2020–21 Bulgarian Cup

Football tournament season

The 2020–21 Bulgarian Cup was the 39th official edition of the Bulgarian annual football knockout tournament. The competition began on 29 September 2020 with the preliminary round and finished with the final on 19 May 2021.^[1][2] Lokomotiv Plovdiv were the defending cup winners, but were eliminated after extra time by Ludogorets Razgrad in the quarter-finals. After CSKA Sofia missed out on the cup after losing last year's final, this time they won it against Arda Kardzhali for their 21st cup title and qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.

Participating clubs

The following 46 teams qualified for the competition:^[3]

Matches

Preliminary round

The draw was conducted on 16 September 2020.^[4] The games were played between 29 September and 1 October 2020.^[5][6] In this stage the participants were the 16 winners from the regional amateur competitions and 15 non-reserve teams from Second League. During the draw, Partizan Cherven Bryag received a bye to the first round.

Originally set for 30 September 2020, the tie between Chernomorets Balchik and Vitosha Bistritsa was cancelled because on 28 September, Vitosha Bistritsa declared that it had disbanded its first team squad and cancelled its participation in the Second League and the Bulgarian Cup.^[7] On 30 September, it was confirmed that Chernomorets Balchik had received a bye into the first round, due to Vitosha's inability to fulfill the fixture.^[8]

Spartak Varna (III) v Lokomotiv Sofia (II)

Zagorets Nova Zagora (III) v Hebar Pazardzhik (II)

Rodopa Smolyan (III) v Pirin Blagoevgrad (II)

Chavdar Troyan (IV) v Kariana Erden (II)

Chernomorets Balchik (III) v Vitosha Bistritsa (II)

Botev Ihtiman (III) v Neftochimic Burgas (II)

Sevlievo (III) v Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa (II)

Nadezhda Dobroslavtsi (III) v Minyor Pernik (II)

Izvor Gorski Izvor (IV) v Septemvri Simitli (II)

Oborishte Panagyurishte (III) v Dobrudzha Dobrich (II)

Svetkavitsa Targovishte (III) v Sozopol (II)

Drenovets (III) v Strumska Slava Radomir (II)

Dunav Ruse (III) v Yantra Gabrovo (II)

Sveti Nikola Burgas (IV) v Sportist Svoge (II)

Belasitsa Petrich (III) v Litex Lovech (II)

Round of 32

The draw was conducted on 16 September 2020.^[4] The games were played between 20 October and 14 November 2020.^[9][10] In this stage the participants were the 15 winners from the preliminary round, the team which received a bye to this round (Partizan Cherven Bryag) as well as the 14 teams from First League and the remaining best-placed team from Second League (Septemvri Sofia). During the draw, the winner of the preliminary round game between Belasitsa Petrich and Litex Lovech received a bye to the second round.

Kariana Erden (II) v Tsarsko Selo Sofia (I)

Partizan Cherven Bryag (III) v Levski Sofia (I)

Sevlievo (III) v Slavia Sofia (I)

Izvor Gorski Izvor (IV) v Montana (I)

Yantra Gabrovo (II) v Cherno More Varna (I)

Drenovets (III) v CSKA 1948 Sofia (I)

Pirin Blagoevgrad (II) v Beroe Stara Zagora (I)

Chernomorets Balchik (III) v Septemvri Sofia (II)

Nadezhda Dobroslavtsi (III) v Botev Vratsa (I)

Oborishte Panagyurishte (III) v Botev Plovdiv (I)

Sozopol (II) v Etar Veliko Tarnovo (I)

Zagorets Nova Zagora (III) v Lokomotiv Plovdiv (I)

Spartak Varna (III) v Arda Kardzhali (I)

Botev Ihtiman (III) v CSKA Sofia (I)

Sportist Svoge (II) v Ludogorets Razgrad (I)

Round of 16

The draw was conducted on 18 December 2020.^[16] The games were played between 1 and 4 March 2021.^[14] In this stage the participants were the 15 winners from the previous round, as well as Belasitsa Petrich, which received a bye to this round.

Lokomotiv Plovdiv (I) v Belasitsa Petrich (III)

Etar Veliko Tarnovo (I) v Arda Kardzhali (I)

CSKA Sofia (I) v Cherno More Varna (I)

Botev Plovdiv (I) v CSKA 1948 Sofia (I)

Tsarsko Selo Sofia (I) v Ludogorets Razgrad (I)

Levski Sofia (I) v Beroe Stara Zagora (I)

Botev Vratsa (I) v Chernomorets Balchik (III)

Slavia Sofia (I) v Montana (I)

Quarter-finals

The draw was conducted on 4 March 2021.^[17] The games were played between 16 and 18 March 2021.^[18] In this stage the participants were the 8 winners from the previous round.

Ludogorets Razgrad v Lokomotiv Plovdiv

CSKA 1948 Sofia v Arda Kardzhali

Slavia Sofia v Levski Sofia

CSKA Sofia v Botev Vratsa

Semi-finals

The draw was conducted on 18 March 2021.^[19] The first legs were played on 6 and 7 April, while the second legs are scheduled for 13 and 14 April 2021.^[20]

First legs

Arda Kardzhali v Slavia Sofia

CSKA Sofia v Ludogorets Razgrad

Second legs

Slavia Sofia v Arda Kardzhali

Ludogorets Razgrad v CSKA Sofia

Final

19 May 2021

19:30 EEST

Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia

Attendance: 22,000

Referee: Volen Chinkov (Sofia)

Bracket

Top goalscorers

As of 19 May 2021

Notes

1. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria and the organisational effort required to host the fixture, the teams exchanged the home rights to the match.^[13]
2. Upon request from Sportist Svoge regarding the organisational effort required to host the fixture, the teams exchanged the home rights to the match.^[14]

References

1. "Календар сезон 2020/2021" (PDF) (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian Football Union. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
2. "Решения след днешното заседание на Изпълнителния комитет на БФС". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 7 December 2020.
3. "Bulgarian Cup 2020–21 - Final Phase". bulgarian-football.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
4. "Партизан чака Левски за Купата, ЦСКА срещу Ботев Ихтиман или Нефтохимик". dsport.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 16 September 2019.
5. "Решение СТК 18.09.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 23 September 2020.
6. "Решение СТК 24.09.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 27 September 2020.
7. "Разпуснаха Витоша Бистрица!". dsport.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 September 2020.
8. "Решение СТК 30.09.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 September 2020.
9. "Решение СТК 07.10.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 7 October 2020.
10. "Решение СТК 05.11.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
11. "Мачът Оборище - Ботев (Пд) за Купата ще е без публика, но не заради коронавируса". plovdiv24.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 10 November 2020.
12. "Решение ДК 10.11.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 10 November 2020.
13. "Решение СТК 11.11.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 11 November 2020.
14. "Решение СТК 19.01.2021". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 19 January 2021.
15. "Решение СТК 10.11.2020". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 11 November 2020.
16. "Левски - Берое и ЦСКА - Черно море на 1/8-финалите за Купата на България". dsport.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 18 December 2020.
17. "Лудогорец срещу Локо Пд в Разград, Славия приема Левски за Купата". dsport.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 4 March 2021.
18. "Решение СТК 05.03.2021". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 5 March 2021.
19. "ЦСКА - Лудогорец е големият сблъсък за Купата на България". dsport.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 18 March 2021.
20. "Решение СТК 24.03.2021". bfunion.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 24 March 2021.