Bulgarian Army Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria

Bulgarian Army Stadium is the historic home site of CSKA Sofia inside Borisova Gradina, but September 2026 is an unusual moment to visit because the old ground has been replaced by a newly built stadium that has only just received its final occupancy approval. The club’s own stadium page says the new “Armia” occupies the same location and has a planned capacity of 17,376 seats. On 9 September 2026, the Bulgarian News Agency reported that the project had received Act 16 and that CSKA intended to return after the international break, with a first match targeted for 15 October against Monaco in the Conference League. The decisive limitation for travellers right now is therefore access: this is not yet operating as a regular sightseeing attraction with published daily visitor hours.

For football supporters, the address matters as much as the building. The stadium stands in Borisova Gradina, the large central park that has long concentrated sport and recreation in Sofia. CSKA’s identity is deeply tied to the site, and the club still uses the traditional “Bulgarian Army” and “People’s Army” names when discussing its home. The reconstruction was not a relocation to a suburban complex; it was an attempt to create a modern venue on the historic footprint. That continuity is the main reason the stadium carries more significance than its seating capacity alone suggests.

The present building should be understood as a 2026 venue rather than as the old stadium many photographs still show online. CSKA states that the new ground is being completed for autumn 2026 and will hold 17,376 spectators. BTA’s 9 September report is more precise about the transition: Act 16 means the stadium has been introduced into operation, but the club still needs the facility to be formally handed over for use before home matches begin. For visitors arriving before that return, exterior viewing from the park is more realistic than expecting a tour, museum or open concourse.

Once matches begin, the most meaningful experience will naturally be event-based. There is no evidence in the sources checked of a permanent stadium-tour programme, so travellers should not build an itinerary around unscheduled entry. Tickets, gates, prohibited items, accessible seating and match-day security should be checked against CSKA’s current event information for the specific fixture. Prices will vary by competition and seat; there is no useful single admission figure to publish for the stadium itself.

The location is convenient by Sofia standards. Visit Sofia places the stadium at 3 Dragan Tsankov Boulevard within Borisova Gradina. The Vasil Levski Stadium metro station sits on the western side of the park area at the intersection of Dragan Tsankov and Evlogi Georgiev boulevards. Sofia Metro confirms that each platform at that station has a lift for passengers with reduced mobility and parents with children. From the metro, the stadium is reached on foot through or alongside the park rather than by a long out-of-town transfer.

That park setting is worth using even if stadium entry is unavailable. Borisova Gradina contains broad alleys, wooded sections and other sports facilities, making it possible to see the stadium exterior as part of a larger walk. For a traveller interested in Bulgarian football, that approach is preferable to arriving by taxi, taking one photograph and leaving. The relationship between club, ground and park is part of the place’s identity.

The new stadium’s completion also means older practical information requires caution. Legacy capacity figures, old seating plans and photographs of the demolished ground are no longer reliable visitor guidance. The club’s current page and the September 2026 BTA report are better anchors for what exists now. Even apparently simple questions such as which gate to use or whether a particular stand is open may change as the venue moves from completion into full event operation.

There are currently no regular sightseeing hours to publish. Until the club announces routine access, every day should be treated as event-dependent rather than “open” or “closed” in the museum sense. A visitor who simply wants to see the site can combine it with a daytime walk through Borisova Gradina; anyone hoping to enter should use an official CSKA match or event listing and buy the relevant ticket. Allow roughly two to three hours for a match once regular football resumes, plus extra time for security and movement through the park.

Accessibility inside the new stadium should also be checked on the event information rather than inferred from the construction’s modernity. The nearby metro station’s lifts are documented, but the sources checked do not yet provide enough detailed public information on accessible seating routes, companion spaces or specific stadium entrances to make a stronger claim. Travellers with mobility requirements should contact the club before purchasing seats.

Bulgarian Army Stadium is therefore a worthwhile stop in 2026 primarily for football fans who understand that they are seeing a venue at the moment of its reopening. It preserves one of Sofia’s best-known sporting locations while replacing the old infrastructure with a completely new ground. For everyone else, it makes most sense as one element of Borisova Gradina. If the planned October return proceeds, the site will quickly shift from construction story to active match venue; until then, treat published fixture information—not old tourist listings—as the authority on whether you can go inside.