Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.
The provinces of Bulgaria are the first-level administrative subdivisions of the country.
Levski Sofia 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.
Sofia Airport is the main international airport of Bulgaria, located 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the centre of the capital Sofia. In 2019 the airport surpassed 7 million passengers for the first time. The airport serves as the home base for BH Air, Bulgaria Air, European Air Charter and GullivAir, and as a base for both Ryanair and Wizz Air. The airport also houses the Bulgarian Air Force's Vrazhdebna Air Base.
CSKA Sofia is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. CSKA is an abbreviation for Central Sports Club of the Army.
Vasil Levski National Stadium, named after Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski (1837–1873), is the country's second largest stadium. The stadium has 43,230 seats and is located in the centre of Sofia, on the territory of the city's oldest and most famous park - the Borisova gradina. The Bulgaria national football team's home matches and the Bulgarian Cup finals are held at the venue, as well as athletics competitions. It was used as the home venue for Levski Sofia's Champions League games, and is often used for important derbies between the big clubs from Sofia, instead of their own home stadiums.
Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria.
PFC Slavia Sofia 1913 is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home ground is the Stadion Aleksandar Shalamanov in Ovcha kupel with a capacity of 25,556. The team's colours are white and black. Established on 10 April 1913, Slavia is currently the oldest sports club in Sofia.
The First Professional Football League, also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, is a professional association football league, being the top tier of Bulgarian football league system. Contested by 16 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Second Professional Football League.
The Bulgarian Cup is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it.
The Bulgarian Supercup is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and the holder of the Bulgarian Cup at that time. In case the champion of Bulgaria has also won the cup, the Bulgarian Cup finalist competes with the champion in the match for the trophy.
The Bulgarian Hockey League is an ice hockey league in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian–British relations are foreign relations between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. Both countries established diplomatic relations in July 1879 as Bulgaria achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire. The two nations were enemies during the First World War, most of the Second World War, and the Cold War. Relations since 1989 have been very friendly between the two nations. Bulgaria has an embassy in London, and the United Kingdom have an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are full members of NATO and Council of Europe
Lokomotiv 1929 is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football.
Lyuba Ognenova-Marinova was a pioneering Bulgarian archaeologist. She was the first underwater archaeologist in the country and headed the investigations of the ancient Thracian city of Nesebar. She became one of the leading Bulgarian researchers specializing in ancient and Thracian archeology, authoring over 100 scientific publications. She served on the faculty of Sofia University and as a senior researcher at the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia.
The 2017−18 Bulgarian Cup was the 36th official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. The competition began on 19 September 2017 with the first round and finished with the final on 9 May 2018. Botev Plovdiv were the defending champions, but lost on away goals in the semi-finals to Slavia Sofia. Slavia later won the final on penalties against Levski Sofia, thus acquiring its eight Bulgarian Cup in its history. The club also qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.
The 2018−19 Bulgarian Cup was the 37th official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. The competition began on 25 September 2018 with the first round and finished with the final on 15 May 2019. Slavia Sofia were the defending champions, but lost on penalties in the round of 16 to Ludogorets Razgrad. The final was contested between Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Botev Plovdiv, thus being the first ever final to feature the Plovdiv derby. Lokomotiv won the final with the score of 1–0 and clinched their first ever cup title. They also qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.
The 2020–21 Bulgarian Cup was the 39th official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. The competition began on 29 September 2020 with the preliminary round and finished with the final on 19 May 2021. Lokomotiv Plovdiv were the defending cup winners, but were eliminated after extra time by Ludogorets Razgrad in the quarter-finals. After CSKA Sofia missed out on the cup after losing last year's final, this time they won it against Arda Kardzhali for their 21st cup title and qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.
The 2021–22 Bulgarian Cup was the 40th official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. It was sponsored by Sesame and known as the Sesame Kupa na Bulgaria for sponsorship purposes. The competition began on 4 September 2021 with the preliminary round and finished with the final on 15 May 2022. CSKA Sofia were the defending cup winners. They reached the final for 3rd consecutive time, but lost to Levski Sofia, who won the cup for a record 26th time and also qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.
The 2022–23 Bulgarian Cup is the 41st official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. It is sponsored by Sesame and known as the Sesame Kupa na Bulgaria for sponsorship purposes. The competition should begin on 21 September 2022 with the preliminary round and finish with the final on 24 May 2023. Levski Sofia were the defending cup winners, but were eliminated by Ludogorets Razgrad in the round of 16. The winner qualifies for the second qualifying round of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League.
