On 23 August 2026 bTV Sport published a feature with a video interview about Virtual Esport, titled (in Bulgarian) "Bulgarians created a sports gaming platform and are thinking about a world-level organisation". In it, Dimitar Panayotov and Ivelin Ivanov talk about how the project started and why esports in Bulgaria still lacks serious support. Virtual Esport is a Bulgarian esports league and platform with tournaments in EA FC 27 (Pro Clubs and Ultimate Team), F1 26 and Le Mans Ultimate. Below is a short summary of the feature in English.
How it started
Dimitar Panayotov is one of the founders of the Inter fan club meet-ups in Bulgaria, and his interest in virtual sports goes beyond playing. About four years ago he was asked to become an administrator of a football gaming community: he was already competing with serious teams, and the Bulgarian presence in the scene was minimal. He admits he was sceptical at first and agreed because there was no one else to do it. What began as an amateur effort now runs with a professional team, and that is how Virtual Esport came about.
The platform
It all starts on the virtual football pitch, in two formats: EA FC 27 Pro Clubs, with 11 players per team, and Ultimate Team, where one person manages the whole squad alone. On the motorsport side there are F1 26 and Le Mans Ultimate. Every tournament has its own sign-ups and standings. According to Panayotov, the platform changed a lot, because the community now has a face of its own.
Ivelin Ivanov, a graphic designer and one of the administrators, points out that the team runs everything itself, without depending on foreign hosts or other companies.
The Bulgarian reality
The team's main concern is the lack of serious organisations in Bulgaria that support players, teams and platforms like this one. Bulgarian players do develop, but mostly with foreign teams and organisations. Panayotov ends on a positive note: countries smaller than Bulgaria manage it, so Bulgaria can too.
The full interview, in Bulgarian and with video, is on bTV Sport.
Source: bTV Sport