2002–03 A Group


The 2002–03 A Group was the 55th season of the top Bulgarian national football league and the 79th edition of a Bulgarian national championship tournament.

Overview

It was contested by 14 teams, and [PFC PFC CSKA Sofia|CSKA Sofia|CSKA Sofia] won the championship.
The Reds finished with 66 points in total, six points above archrivals Levski Sofia. CSKA Sofia qualified for the 2003-04 Champions League qualifying rounds, while Levski and third placed Litex Lovech qualified for the UEFA Cup for next season. Marek Dupnitsa qualified for the Intertoto Cup.
At the end of the season, Dobrudzha Dobrich and Rilski Sportist were relegated after just one season in the elite. Only two teams were relegated, because the league was expanded the following season from 14 to 16 teams.

Teams

Promotion and Relegation

Beroe, Belasitsa Petrich, and Spartak Pleven were relegated at the end of the last season. The relegated teams were replaced by three teams from B PFG. These teams were Botev Plovdiv, [FC PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich|Dobrudzha Dobrich|Dobrudzha Dobrich], and [FC FC Rilski Sportist Samokov|Rilski Sportist Samokov|Rilski Sportist Samokov]. Botev return after a one-year absence, Dobrudzha return after a two-year absence, while Rilski Sportist made their debut in the top tier of Bulgarian football.

Stadia and Locations

TeamCityStadiumCapacity
BotevPlovdivHristo Botev22,000
Cherno MoreVarnaTicha12,000
ChernomoretsBurgasChernomorets22,000
CSKASofiaBalgarska Armia22,015
DobrudzhaDobrichDruzhba12,500
LevskiSofiaGeorgi Asparuhov29,986
LitexLovechLovech7,050
LokomotivPlovdivLokomotiv (Plovdiv)13,800
LokomotivSofiaLokomotiv (Sofia)22,000
MarekDupnitsaBonchuk Stadium16,050
NaftexBurgasLazur18,037
Rilski SportistSamokovIskar7,000
SlaviaSofiaOvcha Kupel18,000
SpartakVarnaSpartak Stadium7,500

League standings


Champions

;CSKA Sofia
  • Ivanov and Deyanov left the club during a season.