Head-to-Head• This is the seventh meeting at the World Championships (including East and West Germany). Both nations have won three times.
• Bulgaria have won the last two meetings (2006 and 2010) and can become the first to win three in a row between these nations head-to-head.
• Bulgaria defeated Germany 3-0 in the quarterfinals at the 2012 Olympic Games, but finished fourth in the tournament.
Germany• Germany have won five World Championship matches in a row for the first time as Unified Germany and The last German team to win more in a row was East Germany in 1966-1970 (10).
• Unified Germany have now lost and won 15 matches.
• Germany have played three times before on 11 September. In 1956, East Germany defeated Italy 3-2, in 1966, East Germany beat Yugoslavia 3-0 and West Germany lost against Cuba 3-0.
Bulgaria• Bulgaria lost 3-0 against Brazil and can lose back-to-back World Championship matches for the third time and for the first time since 1978, when they lost 3-0 against Italy and Brazil.
• They have lost two in a row and can lose three in a row at the World Championship for the first time since losing four in a row in 2002.
• This will be Bulgaria's 150 World Championship match, becoming the third county to reach this total following Brazil and Russia (including Soviet Union).