New to Efbet Liga Fantasy? Worry not, Bulgarian Fantasy expert Nikolay shares his tips, tricks and more in his beginner’s guide.
Everything you need to know about the Bulgarian Efbetliga and the fantasy game.
In the article, you will read about the following things:
- A brief history of the league
- Description of the teams in the league
- Тhe rules of the fantasy game
- A special league just for our readers
- How to create an account
- My top eleven for DGW 9
Efbet Liga Introduction
Football Championship of Bulgaria has been played since 1924 with direct eliminations and since 1948 in the form of a league. In the autumn of 1948, the first championship of “A” RFG was launched. 10 clubs take part in it: the capital Levski, Septemvri at CDV, Lokomotiv, Slavia and Spartak, Botev (Varna), Slavia (Plovdiv), Marek (Stanke Dimitrov), Benkovski (Vidin) and Lubislav (Burgas). The first champion of “A” RFG was Levski in the 1948/49 season.
The championship goes through many different variants of the number of teams and the format of holding to get to 2016. On 7 June 2016, the name of the championship was changed to the First Professional Football League, or the First League for short, following the approval of new club licensing criteria.
At the moment, the championship continues to be held in the same format of the top six, the middle four who play a play-off for European tournaments and the last six who fight for survival in the league.
Efbet Liga Teams
FC Arda (Kardjali)
- Stadium capacity: 15250
- Successes: Finalist for the national cup 2019/2020
Founded on August 10, 1924. The colors of the club are sky blue and white. In the 2019/20 season, the club played for the first time in their history in the First Professional Football League.
At the moment, Arda is in tenth place in the ranking and they are showing a very good game. They are a financially stable team and rely a lot on home matches. Some of the key players for the team are: Oumar Sako (DEF, 5.6M), Anatoli Gospodinov (GK, 5.5M), Stanislav Ivanov (MID, 8.1M), and Preslav Borukov (FWD, 8.5M.
Beroe (Stara Zagora)
- Stadium capacity: 12128
- Successes: Champions 1986, winners National Cup 2010, 2013, Super Cup Bulgaria 2013 and Balkan Cup 1968, 1969, 1983, 1984
Founded on May 6, 1916, the team is a regular participant in the championship of Bulgaria and one of the traditional teams. The team’s color is green.
In the current season, Beroe started the championship very strongly and is in fourth place in the standings. The new owners from Argentina have the ambition to develop young players and succeed in qualifying the team for the European tournaments. Key players for the team are: Rodrìgo Accinelli (GK 4,7M), Luciano Squadrone (DEF, 4.6M), Vinni Triboulet (FWD, 7.2M), and Mike Cevallos (FWD, 6.0M).
PFC Botev (Vratsa)
- Stadium capacity: 25000
- Successes: 3rd place in the 1971 Championship
PFK Botev is a Bulgarian football team from Vratsa that competes in the First Professional Football League. It plays its home matches at the “Hristo Botev” stadium, which has a capacity of 25,000 seats.
From 1964 to 1990, “Botev” recorded 26 consecutive seasons in the “A” group. The club achieved its greatest success in the 1970/71 season when it finished in 3rd place and won the bronze medals.
The team was founded in 1921 and plays in the colors green and the visiting team in red. The team has recorded two wins so far in the championship but is experiencing great difficulties in scoring goals. They will probably be involved in the struggle for survival.
Key players for the team are: Momchil Cvetanov (MID, 6.5M), Federico Barios (GK, 4.5M), and Stefan Velev (MID, 5.5M).
PFC BOTEV (Plovdiv)
- Stadium capacity: 18777
- Successes: Champions 1929, 1967, winners National Cup 1962, 1981, 2017, Super Cup Bulgaria 2017, Balkan Cup 1972
“Botev” is a professional football club from Bulgaria. It was founded in 1912 and participates in the First Professional Bulgarian League, which makes it the oldest existing football institution in Bulgaria. The club is a two-time champion of Bulgaria in the seasons 1929 and 1966/67, a three-time winner of the Bulgarian Cup in 1961/62, 1980/81 and 2016/17, as well as a winner of the Bulgarian Super Cup in 2017.
The patron of the club is the great revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev.
The team’s colors are yellow and black and they play their home games in the most modern and new stadium in the country. They started the season very badly, but in the last two games they recorded victories and it seems that they are starting to stabilize under the new coach Dusan Kerkez.
Key players for the team are: Ivelin Popov (MID, 8.4M), Martin Seculic (FWD, 6.6M), and Samuel Akare (MID, 6.5M).
FC Eter (Veliko Tarnovo)
- Stadium capacity: 18000
- Successes: Champions 1991, winners national cup 1991, PFL Cup 1996
Founded on April 24, 1924. Participant in the First Professional Football (Efbet) League. It plays its matches at the “Ivaylo” stadium in Veliko Tarnovo. The club colors are violet and white.
In the current season, the team is playing quite poorly and they have one win. They will definitely participate in the battle for survival in the league.
Key players for the team are: Kolio Stanev (DEF, 4.5M).
FC “Krumovgrad”
- Stadium capacity: 3500
FC Krumovgrad is a football club from the city of Krumovgrad, Bulgaria. It was founded in 1925. It plays its matches at the Komatevo Stadium with a capacity of 3,500 seats. The club colors are blue and yellow. On May 26, 2023, Krumovgrad for the first time in its history secured a ranking in the First League.
In this season, the team is playing very well and it is a pleasant surprise with a very good game. They recorded four wins from the first eight games and even in their debut they beat the current champion Ludogorrets.
Key players for the team are: Ianko Georgiev (GK, 4.1M), Bojidar Kacarov (MID, 5.0M), Alex Kolev (FWD, 6.6M), and Serkan Usein (MID, 5.5M).
PFC “Levski” (Sofia)
- Stadium capacity: 18600
- Successes: Champions 26 times (last 2009), winners of national cup 26 times (last 2022), Super Cup 2005, 2007, 2009
“Levski” Sofia is a Bulgarian professional football team from Sofia, founded on May 24, 1914. “Levski” is the champion of Bulgaria 26 times, with 26 National Cups won (a national record) and with a total of 74 trophies won, the team is the record holder for this country indicator. In European club tournaments, “Levski” reached the quarter-finals of the Cup of National Cups three times in the seasons 1969/1970, 1976/1977, 1986/1987 and twice in the tournament of the UEFA Cup – 1975/1976, 2005/2006. “Levski” is the first Bulgarian team to participate in the groups of the European Champions League – in the 2006/2007 season.
At the moment, Levski is in 8th place in the table, but with a few games less, which he postponed due to commitments in European tournaments. The team plays with a lot of spirit and has quite good Brazilians in attack. Their players are key for fantasy teams.
Key players for the team are: Ronaldo (MID, 8.9M), Ricardinho (FWD, 11.6M), and Cordoba (DEF, 6.0M).
PFC Lokomotiv (Plovdiv)
- Stadium capacity: 14500
- Successes: Champions 2004, winners national cup 2019, 2020, Super Cup 2004, 2020
Lokomotiv Plovdiv is a Bulgarian professional football team from Plovdiv. The club’s colors are black, white and red. Since September 6, 1982,
PFC Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) has played its home matches at the Lokomotiv Stadium with a capacity of 14,500 seats.
In recent years, Lokomotiv has been one of the most consistent teams. In the current championship, they occupy first place after 8 rounds with only one draw and seven wins.
Key players for the team are: Giovanny (MID, 8.2M), and Babakar Dione (MID, 7.1M).
FC Lokomotiv (Sofia)
- Stadium capacity: 22000
- Successes: Champions four times (last 1978), winners of national cup four times (last 1995), Balkan Cup 1973
FC Lokomotiv is a football club from Sofia, Bulgaria. It was founded in 1929. It participates in the First Professional Football League.
It plays its home matches at the Lokomotiv Stadium in the capital’s Svoboda district, which has a capacity of 22,000 seats. The club colors are red and black.
In its history, Lokomotiv (Sofia) has four championship titles of Bulgaria in 1940, 1945, 1963/64 and 1977/78. He was also the winner of the national cup four times – 1948, 1953, 1981/82 and 1994/95. In 1973, Lokomotiv won the Balkan Club Cup, and in 1961 and 1963, it was the European railway champion.
They started the current season with high expectations for a good performance, but they are not justified so far and recorded some crushing losses and in their last two matches they lost to the two teams that come from the second division. They will probably be involved in the struggle for survival.
Key players for the team are: Krasimir Stanoev (MID, 6.6M), Carlos Franca (MID, 7.6M), and Dimitar Mitkow (FWD, 6.9M).
PFC Ludogorets 1945
- Stadium capacity: 22000
- Successes: Champions 12 times (last 2023), winners of national cup three times (last 2023), Super Cup six times (last 2022)
PFC “Ludogorets” 1945 is a Bulgarian professional football club from Razgrad, current champion of the First Professional Football League. Over the years since its establishment in 1945, it has gone under different names: Ludogorets 2003, Antibiotic – Ludogorets, Ludogorie, Razgrad 2000, before regaining its old traditional name in 2010 as the successor and legal successor of the club founded in 1945 – Ludogorets 1945 (Razgrad). The team has played in different kits over the years, today its team colors are green and white.
The club subsequently achieved considerable European success in the 2013/14 Europa League season, reaching the round of 16 in only their second European appearance. To date, they have reached the knockout stages of the Europa League four times. Ludogorets are also the second Bulgarian team after Levski to enter the group stage of the Champions League, a feat they achieved in the following season 2014/15. During the same campaign, they became the first Bulgarian team to earn points in the Champions League group stage after a 1-0 win over Basel in Sofia.
After entering Group A in 2011, Ludogorets established itself as a dominant force in Bulgarian football, winning 12 titles in a row, and becoming the only Bulgarian team to do so. They are a three-time winner of the Bulgarian Cup, as well as a six-time winner of the Bulgarian Super Cup, which is a record.
At the moment, Ludogorets has been an absolute hegemon in the championship for over a decade. The current season for them started off a bit rough and they recorded two losses which is unexpected but not unheard of in their previous starts to seasons. They occupy the 5th place in the standings but with two fewer games played than the leaders Loko Plovdiv.
Key players for the team are: Aslak Fonn Witry (DEF, 6.2M), and Bernard Tekpetey (MID, 10.5M).
OFK “Pirin” (Blagoevgrad)
- Stadium capacity: 7000
- Successes: 5th place finish in the Championship, winners national cup and four times finalist (last 2009)
“Pirin” is a football club from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. He plays his matches at the “Hristo Botev” stadium in Blagoevgrad.
It has been a long-term participant in Bulgarian professional football, a “cradle” for football talents, and many famous football players have graduated from the school. The team competes in the First Professional League.
The executive director of the club is the former elite referee Tasko Taskov.
The current season for Pirin has not been good at all and they sit bottom of the table with no wins and only one goal scored (ironically it was the goal in the opening round of the season opener)
Key players for the team are: Maxim Kovalov (GK, 4.5M).
PFC Slavia (Sofia)
- Stadium capacity: 25556
- Successes: Champions seven times (last 1996), winners of national cup eight times (last 2018), Super Cup Bulgaria Final 2018, Balkan Cup 1986, 1988, Intertoto Cup 1977
Slavia is a Bulgarian football team from Sofia that competes in the First Professional Football League. It plays its home matches at the Alexander Shalamanov Stadium, which has 25,556 seats. The club colors are white and black.
Slavia is a 7-time champion of Bulgaria and an 8-time winner of the Bulgarian Cup. His best achievement in European club competition was a semi-final in the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1966/67 season. In the ranking of the best European teams for the 20th century by the International Federation for Football History and Statistics, Slavia occupies 150th place.
Slavia’s season is not very good and with only one win since the start, they are in the bottom half of the standings and probably in the fight for survival.
Key players for the team are: Galin Ivanov (MID, 7.6M).
FC “Heber” (Pazardzhik)
- Stadium capacity:13128
FC “Hebar” is a Bulgarian football club from the city of Pazardzhik, a participant in the First Professional Football League.
It was established on May 31, 1959, after the merger of “Benkovski” and “Levski”. It is considered a continuation of the “Botev” team created on May 31, 1918. It plays its matches at the Georgi Benkovski Stadium (13,128 seats).
“Heber” has five appearances in the “A” group (1989/90 – 14th place, 1991/92 – 16th place, 2000/01 – 9th place and 2022/23 – 13th place). The team was a quarter-finalist for the Bulgarian Cup in 1974, 1989 and 2005. Two-time semi-finalist in the state championship in 1926 – 3rd place and 1935 – 4th place (as “Botev”). The club has 34 seasons in the “B” group.
Their season started very well and before the last home game, they had not conceded a goal at home. They rely a lot on defense and in their matches few goals are conceded.
FC CSCA 1948 (Sofia)
- Stadium capacity: 2500
FC Central Sports Club of the Army 1948 (Sofia) is a football club from Sofia, Bulgaria. It plays its matches at the “Bistrica” stadium, participating in the First Professional Football League from the 2020/21 season. The team colors are red and white. FC CSKA 1948 was founded on July 19, 2016, at a founding meeting held at the Central Military Club in Sofia.
CSKA 1948 has managed to play at a very good level since they qualified for the Efbet League. Each following season, they upgrade their performance with quite a few players. Financially, they are stable and in terms of play, they are not inferior to the leading teams.
Key players for the team are: Pedrinho (MID 8.1M), Heliton (DEF, 6.0M), and Ivaylo Chochev (MID, 10.3M).
PFC CSKA (Sofia)
- Stadium capacity: 22995
- Successes: Champions 31 times (last 2008), winners of national cup 21 times (last 2021), Super Cup Bulgaria four times (last 2011)
Since its establishment on May 5, 1948, CSKA has participated in all of Bulgaria’s elite championships, with the exception of the 2015/16 season, when it competed in the “B” group.
With two semi-finals in the European Champions Cup tournament and 1 in the National Cup Winners’ Cup, CSKA is also the most successful Bulgarian team in European club tournaments, occupying 60th place, ahead of all Bulgarian representatives, in the ranking of the most – the best European teams for the 20th century of the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. He also earned the nickname “killer of European champions” because of the relegation of three European champions – AFC Ajax in 1974, Nottingham Forest FC in 1981 and Liverpool FC in 1982.
The biggest competitor of Ludogorets in the last few years. Last season they lost a shot at the title at the very end with a missed penalty deep in extra time, but this year they are back with new aspirations.
Key players for the team are: Tobias Heinz (MID, 10.6M), Gustavo Bussato (GK, 7.0M), and Dukens Nazon (FWD, 11.8M).
PFC “Cherno More” (Varna)
- Stadium capacity: 8250
- Successes: 3rd place finish in the Championship, winners of national cup 2015, Super Cup Bulgaria 2015
Cherno More FC is a Bulgarian football team from Varna, participating in the First Professional Football League. Winner of the Bulgarian Cup in 2015, as well as a two-time finalist in the same tournament in 2006 and 2008. Bronze medalist in “A” group in 1953 and 2009. In 2015, he also won the Bulgarian Super Cup.
It plays its home matches at Ticha Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,250 seats.
In the current season, they are in second place without a loss from eight matches in which they met CSKA Sofia and Ludogorets, who are the leading teams in recent years.
Key players for the team are: Atanas Iliev (FWD, 8.1M) and Jivko Atanasov (DEF, 5.6M).
Efbet Liga Fantasy Rules
Team size
Your 15-man team must consist of:
- 2 goalkeepers
- 5 defenders
- 5 midfielders
- 3 forwards
Efbet Liga Fantasy Budget
You start the game with 100M in virtual funds.
Team Structure
You can choose up to three players from each team from the First Professional League. If after the transfer window, you happen to end up with four players from the same team, you will be forced to pass one of them out while making transfers.
Fixtures
B FFStars Bulgaria includes the regular 30 rounds from the championship in the 2023/2024 season plus the matches from the first six, the second four and six for relegation when the teams are split after round 30. The relegation play-offs and the playoffs to enter the tournaments of UEFA are not included.
Starting 11
From your squad of 15 players, you have to choose 11 starters to start the round. All your points for the round will be saved scored/accumulated by these 11 players, but if one or more do not play, they can be automatically substituted. Your team can play in any formation, provided that at any given time it includes: 1 goalkeeper, at least 3 defenders, 2 midfielders and 1 forward.
Possible formations:
- 4-4-2
- 5-3-2
- 3-5-2
- 4-3-3
- 3-4-3
- 4-5-1
- 5-4-1
- 5-2-3
Captain and Vice-Captain
You have to choose from the starting 11 a captain and a vice-captain. The points of your captain will be doubled. If your Captain does not play in the round, he will be replaced by the Vice-Captain. And if the Vice-Captain did not play in the ongoing round, then none of your players will get double points.
Automatic Sub Rules
Your subs give you security in the event of unforeseen events such as injuries. Your replacements automatically replace starting players who are not playing in the round. Depending on the reserve order you set before the round, automatic substitutions are processed at the end of the round as follows:
- If your Goalkeeper does not play in the round, he will be replaced by the backup goalkeeper.
- If both Goalkeepers do not play in the circle, you will not get points.
- If any of the outfield players do not play in the XI, he will be replaced by the first possible substitute in any position/outfield player as long as the rule of having a minimum of three defenders, two midfielders and one forward is respected.
Transfers
After choosing your team, you can buy and sell players on the transfer market. Atthe end of each round, you will get one free transfer for the upcoming round. Any additional transfer that will be done within the same Round will deduct four points from your overall score.
If you don’t use the free transfer, you can make an additional free transfer in the next round. If you don’t use this saved free transfer, it will be carried over until you do. You can never have more than one reserved transfer (maximum of two free transfers per round).
Efbet Liga Fantasy Scoring System
During the season, your players will receive points based on their performance in their teams’ real matches in the First Professional League as follows:
| Event | Points |
|---|---|
| Played 60 minutes or more | 2 |
| Goal scored by goalkeeper | 10 |
| Goal scored by defender | 6 |
| Goal scored by midfielder | 5 |
| Goal scored by forward | 4 |
| Every assist | 3 |
| Goalkeeper cleansheet (min 60 minutes) | 4 |
| Defender cleansheet (min 60 minutes) | 4 |
| Midfielder cleansheet (min 60 minutes) | 1 |
| Every three saves by goalkeeper | 1 |
| Penalty save | 5 |
| Penalty conceded | -2 |
| Every two goals conceded by goalkeeper and defender | -1 |
| Yellow card | -1 |
| Red card | -3 |
| Own goal | -2 |
Bonus System
Players get some extra points depending on their performance. The three players with the best total score based on the bonus system receive three points, two points or one point respectively to their total points scored in the match.
Efbet Liga Fantasy Chips
Bonuses can be used to improve your team’s performance during the season. Only one bonus can be played in one round. Available bonuses are as follows:
Wildcard
Wildcard gives you the opportunity to make an unlimited number of transfers to your squad. Once you activate the Wildcard, you are entitled to use it in the transfer window period before the round begins and after the round begins the Wildcard will be exhausted.
Unlimited free transfers (Wildcards) can be used twice during the season:
1) Before winter break in the championship, including the final round of the autumn half-season (Wildcard 1 can be used in the winter break of the championship).
2) After the winter break of the championship, Wildcard 1 can be played during the pause. Wildcard 2 activates for all participants after the start of the first round of the spring half-season. If Wildcard 1 is not played before the first round of the spring half-season begins, it is automatically forfeited.
Triple Captain
The captain’s points are tripled (instead of doubled) for the gameweek.
Bench Boost
All players’ points are taken from your team, including reserves, in the round for which the bonus was selected.
Double Vice-Captain
The points of the vice-captain are doubled as same as that of the captain in the round for which the bonus was selected.
Note: The deadline is one hour before the start of the first match of the round and player prices change every five rounds.
Efbet Liga Fantasy League
You can join a League created especially for our readers and play together. The code for the league is: N8WUUFE7GK
How to Create an Account
Efbet Liga Fantasy Tipster XI
My starting lineup for the upcoming round, maybe I’ll make a transfer but I’ll wait for the latest news before taking action.
I bet on Captain of Levski who has a double round. Also three players from the leaders Lokomotiv Plovdiv as well as a double defense from Heber in a good home game.
Welcome to our new league to play together and expect more information soon. Follow me on Twitter to always get up-to-date and the latest information
You can find additional Efbet Liga Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.
