2022–23 Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)
67th season of the Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)
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The 2022–23 Second League is the 67th season of the Second League, the second tier of the Bulgarian football league system, and the 7th season under this name and current league structure.
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 July 2022 – 4 June 2023[1] |
| Champions | CSKA 1948 Sofia II |
| Promoted | Etar Krumovgrad |
| Relegated | Botev Plovdiv II Minyor Pernik Sozopol Vitosha Bistritsa |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 690 (2.25 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 15 goals Yordan Dimitrov (Dunav Ruse) Valentin Yoskov (CSKA 1948 II) |
| Biggest home win | Dunav Ruse 5–0 Botev Plovdiv II (10 September 2022) |
| Biggest away win | Sozopol 0–5 CSKA 1948 II (11 November 2022) |
| Highest scoring | Dobrudzha 6–2 Sportist Svoge (13 November 2022) |
| Longest winning run | 5 games Krumovgrad |
| Longest unbeaten run | 9 games CSKA 1948 II Etar |
| Longest winless run | 10 games Spartak Pleven Strumska Slava |
| Longest losing run | 6 games Belasitsa |
← 2021–22 2023–24 →
All statistics correct as of 4 June 2023. | |
For this season, the league was reduced from 20 to 18 teams, with four teams relegated to Third League, five teams promoted from Third League and three teams promoted to First League.
Teams
The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season.
To Second LeaguePromoted from Third League Relegated from First League
|
From Second LeagueRelegated to Third League Promoted to First League
|
Stadium and locations
Location of teams in 2022–23 Second League
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belasitsa | Petrich | Tsar Samuil | 12,000 |
| Botev II | Plovdiv | Futbolen kompleks Botev 1912 | 3,500 |
| CSKA 1948 II | Sofia | Bistritsa | 2,500 |
| Dobrudzha | Dobrich | Druzhba | 12,500 |
| Dunav | Ruse | Gradski | 13,000 |
| Etar | Veliko Tarnovo | Ivaylo | 18,000 |
| Krumovgrad | Krumovgrad | Krumovgrad | 1,500 |
| Litex | Lovech | Gradski | 8,100 |
| Ludogorets II | Razgrad | Eagles' Nest | 2,000 |
| Maritsa | Plovdiv | Maritsa | 5,000 |
| Minyor | Pernik | Minyor | 8,000 |
| Montana | Montana | Ogosta | 6,000 |
| Sozopol | Sozopol | Arena Sozopol | 3,500 |
| Spartak | Pleven | Pleven | 22,000 |
| Sportist | Svoge | Chavdar Tsvetkov | 3,500 |
| Strumska Slava | Radomir | Gradski | 3,500 |
| Vitosha | Bistritsa | Bistritsa | 2,500 |
| Yantra | Gabrovo | Hristo Botev | 14,000 |
Personnel and sponsorship
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Kit sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belasitsa |  Ventsislav Ivanov |
Martin Taushanov |
Jako | efbet | — |
| Botev Plovdiv II |  Daniel Cohen |
Dimitar Balinov |
Uhlsport | WinBet | — |
| CSKA 1948 II | Atanas Ribarski |
Georgi Mariyanov |
Adidas | efbet | Bachkovo |
| Dobrudzha | Sasho Angelov |
Dimitar Iliev |
Jako | 8888.bg | — |
| Dunav | Lyudmil Kirov |
Diyan Dimov |
Uhlsport | WinBet | — |
| Etar | Emanuel Lukanov |
Zdravko Iliev |
Joma | WinBet | — |
| Krumovgrad |  Nemanja Milanovic |
Krasimir Iliev |
Uhlsport | — | — |
| Litex | Andrey Andreev |
Iliyan Kapitanov |
Givova | WinBet | — |
| Ludogorets II | Todor Zhivondov |
Tsvetoslav Petrov |
Nike | Efbet | Vivacom, Spetema |
| Maritsa | Nikolay Dimitrov |
Valeri Domovchiyski |
Uhlsport | — | — |
| Minyor | Krasimir Petrov |
Andreas Vasev |
Joma | efbet | — |
| Montana | Angel Stoykov |
Ivan Mihov |
Joma | efbet | — |
| Sоzopol | Margarit Dimov |
Diyan Moldovanov |
Hummel | efbet | — |
| Spartak | Tsvetomir Mladenov |
Ivo Varbanov |
Jako | efbet | — |
| Sportist | Petar Kolev |
Borislav Stoychev |
Zeus | Petar Electric | — |
| Strumska Slava | Anatoli Nankov |
Borislav Nikolov |
Jako | efbet | — |
| Vitosha | Nikolay Hristozov |
Emil Gargorov |
Jumper | efbet | — |
| Yantra | Zhivko Zhelev |
Petar Kazakov |
Jumper | efbet | — |
Note: Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey for official tournaments organised by UEFA in addition to that of the kit manufacturer (exceptions are made for non-profit organisations). Clubs in the domestic league can have more than one sponsorship per jersey which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. Shorts also have space available for advertisement.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botev II | Stefan Stoyanov |
Mutual consent | 24 May 2022[2] | Pre-season |  Artur Hovhannisyan |
12 June 2022[3] |
| Etar | Veselin Velikov |
Resigned | 27 May 2022[4] | Emanuel Lukanov |
8 June 2022[5] | |
| CSKA 1948 II | Vladimir Dimitrov |
Mutual consent | 28 May 2022[6] | Valentin Iliev |
29 May 2022[7] | |
| Krumovgrad | Stefan Genov |
Reassigned as a technical director | 3 June 2022[8] |  Akis Vavalis |
7 June 2022[9] | |
| Belasitsa | Nikolay Nikolov |
Mutual consent | 5 June 2022[10] | Ivo Trenchev |
13 June 2022[11] | |
| Litex | Zhivko Zhelev |
22 June 2022[12] | Andrey Andreev |
28 June 2022[13] | ||
| Botev II | Artur Hovhannisyan |
Reassigned to Botev Plovdiv coaching staff | 22 August 2022[14] | 18th | Nemanja Milanovic |
22 August 2022[15] |
| Belasitsa | Ivo Trenchev |
Mutual consent | 21 August 2022[16] | 5th | Ventsislav Ivanov |
24 August 2022[17] |
| Dunav | Martin Tsirkov |
31 August 2022[18] | 13th | Ivaylo Kirilov (interim) |
31 August 2022[18] | |
| Montana | Antoni Zdravkov |
Resigned | 8 September 2022[19] | 8th | Svetlan Kondev (interim) |
10 September 2022[20] |
| Dunav | Ivaylo Kirilov |
End of interim period | 12 September 2022[21] | 12th | Lyudmil Kirov |
12 September 2022[21] |
| Montana | Svetlan Kondev |
13 September 2022[22] | 7th | Ferario Spasov |
13 September 2022[22] | |
| Minyor | Hristo Yanev |
Mutual consent | 14 September 2022[23] | 13th | Petar Anestiev (interim) |
14 September 2022[23] |
| Yantra | Sasho Angelov |
Resigned | 26 September 2022[24] | 13th | Nikolay Vasilev (interim) |
26 September 2022 |
| Minyor | Petar Anestiev |
End of interim period | 29 September 2022[25] | 16th | Emil Serafimov |
29 September 2022[25] |
| Krumovgrad | Akis Vavalis |
Resigned | 4 October 2022[26] | 5th | Velislav Vutsov |
4 October 2022[26] |
| Yantra | Nikolay Vasilev |
End of interim period | 5 October 2022 | 16th | Zhivko Zhelev |
5 October 2022[27] |
| Dobrudzha | Atanas Atanasov |
Resigned | 16 October 2022[28] | 17th | Sasho Angelov |
18 October 2022[29] |
| Sportist | Borislav Kyosev |
Mutual consent | 23 November 2022[30] | 5th | Petar Kolev |
17 December 2022[31] |
| CSKA 1948 II | Valentin Iliev |
14 December 2022[32] | 1st | Atanas Ribarski |
29 December 2022[33] | |
| Botev II | Nemanja Milanovic |
27 December 2022[34] | 15th | Daniel Cohen |
5 January 2023[35] | |
| Krumovgrad | Velislav Vutsov |
23 December 2022[36] | 2nd | Nemanja Milanovic |
8 January 2023[37] | |
| Montana | Ferario Spasov |
17 February 2023[38] | 9th | Angel Stoykov |
25 February 2023[39] | |
| Strumska Slava | Yuriy Vasev |
21 February 2023[40] | 12th | Anatoli Nankov |
28 February 2023[41] | |
| Spartak | Krasimir Bislimov |
1 March 2023[42] | 6th | Tsvetomir Mladenov |
1 March 2023[42] | |
| Minyor | Emil Serafimov |
Sacked | 2 March 2023[43] | 16th | Krasimir Petrov |
2 March 2023[44] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSKA 1948 II (C) | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 60 | 17 | +43 | 74 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 2 | Etar (P) | 34 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 63 | Promotion to the First League |
| 3 | Krumovgrad (P) | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 43 | 33 | +10 | 60 | |
| 4 | Ludogorets Razgrad II | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 57 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 5 | Sportist Svoge (Q) | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 52 | Qualification for the promotion play-off |
| 6 | Dunav Ruse | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 50 | |
| 7 | Maritsa Plovdiv | 34 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 47 | |
| 8 | Yantra | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 31 | 34 | −3 | 44 | |
| 9 | Litex Lovech | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 44 | |
| 10 | Montana | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 44 | |
| 11 | Spartak Pleven | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 42 | |
| 12 | Belasitsa Petrich | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 41 | |
| 13 | Dobrudzha | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 39 | |
| 14 | Strumska Slava | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 39 | |
| 15 | Minyor Pernik (R) | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 33 | 35 | −2 | 38 | Relegation to the Third League |
| 16 | Sozopol (R) | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 32 | 52 | −20 | 38 | |
| 17 | Vitosha Bistritsa (R) | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 50 | −16 | 36 | |
| 18 | Botev Plovdiv II (R) | 34 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 25 | 52 | −27 | 28 |
Updated to match(es) played on 4 June 2023. Source: bulgarian-football.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[45]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[45]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Results
Results by round
Positions by round
Updated to match(es) played on 4 June 2023. Source: Bulgarian Football