Varna derby
| Other names | Spartak Varna vs Cherno More Varna |
|---|---|
| Location | Varna, Bulgaria |
| Teams | Spartak Varna Cherno More Varna |
| First meeting | Cherno More 2–2 Spartak (18 July 1948) |
| Latest meeting | Spartak 1–3 Cherno More (16 August 2025) |
| Stadiums | Ticha Stadium Cherno More Spartak Stadium Spartak Varna |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 87 |
| Most wins | PFC Cherno More Varna |
| Most player appearances | Boris Prushev (23) |
| Top scorer | Dobromir Tashkov (12) |
| Largest victory | Cherno More 5–0 Spartak (2008) |
| Longest win streak | Cherno More (3) |
The Varna derby (Bulgarian: Варненско дерби) is a football rivalry between the two most successful and popular clubs in Varna, Bulgaria: Cherno More Varna and Spartak Varna. The rivalry is one of the most heated and passionate in Bulgarian football.
Overview
The matches between Cherno More and Spartak have a long history, dating back to the early 20th century. The two teams have had a number of intense encounters, especially in the Bulgarian First League. The derby is known for its passionate fanbases, with both sets of supporters having a strong following in Varna and across Bulgaria. The matches are typically high in intensity and often play a significant role in the league standings.
Summary of results
As of the midle of the season 2025-26.
| Matches | Cherno More Wins | Draws | Spartak Varna Wins | Cherno More Goals | Spartak Varna Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A PFG/First League[1] | 66 | 25 | 26 | 15 | 78 | 61 |
| Cherno More Home | 33 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 43 | 31 |
| Spartak Varna Home | 33 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 35 | 30 |
| B PFG/Second League | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Knockout and cup competitions | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 24 |
| Local competitions | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 19 |
| Total | 97 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 116 | 114 |
Note: Matches that have finished with a win after extra time are represented as a win for the respective club.
A PFG / First League Matches (1948–49 – present)
| [2][3] | Cherno More – Spartak Varna | Spartak Varna – Cherno More | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Date | Venue | Attend. | Score | Home goals | Away goals | Date | Venue | Attend. | Score | Home goals | Away goals | |
| 1952 | 12–04–1952 | Kolodruma | – | 3-2 | Yovchev 6' 35' 88' | Nenchev 25' Arnaudov 29' | 20–07–1952 | Kolodruma | – | 0–0 | – | – | |
| 1954 | 10–10–1954 | Kolodruma | – | 0-1 | – | Tunchev 76' (o.g.) | 16–05–1954 | Kolodruma | – | 1–1 | Zheliabov 59' | Bogdanov 40' | |
| 1955 | 13–09–1955 | Kolodruma | – | 2-1 | Filipov 21' (o.g.) Bogdanov 56' | Nenchev 47' | 08–05–1955 | Kolodruma | 15,000 | 0–0 | – | – | |
| 1957 | 26–04–1957 | Kolodruma | 8,000 | 0-3 | – | Arnaudov 63' Filipov 76' Kalugerov 83' | 20–10–1957 | Kolodruma | 15,000 | 0-1 | – | Kirov 85' | |
| 1958 | 16–03–1958 | Kolodruma | 13,000 | 1-3 | Kirov 20' | Traykov 16' Arnaudov 63' 79' | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1958-59 | 07–09–1958 | Gradski stadion | 15,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 22–03–1959 | Kolodruma | – | 0-2 | – | Genov 31' Kostov 44' | |
| 1960-61 | 25–06–1961 | Gradski stadion | 30,000 | 1-2 | N. Dimitrov 19' | Stefanov 48' 59' | 18–12–1960 | Gradski stadion | 10,000 | 2-0 | Filipov 5'
Nikolov 70' |
– | |
| 1961-62 | 26–11–1961 | Yuri Gagarin | 35,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 15–07–1962 | Yuri Gagarin | 30,000 | 1-1 | Filipov 83' | I. Vasilev 85' | |
| 1962-63 | 14–05–1963 | Yuri Gagarin | – | 2-1 | N. Dimitrov 43' 75' | Petkov 55' | 21–10–1962 | Yuri Gagarin | 15,000 | 2-0 | Valchanov 25'
Nikolov 66' |
– | |
| 1963-64 | 24–05–1964 | Yuri Gagarin | 25,000 | 1-1 | S. Nikolov 33' | Nikolov 82' | 17–11–1963 | Yuri Gagarin | – | 0-2 | – | I. Vasilev 75'
G. Dimitrov 80' | |
| 1965-66 | 03–04–1966 | Yuri Gagarin | 30,000 | 2-2 | Velikov 30'
Bogomilov 62' |
Kalugerov 34'
Nikolov 81' |
29–08–1965 | Yuri Gagarin | 30,000 | 1-2 | Nikolov 4' | Yanev 11'
Mitev 83' | |
| 1971-72 | 03–10–1971 | Yuri Gagarin | 27,000 | 1-1 | Kalchev 61' (o.g.) | Kolev 75' | 08–04–1972 | Yuri Gagarin | 14,000 | 1-2 | Bonchev 55' | Mitev 47'
Tahmisyan 49' | |
| 1972-73 | 02–09–1972 | Yuri Gagarin | 10,000 | 3-1 | Mitev 7'
D. Georgiev 14' E. Nedev 36' (o.g.) |
S. Nedev 49' | 11–03–1973 | Yuri Gagarin | 5,000 | 1-3 | Fazhev 81' | Mitev 35' 70'
Todorov 37' | |
| 1973-74 | 24–12–1973 | Yuri Gagarin | 10,000 | 2-0 | Bogomilov 64'
D. Georgiev 72' |
– | 12–08–1973 | Yuri Gagarin | 25,000 | 1-1 | Minchev 51' | Bogomilov 56' | |
| 1975-76 | 20–03–1976 | Yuri Gagarin | 20,000 | 1-1 | Kondov 76' | Dobrev 44' | 06–09–1975 | Yuri Gagarin | 30,000 | 1-0 | Dobrev 52' | – | |
| 1977-78 | 13–08–1977 | Yuri Gagarin | 30,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 04–03–1978 | Yuri Gagarin | 12,000 | 1-2 | Tahmisyan 44' | D. Georgiev 17'
Andreev 42' | |
| 1982-83 | 05–03–1983 | Yuri Gagarin | 20,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 21–08–1982 | Yuri Gagarin | 16,000 | 2-0 | Naydenov 20' 27' | – | |
| 1983-84 | 24–08–1983 | Yuri Gagarin | 8,000 | 0-2 | – | Gospodinov 35'
Naydenov 72' |
11–03–1984 | Yuri Gagarin | 7,000 | 2-1 | Naydenov 18' 70' | Ganev 43' | |
| 1984-85 | 18–08–1984 | Yuri Gagarin | 15,000 | 1-0 | Spasov 40' | – | 03–03–1985 | Yuri Gagarin | 15,000 | 1-0 | Naydenov 75' | – | |
| 1985-86 | 29–09–1985 | Yuri Gagarin | 15,000 | 3-0 | Radev 2' | – | 26–02–1986 | Yuri Gagarin | 7,000 | 2-2 | Gospodinov 10'
Trendafilov 62' |
Rafiev 27' 73' | |
| 1988-89 | 18–04–1989 | Ticha | 10,000 | 1-1 | Bakardzhiev 39' | Kazakov 69' | 12–10–1988 | Spartak | 12,000 | 1-1 | Kazakov 33' | Vazharov 76' | |
| 1993-94 | 09–10–1993 | Yuri Gagarin | 12,000 | 1-2 | Danev 89' | Deliyski 8'
G. Gospodinov 88' |
06–04–1994 | Spartak | 5,000 | 2-2 | Gerdzhikov 39'
Mitov 44' |
Kelepov 25'
Bakardzhiev 31' | |
| 2000-01 | 19–08–2000 | Ticha | 10,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 14–03–2001 | Spartak | 10,000 | 0-0 | – | – | |
| 2001-02 | 14–10–2001 | Ticha | 9,000 | 1-1 | Dionisiev 49' | Stanchev 45' | 10–03–2002 | Spartak | 4,000 | 0-0 | – | – | |
| 08–05–2002 | Ticha | 5,000 | 1-1 | Dobrev 88' (pen.) | Kremenliev 28' (pen.) | 06–04–2002 | Spartak | 2,000 | 1-2 | Krumov 50' | Gerasimov 30'
Mihaylov 54' (pen.) | ||
| 2002-03 | 15–09–2002 | Ticha | 12,000 | 2-1 | Iliev 1'
A. Zafirov 50' |
M. Georgiev 5' | 22–03–2003 | Spartak | 5,500 | 2-1 | Stanchev 5'
Nankov 41' |
Spalević 52' | |
| 2003-04 | 15–08–2003 | Ticha | 8,000 | 1-1 | Mirchev 90' (pen.) | A. Petrov 52' (pen.) | 21–02–2004 | Spartak | 3,500 | 1-2 | Z. Mihaylov 83' | Savić 27' (o.g.)
Stanchev 79' | |
| 2004-05 | 06–05–2005 | Ticha | 6,000 | 1-0 | Timnev 63' (pen.) | – | 30–10–2004 | Spartak | 3,500 | 1-0 | Radomirov 83' | – | |
| 2006-07 | 18–11–2006 | Ticha | 10,000 | 3-0 | da Silva 39' | – | 19–05–2007 | Spartak | 4,500 | 2-0 | Ortega 37'
Todorov 67' |
– | |
| 2007-08 | 10–05–2008 | Ticha | 6,500 | 0-0 | – | – | 1–12–2007 | Spartak | 5,000 | 0-1 | – | Manolov 67' | |
| 2008-09 | 14–11–2008 | Ticha | 7,500 | 5-0 | Manolov 51' | – | 23–05–2009 | Spartak | 5,000 | 0-1 | – | Kakalov 65' | |
| 2022-23 | 07–05–2023 | Ticha | – | 3-2 | Panayotov 38' | Ewandro 59'
Balanyuk 83' |
22–10–2022 | Spartak | – | 0-0 | – | – | |
| 2024-25 | 08–03–2025 | Ticha | – | 1-1 | Martín 43' | Strauß 72' | 22–09–2024 | Spartak | 5,000 | 0-2 | – | Soula 8' (pen.)
Dudu 58' | |
| 2025-26 | 16–08–2025 | Spartak | 5,000 | 1-3 | Xande 12' | Lazarov 2' | |||||||
B PFG / Second League Matches
| [2] | Cherno More – Spartak Varna | Spartak Varna – Cherno More | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Date | Venue | Attend. | Score | Home goals | Away goals | Date | Venue | Attend. | Score | Home goals | Away goals |
| 1990–91 | 09–03–1991 | Ticha | 8,000 | 2-2 | Haralambiev 37'
Radev 86' |
Vazharov 35'
Trendafilov 55' |
22–08–1990 | Spartak | 10,000 | 1–1 | Trendafilov 73' | Naydenov 80' |
| 1991–92 | 18–04–1992 | Ticha | 8,000 | 0-0 | – | – | 12–10–1991 | Spartak | 6,000 | 3–0 | Hmelnitzki 14' 44'
Kazakov 80' |
– |
| 1994–95 | 06–05–1995 | Ticha | 10,000 | 0–2 | – | Stanchev 40'
Trendafilov 67' |
29–10–1994 | Spartak | 8,000 | 2–1 | Trendafilov 40'
Kazakov 44' |
Timnev 35' |
Knockout and cup competitions
| Competition[2] | Season | Round | Date | Stadium | Attendance | Match | Result | Goalscorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Army Cup | 1946 | Preliminary | 28 Oct 1945 | Kolodruma | – | Ticha–Vladislav | Spartak | 4–0 | Mokanov , own goal, n/a, n/a |
| Red Army Cup | 1947 | Preliminary | 31 Oct 1946 | Kolodruma | 3,500 | Spartak | Ticha–Vladislav | 5–1 | Tashkov , Parushev , Ruhov ; Konakov |
| Red Army Cup | 1948 | Preliminary | 19 Oct 1947 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | TVP | 1–0 | n/a |
| Republican Championship | 1948 | Quarterfinal | 18 Jul 1948 | Kolodruma | 8,000 | TVP | Spartak | 2–2 | Konakov 66', Ganchev 83'; Tashkov 45', Parushev 53' |
| 25 Jul 1948 | Kolodruma | 10,000 | Spartak | TVP | 4–0 | Parushev 30' 46', Tashkov 50' 81' | |||
| Soviet Army Cup | 1952 | Round of 16 | 19 Oct 1952 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | VMS | 1–1 | n/a |
| 20 Oct 1952 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | VMS | 2–2 | n/a | |||
| 23 Oct 1952 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | VMS | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | G. Dimitrov 102' | |||
| Soviet Army Cup | 1955 | First round | 16 Oct 1955 | Kolodruma | – | VMS | Spartak | 2–1 | Dosev 37', Kovachev 71'; Arnaudov 62' |
| Soviet Army Cup | 1969-70 | Round of 32 | 06 Dec 1969 | Gagarin | – | Spartak | Cherno More | 1–2 | Kolev 11'; Bogomilov 20' 22' |
| Soviet Army Cup | 1972-73 | Round of 32 | 20 Dec 1972 | Gagarin | – | Spartak | Cherno More | 1–0 | Nedev 41' |
| Bulgarian Cup[a] | 1980-81 | 33rd-64th Place | 27 Dec 1980 | Ticha | 6,200 | Cherno More | Spartak | 2–1 | Ganev 10', Rafiev 84'; Petrov 63' |
| 11 Feb 1981 | Spartak | 10,000 | Spartak | Cherno More | 2–1 (4−5 p) | Stoev 56', Voychev 65'; B. Kolev 30' | |||
| Soviet Army Cup[b] | 1983-84 | Round of 32 | 25 Dec 1983 | Gagarin | 5,000 | Spartak | Cherno More | 1–0 | Naydenov 23' |
| Bulgarian Cup | 1984-85 | Second Round | 11 Nov 1984 | Gagarin | 2,500 | Cherno More | Spartak | 1–2 | Hamidov 36'; Lichev 38', Naydenov 40' |
| 18 Nov 1984 | Gagarin | 3,000 | Spartak | Cherno More | 0–2 | N. Spasov 9', T. Atanasov 25' | |||
Local Competitions
| Competition[2] | Season | Date | Stadium | Attendance | Match | Result | Goalscorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varna Championship | 1945 | 27 May 1945 | Kolodruma | – | Ticha–Vladislav | Spartak | 2–1 | H. Konakov 5' 43';
Parushev 42' |
| 8 Jul 1945 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | Ticha–Vladislav | 2–1 | Manolov 18', Yovchev 28';
Nedev 11' | ||
| 1946 | 12 May 1946 | Kolodruma | 8,000 | Ticha–Vladislav | Spartak | 2–2 | n/a 4', n/a;
Yovchev 15', Karpuschiev | |
| 15 Jun 1946 | Kolodruma | – | Spartak | Ticha–Vladislav | 2–1 | Tashkov 8' 88';
Kasabov 11' | ||
| 1947 | 20 Apr 1947 | Kolodruma | 10,000 | Spartak | TVP | 3–1 | Zahariev 8', Tashkov 41' 88';
A. Konakov 13' | |
| 21 Jun 1947 | Kolodruma | – | TVP | Spartak | 1–2 | n/a | ||
| Oblast[a] Championship | 1947 | 02 Aug 1947 | Kolodruma | 4,000 | TVP | Spartak | 1–3 | Nedev 3';
Zahariev 15' 75' (pen.), Ruhov 79' |
| Oblast[b] Championship | 1947-48 | 14 Mar 1948 | Kolodruma | 4,500 | TVP | Spartak | 3–2 | Ganchev 1' 88', Nedev 21';
Parushev 9', Zahariev 35' |
| 30 May 1948 | Kolodruma | 6,000 | Spartak | TVP | 2–1 | Yovchev 28', Zahariev 55';
Terzistoev 58' | ||
Head-to-head ranking in First League (1948–2025)
| P. | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 11 | 7 |
- Total: Cherno More with 52 higher finishes, Spartak Varna with 25 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2024–25 season).
Interesting Facts
- The players with the most appearances in the Varna derby in the A Group are Todor Marev from Cherno More and Iliya Kirchev from Spartak, each with 18 matches.
- The players with the most appearances in all official matches of the derby (city, regional, and national championships, A and B Group, national cup, and the Soviet Army Cup) are Boris Parushev – "Borleto" from Spartak with 23 matches, and Todor Marev from Cherno More with 22 matches.
- The top goalscorer in the A Group matches of the derby is Stefan Naydenov from Spartak with 6 goals. Zdravko Mitev holds the record for Cherno More with 5 goals.
- The top goalscorer in all official matches of the Varna derby is Dobromir Tashkov from Spartak with 12 goals. Zdravko Mitev and Stefan Bogomilov hold the record for Cherno More with 5 goals each.
- The first and only hat-trick in the A Group derby was scored by Dimitar Yovchev from Cherno More, securing a 3:2 victory in 1952. A hat-trick was also scored by Dobromir Tashkov from Spartak in the Soviet Army Cup in 1946 (which at the time served as a national cup), when Spartak won 5:1. The other goals were scored by Boris Parushev and Spiridon Rukhov, while Anastaz Konakov scored the only goal for Cherno More.
- The biggest margin of victory was recorded on November 14, 2008, when "The Sailors" (Cherno More) defeated "The Falcons" (Spartak) 5:0 at Ticha Stadium in an A Group match.
- The largest victory margin for Spartak in the derby was on October 31, 1946, with a 5:1 win in a preliminary round of the national cup at "Kolodruma" stadium, and on July 25, 1948, in a quarterfinal second-leg match of the national championship with a 4:0 win, also at "Kolodruma" stadium.
- The longest winning streak in the derby belongs to Spartak, with five consecutive victories: 2:1 (June 15, 1946, city championship), 5:1 (October 31, 1946, national cup), 3:1 (April 20, 1947, city championship), 2:1 (June 21, 1947, city championship), and 3:1 (August 2, 1947, regional championship). All matches were played at "Kolodruma" stadium.
- The first foreign player to participate in the Varna derby at the A Group level was Albanian midfielder Mehmet Kurda. During the 1993/94 season, he played for Cherno More.
- The first foreign player to score in the Varna derby was Ukrainian Volodymyr Khmelnytsky. During the 1991/92 season, he scored two goals for Spartak in a 3:0 victory in the B Group.
- The first foreign player to score in the Varna derby at the A Group level was Russian Vladimir Gerasimov. On April 6, 2002, he scored in a 2:1 victory for Cherno More at Spartak Stadium.
- Hristo Valchanov from Spartak is the only goalkeeper to have scored in the derby. He converted a penalty in 1962, helping "The Falcons" secure a 2:0 victory.
- Georgi Iliev holds the record for the fastest goal in the history of the Varna derby. On September 15, 2002, he scored in the 1st minute, leading Cherno More to a 2:1 victory.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Любопитни факти за варненското дерби". 6 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Сезон по сезон". ФК Черно море.
- ^ "Cherno More vs Spartak Varna".
- ^ Book "Football Varna", 2007.