Season | 2017–18 |
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← 2016–17
2018–19 →
|
The 2017–18 First Professional Football League is the 94th season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, the 69th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid and also the 2nd season of the First Professional Football League, which decides the Bulgarian champion. The season is the second with a new league structure and strict financial criteria where 14 clubs play each other home and away, until the league is split up in championship and relegation playoffs. The new league structure, inspired by the ones used by the Belgian First Division A and Danish Superliga, was approved by the Bulgarian Football Union on 6 June 2016.
The fixture list was released on 22 June 2017.Ludogorets Razgrad are the defending champions.
A total of 14 teams would be contesting the league. Etar were promoted as champions of the 2016–17 Second League, sealing their title on the final day of the season with a 2–2 away draw against Nesebar, coupled with Septemvri Sofia's 2–0 away defeat to Oborishte. The promoted club replaced Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa, who suffered an immediate return to the second tier after elimination in the relegation play-offs by Montana.
Septemvri Sofia, runners-up of the 2016–17 Second League, won the play-off against Montana and return to the top flight for the first time since 1998–99 season. Montana return to the second tier after two seasons in the top flight.