Bulgaria’s 1994 season was the greatest in the nation’s football history, defined by their legendary run at the FIFA World Cup USA 1994.
Under coach Dimitar Penev, Bulgaria shocked the world by reaching the semifinals, finishing fourth — their best-ever result. The team was led by the brilliant Hristo Stoichkov, who scored six goals and won the Golden Boot, alongside stars like Yordan Letchkov, Krasimir Balakov, Trifon Ivanov, and Borislav Mihaylov.
After losing 3–0 to Nigeria in their opener, Bulgaria beat Greece (4–0) and Argentina (2–0), then eliminated Mexico and famously Germany (2–1) in the quarterfinals. They fell 2–1 to Italy in the semifinals and 4–0 to Sweden in the third-place match.
Their 1994 World Cup run transformed Bulgarian football and remains one of the tournament’s most iconic underdog stories.