POFC Botev Vratsa

History

Botev Vratsa was founded in 1921 by Nikola Kunov, Ivan Abuzov, Nako Paunov, Gergo Boytchev, Todor Orozov, Hristo Lighenski and Angel Rachinski at a playground near the Old market in Vratsa. Several sport clubs existed in the city between 1921 and 1956, and in 1957 most of them merged to form FC Botev Vratsa. From 1957 to 1964 the club played in the Bulgarian second division, then entered the top division in 1964 and remained there for 26 seasons.

Botev has 788 games in the top flight. The club's most notable achievement came in 1971 when it finished third in the Bulgarian top division, behind CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia. That finish earned Botev a place in the 1971–72 UEFA Cup, where it lost 2–8 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb of Yugoslavia in the first round; the home leg in Vratsa drew 35,000 spectators and ended 2–1, while the away leg finished 6–1. Botev reached the Bulgarian Cup semi-finals in 1960–61, 1974–75 and 1984–85.

After the 1989–90 season the club was relegated to B Group and spent the next 19 years in the second or third division. Botev returned to the top flight in 2011 by winning the eastern group of the 2010–11 B Group, ending a 21-year absence. The 2011–12 season saw the club finish 12th and avoid relegation, but a 13th-place finish the following season led to relegation. The club then moved between the second and third tiers until winning the 2017–18 Second League, which ended a five-year absence from the top flight.

Notable players from the club's youth system include Iliya Valov, Valentin Iliev, and Valentin Stanchev. Martin Petrov is considered by most Botev fans as the greatest player to have been involved with the club.

Colours, signs and symbols

Before 1972, Botev Vratsa wore red and black vertical stripes at home. For the club’s 50th anniversary, officials chose green as the primary color and introduced a lion emblem, inspired by the flags of Hristo Botev’s rebels.

The earlier logo had been a portrait of Hristo Botev himself. In 2009, supporters pushed to bring back the lion, which had been absent for roughly 15 years. The updated crest reused the 1971 design and was created by lifelong fan Aleksandar Alekov.

Players

As of 18 July 2026, the squad includes EU nationals and players with dual citizenship such as Kassim Hadji. Non-EU nationals registered are Đorđe Jovičić, Sainey Sanyang, David Tchétchao Karo, and Jose Gallegos. Up to twenty foreign nationals may be registered for the first team, but only five non-EU nationals can be used on a match day. Non-EU players with European ancestry may claim citizenship from their ancestors' nation; others can claim Bulgarian citizenship after five years in the country.

Did You Know?

• Botev's home stadium originally had 25,000 seats, but after reconstructions in 2008, 2009, 2015, and 2022 it now has 8,935 seats.
• The club's first UEFA Cup match in 1971 drew 35,000 spectators to Stadion Hristo Botev.