About Velbazhd Kyustendil

Velbazhd Kyustendil is a Bulgarian football club based in the city of Kyustendil, originally founded in 1919. Throughout its long history, the club has gone through numerous name changes and reorganisations, but it is generally seen as the continuation of the city’s early football tradition. For most of its existence, Velbazhd has competed in the lower and second tiers of Bulgarian football, slowly building its reputation as a strong provincial side.

The club’s most successful period came in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it established itself in Bulgaria’s top division. Velbazhd achieved its best league results by finishing 3rd in the A Group for three consecutive seasons (1998–2001), marking a historic peak for the club. During this time, it also reached the Bulgarian Cup final in 2001 and participated in European competition via the Intertoto Cup, highlighting its brief but strong golden era.

However, after the 2000–01 season, the club’s top-flight project effectively ended when owner Georgi Iliev merged Velbazhd with Lokomotiv Plovdiv. This move transferred most key players and resources to Plovdiv, and Velbazhd ceased to exist at the highest level of Bulgarian football, later being re-established from the lower divisions. Today, the club continues in various forms within the lower leagues, preserving its identity and tradition in Kyustendil while never fully returning to its late-1990s peak.