Stadium Subculture - Levski Sofia (2025)

Levski Sofia

Home sector: Our home sector is called Sector B. On average, we have around 8,500–10,500 fans at our home games. The biggest crowds gather for matches against CSKA-Sofia, where we fill both sides of the stands and always outnumber them. The average attendance for these games is about 32,000. For matches against Ludogorets, we’re around 16,000–17,000, and for games like those with Botev Plovdiv or Cherno More, we usually get 10,000–11,000. We are the club with the highest annual attendance in Bulgaria. During European matches, we fill every stadium we play in. Most recently, we hosted Eintracht Frankfurt with 40,000 fans at the national stadium. There was a 2,000-seat buffer zone, but otherwise, the stadium would have been completely full.

Away match: This is what we’re most famous for—wherever we go, we’re the home side. We pack every away sector to the limit. Bulgarian stadiums are small, but whenever there’s space, we show up in big numbers. In Veliko Tarnovo, we’ve had 10,000 fans for away games, and for a cup final against Cherno More in Burgas (400 km from Sofia), we had 15,000 fans. Our travels have often involved clashes, mainly with the police but also with rival groups. Notable incidents include the away trips to Artmedia Bratislava, Skopje, Zagreb, Nikšić, Verona, Bremen, and others. One memorable moment was before our match against Ruzomberok when we were attacked by a mixed group of Ajax and Cracovia Krakow fans. Their attack backfired as we sent them running, resulting in arrests on both sides. Regular clashes with police also happen during Balkan matches in European tournaments. Our numbers on European trips are impressive—few clubs manage attendance like ours. Whatever tickets are available, we sell them out within minutes.

Friendships: Our political orientation is right-wing. We are friends only with Lazio’s Curva Nord 12. We also have personal contacts and good relations with the fans of Lokomotiv Plovdiv, specifically Lauta Army.

Enemies: Oh, there are plenty! As the strongest fanbase in Bulgaria, nobody likes us on the local scene, but we don’t care. Our biggest rivalry is with CSKA fans. Even though their original club was dissolved and many of their older hooligans stopped attending matches, our past is full of incidents, and many red flags have hung on our fences. Second place goes to Botev Plovdiv fans, with whom we share one of the oldest rivalries, as their club was founded in 1912 and ours in 1914. Political and club differences have created not just a gap but an abyss between us. Minyor Pernik is another interesting rivalry. Although their numbers are small, their hatred for us has led to confrontations, which haven’t ended well for them. Cherno More, Beroe, Spartak Varna, and Neftochimic also make this list. Outside Bulgaria, we have bad relations with all Balkan fanbases, unlike CSKA fans, who are friends with Steaua, Partizan, and try forming strange alliances like with PAOK through their Serbian connections.

Groups: Our main group, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, is “Sofia West”. It’s arguably the strongest group in Bulgaria, respected by everyone. We have several ultras groups from Sofia, the most numerous and active being QDVP, along with smaller groups like HD Boys, Zona B18, Reduta, and others. Our structure outside Sofia is also strong and constantly growing, with significant groups in Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Samokov, Petrich, Pleven, Tarnovo, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Asenovgrad, Dobrich, and other cities.