Iceland defeats Bulgaria 5-0 in UEFA Nations League Group C4 match

Iceland defeated Bulgaria 5-0 in a UEFA Nations League Group C4 match on November 13, 2026, at Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv. The decisive victory for Iceland leaves Bulgaria in third place in the group standings. The match took place before an approximate crowd of 300 spectators.

Iceland dominates Group C4 match

Andri Gudmundsson, a striker for Blackburn, scored a hat-trick during the fixture to secure the win for Iceland. Ori Oskarsson, a player for Real Sociedad, also contributed to the scoring for the Icelandic side. Bulgaria's scoring efforts were limited to an own goal by Emil Tsenov, a defender for Orenburg.

The match was officiated by German head referee Florian Badschübner. He was assisted by Christoph Günsch and Philip Hüve, while Robin Braun served as the fourth official. Before the start of play, the stadium observed a minute of silence to honor victims of the Trakia motorway crashes.

Bulgaria's performance in this penultimate group match follows a mixed series of results. The national team previously secured a 2-0 win against Luxembourg and a 0-0 draw with Estonia, but they also suffered a 1-2 loss to Luxembourg earlier in the group stage.

Group standings and tournament context

The result in Plovdiv has significant implications for the UEFA Nations League Group C4 standings. Iceland currently leads the group with 8 points. Estonia occupies second place with 6 points, while Bulgaria sits in third place with 4 points. Luxembourg is in fourth place with 3 points.

The tournament structure dictates that the winner of the group earns direct promotion to League B. The runner-up of the group enters a promotion playoff to determine advancement. Bulgaria's current position makes direct promotion mathematically difficult following this heavy defeat.

Coaching and team performance

Atanas Ribarski, the interim coach of the Bulgarian men's national team, commented on the tactical requirements for his squad. Atanas Ribarski said that the team must be compact and cautious when losing possession.

The interim coach noted that the squad has focused on both ball possession and defending during recent training sessions. Despite these efforts, the team struggled to contain the Icelandic attack during the match in Plovdiv.

Glossary

• UEFA Nations League — The UEFA Nations League is a football tournament. It features a group stage structure where group winners earn direct promotion to League B.
• Hristo Botev Stadium — Hristo Botev Stadium is a stadium located in Plovdiv. It opened in 1961.
• hat-trick — A hat-trick occurs in football when a player scores three goals in the same match. This can include goals scored during regulation time, added time, or extra time.
• own goal — An own goal occurs when a player causes the ball to enter their own team's goal, resulting in a goal for the opposition. While credited to the player in match statistics, they are not added to a player's seasonal or career goalscoring total.
• Estonia — Estonia is a member of the Bucharest Nine (B9 or B-9), an organization founded in 2015 in Bucharest, Romania. It is part of the group described as NATO's Eastern Flank.