Sofia will host the European Boxing Championship from September 17 to 25, bringing together elite fighters for the first edition of the tournament held under the auspices of European Boxing.
The Asics Arena will host the competition, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Thursday, September 17, at 5:30 PM. Professional boxing legend and current World Boxing President Gennady Golovkin is expected to attend the ceremony.
For Sofia, the championship marks a first. Bulgaria has previously hosted the European Boxing Championship in Varna in 1983, Plovdiv in 2006 and Samokov in 2015, but never in the capital. Sofia hosted European championships for women in 2016 and 2018, while this year’s event will be the first combined European championship for men and women held in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Boxing Federation President Krasimir Ininski described the tournament as a major responsibility for the country.
“It is a tremendous honor, privilege, and responsibility for the Bulgarian Boxing Federation to organize such a major and significant event as the 2026 European Championship for men and women. This is a pivotal moment in our shared history. We thank you for the trust placed in us,” Ininski said.
He added that the federation had established itself as a world-class organizer over the years, but that the responsibility was now greater because the Sofia tournament is the first European Championship organized under the auspices of European Boxing.
Bulgaria will be represented by 15 boxers, with 10 men and five women. Viktorio Iliev and Hristea Ninova withdrew shortly before the tournament because of injuries. Rumen Rumenov has replaced Iliev, while no replacement was named for Ninova.
The men’s team includes Ergyunal Sebakhtin at up to 50 kg, Javier Ibanez at up to 55 kg, Radoslav Rosenov at up to 60 kg, Rumen Rumenov at up to 65 kg, Blagovest Nedelchev at up to 70 kg, Rami Kiwan at up to 75 kg, William Cholov at up to 80 kg, Semion Boldirev at up to 85 kg, Roselin Bachevski at up to 90 kg and Kiril Georgiev in the over-90 kg category.
The women’s lineup features world and four-time European champion Stanimira Petrova at 57 kg, who returns after a two-year absence. She will be joined by European medalists Zlatislava Chukanova at 51 kg and Venelina Poptoleva at 54 kg, as well as Valeria Andreeva at up to 65 kg and Aleyna Mehmed at up to 80 kg.
The first Bulgarian boxers will enter the ring on September 17. Valeria Andreeva will face Croatia’s Sara Beram at 65 kg, while Blagovest Nedelchev will meet North Macedonia’s Alim Nasufi at 70 kg.
On September 18, Semion Boldirev will face either Italy’s Marvin Giliarducci or Israel’s Jonathan Barashi at 85 kg, while Kiril Georgiev will box Ukraine’s Dmytro Lovchynskyi in the over-90 kg category.
September 19 will see Zlatislava Chukanova face Ireland’s Deina Moorhouse at 51 kg, Stanimira Petrova meet Slovakia’s Bibiana Lovashova at 57 kg, and Javier Ibanez face either Sweden’s Ibrahim Nebil or Italy’s Tommaso Sciacca at 55 kg.
On September 20, Venelina Poptoleva will box Czech Republic’s Lenka Bernardova at 54 kg. Ergyunal Sebakhtin will face Ukraine’s Maxim Rudyk at 50 kg, Rumen Rumenov will meet either Azerbaijan’s Malik Hasanov or Turkey’s Bilge Kanlu at 65 kg, and Roselin Bachevski will face Slovakia’s Joseph Kostur at 90 kg.
On September 21, Radoslav Rosenov will meet either Georgia’s Giorgi Kapanadze or Romania’s Andrei Gavae at 60 kg. Rami Kiwan will face either Belgium’s Idris Hlifi or Slovakia’s Ladislav Horvath at 75 kg, while William Cholov will meet either Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Vuk Micic or Czech Republic’s Daniel Florian at 80 kg.
Aleyna Mehmed’s first opponent on September 22 will be Ukraine’s Irina Lutsak in the 80 kg category.
Tickets cost €20 for competition days from September 17 through 23. Admission for September 24 and 25, the final two days, is €40. Children under 12 can enter the Asics Arena free of charge, while spectators aged 12 to 18 receive a 50% discount.