PFC Levski Sofia

History

1914–1969: Sports Club Levski

Sports Club Levski was founded in 1911 by a group of students from the Second Male High School in Sofia. The club's name was chosen in honour of the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, and the club was officially registered on 24 May 1914.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The championship title of the club for 1985 was suspended. However, the suspensions were lifted shortly after. 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.

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.

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. There, they faced the title holders Barcelona, Premier League champions Chelsea, and Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen. They lost all six games and scored only one goal, in the second round against Chelsea.

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.

Levski earned a place in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League after the Bulgarian league champions CSKA Sofia failed to obtain a UEFA license. 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 6–0. 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 defeat in European competitions. After that, Levski lost to Sporting CP with 5–0, followed by another defeat against Lille. In return leg in Sofia, Levski was leading 2–1 against Lille until Ivo Ivanov scored an own goal late in the game to make it 2–2. In the last match of the Group C, Levski won 1–0 against Sporting CP with the goal scored by Daniel Mladenov, but it wasn't enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage.

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, 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.

2020–present: Return of Sirakov and Stoilov

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.

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. 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. 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.

Club symbols

Names and crests

The first club crest was designed by Mincho 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 became 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.

Club anthem

The first anthem of Levski was written by renowned Bulgarian poet Dimcho Debelyanov and composed by Lyubomir Pipkov. Since 1999, the club anthem is "Само Левски шампион" (Come on Levski, you champion), composed by Stefan Dimitrov.

Stadium

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 Playing 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.

Supporters

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. 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%).

Players

First team

As of 8 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

For recent transfers, see list of Bulgarian football transfers summer 2026.

Reserve team and Youth academy

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

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 three 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.

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

Honours

S Shared record

European record

As of 26 August 2026

Recent seasons

League positions

Key

G = Games played

W = Games won

D = Games drawn

L = Games lost

GS = Goals scored

GA = Goals against

P = Points

Youth academy

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.

Club records

As of 2026

Biggest league win: 10–0 vs Chernomorets Burgas Sofia (3 March 2007) — 2006–07

Biggest league defeat: 1–6 vs Botev Plovdiv (7 July 1962) — 1961–62

Biggest cup win: 12–1 vs Knyaz Kiril Sofia — 1940

Biggest cup defeat: 0–5 vs Spartak Plovdiv — 1961–62

Biggest European competition win: 12–2 vs Reipas Lahti (16 September 1976) — European Cup Winners' Cup, first round first leg, 1976–77

Biggest European competition defeat: 0–5 vs AZ Alkmaar (4 November 1980) — UEFA Cup, second round second leg, 1980–810000000000000000000000000000000000vs Barcelona (12 September 2006) — UEFA Champions League, group stage, 2006–070000000000000000000000000000000000vs Sporting CP (30 September 2010) — UEFA Europa League, group stage, 2010–11

Biggest European competition win on aggregate: 19–3 vs Reipas Lahti — European Cup Winners' Cup, first round, 1976–77

Biggest European competition defeat on aggregate: 0–7 vs AEK Larnaca — UEFA Europa League, second qualifying round, 2019–20

Most consecutive league games unbeaten at home: 203 — from 1966 to 1985

Most consecutive league games unbeaten: 27 — from 10 September 1948 to 13 May 1950

Most consecutive league games won: 14 — from 3 April 2004 to 19 September 2004

Most league points in a season:

Player records

As of 2026

Notable players

Bulgarian players

Players with at least one appearance for the Bulgaria national team.

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.

Bulgarian Footballer of the Year

1931 – Asen Peshev

1942 – Lyuben Stamboliev

1948 – Vasil Spasov

1965 – Georgi Asparuhov

1970 – Stefan Aladzhov

1974 – Kiril Ivkov

1975 – Kiril Ivkov

1977 – Pavel Panov

1984 – Plamen Nikolov

1986 – Borislav Mihaylov

1987 – Nikolay Iliev

1999 – Aleksandar Aleksandrov

2000 – Georgi Ivanov

2001 – Georgi Ivanov

First division top goalscorers

1940 – Yanko Stoyanov (14 goals)

1950 – Lubomir Hranov (11 goals)

1957 – Hristo Iliev (14 goals)

1960 – Dimitar Yordanov (12 goals)

1965 – Georgi Asparuhov (27 goals)

1974 – Kiril Milanov (19 goals)

1976 – Pavel Panov (18 goals)

1977 – Pavel Panov (20 goals)

1979 – Rusi Gochev (19 goals)

1982 – Mihail Valchev (24 goals)

1984 – Emil Spasov (19 goals)

1987 – Nasko Sirakov (36 goals)

1988 – Nasko Sirakov (28 goals)

1992 – Nasko Sirakov (26 goals)

1993 – Plamen Getov (26 goals)

1994 – Nasko Sirakov (30 goals)

2001 – Georgi Ivanov (21 goals)

2003 – Georgi Chilikov (22 goals)

2011 – Garra Dembélé (26 goals)

2013 – Basile de Carvalho (19 goals)

2015 – Añete (14 goals)

2019 – Stanislav Kostov (24 goals)