Bolivia_national_football_team

Bolivia national football team

Bolivia national football team

Men's association football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Bolivia women's national football team.

The Bolivia national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Bolivia), also known as La Verde, has represented Bolivia in international football since 1926. Organized by the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF),[upper-alpha 1] it is one of the ten members of FIFA's South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

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After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they have qualified just once, in 1994, where they were eliminated in the group stage. Bolivia have never advanced past the first round of any World Cup, and have only scored one goal, in 1994. Despite their World Cup performances, Bolivia won the Copa América at home in 1963, and finished runners-up in 1997, which they also hosted. At the 2015 Copa América in Chile, they advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1997, after defeating Ecuador 3–2. This also ended a winless streak in the Copa América, with their last win being on 28 June 1997, when they defeated Mexico 1–0 in the semi-finals.[3]

History

Bolivia national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup before their match against Yugoslavia

Bolivia debuted in international football in 1926, one year after the Bolivian Football Federation was founded, and joined FIFA that same year. As participants at the 1926 South American Championship in Chile, Bolivia played their first match against the hosts on 12 October 1926, and even ended up scoring first against them, but wound up being defeated by the Chileans 7–1. Bolivia also lost their following three matches: 0–5 against Argentina, 1–6 against Paraguay and 0–6 against Uruguay.[4]

In 1930, Bolivia was one of the teams invited to the inaugural edition of the World Cup, held in Uruguay. Drawn in Group 2 of the 1930 World Cup, Bolivia lost both its games 4–0, first to Yugoslavia at the Estadio Parque Central, and then to Brazil in the Estadio Centenario.[5] The match versus the Yugoslavs would be the last match against non-South American opposition for Bolivia until 1972 – when they again met Yugoslavia.[6] They returned for the 1950 World Cup, where Argentina's withdrawal from the qualifiers gave Bolivia an automatic berth. With three teams declining to play in Brazil, Bolivia was put in a group of two along with Uruguay. The Bolivians' only game was an 8–0 defeat to Uruguay at the Estádio Independência in Belo Horizonte.[7]

The Bolivian squad that won its first and only Copa América title in 1963

Bolivia's greatest football achievement was the 1963 South American Championship title, which they hosted and won after placing first out of 7 countries, including being undefeated, with five wins and one draw. The only draw for Bolivia in the tournament was a 4–4 draw against Ecuador in the opening match. They also had the advantage of being better accustomed to higher altitudes.[8] In the following edition, the 1967 South American Championship, held in Uruguay, Bolivia finished last out of six teams, with one draw and four losses, which was far below what the public expected, as Bolivia had been the defending champion.

Afterwards, the country only started to resurge at an international level with the creation of the Academia Tahuichi Aguilera in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in 1978, a football school that developed players such as Marco Etcheverry, Erwin Sánchez and Luis Cristaldo.

Under Spanish coach Xabier Azkargorta and featuring nine players from Tahuichi, Bolivia surprisingly became the first team to beat Brazil in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers while playing them in La Paz, with a 2–0 win, and qualified for the 1994 World Cup by finishing second in Group B behind the Brazilians themselves, which included record 7–0 and 7–1 wins over Venezuela during their qualification campaign.[9]

Bolivia was drawn into the tournament's Group C, and played defending champions Germany in the tournament's opening match at Soldier Field. Bolivia played a great first half, outplaying Germany. In the second half, Lothar Matthäus took a 40-yard run and struck Marco "El Diablo" Etcheverry with a high elbow to his jaw. Etcheverry retaliated by fouling Matthäus and was sent off. Eventually, Bolivia lost on a controversial offside goal by Jürgen Klinsmann. Following a goalless draw with South Korea at Foxboro Stadium, where Bolivia was forced to play with ten men again after Cristaldo's red card, Bolivia returned to Chicago and lost 3–1 to Spain, with Sánchez scoring the first ever Bolivian goal in a World Cup.[10]

Following the World Cup, Bolivia participated in the 1995 Copa América held in Uruguay, with Antonio Lopez Habas as manager, where they made the quarter-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 1963, with one win, one draw, and one loss. In the quarter-finals, the nation lost to hosts Uruguay 2–1. Despite the decent performance the team displayed during the tournament, Lopez Habas left his post shortly before the 1997 Copa America, being replaced by Dušan Drašković. The 1997 edition was the second time Bolivia held the tournament. The team reached the final, as had happened last time Bolivia was the host, but this time they finished runner-up to reigning world champion Brazil after losing 3–1 in the final.[8]

Bolivia before a match against Ecuador during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers

With their runner-up finish at the previous Copa America, Bolivia made their first and only FIFA Confederations Cup appearance in the 1999 edition, this time under new Argentine manager Héctor Veira. Bolivia was placed in group A along with hosts Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Their campaign started with a 2–2 draw against Egypt. Their next match was a 0–0 draw against Saudi Arabia. For their last match in the group, they had to play hosts Mexico, in which Bolivia lost 0–1 with a goal from Francisco Palencia. Bolivia finished third in the group with two draws and a loss, being eliminated from the tournament in the first stage.

In the 2015 Copa América in Chile, under Bolivian manager Mauricio Soria, Bolivia were placed in Group A, with Chile, Mexico, and Ecuador. In their match against Mexico, Bolivia drew 0–0. However, against Ecuador, Bolivia won 3–2, with goals from Raldes, Smedberg-Dalence, and Moreno. From this victory against Ecuador, Bolivia made it to the next round, the quarter-finals, for the first time since the 1997 tournament, which they hosted.[11] Bolivia were defeated by Peru 1–3 in the quarter-finals of the tournament, and Bolivia's only goal of the game was a penalty in the last minutes of the match scored by Marcelo Moreno. In the next three Copa América editions, Bolivia performed poorly, losing all games in these tournaments.

In 2021, Bolivian Football Federation's new President, Fernando Costa Sarmiento, lamented the deteriorating condition of football in Bolivia and vowed to rebuild the country's football system. He accused the previous Presidents of mismanaging football as he aimed to reconstruct Bolivian football into a more professional manner.[12]

On 28 March 2023, Bolivia registered its first-ever away win against a World Cup team in the 21st century, a 2–1 over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in a friendly.

Stadium

Bolivia plays their home matches at Estadio Hernando Siles, which has an altitude of 3,637 metres (11,932 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest football stadiums in the world. Many visiting teams have protested that the altitude gives Bolivia an unfair advantage against opponents. On 27 May 2007, FIFA declared that no World Cup Qualifying matches could be played in stadiums above 8,200 feet (2,500 m) above sea level.[13] However, FIFA raised the altitude limit to 3,000 meters a month later after negative feedback against the ban, and included a special exception for La Paz, thus allowing the stadium to continue holding World Cup qualifying matches.[14] A year after the original ban, in May 2008, FIFA removed the altitude limit entirely.[15]

Team image

Kit history

Bolivia's first uniforms were all white. In the 1930 FIFA World Cup, before the match with Yugoslavia, Bolivia painted one of the letters in "Viva Uruguay" in each of the eleven starters' jerseys to please the local crowd. In the following game with Brazil, given the adversary also wore white, Bolivia instead borrowed Uruguay's own blue uniform to play. Bolivia again painted a message to the hosts in the 1945 South American Championship, with the players' jerseys reading "Viva Chile". In 1946, Bolivia changed their jersey colors to black and white stripes, like the colors of the Cochabamba region. FBF reverted to white the following year. In 1957, FBF decided to use one of the colors in the Flag of Bolivia. Given red and yellow were used by many of the other South Americans, green became the primary color, leading to the nickname "La Verde" ("The Green").[16]

Kit sponsorship

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Results and fixtures

Main article: Bolivia national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

28 March Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–2  Bolivia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Ahmed Issa (United Arab Emirates)
17 June Friendly Ecuador  1–0  Bolivia Harrison, United States
19:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Referee: Victor Rivas (United States)
20 June Friendly Bolivia  0–0  Chile Santa Cruz, Bolivia
20:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera
Referee: José Argote (Venezuela)
27 August Friendly Bolivia  1–2  Panama Cochabamba, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Estadio Félix Capriles
Referee: Pablo Echavarría (Argentina)
8 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Brazil  5–1  Bolivia Belém, Brazil
21:45 UTC−3
Report
Stadium: Mangueirão
Attendance: 43,188
Referee: Juan Benítez (Paraguay)
12 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  0–3  Argentina La Paz, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles
Attendance: 24,000
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (Uruguay)
12 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  1–2  Ecuador La Paz, Bolivia
19:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles
Attendance: 34,200
Referee: Cristian Garay (Chile)
17 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Paraguay  1–0  Bolivia Asunción, Paraguay
19:30 UTC−3
Report Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Attendance: 30,681
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  2–0  Peru La Paz, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles
Attendance: 28,000
Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (Ecuador)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Uruguay  3–0  Bolivia Montevideo, Uruguay
20:30 UTC−3
Report Stadium: Estadio Centenario
Attendance: 46,100
Referee: Kevin Ortega (Peru)

2024

22 March 2024 FIFA Series Algeria  3–2  Bolivia Algiers, Algeria
22:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Nelson Mandela Stadium
Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)
25 March 2024 FIFA Series Bolivia  1–0  Andorra Annaba, Algeria
22:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: 19 May 1956 Stadium
Referee: Houssam Benyahia (Algeria)
31 May Friendly Mexico  v  Bolivia Chicago, United States
Stadium: Soldier Field
15 June Friendly Colombia  v  Bolivia Denver, United States
Stadium: Empower Field at Mile High
23 June 2024 Copa América United States  v  Bolivia Arlington, United States
17:00 UTC−5 Stadium: AT&T Stadium
27 June 2024 Copa América Uruguay  v  Bolivia East Rutherford, United States
21:00 UTC−4 Stadium: MetLife Stadium
1 July 2024 Copa América Bolivia  v  Panama Orlando, United States
21:00 UTC−4 Stadium: Exploria Stadium
September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  v  Venezuela La Paz, Bolivia
--:-- UTC−4 Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles
September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Chile  v  Bolivia Santiago, Chile
--:-- UTC−3 Stadium: Estadio Monumental David Arellano
October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  v  Colombia La Paz, Bolivia
--:-- UTC−4 Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles
October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Argentina  v  Bolivia Argentina
--:-- UTC−3
November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Ecuador  v  Bolivia Ecuador
--:-- UTC−5
November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bolivia  v  Paraguay La Paz, Bolivia
--:-- UTC−4 Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles

Coaching staff

As of 31 October 2023
More information Role, Name ...

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Algeria and Andorra on 22 and 25 March 2024, respectively.[17]

Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2024, after the game against Andorra.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up during the last twelve months. Retired players are not included.

More information Pos., Player ...

Player records

Main article: Bolivia national football team records and statistics
As of 21 November 2023[18]
Players in bold are still active with Bolivia.

Most appearances

Marcelo Moreno is Bolivia's most-capped player with 108 caps and all-time top scorer with 31 goals.
More information Rank, Name ...

Most goals

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Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Bolivia at the FIFA World Cup
More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...
More information FIFA World Cup record, Year ...

Copa América

Main article: Bolivia at the Copa América

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

More information South American Championship / Copa América record, Year ...

FIFA Confederations Cup

More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...
More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...

Pan American Games

More information Pan American Games record, Year ...

Honours

Official

South American tournaments

  • Copa Paz del Chaco[19] (vs  Paraguay):
    • Winners (4): 1957, 1962, 1979, 1993
  • Copa Mariscal Sucre[20] (vs  Peru):
    • Winners (1): 1973 (shared)

Olympic and Pan American team

Notes

  1. The acronym FBF comes from the organization's Spanish name, Federación Boliviana de Fútbol.

    See also

    References

    1. [1]
      "Famous Bolivian Footballers". Your Spanish Translation. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
    2. [2]
      "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
    3. [3]
      "Ecuador 2 − Bolivia 3". Univision futbol. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
    4. [4]
      "Historia de Nuestro Fútbol, Capítulo 2. Nacen la FBF y la Selección 1925-1926". 11 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
    5. [5]
      "Bolivia en la Copa del Mundo, Capítulo 1. Uruguay 1930". 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
    6. [6]
      "Bolivia- International Results". Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
    7. [7]
      "Bolivia en la Copa del Mundo, Capítulo 2. Brasil 1950". 13 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
    8. [8]
      "Ca2011.com". www77.ca2011.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
    9. [9]
      "TAHUICHI HISTORY". Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
    10. [10]
      1994 FIFA World Cup Technical Report (p. 133)
    11. [11]
      "Grupo A: Bolivia derrota 3-2 a Ecuador y acaricia los cuartos". Conmebol.com. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015.
    12. [12]
      "Fernando Costa: "A reconstruir el fútbol" - JORNADA". Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
    13. [13]
      AP (29 May 2007). "Anger Echoes in South America After FIFA Bans Games at Altitude". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
    14. [14]
      "FIFA excludes La Paz from altitude ban - report". Reuters. 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
    15. [15]
      "Fifa suspends ban on high-altitude football". the Guardian. 28 May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
    16. [16]
      "World Cup Kits: When Bolivia wore Uruguayan shirts to ingratiate fans". Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
    17. [17]
      "Selección: estos son los convocados por Zago para los amistosos con Argelia y Andorra". Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
    18. [18]
      Mamrud, Roberto. "Bolivia - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
    19. [19]
      "Copa Paz del Chaco". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
    20. [20]
      "Copa Mariscal Sucre". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
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