Bulgaria vs Cyprus

Bulgaria will kick off their June international friendlies by hosting Cyprus in Plovdiv on Friday.

Cyprus, on the other hand, will treat the match as a warm-up for their upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier against Romania on Tuesday.

This will be Bulgaria’s first outing since failing to secure promotion to League B in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League. Under Ilian Iliev’s guidance, the team earned nine points from six games, finishing second in Group C3, which led to a promotion/relegation playoff against the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately, Bulgaria suffered 2-1 defeats in both legs, confirming their stay in League C for a third straight Nations League cycle.

Looking to rebound, Bulgaria will face Cyprus and Greece in friendlies before starting their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign in September, where they’ll face tough competition from Spain, Turkey, and Georgia. The Lions will aim to sharpen their attack in Friday’s match, having struggled to score more than one goal in any of their last 12 internationals since a 2-2 draw against Serbia in Euro 2024 qualifying in November 2023.

For Cyprus, this game marks an early test for new manager Akis Mantzios, who took over from Sofronis Avgousti. Avgousti stepped down in December after just four matches to join Apollon Limassol. Mantzios’s initial games have aligned with Cyprus’s 2026 World Cup qualifying efforts, where they’re grouped with Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and San Marino.