| Competition: | First Professional Football League |
| Season: | 2016–17 |
| Dates: | 29 July 2016 – 4 June 2017 |
| Winners: | Ludogorets Razgrad (6th title) |
| Relegated: | Neftochimic Montana Lokomotiv GO |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Botev Plovdiv Levski Sofia Dunav Ruse |
| League Topscorer: | Claudiu Keșerü (22) |
| Best Goalkeeper: | Georgi Kitanov (18 clean sheets) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Botev Plovdiv 7–1 Montana (7 April 2017)[1] |
| Biggest Away Win: | (12 March 2017)[2] |
| Highest Scoring: | (28 October 2016)[3] Botev Plovdiv 7–1 Montana (7 April 2017) |
| Longest Wins: | 13 games by Ludogorets Razgrad[4] |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 24 games by Ludogorets Razgrad |
| Longest Winless: | 10 games by Lokomotiv GO |
| Longest Losses: | 7 games by Montana |
| Matches: | 240 |
| Total Goals: | 616 |
| 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] |
| Prevseason: | 2015–16 |
| Nextseason: | 2017–18 |
| Updated: | 31 May 2017 |
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]
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.
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.
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.
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]
In case of a tie on points between two or more clubs, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[12]
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.
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.
| 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]
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 | 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.
| 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 Kirov | 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 Dzhambazki | 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 Topuzakov | 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 Belchev | 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] |
Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
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.
Points and goals will carry over in full from regular season.
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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.
Winners of matches 3, 5 and 6 will play in the top division next season
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Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa are relegated to the Second League.
Neftochimic and Montana are relegated to the Second League.
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–0[68] | 17 September 2016 | ||||
| 3–4[69] [70] | 16 October 2016 | ||||
| 5–3 | 28 October 2016 | ||||
| 5–0 | 12 March 2017 | ||||
| Bozhidar Kraev4 | 5–0[71] | 9 April 2017 |
