Bulgarian A Professional Football Group - Competition Format

Competition Format

The Bulgarian A Football Group is a bulgarian football league, on the top of the pyramid of the Bulgarian football league system. It determines the champion of Bulgaria. It is contested by 16 clubs with professional statute. Each team plays two times with every other team in the league - once home and once away, and that makes 30 matches per season for every team and 240 league matches per season. 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and no points are awarded for a loss. In the standings of A Group, if two or more teams have equal points, a team who has a better goal difference in the direct matches is with a better position in the tables.

The top three positions in the final standings of A Group are qualifying for the next season's UEFA competitions - the champion (1st place) advances in the UEFA Champions League qualifing rounds and the teams that finish 2nd and 3rd in the final standings - in the UEFA Europa League qualifing rounds. The league operates on a system of promotion and relegetion with the second tier of the Bulgarian football league system - B Group. The last four teams are directly relegated. Every season starts in August, and ends May or June next year.

European qualification (as for season 2012/13):

• First place: Second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
• Second place: Second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
• Third place: Second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
• Bulgarian Cup winner: Play-off round of the UEFA Europa League.
  • If the Bulgarian Cup winner qualifies for European competition through the league, the Bulgarian Cup winner's place in the UEFA Europa League goes to the defeated Bulgarian Cup finalist if it is not already qualified for European competition.
    • If both Bulgarian Cup finalists qualify for the European competition through A Group, an extra UEFA Europa League berth is granted to the team finished 4th in A Group.