EU/EEA nationals may be used in exchange for a fee). Those non-EU/EEA nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If players are not of European origin, they can claim Bulgarian citizenship after five years of playing in Bulgaria.

EU/EEA Nationals

EU/EEA Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU/EEA Nationals

Note: For a complete list of Levski Sofia players, see Category:PFC Levski Sofia players.

Honours

Type Competition Achievement Seasons
Domestic First League<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 26 titles 1933, 1937, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948–49, 1950, 1953, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09
Bulgarian Cup<ref name="rsssf2">Template:Cite web</ref> 26 titles 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1958–59, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2021–22
Bulgarian Supercup<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 3 titles 2005, 2007, 2009
Sofia Championship<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 11 titles 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48
Cup of Bulgaria<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 1 titleS 1981–82Template:Efn
Cup of the Soviet Army<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 3 titles 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88
Ulpia Serdika Cup<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn 4 titles 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932
International UEFA Europa LeagueTemplate:Efn 2 times
Quarter-finals 		1975–76, 2005–06
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 3 times
Quarter-finals 		1969–70, 1976–77, 1986–87
Balkans Cup<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2 times
Runners-up 		1960–61, 1961–63
Doubles The Double<ref name="rsssf2"/><ref name="rsssf1">Template:Cite web</ref> 13 times 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948–49, 1950, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2006–07
Trebles The Treble<ref name="rsssf2"/><ref name="rsssf1"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 1 timeS 1983–84Template:Efn

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European record

Template:Main article As of 28 August 2025

Levski Sofia record in European football by competition
Competition Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
UEFA Champions League / European Cup 15 58 15 14 29 74 82 –8
Template:Nowrap 11 36 14 5 17 70 55 +15
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 27 116 41 28 47 145 152 –7
Template:Nowrap 3 14 7 3 4 15 13 +2
UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 6 2 2 2 12 11 +1
Balkans Cup 3 23 8 8 7 35 24 +11
Mitropa Cup 1 2 1 0 1 1 5 –4
Intertoto Cup Ernst Thommen 1 4 3 0 1 12 5 +7
Total 62 259 91 60 108 364 347 +17

Recent seasons

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League positions

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Colors = 

 id:First_tier value:green legend:First_tier
 id:Second_tier value:white legend:Second_tier
 id:Third_tier value:red legend:Third_tier
 id:Fourth_tier value:yellow legend:Fourth_tier
 id:Fifth_tier value:blue legend:Fifth_tier
 id:Does_not_exist value:black legend:Does_not_exist

PlotData= 

 bar:Position width:20 color:green align:center
 from:01/07/1948 till:01/07/1949  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/1950  shift:(0,-4) text:1 
 from:01/07/1950 till:01/07/1951  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1951 till:01/07/1952  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1952 till:01/07/1953  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/1955  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1955 till:01/07/1956  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1956 till:01/07/1957  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1957 till:01/07/1958  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1958 till:01/07/1959  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1959 till:01/07/1960  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1960 till:01/07/1961  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1961 till:01/07/1962  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1963  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/1963 till:01/07/1964  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1965  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1965 till:01/07/1966  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1968  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1968 till:01/07/1969  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1969 till:01/07/1970  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1971  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1971 till:01/07/1972  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1972 till:01/07/1973  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1975  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989  shift:(0,-4) text:2 
 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991  shift:(0,-4) text:6
 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009  shift:(0,-4) text:1
 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014  shift:(0,-4) text:5
 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015  shift:(0,-4) text:7
 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/1948 till:01/07/2016  color:green  shift:(0,14)  text: "A Group"
 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019  shift:(0,-4) text:3
 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021  shift:(0,-4) text:8
 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024  shift:(0,-4) text:4
 from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025  shift:(0,-4) text:2
 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2024  color:green  shift:(0,14)  text: "First League"

</timeline>

Season Position G W D L GS GA P Bulgarian Cup Bulgarian Supercup Champions League Europa League Conference League
2014–15 7 32 17 5 10 66 33 56 Runners-up — — — —
2015–16 2 32 16 8 8 36 18 56 Quarter-finals — — — —
2016–17 3 36 18 9 9 50 31 63 Round of 16 — — Second qualifying round —
2017–18 3 36 18 10 8 55 27 64 Runners-up — — Second qualifying round —
2018–19 3 36 20 6 10 64 37 66 Round of 16 — — First qualifying round —
2019–20 4 31 15 8 8 50 30 53 Semi-finals — — Second qualifying round —
2020–21 8 32 11 8 13 34 32 41 Quarter-finals — — — —
2021–22 4 31 15 7 9 38 27 52 Winners — — — —
2022–23 4 35 17 10 8 47 22 61 Round of 16 Runners-up — — Third qualifying round
2023–24 4 35 19 7 9 50 30 64 Round of 16 — — — Play-off round
2024–25 2 36 21 9 6 64 29 72 Quarter-finals — — — —
Key
  • G = Games played
  • W = Games won
  • D = Games drawn
  • L = Games lost
  • GS = Goals scored
  • GA = Goals against
  • P = Points

Club officials

Board of directors

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First team

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Academy

Technical staff
Head coach Template:Flagicon Julio Velázquez
Assistant coaches Template:Flagicon Fernando Gaspar Laborie
Template:Flagicon Darko Tasevski
Goalkeeper coach Template:Flagicon Bozhidar Mitrev
Fitness coach Template:Flagicon José Antonio Morga
Template:Fb cs footerTemplate:Col-end

Youth academy

File:AsenPeshev.png
Asen Peshev, the first Bulgarian Footballer of the Year<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and two times Balkan Cup winner

Levski's youth academy has developed some of the most successful Bulgarian footballers. Notable academy graduates are Georgi Asparuhov, Nasko Sirakov, Bozhidar Iskrenov, Bozhin Laskov, Georgi Sokolov, Asen Peshev, Borislav Mihaylov, Emil Spasov, Nikolay Iliev, Hristo Yovov, Dimitar Ivankov, Marian Hristov, Hristo Iliev, Aleksandar Kostov, Tsvetan Veselinov, Zdravko Zdravkov, Voyn Voynov, Nikolay Mihaylov and many others. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, in which Bulgaria reached the semi-finals, the Bulgarian team included four players who went through Levski's youth academy, making it the most represented club in the Bulgarian squad. In 2020, Levski was included in the CIES Football Observatory annual rankings, which ranks the clubs that trained the most players active in 31 top divisions of UEFA member associations. In these countries there were 33 footballers from Levski's youth academy, and Levski was ranked 35th in Europe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

UEFA & IFFHS rankings

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Club coefficients

This is the current 2024–25 UEFA coefficient:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Technical staff
B team coach Template:Flagicon Yordan Petkov
Under-17 coach Template:Flagicon Stoyan Dimov
Under-16 coach Template:Flagicon Danail Ivanov
Under-15 coach Template:Flagicon Dimitar Andonov
Under-14 coach Template:Flagicon Iliyan Ivanov
Under-13 coach Template:Flagicon Stanislav Bogdanov
Rank Team Coefficient
308 Template:Flagicon Progrès Niederkorn 4.500
309 Template:Flagicon Floriana 4.500
310 Template:Flagicon Velež Mostar 4.500
311 Template:Flagicon Bala Town 4.500
312 Template:Flagicon Levski Sofia 4.500
313 Template:Flagicon Europa 4.500
314 Template:Flagicon Shakhtyor Soligorsk 4.500
315 Template:Flagicon Bravo 4.068
316 Template:Flagicon Domžale 4.068

Template:Col-3

Club world ranking

These are the IFFHS club's points as of 31 January 2025:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rank Team Points
435 Template:Flagicon Cherno More 59,25
436 Template:Flagicon Derry City 59,0
437 Template:Flagicon Machida Zelvia 58,75
437 Template:Flagicon Kashima Antlers 58,75
437 Template:Flagicon Levski Sofia 58,75
440 Template:Flagicon Rivers United 58,5
440 Template:Flagicon Hradec Králové 58,5
442 Template:Flagicon Glentoran 58,25
443 Template:Flagicon Maniema Union 58,0

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Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1976–1991 Adidas None
1991–1992 Diadora Pepsi
1992–1994 Adidas Balkanbank
1994–1996 Balkanbank / Bulstrad
1996–1998 VIS-2
1998–1999 None
1999–2000 Reusch Mtel
2000–2005 Diadora
2005–2010 Uhlsport
2010–2012 Nike
2012–2014 Puma VTB Capital<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> / Mtel
2014–2015 Joma Lev Ins<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> / Mtel
2015–2018 Vivacom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> / Strabag<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> / efbet<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018–2019 Nike
2019–2020 7777.bg<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020–2022 Joma Strabag<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> / PalmsBet<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022–2023 PalmsBet
2023– Adidas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Col-end

Club records

As of 2025

3 for win: 79Template:Refn — 1994–95
2 for win: 50 — 1969–70, 1971–72

Player records

As of 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Most appearances

No. Name Career Appearances
1 Template:Flagicon Stefan Aladzhov Template:Nowrap 469
2 Template:Flagicon Emil Spasov 1974–1990 429
3 Template:Flagicon Pavel Panov 1969–1981 382
4 Template:Flagicon Kiril Ivkov 1967–1978 374
5 Template:Flagicon Elin Topuzakov 1996–2008
2009–2010 		347
6 Template:Flagicon Hristo Iliev 1954–1968 330
Template:Flagicon Aleksandar Kostov 1956–1971
8 Template:Flagicon Dimitar Telkiyski 1999–2008
2009–2010 		313
9 Template:Flagicon Plamen Nikolov 1977–1992 310
10 Template:Flagicon Hristo Yovov 1995–1997
2004–2007
2009–2013 		306

Template:Col-2

Most goals scored

No. Name Career Goals Appearances Goals per game
1 Template:Flagicon Nasko Sirakov 1981–1994 209 264 {{#expr:209/264 round 2}}
2 Template:Flagicon Pavel Panov 1969–1981 177 382 {{#expr:177/382 round 2}}
3 Template:Flagicon Georgi Asparuhov 1959–1971 153 239 {{#expr:153/239 round 2}}
4 Template:Flagicon Georgi Ivanov 1997–2009 135 238 {{#expr:135/238 round 2}}
5 Template:Flagicon Hristo Iliev 1954–1959
1961–1968 		132 330 {{#expr:132/330 round 2}}
6 Template:Flagicon Emil Spasov 1974–1985
1987–1988
1989–1990 		114 429 {{#expr:114/429 round 2}}
7 Template:Flagicon Mihail Valchev 1981–1986 109 177 {{#expr:109/177 round 2}}
8 Template:Flagicon Dimitar Yordanov 1956–1965 100 201 {{#expr:100/201 round 2}}
9 Template:Flagicon Hristo Yovov 1995–1997
2004–2007
2009–2013 		87 306 {{#expr:87/306 round 2}}
10 Template:Flagicon Asen Peshev 1924–1937 86 99 {{#expr:86/99 round 2}}
Template:Flagicon Daniel Borimirov 1990–1995
2004–2008 		297 {{#expr:86/297 round 2}}

Template:Col-end

Managerial history

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Template:Div col end

Notable players

Bulgarian players

Players with at least one appearance for the Bulgaria national team. Template:Div col

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Foreign players

Foreign players with at least 30 games for the club or that were internationally capped. Players who were internationally capped for their country are listed in bold. Template:Col-begin-small

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Europe

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North and Central America

South America

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Africa

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Bulgarian Footballer of the Year

File:Kiril Ivkov.jpg
Kiril Ivkov, the 1968 Summer Olympics football tournament finalist

First division top goalscorers

File:Nasko sirakov.jpg
Nasko Sirakov, Levski's all-time top goalscorer

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Official websites

Fan websites

Template:PFC Levski Sofia Template:First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) Template:Football in Bulgaria

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