According to CryptoPotato, Botev Plovdiv, the oldest football club in Bulgaria, has integrated Bitcoin as a payment option for fan shops and in-stadium purchases, with plans to include ticket purchases soon. To promote its adoption, BTC transactions in November come with a 10% discount. Botev, based in Plovdiv—one of Europe’s oldest towns, boasts a vast supporter base and has recently renovated its stadium. The Bitcoin offering precedes a significant match against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

While Botev is the first in Bulgaria, worldwide clubs like Oxford City, Tigres, Sao Paulo, and RCD Espanyol have accepted Bitcoin. Moreover, football stars such as Neymar and Ronaldinho have delved into the crypto space through NFTs and personal tokens. The club has updated its official website to show its dedication to technological advancements and has embraced Bitcoin as a settlement method, enabling people to use it in fan shops as well as for buying food and drinks during matches. Botev Plovdiv plans to add it as a means of payment for tickets in the near future, an announcement on Meta (Facebook) reads. Subsequently, the club disclosed that individuals who settle purchases in BTC in November will get a 10% discount.

Botev is among the football teams with the most supporters in Bulgaria. Located in the country’s second biggest town and one of the oldest in Europe – Plovdiv, its derby matches are attended by over 15,000 people. Its stadium was recently renovated, while the BTC offering comes a few days before the match against its biggest rival – Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Other football clubs around the world have also embraced Bitcoin as a payment method, including British Oxford City, Mexican football giant Tigres, Brazil's Sao Paulo, and Spain's RCD Espanyol. Additionally, many football legends have joined the crypto ecosystem, such as Brazilian star Neymar, who bought non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection, and 2005 Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho, who partnered with the decentralized exchange P00LS to launch his own token, called RON.