Bulgaria national football team begins Nations League preparations

The Bulgarian men's national football team has begun preparations in Sofia for an intensive three-week period in the UEFA Nations League. Under head coach Alexander Dimitrov, the squad will compete in four matches involving two home games in Plovdiv and two away matches.

The scheduled fixtures include home matches against Luxembourg on September 26 and Estonia on September 29 at the Hristo Botev Stadium. The team will then travel to face Iceland on October 3 and return to Luxembourg on October 6.

The 27-man squad features several notable players, including Ilia Gruev, who returns following an injury. However, the team faces significant absences, such as captain Kiril Despodov, who is recovering from surgery, and Philip Krustev, who is sidelined long-term due to a knee operation. Goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and forward Lukas Petkov have recently joined the camp following their commitments in Germany.