History

Despite a strong qualifying campaign for the 2021 UEFA U21 Championship finals that saw Bulgaria claim 18 points from their 10 fixtures, the nation last qualified for the U21 finals in 1990 when they reached the quarter-final stage of the competition.

However, their best success came back in the 1970's when they qualified for four consecutive finals between 1972 and 1978, twice reaching the semi-final stage in the process, with the finals in 1972, 1974 and 1976 being played as an U23 Championship. It was an era that coincided with success in the Balkan Cup as they won the mini-tournament three times in 1968, 1970 and 1973.