The 2022–23 First Professional Football League, also known as efbet League for sponsorship reasons, was the 99th season of the top division of the

Bulgarian football league system The Bulgarian football league system or the Bulgarian football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Bulgaria. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and ...

, the 75th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid, and also the 7th season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season began on 8 July 2022. Due to the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, the last round before the league's winter break was held on 11–12 November. The league resumed on 11 February 2023.

Ludogorets Razgrad Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League ...

were the 11-time defending champions. On 7 June 2023, they won their 12th straight title in a dramatic final matchday, winning 1–0 away at Cherno More and finishing one point above second-placed

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...

Teams

From this season, the league was expanded from 14 to 16 teams, with 12 teams returning from last season, three teams promoted from the 2021–22 Second League, as well as the winner of the promotion/relegation playoff. The first team to earn promotion from the Second League was

Spartak Varna FC Spartak Varna () is a Bulgarian association football club based in Varna, which currently competes in the First League, the top level of Bulgarian football league system. Spartak plays its home matches at the local Stadion Spartak. Founded ...

, who mathematically secured a top three finish after winning their game against

Sozopol Sozopol ( ; ) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. One of the major seaside resorts in the country, it is known for the ''Apollonia'' art and film ...

on May 5, coupled with

Etar The Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex (, usually referred to as Етъра, Etara) is an open-air museum near Gabrovo in northern Bulgaria. It is on the northern edge of the Bulgarka Nature Park, between the park and the city of Gabrovo. ...

losing to CSKA 1948 II. Spartak return to the top level after a 13-year absence. The second team to earn promotion from the Second League was

Septemvri Sofia Septemvri () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the Second League, the second tier of Bulgarian football. Its home ground is the Septemvri Stadium, but due to its poor condition the ...

, who mathematically secured a top three finish after drawing with Sportist Svoge on May 9. Septemvri Sofia return to the top level after a 3-year absence. The third team to earn promotion from the Second League was Hebar, who secured a top three finish in the very last round of the Second League, on May 21. Hebar return to the top level of Bulgarian football after a 21-year absence. Additionally,

Botev Vratsa Botev () is a Bulgarian professional association football, football club based in Vratsa, that competes in the First Professional Football League (Bulgaria), First League, the top division of Bulgarian football. The club was founded in 1921. Si ...

managed to defeat

with a score of 3–2 in the promotion/relegation playoff, thus maintaining its place in the First League.

Stadia and locations

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey for official tournaments organised by

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

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

Regular season

League table

Results

Results by round

Championship round

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

Europa Conference League round

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

Relegation round

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

Europa Conference League play-off

Promotion/relegation play-off

Season statistics

Top scorers

Clean sheets

Hat-tricks

;Note ⁴ Player scored 4 goals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First League 2022-23 First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) seasons

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...