Vasil Levski National Stadium (Sofia)

Vasil Levski National Stadium (Bulgarian: Национален стадион „Васил Левски“), named after the Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski, is the country’s second largest stadium. The stadium has 44,000 seats and is located in the center of Sofia, on the territory of the oldest and most famous park in the city — Borisova Gradina.

The venue hosts matches of the Bulgarian national football team and the final of the Bulgarian Cup, as well as athletics competitions. It was used as the home venue for the Levski Sofia Champions League games, and is often used for important derby between major clubs from Sofia, rather than in its own home stadiums.

General information

Arena capacity: 44,000 spectators

Address: Bulevard “Evlogi i Hristo Georgiev” 38, 1164 Borisova Gradina, Sofia, Bulgaria

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 42°41′15.30″N 23°20′7.60″E

Year of construction: 5 July 1953

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68

Seating plan of Vasil Levski National Stadium

When Liverpool met Ludogorets in the Champions League match in November 2014, the fans were stationed in blocks 43 and 44 of Sector G, which is highlighted in orange above in the seating plan.

Access is provided through gates 23 and 24, which are mainly located on “Evlogi i Hristo Georgiev” boulevard, which is the road leading north of the stadium. The traveling contingent is essentially located at the northernmost point of the stadium, adjacent to the main covered grandstand.

When choosing a place in the stadium, use the scheme of Vasil Levski National Stadium, indicated above.

Where to buy tickets?

Ticket prices for home games remain low, at most a few euros. See entries for individual clubs for their details. If the match is on, tickets are sold at official ticket offices in the corner of the neighboring Knyazheska Garden.

In the main entrance to the stadium you will find a large kiosk with information and tickets. The cheapest tickets will be behind the goals in B (‘Б’) and G, the most expensive in A.

There is no information on international matches or tickets on the Bulgarian FA website. Invited fans need their individual FA for ticket details.

How to get there?

The Vasil Levski Stadium is located in Borisova Park in central Bulgaria. This park is used in conjunction with the Bulgarian Army Stadium, home of CSKA Sofia. It’s a bit like Stanley Park in Liverpool, which is shared by Anfield and Goodison Park Stadiums.

Finally, the nearest metro station is Vasil Levski Stadium station on the red line of metro 1, two from central Serdika and by mid-2015 directly from Sofia airport. Bus number 84 stops near the stadium. It can also be reached by bus lines 9, 72, 75, 76, 94, 204, 213, 280, 306, 604, trolleybus lines 1, 2, 5, 8. However, if you are somewhere in Central Sofia, it’s more likely you can walk to the stadium.

It is also on tram lines 10, 12 and 18, but there are few public transport stops in the very center of the city, so it is best to walk or go to the metro.

Where to eat

Since the stadium is located on the outskirts of the extended Borisova Gradina Park, there is no shortage of restaurants, cafes and simple kiosks selling beer nearby. Between Orlov Most bridge and the stadium near Ariana pond, there are half a dozen places where fans gather before the match. Most work year-round.

On the other side of the stadium is a smaller park, which is dominated by a high memorial to the Soviet Army. Here, several other establishments include the popular, albeit nameless, terrace, which everyone calls Baba Yaga, only in the warmer months opened.

Café Sportna Sreshta, hidden inside the facade of the main entrance, offers Kamenitza beer and a lot of football talk.

Facilities

Enjoy your stay in the house of Bulgarian football. The stadium is almost always open, so feel free to go through the gates.

Museum and Stadium Tour

Vasil Levski National Stadium is the largest stadium in Sofia and home to the Bulgarian national football team. Reasons to visit the stadium and museum tour include:

• stadium tour is free;
• museum tour costs less than a euro;
• watch a football match;
• house of the Bulgarian national football team;
• see a football shirt from the Bulgarian legend, Stoichkov;
• second largest stadium in Bulgaria.

There are many Sofia hotels within walking distance of Vasil Levski Stadium. However, they may be on the expensive side, so it is recommended that you check Airbnb.

Players tunnel

As part of your free stadium tour, you can explore the players tunnel. Many Bulgarian great sportsmen passed through this tunnel, including Stoichkov, Berbatov and Petrov. This is not to mention the stars who visited the stadium. Huge European teams, such as France, the Netherlands, Italy, England and Germany, have been here.

Pitch side

You can run freely on the treadmill, you can even do a few laps if you want. Most likely, you will see several athletes here, who knows, maybe they are Olympians? It is forbidden to enter the field, but you can stand right next to goalposts, a corner flag, and also halfway.

Stadium with view

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the most photogenic buildings in Europe. If you venture to the top of the stand, you have a unique view of it. There is a Johnnie Walker ad that you can line up beside the cathedral. For this reason, this is an Instagram place in Sofia!

Media Seats/VIP Seats

Since you can freely go to wherever you want in the stadium, you should visit the press and the VIP section. These are the best places in the house and obviously they have the best view of the field. If you are looking for a quiet place in Sofia to relax, we advise you to sit in the stadium for a couple of hours while the athletes train.

Museum of Vasil Levski Stadium

You would be forgiven for not knowing that there is a museum in the stadium. There are really no signs of it. Even knowing that there is a museum, it’s still difficult to get inside. To enter, you must ask security at the main entrance to the stadium. The main entrance is the center of the main building of the stadium, which overlooks the center of Sofia. You must ask the guard and they will tell you to wait. Eventually, someone will meet you, turn on the light, and you can explore the museum. The entry fee is less than Euro, and there are memorabilia from the Bulgarian national team, as well as some other sports.

History

The Vasil Levski National Stadium was officially opened in 1953, expanded in 1966 and renovated in 2002.

Vasil Levski Stadium was completed in 1953 with a declared capacity of 42,000. Initially, only the lower tier of the stands was built (approximately half the height of the current stands), and due to the uneven distribution of land, the western end of the field and the stands were below ground level. The upper tier was built about ten years later, and the current floodlight towers were built in the late 1960s.

Vasil Levski Stadium was used for athletics competitions immediately after its official opening on July 5, 1953. The first football match played there after its opening was a friendly match between Dynamo Sofia and FC Vienna, and a month later it also began to be used for the league games. The first international match was the qualifying round of the World Cup on September 6 against Czechoslovakia.

The stadium also offers halls for judo, rhythmic gymnastics, basketball, boxing, aerobics, fencing and table tennis, as well as a hall for general physical training, two conference rooms and three restaurants. The 1957 European Basketball Championship was held here.

It was the proposed venue for the opening and closing ceremonies in Sofia at the 2014 Winter Olympics.