The Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. It is historically one of the weakest teams in CONMEBOL. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once -- in 1994. There, playing champions Germany in the tournament's opening game in Chicago, Bolivia lost 1-0 as Marco Etcheverry, considered the nation's best player of the 1990s, got sent off just three minutes after coming on as a sub. They never advanced past the first round of any World Cup, but did win the Copa América once, in 1963.

History

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Although one of the weaker teams in South America, Bolivia has long provided tough opposition on home soil to more illustrious opponents, possibly because of the very high altitude of the city of La Paz (3,600 meters above sea level) to which the Bolivian team is acclimatized to. The 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cup qualifying campaigns saw Bolivia only narrowly fail to qualify. In this era they also won the Copa America in 1963. Notable players of this period included Maximo Alcocer and Ramiro Blacutt. In the 1978 qualifying campaign, Bolivia topped their group but were then heavily beaten by Brazil and Peru, and subsequently by Hungary in an intercontinental play-off. Bolivia would not come close to qualifying until the 1990 campaign, finishing runners-up on goal difference to Uruguay.

The 1994 campaign saw Bolivia qualify after an absence of 44 years. They have not qualified since, but continue to provide difficult opposition for teams like Brazil (who were beaten in the 2002 campaign) and Argentina at home.

World Cup record

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• 1930 - Round 1
• 1934 - Did not enter
• 1938 - Did not enter
• 1950 - Round 1
• 1954 - Did not enter
• 1958 to 1990 - Did not qualify
• 1994 - Round 1
• 1998 to 2006 - Did not qualify

Copa América record

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• 1916 to 1925 - Did not enter
• 1926 - Fifth place
• 1927 - Fourth place
• 1929 to 1942 - Withdrew
• 1945 - Sixth place
• 1946 - Sixth place
• 1947 - Seventh place
• 1949 - Fourth place
• 1953 - Sixth place
• 1955 to 1957 - Withdrew
• 1959 - Seventh place
• 1959 - Withdrew
• 1963 - Winners

• 1967 - Sixth place
• 1975 - Round 1
• 1979 - Round 1
• 1983 - Round 1
• 1987 - Round 1
• 1989 - Round 1
• 1991 - Round 1
• 1993 - Round 1
• 1995 - Quarterfinals
• 1997 - Runners-up
• 1999 - Round 1
• 2001 - Round 1
• 2004 - Round 1

Famous players

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• Julio Baldivieso
• Joaquín Botero
• José Castillo
• Marco Etcheverry
• Juan García
• Limberg Gutiérrez
• Jaime Moreno
• Juan Manuel Peña
• Richard Rojas
• Erwin Sánchez
• Oscar Sánchez

South American national football teams | Football in Bolivia

Bolivianische Fußballnationalmannschaft | Selección nacional de fútbol de Bolivia | Équipe de Bolivie de football | Nazionale di calcio della Bolivia | נבחרת בוליביה בכדורגל | Bolīvijas futbola izlase | Boliviaans voetbalelftal | サッカーボリビア代表 | Reprezentacja Boliwii w piłce nożnej | Seleção Boliviana de Futebol | Сборная Боливии по футболу | Bolivian jalkapallomaajoukkue | Bolivias fotbollslandslag