The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body.
Assistant referees: Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union) Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands) Bulgaria qualified for the World Cup in Mexico by finishing second in Group Four, behind France with 11 points, but worse goal difference, ahead of the teams of Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Luxembourg.
In the opening match of the World Cup, the Bulgarians held the defending champions Italy to a 1–1 draw.
The next match was another 1–1 draw against South Korea with the goal for Bulgaria coming from Plamen Getov in the 11th minute.
one of the most important dates in Bulgarian football history is 17 November 1993, when Emil Kostadinov scored two goals to beat France in Paris, allowing Bulgaria to qualify for the World Cup in the United States in 1994.
Under the management of Dimitar Penev, the Bulgarians, led by players such as Hristo Stoichkov, Yordan Letchkov, and Krasimir Balakov — along with a multitude of other talented players remembered in Bulgaria as the "Golden Generation" — made a strong impression by reaching the semi-finals.
Before that, the Bulgarians hadn't won a single match in five World Cup finals appearances.
Team captain Borislav Mihaylov made a good performance saving two of the penalty kicks.
Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals (shared with Oleg Salenko).
Assistant referees: Abdulla Al Ghattan (Bahrain) Raimundo Calix Garcia (Honduras) Fourth official: Arturo Angeles (United States)
Assistant referees: Tapio Yli-Karro (Finland) El Jilali Rharib (Morocco) Fourth official: Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)
Assistant referees: Achmat Salie (South Africa) Hussain Ghadanfari (Kuwait) Fourth official: Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)
Assistant referees: Nicolae Grigorescu (Romania) Claudio Rossi (Argentina) Fourth official: Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)