El Salvador will face Bulgaria in the first round of the 2024 Davis Cup World Group II, with the series set to take place on September 14-15 at the Tennis Club Lokomotiv in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The Salvadoran Tennis Federation (FST) has confirmed the national team lineup, which includes César Cruz and Marcelo Arévalo, both athletes in the “Effort and Glory” program. Lluis Miralles returns to the Salvadoran squad after his last participation in a series against Ireland in September 2023. The team will be captained by Yari Bernardo.

Juan Carlos Fuentes, who debuted earlier this year against the Pacific Oceania team, will complete the Salvadoran lineup. Fuentes, residing in Heredia, Costa Rica, has been playing tennis since he was three years old, under the guidance of his father, a tennis coach.

For Bulgaria, the team will consist of Illyan Radulov, Yanaki Milev, Pyotr Nesterov, Ivan Ivanov, and Alexander Donski, led by captain Valentin Dimov. Donski, Nesterov, and Milev are ranked 217th, 323rd, and 426th, respectively, in the ATP doubles rankings.

El Salvador’s top player, Marcelo Arévalo, currently ranks 8th in the world in doubles following a successful year alongside Croatian partner Mate Pavic, with victories at the 2024 French Open, Cincinnati Masters, and ATP 250 tournaments in Geneva and Hong Kong.

Bulgaria will enter this series after a 3-1 home loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in February, while El Salvador is coming off a 4-0 victory against the Pacific Oceania team.

The winner of this series will advance to the 2025 World Group I playoffs, while the losing team will compete in a World Group II playoff next year. The series will be played over five matches, with singles matches on the first day, followed by doubles and the final singles on the second day.