Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)

Second Professional Football League
	Втора Професионална Футболна Λига
Founded	1950; 74 years ago
Country	Bulgaria
Divisions	1
Number of clubs	18
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	First League
Relegation to	Third League
Domestic cup(s)	Bulgarian Cup; Bulgarian Supercup
Current champions	Spartak Varna (8th title) ; (2023–24)
Most championships	Beroe Stara Zagora ; (9 titles)
TV partners	Nova Broadcasting Group
Website	http://old.fpleague.bg/index2.php
	Current: 2024–25 season

The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League (Bulgarian: Втора професионална футболна лига, romanized: Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League (Bulgarian: Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level of the Bulgarian football league system, below First League and above the Third League. Sixteen teams take part in the league, each playing twice against all the other, once home and once away. Most matches are played on Saturdays and Sundays. The league is administered by the Bulgarian Professional Football League.

In 2016, the B Group's name was rebranded to Second Professional Football League.^[1]

Competition format

A team receives 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss.

Promotion and relegation positions

For 2021–22 Season :

First place (champion) to Third place: Direct promotion to First Professional Football League.
Fourth place: Promotion playoff against the 13th place team from First Professional Football League.
19th to 20th place: Relegation to Third Amateur Football League.

2024–25 clubs

Location of teams in 2024–25 Second League

No. of teams	Province	Team(s)
2
	Blagoevgrad	Pirin Blagoevgrad, Belasitsa
	Pernik	Minyor Pernik, Strumska Slava
	Veliko Tarnovo	Etar, Lokomotiv GO
	Sofia City	CSKA Sofia II, CSKA 1948 II
1
	Dobrich	Dobrudzha
	Burgas	Nesebar
	Kyustendil	Marek
	Gabrovo	Yantra
	Lovech	Lovech
	Pleven	Spartak Pleven
	Montana	Montana
	Plovdiv	Botev Plovdiv II
	Razgrad	Ludogorets Razgrad II
	Ruse	Dunav Ruse
	Sofia	Sportist Svoge
	Varna	Fratria Varna

History

B Republican Football Group

The B group was established in 1950 when the league was divided in two groups - North and South, in each group participating 10 teams. The first champions of the B Republican Football Group are Torpedo (Ruse) (North) and Spartak (Sofia) (South).

In season 1951 the group is only one - B Republican Football Group with 12 teams. The regulations are - in A Group are going the top team in the final standings from Sofia and the top two teams from the province (teams that aren't from Sofia).

In the next season 1952 the group is formed by 14 teams and from season 1953 the league is divided into five groups - Sofia B Group, North-West B Group, South-West B Group, North-East B Group and South-East B Group.

Second Professional Football Group

In the next seasons the league had many changes. In 2000 the Bulgarian Football Union changed the name of the division. The league is formed by 18 teams, not like previous seasons - 16 teams. To reduce the teams to 16 again in the next season the last six teams that finish in the final standings in the league were directly relegated.

First Professional Football League

Before the start of season 2001/2002 the league was again renamed. The championship started with 13 teams, because Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) and Belasitsa (Petrich) united with two teams from A Group - Lokomotiv with PFC Velbazhd Kyustendil and Belasitsa with PFC Hebar Pazardzhik. That meant, that this was the end of professional football in the towns of Kyustendil and Pazardzhik.

B Professional Football Group

Returning to the traditions of the B Republican Football Group was the creating of the B Professional Football Group. 16 teams participated in the league, each playing twice against all the other, once home and once away, with no play-offs.

Before the start of season 2005/2006 the Bulgarian Football Union decided to divide B Group in two groups - West B Group and East B Group with 14 teams in each group. Every team plays 13 matches as home team and 13 matches as away team. The two champions of the groups were directly promoted to A Group and the two teams that finished in second place in their group played a play-off for winning the final third place for promotion in A Group. On May 19, 2008 the two groups were extended to 16 teams. For season 2010/2011 the two groups were reduced again with 12 teams in each.

But just before the start of season 2011/2012 the number of teams in the two groups was again reduced - 10 teams in both West B Group and East B Group, with the winners of the groups directly promoting to A Group. The two teams that finished in second place in their group enter in a play-off for winning a place at the final play-off for promotion/relegation with the team that finished 14th in A Group.

Further changes were made before the start of season 2012/2013. The former format of B Group with the two groups (West and East) was replaced by a single division, formed by fourteen teams.

Second League

Former champions (from season 2005–06)

The following table presents the former champions of B Group (until season 2011–12 it had separate champions about the zones East and West).^[2]

Season	Champion(s)		Top goalscorer
2005–06	Spartak Varna (East)	Rilski Sportist Samokov (West)
2006–07	Chernomorets Burgas (East)	Pirin Blagoevgrad (West)
2007–08	Sliven (East)	Lokomotiv Mezdra (West)
2008–09	Beroe Stara Zagora (East)	Montana (West)
2009–10	Kaliakra Kavarna (East)	Vidima-Rakovski Sevlievo (West)
2010–11	Ludogorets Razgrad (East)	Botev Vratsa (West)
2011–12	Etar 1924 (East)	Pirin Gotse Delchev (West)
2012–13	Neftochimic Burgas		Blagoy Nakov (16 goals) Pirin Blagoevgrad
2013–14	Marek Dupnitsa		Atanas Chipilov (13 goals) Bansko
2014–15	Montana		Yanaki Smirnov (23 goals) Lokomotiv GO
2015–16	Dunav Ruse		Vasil Kaloyanov and Tihomir Kanev (13 goals) Sozopol / Lokomotiv GO
2016–17	Etar Veliko Tarnovo		Dimitar Georgiev (18 goals) Lokomotiv 1929 Sofia
2017–18	Botev Vratsa		Svetoslav Dikov (25 goals) Tsarsko Selo Sofia
2018–19	Tsarsko Selo Sofia		Georgi Minchev (29 goals) Tsarsko Selo Sofia
2019–20	CSKA 1948 Sofia		Andon Gushterov (26 goals) CSKA 1948 Sofia
2020–21	Pirin Blagoevgrad		Svetoslav Dikov (17 goals) Lokomotiv 1929 Sofia
2021–22	Septemvri Sofia		Mariyan Tonev (19 goals) Maritsa Plovdiv
2022–23	CSKA 1948 Sofia II		Yordan Dimitrov and Valentin Yoskov (15 goals) Dunav Ruse / CSKA 1948 Sofia II
2023–24	Spartak Varna		Ahmed Ahmedov (21 goals) Spartak Varna

References

^ Официално 14-те отбора в родния елит, новият формат и новото име на първенството
^ "Bulgarian football - B Group". bulgarian-football.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.

[1] Официално 14-те отбора в родния елит, новият формат и новото име на първенството

[2] "Bulgarian football - B Group". bulgarian-football.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.

[1]

[2]

v t e Football in Bulgaria
League competitions	First League Second League Third League (4 divisions) Regional Groups Bulgarian Women's League
Cup competitions	Bulgarian Cup Bulgarian Supercup Cup of AFL Bulgarian Women's Cup
Defunct competitions	State Championship (1924–1936, 1941–1945) Tsar's Cup (1924–44) National Football Division (1937–1940) Republic Championship (1945–1948) Cup of the Soviet Army (1983–90) BFU's Cup (1990–91) PFL's Cup (1994–97) Doubles Group (2008–2010) A Group (1948–2016)
National teams	Men Women Olympic team (U-23) Under-21 Under-19 Under-18 Under-17
Regional Amateur Football Groups	Blagoevgrad Burgas Dobrich Gabrovo Haskovo Kardzhali Kyustendil Lovech Montana Pazardzhik Pernik Pleven Plovdiv Razgrad Ruse Shumen Silistra Sliven Smolyan Sofia City Sofia (province) Stara Zagora Targovishte Varna Veliko Tarnovo Vidin Vratsa Yambol
Lists	Clubs Stadiums Foreign players National team results Clubs in European competitions Bulgarian club rivalries
Awards	Footballers' Footballer of the Year
BFU PFL