National Basketball League (Bulgaria)

National Basketball League
Founded	1942
First season	1942–43
Country	Bulgaria
Confederation	FIBA Europe
Number of teams	12
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup	Bulgarian Cup
Supercup	Super Cup
International cup(s)	Basketball Champions League; FIBA Europe Cup
Current champions	Balkan Botevgrad (8th title) ; (2025–26)
Most championships	Academic Sofia (26 titles)
TV partners	Max Sport
Website	nbl.basketball.bg
	2026–27 NBL Season

The National Basketball League (NBL) (in Bulgarian: Националната баскетболна лига) is the highest-level professional basketball league in Bulgaria. The current league was founded in 2008, though the first-tier level existed since 1942 and was previously called the Bulgarian A Division. The games in the NBL are played under FIBA rules.

The most successful team in NBL history is PBC Academic, which has won 26 national titles.

Current teams

Club	Last season	Arena	Location	Capacity
Academic Plovdiv^[1]	9th	SILA Hall	Plovdiv	1,600
Balkan Botevgrad^[2]	1st	Arena Botevgrad	Botevgrad	4,500
Beroe^[3]	8th	Municipal Hall	Stara Zagora	800
Botev Vratsa^[4]	5th	Arena Botevgrad	Botevgrad	4,500
Cherno More Ticha^[5]	4th	Hristo Borisov Hall	Varna	800
Cherno More Ticha^[5]	4th	Kongresna Hall	Varna	5,116
CSKA Sofia^[6]	N/A	CSKA	Sofia	450
Minyor 2015^[7]	7th	Boris Gyuderov Hall	Pernik	1,700
Levski^[8]	10th	Triaditsa Hall	Sofia	530
Lokomotiv Plovdiv^[9]	2nd	SILA Hall	Plovdiv	1,600
Polytechnica^[10]	N/A	Dupnitsa Sports Hall	Dupnitsa	1,505
Rilski Sportist^[11]	3rd	Arena Samelyon	Samokov	3,000
Rilski Sportist^[11]	3rd	Arena Samokov	Samokov	2,500
Shumen^[12]	11th	Arena Shumen	Shumen	1,500
Spartak Pleven^[13]	6th	Balkanstroy Hall	Pleven	1,000
Yambol^[14]	N/A	Diana	Yambol	1,800

Title holders

1942 Levski Sofia
1943 JSK Sofia
1945 PSK Levski '45
1946 PSK Levski '45
1947 PSK Levski '45
1947–48 Lokomotiv Sofia
1948–49 CDNV Sofia
1949–50 Narodna voiska Sofia
1950–51 CDNV Sofia
1951–52 Udarnik Sofia
1952–53 Udarnik Sofia
1953–54 Spartak Sofia
1954–55 Lokomotiv Sofia
1955–56 Spartak Sofia
1956–57 Academic
1957–58 Academic
1958–59 Academic
1959–60 Spartak Sofia
1960–61 Lokomotiv Sofia
1961–62 Spartak Sofia
1962–63 Academic
1963–64 Lokomotiv Sofia
1964–65 CSKA Cherveno zname
1965–66 Lokomotiv Sofia
1966–67 CSKA Cherveno zname
1967–68 Academic
1968–69 Academic
1969–70 Academic
1970–71 Academic
1971–72 Academic
1972–73 Academic
1973–74 Balkan Botevgrad
1974–75 Academic
1975–76 Academic
1976–77 CSKA Septemvriisko zname
1977–78 Levski-Spartak
1978–79 Levski-Spartak
1979–80 CSKA Sofia
1980–81 Levski-Spartak
1981–82 Levski-Spartak
1982–83 CSKA Sofia
1983–84 CSKA Sofia
1984–85 Akademik Varna
1985–86 Levski-Spartak
1986–87 Balkan Botevgrad
1987–88 Balkan Botevgrad
1988–89 Balkan Botevgrad
1989–90 CSKA Sofia
1990–91 CSKA Sofia
1991–92 CSKA Sofia
1992–93 Levski Sofia
1993–94 Levski Sofia
1994–95 Spartak Pleven
1995–96 Spartak Pleven
1996–97 Slavia Sofia
1997–98 Cherno More Varna
1998–99 Cherno More Varna
1999–00 Levski Sofia
2000–01 Levski Sofia
2001–02 Yambolgas
2002–03 Lukoil Academic
2003–04 Lukoil Academic
2004–05 Lukoil Academic
2005–06 Lukoil Academic
2006–07 Lukoil Academic
2007–08 Lukoil Academic
2008–09 Lukoil Academic
2009–10 Lukoil Academic
2010–11 Lukoil Academic
2011–12 Lukoil Academic
2012–13 Lukoil Academic
2013–14 Levski Sofia
2014–15 Lukoil Academic
2015–16 Lukoil Academic
2016–17 Lukoil Academic
2017–18 Levski Sofia
2018–19 Balkan Botevgrad
2019–20 Abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
2020–21 Levski-Lukoil Sofia
2021–22 Balkan Botevgrad
2022–23 Balkan Botevgrad
2023–24 Rilski Sportist
2024–25 Rilski Sportist
2025–26 Balkan Botevgrad

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Titles by club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning years
Academic Sofia	26	10	1957, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Levski Sofia	16	21	1942, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2014, 2018, 2021
CSKA Sofia	12	15	1949, 1950, 1951, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992
Balkan Botevgrad	8	6	1974, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2026
Lokomotiv Sofia	6	5	1943, 1948, 1955, 1961, 1964, 1966
Spartak Sofia	4	2	1954, 1956, 1960, 1962
Slavia Sofia	3	4	1952, 1953, 1997
Cherno More Port Varna	3	8	1985, 1998, 1999
Rilski Sportist	2	2	2024, 2025
Spartak Pleven	2	1	1995, 1996
Yambol	1	1	2002

Latest finals

Season	Champions	Score	Runners-Up
2000–01	Levski	3–0	Yambol
2001–02	Yambol	3–0	Lukoil Academic
2002–03	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Levski
2003–04	Lukoil Academic	3–0	CSKA
2004–05	Lukoil Academic	3–0	CSKA
2005–06	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Cherno More
2006–07	Lukoil Academic	3–0	CSKA
2007–08	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Balkan
2008–09	Lukoil Academic	3–1	Cherno More
2009–10	Lukoil Academic	3–1	Levski
2010–11	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Levski
2011–12	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Levski
2012–13	Lukoil Academic	3–2	Levski
2013–14	Levski	3–2	Lukoil Academic
2014–15	Lukoil Academic	3–2	Balkan
2015–16	Lukoil Academic	3–0	Balkan
2016–17	Lukoil Academic	3–1	Beroe
2017–18	Levski	3–1	Balkan
2018–19	Balkan	3–1	Levski
2020–21	Levski	4–1	Rilski Sportist
2021–22	Balkan	3–1	Rilski Sportist
2022–23	Balkan	3–0	Chernomorets
2023–24	Rilski Sportist	3–1	Balkan
2024–25	Rilski Sportist	3–1	Cherno More
2025–26	Balkan	3–2	Lokomotiv Plovdiv

External links

[1] Akademik in NBL

[2] Balkan in NBL

[3] Beroe in NBL

[4] Botev in NBL

[5] Cherno More in NBL

[6] CSKA in NBL

[7] Minyor 2015 in NBL

[8] Levski in NBL

[9] Lokomotiv in NBL

[10] CSKA in NBL

[11] Rilski Sportist in NBL

[12] Shumen in NBL

[13] Spartak in NBL

[14] Yambol in NBL

[15] Holders by year

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Bulgarian National Basketball League
2026–27 teams	Academic Plovdiv Balkan Botevgrad Beroe Botev Vratsa Cherno More Ticha Varna CSKA Sofia Levski Sofia Lokomotiv Plovdiv Minyor 2015 Polytechnica Dupnitsa Rilski Sportist Shumen Spartak Pleven Yambol
Former teams	BC Sliven Academic Sofia Chernomorets
Seasons	2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27