2016–17 First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)

The 2016–17 First Professional Football League is the 93rd season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 69th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid and also the inaugural season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season is the first with a new league structure and strict financial criteria where 14 clubs play each other home and away, until the league is split up in championship and relegation playoffs. The new league structure, inspired by the ones used by the Belgian First Division A and Danish Superliga, was approved by the Bulgarian Football Union on 6 June 2016.[8] The fixtures were announced on 8 July 2016.[9]

First Professional Football League
Season2016–17
Dates29 July 2016 – 4 June 2017
ChampionsLudogorets Razgrad (6th title)
RelegatedNeftochimic
Montana
Lokomotiv GO
Champions LeagueLudogorets Razgrad
Europa LeagueBotev Plovdiv
Levski Sofia
Dunav Ruse
Matches played240
Goals scored616 (2.57 per match)
Top goalscorerRomania Claudiu Keșerü (22)
Best goalkeeperBulgaria Georgi Kitanov
(18 clean sheets)
Biggest home winBotev Plovdiv 7–1 Montana
(7 April 2017)[1]
Biggest away winLokomotiv GO 0–5 Ludogorets Razgrad
(12 March 2017)[2]
Highest scoringDunav Ruse 3–5 Ludogorets Razgrad
(28 October 2016)[3]
Botev Plovdiv 7–1 Montana
(7 April 2017)[1]
Longest winning run13 games by Ludogorets Razgrad[4]
Longest unbeaten run24 games by Ludogorets Razgrad[4]
Longest winless run10 games by Lokomotiv GO[4]
Longest losing run7 games by Montana[4]
Highest attendance~21,000
CSKA Sofia 1–1 Levski Sofia
(15 October 2016)[5]
Levski Sofia 2–1 CSKA Sofia
(4 March 2017)[6]
Lowest attendance~20
Montana 1–1 Vereya
(10 May 2017)[7]
All statistics correct as of 31 May 2017.

On 5 May 2017, five rounds before the end of the championship, after winning the away match with Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Ludogorets Razgrad managed to secure the title for a sixth consecutive and overall time.[10] Ludogorets finished 16 points ahead of CSKA Sofia. Levski Sofia finished third.

Competition format

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Starting from the 2016–17 season, a new league format was approved by the Bulgarian Football Union, in an attempt to improve each participating club's competitiveness, match attendance and performance in the league, alongside strict financial criteria. It involves 14 teams playing in two phases, a regular season and playoffs. The first phase includes each club competing against every other team twice in a double round-robin system, on a home-away basis at a total of 26 games per team, also played in 26 fixtures. Seven matches are played in every fixture at a total of 182 games during the first phase. In the second phase, the top six teams form a European qualifying table, while the bottom eight teams participate in a relegation group. The winner of the top group is declared as Champions of Bulgaria and is awarded with the title.

International qualification

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The six top teams compete against each other on a home-away basis. Three matches are played in every fixture of the top six, with the results and points after the regular season also included. At the end of the stage, every team will have played a total of 36 games. The winner of the group is declared as Champions of Bulgaria and automatically secures participation in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. The team that ranks second is awarded with a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. The third team in the final standings would participate in a play-off match against a representative team from the bottom eight. Depending on the winner of the Bulgarian Cup final, a possible fourth team from the first six may compete in a play-off match for an UEFA Europa League spot instead of the third ranked team.

Note: If the Bulgarian Cup winner has secured its qualification for the European tournaments for the next season through results from Parva Liga, then the place in the UEFA Europa League play-off is awarded to the fourth ranked team in the final standings.

Relegation

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The teams in the bottom eight are split in two sub-groups of four teams, Group A and Group B, depending on their final position after the regular season standings. The teams that enter Group A are the 7th, 10th, 11th and the 14th, and the teams that participate in Group B are the 8th, 9th, 12th and the 13th. Every participant plays twice against the other three teams in their group on a home-away basis. The teams from the bottom eight also compete with the results from the regular season. After the group stages, every team will have played a total number of 32 games. Depending on their final position in Group A and Group B, two sections will be formed, one for a play-off spot in next season's European competitions and one to avoid relegation. The first two teams from each group continue in the semi-finals, and the last two teams of each group continue to the semi-finals for a relegation match. After this phase, one team is directly relegated to the Second League and the remaining two teams will compete in two relegation matches against the second and the third ranked clubs from the Second League.[11]

Tiebreakers

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In case of a tie on points between two or more clubs, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[12]

  1. Number of wins;
  2. Goal difference;
  3. Goals pro;
  4. Goals away;
  5. Fewer red cards;
  6. Fewest yellow cards;
  7. Draw

Teams

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Prior to the start of the season, the Bulgarian Football Union announced that every Bulgarian professional football club's application would be considered for the upcoming season, as long as it fulfills the financial criteria. A total of 14 teams would be contesting the league, including the 9 sides from the previous season, plus five promoted clubs from the lower B Group, which would be issued a license by the Bulgarian Football Union. The five approved applications from the lower division were the B Group's last year champions Dunav Ruse, alongside Lokomotiv GO, Neftochimic, Vereya and CSKA Sofia respectively.

Dunav return after a 25-year absence from the top flight, Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa return after a 21-year absence, Neftochimic return after a two-year absence, Vereya made its debut in the top flight, while CSKA Sofia return after a one-year absence, having played in the third tier the previous season, but managing to administratively promote back to the elite.

Stadia and locations

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Note: From the 2016–17 season onwards, all participating clubs are required to have electric floodlights and adequate pitch conditions under the BFU and TV broadcaster's new licensing criteria.[13] The following stadiums below have either obtained a license under UEFA's category ranking or fulfill the licensing criteria.

Sofia 2016–17 First League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity (seating)
Beroe Stara Zagora Beroe 12,128[14]
Botev Plovdiv Botev 1912 Football Complex 4,000
Cherno More Varna Stadion Kavarna, Kavarna[15] 5,000
CSKA Sofia Balgarska Armia 18,495[16]
Dunav Ruse Gradski 12,400[17]
Levski Sofia Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov 25,000[18]
Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa Lokomotiv 10,500
Lokomotiv Plovdiv Lokomotiv 13,000[19]
Ludogorets Razgrad Ludogorets Arena 8,808[20]
Montana Montana Gradski 6,000
Neftochimic Burgas Lazur 18,037[21]
Pirin Blagoevgrad Hristo Botev 7,000
Slavia Sofia Vasil Levski National Stadium 43,230
Vereya Stara Zagora Trace Arena 3,500[22]

Note: On June 15, 2016, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Bulgaria granted 3 mln. BGN in total for stadium renovations to the following three clubs – Cherno More, Dunav and Lokomotiv GO.[23]

Personnel and sponsorship

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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 Additional
Beroe   Ferario Spasov   Ivo Ivanov Uhlsport Refan
Botev Plovdiv   Nikolay Kirov   Lachezar Baltanov Joma efbet
CSKA Sofia   Stamen Belchev   Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski Adidas Mtel WinBet
Cherno More   Georgi Ivanov   Georgi Iliev Uhlsport Armeets
Dunav Ruse   Veselin Velikov   Diyan Dimov Joma
Levski Sofia   Nikolay Mitov   Veselin Minev Joma Vivacom Strabag, efbet, Spetema
Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa   Aleksandar Dimitrov   Atanas Fidanin Krasiko efbet Prity, Enel, Go Grill
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   Voyn Voynov   Martin Kamburov Uhlsport efbet
Ludogorets Razgrad   Georgi Dermendzhiev   Svetoslav Dyakov Macron bet365 Vivacom, Spetema
Montana   Atanas Atanasov   Ivan Mihov Jako efbet
Neftochimic   Hristo Yanev   Lyubomir Bozhinov Krasiko Masterhaus
Pirin Blagoevgrad   Milen Radukanov   Yuliyan Popev Erreà
Slavia Sofia   Zlatomir Zagorčić   Georgi Petkov Joma bet365
Vereya   Aleksandar Tomash   Elias Erreà Trace Group Spetema

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

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Beroe   Plamen Lipenski End of caretaker tenure 31 May 2016 Pre-season   Aleksandar Dimitrov 31 May 2016[24]
Montana   Emil Velev Sacked 31 May 2016   Stevica Kuzmanovski 10 June 2016[25]
Vereya   Zhivko Zhelev End of contract 31 May 2016   Aleksandar Tomash 10 June 2016[26]
Lokomotiv GO   Aleksandar Tomash Sacked 8 June 2016   Angel Chervenkov 8 June 2016[27]
Cherno More   Nikola Spasov Mutual consent 10 June 2016   Georgi Ivanov 21 June 2016[28]
Pirin Blagoevgrad   Naci Şensoy End of contract 20 June 2016   Stefan Genov 20 June 2016
CSKA Sofia   Hristo Yanev Resigned 21 August 2016 3rd   Edward Iordănescu 24 August 2016[29]
Botev Plovdiv   Nikolay Kostov 23 August 2016[30] 10th   Nikolay Mitov 30 August 2016[31]
  Nikolay Mitov 30 August 2016 8th   Nikolay Kirova 1 September 2016[32]
Neftochimic   Dimcho Nenov Sacked 17 September 2016[33] 13th   Hristo Yanev 17 September 2016[34]
Lokomotiv GO   Angel Chervenkov 28 September 2016[35] 14th   Ivan Kolev 28 September 2016[36]
Montana   Stevica Kuzmanovski 3 October 2016[37] 13th   Atanas Dzhambazkib 4 October 2016[38]
Beroe   Aleksandar Dimitrov Resigned 17 October 2016[39] 7th   Plamen Lipenski (interim) 20 October 2016[40]
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   Ilian Iliev 17 October 2016[41] 9th   Hristo Kolev (interim) 18 October 2016[42]
Levski Sofia   Ljupko Petrović 22 October 2016[43] 1st   Elin Topuzakovc 24 October 2016[44]
Beroe   Plamen Lipenski End of caretaker tenure 26 October 2016 8th   Ferario Spasov 26 October 2016[45]
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   Hristo Kolev 31 October 2016 7th   Eduard Eranosyan 31 October 2016[46]
Slavia Sofia   Aleksandr Tarkhanov Signed by   Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast 2 November 2016[47] 10th   Vladimir Ivanov 3 November 2016[48]
CSKA Sofia   Edward Iordănescu Resigned 27 November 2016[49] 5th   Stamen Belchevd 27 November 2016[50]
Pirin Blagoevgrad   Stefan Genov Signed by CSKA Sofia 9 January 2017[51] 11th   Milen Radukanov 13 January 2017[52]
Lokomotiv GO   Ivan Kolev Resigned 2 March 2017[53] 13th   Milcho Sirmov (interim) 2 March 2017
Levski Sofia   Elin Topuzakov Mutual consent 2 March 2017 2nd   Nikolay Mitov 2 March 2017[54]
Lokomotiv GO   Milcho Sirmov End of caretaker tenure 14 March 2017 13th   Aleksandar Dimitrov 14 March 2017[55]
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   Eduard Eranosyan Resigned 9 April 2017[56] 5th   Stoyan Kolev (interim) 12 April 2017[57]
Montana   Atanas Dzhambazki 17 April 2017[58] 4th/Group A   Dilyan Ivanov (interim) 17 April 2017
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   Stoyan Kolev End of caretaker tenure 19 April 2017 6th   Voyn Voynov 19 April 2017[59]
Montana   Dilyan Ivanov 24 April 2017 4th/Group A   Atanas Atanasov 24 April 2017[60]
Slavia Sofia   Vladimir Ivanov Demoted to assistant 11 May 2017 3rd/Group A   Zlatomir Zagorčić 11 May 2017[61]

a.^ Initially interim, made permanent 19 January 2017.[62]
b.^ Initially interim, made permanent 16 December 2016.[63]
c.^ Initially interim, made permanent 16 November 2016.[64]
d.^ Initially interim, made permanent 3 January 2017.[65]

Regular season

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League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Ludogorets Razgrad 26 21 4 1 69 19 +50 67 Qualification for the championship round
2 Levski Sofia 26 15 6 5 38 17 +21 51
3 CSKA Sofia 26 13 7 6 35 16 +19 46
4 Cherno More 26 12 7 7 30 24 +6 43
5 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 26 10 9 7 35 30 +5 39
6 Dunav Ruse 26 10 8 8 32 31 +1 38
7 Botev Plovdiv 26 10 5 11 36 42 −6 35[a] Qualification for the relegation round
8 Beroe 26 10 5 11 27 28 −1 35[a]
9 Pirin Blagoevgrad 26 10 4 12 30 36 −6 34
10 Vereya 26 8 6 12 22 36 −14 30
11 Slavia Sofia 26 8 4 14 30 45 −15 28
12 Neftochimic 26 7 5 14 27 37 −10 26
13 Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa 26 5 7 14 22 39 −17 22
14 Montana 26 3 3 20 16 49 −33 12
Source: Bulgarian Football Union, Soccerway
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.[66]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Botev Plovdiv ahead of Beroe on head-to-head record; Beroe–Botev Plovdiv 3–4, Botev Plovdiv–Beroe 2–0.

Results

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Home \ Away BSZ BOT CHM CSK DUN LEV LGO LPL LUD MON NEF PIR SLA VER
Beroe 3–4 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 3–2 0–2 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–0
Botev Plovdiv 2–0 2–3 0–0 0–2 1–1 4–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 2–1 3–2 3–2 2–1
Cherno More 1–0 1–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–3 1–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 2–1
CSKA Sofia 4–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 2–0 0–1 0–2 2–1 5–1 2–0 2–0 1–1
Dunav Ruse 0–4 1–2 3–0 2–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 3–5 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 0–0
Levski Sofia 2–0 2–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 4–0
Lokomotiv G. Oryahovitsa 0–1 0–1 2–2 0–0 0–2 0–1 2–1 0–5 0–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 5–0
Lokomotiv Plovdiv 1–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–2 2–1 2–2 2–0 0–0 2–3 1–1 3–1
Ludogorets Razgrad 1–0 4–1 1–1 2–1 2–2 2–1 4–0 1–0 2–0 3–1 3–0 3–1 4–0
Montana 0–3 3–1 0–2 0–2 1–2 1–3 2–4 0–3 0–4 2–0 1–2 1–2 1–1
Neftochimic 1–0 4–0 1–3 0–2 1–2 1–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–0
Pirin Blagoevgrad 1–1 2–1 1–3 1–1 4–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–3 1–0 1–0 4–0 1–1
Slavia Sofia 1–2 3–2 2–1 0–1 0–2 0–4 3–1 5–2 0–2 2–0 0–3 3–1 3–1
Vereya 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–5 3–0 1–1 2–0 3–0
Source: bulgarian-football.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

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Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
Ludogorets Razgrad124966433222211111111111111
Levski Sofia68532211111122222222222222
CSKA Sofia26353644443453533333333333
Cherno More11114778664334346445545544
Lokomotiv Plovdiv3968911979910786654554454455
Dunav Ruse52221122335545465666666666
Botev Plovdiv4138108985556668888977787777
Beroe1154753567788799997888910988
Pirin Blagoevgrad13710910810988991010111010111110978899
Vereya1037475610111111119777789911109101010
Slavia Sofia141414141210111110107101111121111101011101111121111
Neftochimic911131111121313141312131213131313131313131212111212
Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa710111213131414121213121312101212121212121313131313
Montana812121314141212131414141414141414141414141414141414

Results by round

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Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
BeroeLWWLWWDLLLLWDLDLWDDWLLLWWW
Botev PlovdivDLWLWLWWDWLDLLLLWLWWLDWDLW
Cherno MoreWWDWLLLDWWWWLDWDLWDLLWDDWW
CSKA SofiaWLWDWLWWDDWLLWDWWDWWWDLWDL
Dunav RuseDWWWWWDLLDDLWLWLWLLLWDWDDD
MontanaDLLLLLWLLDLLWLLLLLDLLWLLLL
NeftohimicDLLWLLLLLWDLWDLLLWLWDDWWLL
Levski SofiaDDWWWWWWWDWDWWLLWWWLDDWLWL
Lokomotiv Gorna OryahovitsaDLDLLLLLWWLWLDWDLDDLDLLLLW
Lokomotiv PlovdivDDWLDLWWLLDWDWWWWLDWDLWDDL
LudogoretsWWLWDWWWWWWWWWWWWWDWWDWWDW
Pirin BlagievgradLWLDLWLWWLLDLDLWLDLWWWLWLW
Slavia SofiaLLLLWWLDWLWLLLDWLWDLWLLLWD
VereyaDWLWLWLLLLDDWWDWLLDLLWDLWL
Source: bulgarian-football.com
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Championship round

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Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LUD CSK LEV DUN LPL CHM
1 Ludogorets Razgrad (C) 36 25 8 3 87 28 +59 83 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–2 4–0
2 CSKA Sofia[a] 36 19 10 7 51 21 +30 67 1–1 3–0 2–0 0–0 3–1
3 Levski Sofia (O) 36 18 9 9 50 31 +19 63 Qualification for the European play-off final 1–3 0–3 1–1 5–0 2–2
4 Dunav Ruse[a] 36 15 10 11 46 44 +2 55 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–3 1–0
5 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 36 14 10 12 50 52 −2 52 0–3 1–2 2–1 3–4 2–1
6 Cherno More Varna 36 13 8 15 39 45 −6 47 1–3 0–1 0–1 1–2 3–2
Source: Soccerway
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.[72]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Notes:
  1. ^ a b On 29 May 2017 a UEFA letter to the Bulgarian Football Union declared that CSKA Sofia were not allowed to compete in European tournaments for the following two seasons as they were considered to have been re-formed as a new club and thus did not pass the "three-year rule".[67] As this decision was appealed by CSKA Sofia, the Bulgarian Football Union granted a license to them subject to legal proceedings.[68][69][70] A few hours prior to the Europa League first qualifying round draw, UEFA replaced them by Dunav Ruse, the fourth-placed team of the league.[71]

Positions by round

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Below the positions per round are shown. As teams did not all start with an equal number of points, the initial pre-playoffs positions are also given.

Team ╲ RoundInitial12345678910
Ludogorets Razgrad11111111111
CSKA Sofia33332222222
Levski Sofia22223333333
Dunav Ruse65455544544
Lokomotiv Plovdiv56666666455
Cherno More44544455666

Relegation round

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Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation VER BOT SLA MON
1 Vereya 32 13 6 13 31 40 −9 45 Qualification for the European play-off quarter-finals 3–1 0–1 1–0
2 Botev Plovdiv 32 13 5 14 51 50 +1 44 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[a] 0–1 3–1 7–1
3 Slavia Sofia (O) 32 11 4 17 37 55 −18 37 Qualification for the relegation play-offs 0–1 0–3 1–0
4 Montana (R) 32 4 3 25 24 66 −42 15 2–3 2–1 3–4
Source: Soccerway
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.[72]
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation BSZ PIR NEF LGO
1 Beroe 32 12 8 12 35 33 +2 44 Qualification for the European play-off quarter-finals 1–1 3–0 2–3
2 Pirin Blagoevgrad 32 12 7 13 41 44 −3 43 1–1 2–1 1–1
3 Neftochimic (R) 32 8 7 17 33 47 −14 31 Qualification for the relegation play-offs 0–0 0–3 4–1
4 Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa (R) 32 7 9 16 32 51 −19 30 0–1 4–3 1–1
Source: Soccerway
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.[72]
(R) Relegated

European play-offs

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Bracket

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Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                
16 and 20 May
Pirin Blagoevgrad101
Vereya11 2
 
15 and 19 May
 
Botev Plovdiv314
Beroe02 2
 
27 and 30 May
 
Vereya
Botev Plovdiv
4 June
Levski Sofia1 (9)
Vereya1 (8)

European play-off quarter-finals

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Botev Plovdiv3–0Beroe
Report
Attendance: 1,700
Referee: Angel Angelov (Sofia)
Beroe2–1Botev Plovdiv
Report Vutov   64'
Attendance: 850
Referee: Dragomir Draganov (Varna)

Pirin Blagoevgrad1–1Vereya
Tsvetkov   81' Report Bandalovski   90+3'
Attendance: 650
Referee: Stanislav Stavrov (Veliko Tarnovo)
Vereya1–0Pirin Blagoevgrad
Kaloyanov   44' Report
Attendance: 180
Referee: Vladimir Valkov (Plovdiv)

European play-off semi-finals

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VereyaNot PlayedBotev Plovdiv

Since Botev Plovdiv qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2016–17 Bulgarian Cup, the semi-finals were not held and Vereya qualified automatically for the play-off final.

European play-off final

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Relegation play-offs

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Bracket

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First roundSecond roundThird round
                      
Match 1
Montana112
Neftochimic32 5
 
Match 2
 
Lokomotiv GO011
Slavia Sofia31 4
 
Match 3
 
Neftochimic022
Slavia Sofia15 6
Match 4
Montana134
Lokomotiv GO10 1
Match 5
Neftochimic0
Vitosha Bistritsa1
 
Match 6
 
Montana1
Septemvri Sofia2
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winners of matches 3, 5 and 6 will play in the top division next season

First round

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Montana1–3Neftochimic
Atanasov   90+3' Report Hazurov   16' (pen.), 55'
Romanov   21'
Attendance: 50
Neftochimic2–1Montana
Milanov   71'
Ivanov   80'
Report Atanasov   24'
Attendance: 370
Referee: Stefan Apostolov (Simitli)

Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa0–3Slavia Sofia
Report Dimitrov   45', 62'
Serderov   58'
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Nikola Popov (Sofia)
Slavia Sofia1–1Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
Omar   29' Report Kirev   38' (o.g.)
Attendance: 90
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (Petrich)

Second round

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Neftochimic0–1Slavia Sofia
Report Yomov   9'
Attendance: 700
Referee: Dragomir Draganov (Varna)
Slavia Sofia5–2Neftochimic
Report
Attendance: 130
Referee: Nikola Popov (Sofia)

Montana1–1Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
Atanasov   17' Report Kifouéti   25'
Attendance: 170
Referee: Georgi Dimitrov (Sofia)
Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa0–3Montana
Report
Attendance: 800
Referee: Ivaylo Stoyanov (Petrich)

Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa are relegated to the Second League.

Third round

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Neftochimic0–1Vitosha Bistritsa
Report Otofe   58'
Montana1–2Septemvri Sofia
Iliev   67' Report
Attendance: 200
Referee: Nikola Popov (Sofia)

Neftochimic and Montana are relegated to the Second League.

Season statistics

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Round Goal of the week Club Save of the week Club
1   Diogo Viana vs Slavia [1] CSKA Sofia
2   Aleksandar Vasilev vs Slavia [2] Beroe   Hristo Ivanov vs Cherno More [3] Montana
3   Diogo Viana vs Neftochimic [4] CSKA Sofia   Vladislav Stoyanov vs Levski Sofia [5] Ludogorets
4   Georgi Kostadinov vs Slavia [6] Levski Sofia   Antonis Stergiakis vs Levski Sofia [7] Slavia
5   Bozhidar Kraev vs Vereya [8] Levski Sofia   Georgi Petkov vs Montana [9] Slavia
6   Anton Ognyanov vs CSKA Sofia [10] Dunav   Martin Lukov vs CSKA Sofia [11] Dunav
7   Dimitar Pirgov vs Pirin Blagoevgrad [12] Levski Sofia   Blagoy Makendzhiev vs Dunav [13] Beroe
8   Ventsislav Hristov vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [14] Neftohimic   Martin Lukov vs Botev Plovdiv [15] Dunav
9   Ivan Minchev vs Vereya [16] Slavia   Bojan Jorgačević vs Dunav [17] Levski Sofia
10   Todor Nedelev vs Beroe [18] Botev Plovdiv   Nikolay Bankov vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [19] Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
11   Añete vs Beroe [20] Levski Sofia   Hristo Ivanov vs CSKA Sofia [21] Montana
12   Atanas Zehirov vs Montana [22] Beroe   Bojan Jorgačević vs Botev Plovdiv [23] Levski Sofia
13   Carlos Ohene vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [24] Beroe   Blagoy Makendzhiev vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [25] Beroe
14   Dimitar Pirgov vs Montana [26] Levski Sofia   Krasimir Kostov vs Cherno More [27] Pirin Blagoevgrad
15   Gustavo Campanharo vs Botev Plovdiv [28] Ludogorets   Yassine El Kharroubi vs Levski Sofia [29] Lokomotiv Plovdiv
16   Stanislav Kostov vs Dunav [30] Pirin Blagoevgrad   Bojan Jorgačević vs Ludogorets [31] Levski Sofia
17   Mehdi Bourabia vs Slavia [32] Levski Sofia   Yassine El Kharroubi vs Cherno More [33] Lokomotiv Plovdiv
18   Añete vs Vereya [34] Levski Sofia   Nikolay Bankov vs CSKA Sofia [35] Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
19   Vladislav Uzunov vs Beroe [36] Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa   Martin Lukov vs CSKA Sofia [37] Dunav
20   Anton Karachanakov vs Dunav [38] Beroe   Ivan Čvorović vs Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa [39] Botev Plovdiv
21   Ivan Minchev vs Cherno More [40] Slavia
22   Marcelinho vs Neftohimic [41] Ludogorets   Yanko Georgiev vs Ludogorets [42] Neftochimic
23   David Jablonský vs CSKA Sofia [43] Levski Sofia   Nikolay Krastev vs CSKA Sofia [44] Levski Sofia
24   Martin Raynov vs Levski Sofia [45] Beroe   Dušan Perniš vs Levski Sofia [46] Beroe
25   Bircent Karagaren vs Ludogorets [47] Dunav   Stanislav Antonov vs Ludogorets [48] Dunav
26   Fernando Viana vs Montana [49] Botev Plovdiv   Yanko Georgiev vs Pirin Blagoevgrad [50] Neftochimic
27   Añete vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [51] Levski Sofia   Stanislav Antonov vs Ludogorets [52] Dunav
28   Miroslav Budinov vs Cherno More [53] Dunav   Yanko Georgiev vs Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa [54] Neftohimic
29   Omar Kossoko vs Slavia [55] Botev Plovdiv   Stanislav Antonov vs Levski Sofia [56] Dunav
30   Fernando Karanga vs Levski Sofia [57] CSKA Sofia   Georgi Kitanov vs Levski Sofia [58] CSKA Sofia
31   Stanislav Kostov vs Beroe [59] Pirin Blagoevgrad   Stanislav Antonov vs CSKA Sofia [60] Dunav
32   Mehdi Bourabia vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [61] Levski Sofia   Stefano Kunchev vs Pirin Blagoevgrad [62] Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa
33   Ivan Tsvetkov vs Vereya [63] Pirin Blagoevgrad
34   Nikolay Minkov vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [64] Cherno More   Stanislav Antonov vs Levski Sofia [65] Dunav
35   Samir Ayass vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv [66] Dunav
36   Roman Procházka vs Cherno More [67] Levski Sofia

Scoring

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Top scorers

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As of matches played on 31 May 2017[73]
Rank Player Club Goals
1   Claudiu Keșerü Ludogorets Razgrad 22
2   Martin Kamburov Lokomotiv Plovdiv 17
3   Marcelinho Ludogorets Razgrad 14
4   João Paulo[n 1] Ludogorets Razgrad 13
  Wanderson Ludogorets Razgrad
6   Todor Nedelev Botev Plovdiv 11
  Daniel Mladenov Pirin Blagoevgrad
  Junior Mapuku Beroe
9   Jonathan Cafu Ludogorets Razgrad 10
  Stanislav Kostov Pirin Blagoevgrad
  Marek Kuzma Cherno More
  Miroslav Budinov Dunav Ruse
  Serder Serderov Slavia Sofia
  Bozhidar Kraev Levski Sofia
15   Ivaylo Dimitrov Slavia Sofia 9
16   Rahavi Kifouéti Lokomotiv GO 8
  Roman Procházka Levski Sofia
18   Tunde Adeniji Levski Sofia 7
  Steven Petkov Montana
  Gustavo Culma CSKA Sofia
  Branimir Kostadinov Dunav Ruse
  Dino Martinović Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Notes
  1. ^ Including 12 goals for Botev Plovdiv.

Hat-tricks

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Player For Against Result Date
  João Paulo Botev Plovdiv Lokomotiv GO 4–0[74] 17 September 2016
  Junior Mapuku Beroe Botev Plovdiv 3–4[75][76] 16 October 2016
  Claudiu Keșerü Ludogorets Razgrad Dunav Ruse 5–3[3] 28 October 2016
  Claudiu Keșerü Ludogorets Razgrad Lokomotiv GO 5–0[2] 12 March 2017
  Bozhidar Kraev4 Levski Sofia Lokomotiv Plovdiv 5–0[77] 9 April 2017
Note

4 Player scored 4 goals

Clean sheets

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As of matches played on 31 May 2017[73]
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1   Georgi Kitanov CSKA Sofia 18
2   Bojan Jorgačević Levski Sofia 12
3   Martin Lukov Dunav Ruse 10
4   Blagoy Makendzhiev[nb 1] Pirin Blagoevgrad 9
  Plamen Kolev Vereya
6   Vladislav Stoyanov Ludogorets Razgrad 8
  Yanko Georgiev Neftochimic
8   Yassine El Kharroubi Lokomotiv Plovdiv 7
9   Přemysl Kovář Cherno More 5
  Dušan Perniš Beroe
  Nikolay Krastev Levski Sofia
12   Ivan Karadzhov Vereya 4
  Nikolay Bankov Lokomotiv GO
  Ivan Čvorović Botev Plovdiv
  Renan Ludogorets Razgrad
  Stanislav Antonov Dunav Ruse
Notes
  1. ^ Including 5 clean sheets for Beroe.

Transfers

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References

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  2. ^ a b "Lokomotiv GO 0–5 Ludogorets" (in Bulgarian). bulgarian-football.com. 12 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Dunav 3–5 Ludogorets" (in Bulgarian). bulgarian-football.com. 28 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "Bulgarian First Professional League Statistics – Streaks and Sequences". soccerstats.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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  6. ^ "Levski 2–1 CSKA Sofia" (in Bulgarian). bulgarian-football.com. 4 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Montana 2–3 Vereya" (in Bulgarian). bulgarian-football.com. 10 May 2017.
  8. ^ topsport.bg (7 June 2016). "Вижте новото име на "А" група и правилата в нея!". topsport.bg. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Изтеглен бе жребият за определяне на програмата на Първа професионална лига за сезон 2016–17". www.bfunion.bg. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
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  13. ^ "БФС стартира с реформите в родния футбол, преструктурираният ЦСКА получи "зелена светлина" за участие в елита". bnt.bg. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Живко Тодоров: Стадион "Берое" ще бъде готов за Лига Европа". bnr.bg. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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  75. ^ "Beroe 3–4 Botev Plovdiv" (in Bulgarian). bulgarian-football.com. 16 October 2016.
  76. ^ The second goal was wrongly assigned to Mapuku in the official match protocol; actually it was an own goal by Georgi Georgiev.
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