Bolivia national 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), nicknamed La Verde, has represented Bolivia in men's international football since 1926. Organized by the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF), it is one of the ten members of FIFA's South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

Bolivia

Nickname(s)	La Verde (The Green)
Association	Bolivian Football Federation (FBF)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	Óscar Villegas
Captain	Luis Haquín
Most caps	Marcelo Moreno (108)
Top scorer	Marcelo Moreno (31)
Home stadium	Estadio Hernando Siles [As of September 2024 -Estadio Municipal de El Alto]
FIFA code	BOL
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	79 4 (24 October 2024)
Highest	18 (July 1997)
Lowest	115 (October 2011)
First international
Chile 7–1 Bolivia (Santiago, Chile; 12 October 1926)
Biggest win
Bolivia 7–0 Venezuela (La Paz, Bolivia; 22 August 1993) Bolivia 9–2 Haiti (La Paz, Bolivia; 3 March 2000)
Biggest defeat
Uruguay 9–0 Bolivia (Lima, Peru; 6 November 1927) Brazil 10–1 Bolivia (São Paulo, Brazil; 10 April 1949)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1930)
Best result	Group stage (1930, 1950, 1994)
Copa América
Appearances	29 (first in 1926)
Best result	Champions (1963)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1999)
Best result	Group stage (1999)
Medal record Copa América 1963 Bolivia Team 1997 Bolivia Team

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.

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.

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. The match versus the Yugoslavs would be the last match against non-South American opposition for Bolivia until 1972 – when they again met Yugoslavia. 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.

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. 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.

Bolivia was drawn into the tournament's Group C, and played defending champions Germany in the tournament's opening match at Soldier Field. Bolivia outplayed Germany in the first half. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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. A year after the original ban, in May 2008, FIFA removed the altitude limit entirely. In 2024 the Bolivian Football Federation decided that from then on the home games would be played in the Estadio Municipal de El Alto, that has an altitude of 4,150 metres (13,620 ft) above sea level. The official reasoning by the coach is that it was freshly renovated and that they would play where they live.

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").

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier	Period
Penalty	1977–1979
Adidas	1980–1982
Penalty	1983–1986
Adidas	1987–1988
El Palacio de las Gorras	1989-1990
Adidas	1991–1992
Umbro	1993–1999
Atletica	2000–2005
Marathon	2006–2010
Walon	2011–2014
Marathon	2015–present

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

2024

Algeria v Bolivia

22 March 2024 FIFA Series	Algeria	3–2	Bolivia	Algiers, Algeria
22:00 UTC+1	A. Gouiri 43' Y. Benzia 79' A. Mandi 90+3'	Report	Algarañaz 47' Sagredo 70'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Stadium Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

Bolivia v Andorra

25 March 2024 FIFA Series	Bolivia	1–0	Andorra	Annaba, Algeria
22:00 UTC+1	Vaca 13'	Report		Stadium: 19 May 1956 Stadium Referee: Houssam Benyahia (Algeria)

Mexico v Bolivia

31 May Friendly	Mexico	1–0	Bolivia	Chicago, United States
20:30 UTC−5	Álvarez 47'	Report		Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 52,273 Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

Ecuador v Bolivia

12 June Friendly	Ecuador	3–1	Bolivia	Chester, United States
20:30 UTC−4	Valencia 18' Yeboah 25' J. Caicedo 70' (pen.)	Report	Terceros 88'	Stadium: Subaru Park Referee: Lukasz Szpala (United States)

Colombia v Bolivia

15 June Friendly	Colombia	3–0	Bolivia	East Hartford, United States
17:00 UTC−4	J. Arias 5' Córdoba 25' Díaz 41'	Report		Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field Referee: Daniel Quintero (Mexico)

United States v Bolivia

23 June 2024 Copa América	United States	2–0	Bolivia	Arlington, United States
17:00 UTC−5	Pulisic 3' Balogun 44'	Report		Stadium: AT&T Stadium Attendance: 47,873 Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

Uruguay v Bolivia

27 June 2024 Copa América	Uruguay	5–0	Bolivia	East Rutherford, United States
21:00 UTC−4	Pellistri 8' Núñez 21' M. Araújo 77' Valverde 81' Bentancur 89'	Report		Stadium: MetLife Stadium Attendance: 48,033 Referee: Juan Benitez (Paraguay)

Bolivia v Panama

1 July 2024 Copa América	Bolivia	1–3	Panama	Orlando, United States
21:00 UTC−4	Miranda 69'	Report	Fajardo 22' Guerrero 79' Yanis 90+1'	Stadium: Inter&Co Stadium Attendance: 16,129 Referee: Edina Alves (Brazil)

Bolivia v Venezuela

5 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Bolivia	4–0	Venezuela	El Alto, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4	R. Vaca 13' Algarañaz 45+5' (pen.) Terceros 46' Monteiro 89'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Municipal de El Alto Attendance: 20,500 Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)

Chile v Bolivia

10 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Chile	1–2	Bolivia	Santiago, Chile
18:00 UTC−3	Vargas 39'	Report	Algarañaz 13' Terceros 45+1'	Stadium: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos Referee: Juan Benítez (Paraguay)

Bolivia v Colombia

10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Bolivia	1–0	Colombia	El Alto, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4	Terceros 58'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Municipal de El Alto Attendance: 17,191 Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Argentina v Bolivia

15 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Argentina	6–0	Bolivia	Buenos Aires, Argentina
21:00 UTC−3	Messi 19', 84', 86' La. Martínez 43' Alvarez 45+3' Almada 69'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Monumental Referee: Kevin Ortega (Peru)

Ecuador v Bolivia

14 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Ecuador	4–0	Bolivia	Guayaquil, Ecuador
19:00 UTC−5	Valencia 26' (pen.) Plata 28', 49' Minda 61'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo Referee: Maximiliano Ramírez (Argentina)

Bolivia v Paraguay

19 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Bolivia	2–2	Paraguay	El Alto, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4	E. Vaca 15' Terceros 80' (pen.)	Report	Almirón 71' Enciso 90+1'	Stadium: Estadio Municipal de El Alto Attendance: 18,655 Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)

2025

Peru v Bolivia

Bolivia v Uruguay

Venezuela v Bolivia

Bolivia v Chile

Colombia v Bolivia

Bolivia v Brazil

Coaching staff

As of 28 October 2024

Role	Name
Head coach	Óscar Villegas
Assistant coach	Horacio Pacheco
Assistant coach	Gabriel Ramírez
Assistant coach	Cristian Farah
Goalkeeper coach	Gustavo Gois de Lira
Fitness coach	Maximiliano Alonso
Fitness coach	Pablo Sciacia

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

• Jose de la Cerda (1926)
• Jorge Valderrama (1927–1929)
• Ulises Saucedo (1930–1937)
• Julio Borelli (1938–1945)
• Diógenes Lara (1945–1947)
• Félix Deheza (1948–1950)
• Mario Pretto (1950–1952)
• César Viccino (1953–1958)
• Vicente Arraya (1959)
• Danilo Alvim (1960–1965)
• Dan Georgiadis (1966–1967)
• Rudi Gutendorf (1974)
• Ramiro Blacut (1979–1981)
• Raúl Pino (1985)
• Ramiro Blacut (1985–1987)
• Jorge Habegger (1988–1990)
• Ramiro Blacut (1991–1992)
• Xabier Azkargorta (1993–1994)
• Antonio López Habas (1995–1997)
• Dušan Drašković (1997–1998)
• Héctor Veira (1998–2000)
• Carlos Aragonés (2000–2001)
• Jorge Habegger (2001)
• Carlos Trucco (2001–2002)
• Dalcio Giovagnoli (2003)
• Nelson Acosta (2003–2004)
• Ramiro Blacut (2004-2005)
• Ovidio Messa (2005)
• Erwin Sánchez (2006–2009)
• Eduardo Villegas (2009)
• Gustavo Quinteros (2010–2012)
• Xabier Azkargorta (2012–2014)
• Mauricio Soria (2014)
• Néstor Clausen (2014)
• Mauricio Soria (2015)
• Julio César Baldivieso (2015–2016)
• Ángel Guillermo Hoyos (2016)
• Mauricio Soria (2016–2018)
• César Farías (2018)
• Daniel Farías (2018)
• Eduardo Villegas (2019)
• César Farías (2019–2022)
• Pablo Escobar (2022)
• Gustavo Costas (2022–2023)
• Antônio Carlos Zago (2023–2024)
• Óscar Villegas (2024–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Ecuador and Paraguay on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals updated as of 19 November 2024, after the game against Paraguay.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alejandro Torres	(1998-03-19) 19 March 1998	0	0	Oriente Petrolero
12	1GK	Rodrigo Banegas	(1995-11-08) 8 November 1995	0	0	GV San José
23	1GK	Guillermo Viscarra	(1993-02-07) 7 February 1993	29	0	The Strongest
2	2DF	René Barboza	(1993-04-02) 2 April 1993	0	0	Aurora
3	2DF	Diego Medina	(2002-01-13) 13 January 2002	20	0	Always Ready
4	2DF	Luis Haquín (captain)	(1997-11-15) 15 November 1997	42	1	Ponte Preta
5	2DF	Marcelo Suárez	(2001-08-29) 29 August 2001	15	0	Always Ready
13	2DF	Yomar Rocha	(2003-06-21) 21 June 2003	7	0	Bolívar
17	2DF	Roberto Fernández	(1999-07-12) 12 July 1999	41	1	Akron Tolyatti
19	2DF	Efrain Morales	(2004-03-04) 4 March 2004	2	0	Atlanta United
21	2DF	Luis Paz	(2004-06-09) 9 June 2004	4	0	Bolívar
	2DF	Sebastián Álvarez	(2001-08-29) 29 August 2001	1	0	Oriente Petrolero
	2DF	Marcelo Torrez	(2006-07-08) 8 July 2006	0	0	Santos U20
6	3MF	Héctor Cuéllar	(2000-08-16) 16 August 2000	15	0	Always Ready
7	3MF	Miguel Terceros	(2004-04-25) 25 April 2004	20	5	Bayer Leverkusen
8	3MF	Carlos Sejas	(2004-01-10) 10 January 2004	1	0	Aurora
10	3MF	Ramiro Vaca	(1999-07-01) 1 July 1999	41	5	Bolívar
14	3MF	Robson Tomé	(2002-05-18) 18 May 2002	7	0	Always Ready
15	3MF	Gabriel Villamíl	(2001-06-28) 28 June 2001	25	0	LDU Quito
16	3MF	Adalid Terrazas	(2000-08-25) 25 August 2000	5	0	USM Alger
20	3MF	Ervin Vaca	(2004-03-18) 18 March 2004	3	1	Bolívar
	3MF	Óscar López	2006 (age 17–18)	1	0	Mallorca U19
	3MF	Gustavo Mendoza	(2004-05-11) 11 May 2004	0	0	San Antonio Bulo Bulo
9	4FW	Enzo Monteiro	(2004-05-27) 27 May 2004	5	1	Manchester United
11	4FW	Carmelo Algarañaz	(1996-01-27) 27 January 1996	31	4	Kalamata
18	4FW	Lucas Chávez	(2003-04-17) 17 April 2003	9	0	Al Taawoun
22	4FW	Gabriel Sotomayor	(1999-07-02) 2 July 1999	1	0	The Strongest
	4FW	César Menacho	(1999-08-09) 9 August 1999	6	0	Blooming

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Bruno Poveda	(2003-10-22) 22 October 2003	0	0	Wilstermann	v. Argentina, 15 October 2024
GK	Carlos Lampe	(1987-03-17) 17 March 1987	57	0	Bolívar	v. Chile, 10 September 2024
GK	Gustavo Almada	(1994-04-29) 29 April 1994	0	0	Universitario de Vinto	2024 Copa América
GK	David Akologo	(1997-02-19) 19 February 1997	0	0	Aurora	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
DF	José Sagredo	(1994-03-10) 10 March 1994	62	1	Bolívar	v. Paraguay, 19 November 2024 SUS
DF	Widen Saucedo	(1997-03-01) 1 March 1997	0	0	Wilstermann	v. Argentina, 15 October 2024
DF	Pablo Vaca	(2002-05-31) 31 May 2002	1	0	Always Ready	v. Colombia, 10 October 2024 INJ
DF	Adrián Jusino	(1992-07-09) 9 July 1992	36	0	The Strongest	2024 Copa América
DF	Jesús Sagredo	(1994-03-10) 10 March 1994	11	0	Bolívar	2024 Copa América
DF	César Romero	(2001-08-03) 3 August 2001	1	0	Blooming	v. Colombia, 15 June 2024
DF	Jairo Quinteros	(2001-02-07) 7 February 2001	23	0	Bolívar	v. Ecuador, 12 June 2024 INJ
DF	Erwin Saavedra	(1996-02-22) 22 February 1996	40	4	Bolívar	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
DF	Denilson Durán	(2003-03-24) 24 March 2003	0	0	Blooming	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024 INJ
DF	Daniel Lino	(2002-02-18) 18 February 2002	0	0	The Strongest	v. Andorra, 26 March 2024
MF	Boris Céspedes	(1995-06-19) 19 June 1995	19	1	Yverdon-Sport	v. Ecuador, 14 November 2024 INJ
MF	Jeyson Chura	(2002-02-03) 3 February 2002	9	0	The Strongest	v. Ecuador, 14 November 2024 INJ
MF	Daniel Camacho	(1998-10-15) 15 October 1998	1	0	Universitario de Vinto	v. Ecuador, 14 November 2024 WD
MF	Víctor Cuéllar	(2000-09-23) 23 September 2000	1	0	The Strongest	v. Argentina, 15 October 2024
MF	Gabriel Montaño	(2005-02-15) 15 February 2005	0	0	Aurora	v. Chile, 10 September 2024
MF	Henry Vaca	(1998-01-27) 27 January 1998	21	1	Bolívar	v. Chile, 10 September 2024 INJ
MF	Leonel Justiniano	(1992-07-02) 2 July 1992	54	2	Bolívar	2024 Copa América
MF	Fernando Saucedo	(1990-03-15) 15 March 1990	26	1	Bolívar	2024 Copa América
MF	Jamir Berdecio	(2002-08-12) 12 August 2002	1	0	Philadelphia Union II	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
MF	Miguel Villarroel	(2003-01-10) 10 January 2003	1	0	Oriente Petrolero	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
MF	Juan Magallanes	(2003-01-02) 2 January 2003	0	0	Universitario de Vinto	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
MF	Moisés Villarroel	(1998-09-07) 7 September 1998	26	1	Blooming	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024 INJ
MF	Mirko Tomianovic	(2001-10-01) 1 October 2001	0	0	Real Tomayapo	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024 INJ
MF	Jaime Arrascaita	(1993-09-02) 2 September 1993	17	1	The Strongest	v. Andorra, 26 March 2024
MF	Rafinha	(1991-12-20) 20 December 1991	0	0	Blooming	v. Andorra, 26 March 2024
FW	José Martínez	(2002-09-18) 18 September 2002	1	0	Always Ready	v. Ecuador, 14 November 2024 INJ
FW	Bruno Miranda	(1998-02-10) 10 February 1998	21	3	The Strongest	v. Argentina, 15 October 2024
FW	Jhon Velásquez	(2003-04-22) 22 April 2003	0	0	Bolívar	v. Argentina, 15 October 2024
FW	Moisés Paniagua	(2007-08-16) 16 August 2007	0	0	Always Ready	v. Chile, 10 September 2024
FW	Rodrigo Ramallo	(1990-10-14) 14 October 1990	41	7	The Strongest	2024 Copa América
FW	Jaume Cuéllar	(2001-08-23) 23 August 2001	9	0	Lugo	2024 Copa América
FW	Jair Reinoso	(1985-06-07) 7 June 1985	4	0	Aurora	v. Mexico, 31 May 2024
COV Withdrew from the squad due to COVID-19. INJ Withdrew from the squad due to injury. PRE Preliminary squad / standby. RET Retired from the national team. SUS Withdrew from the squad due to suspension.

Player records

Main article: Bolivia national football team records and statistics

As of 21 November 2023

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.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Marcelo Moreno	108	31	2007–2023
2	Ronald Raldes	102	3	2001–2018
3	Luis Cristaldo	93	5	1989–2005
	Marco Sandy	93	6	1993–2003
5	José Milton Melgar	89	6	1980–1997
6	Juan Carlos Arce	88	15	2004–2022
	Carlos Borja	88	1	1979–1995
8	Julio César Baldivieso	85	15	1991–2005
	Juan Manuel Peña	85	1	1991–2009
10	Miguel Rimba	80	0	1989–2000

Most goals

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Marcelo Moreno	31	108	0.29	2007–2023
2	Joaquín Botero	20	48	0.42	1999–2009
3	Victor Ugarte	16	45	0.36	1947–1963
4	Carlos Aragonés	15	31	0.48	1977–1981
	Erwin Sánchez	15	57	0.26	1989–2005
	Julio César Baldivieso	15	85	0.18	1991–2005
	Juan Carlos Arce	15	88	0.17	2004–2022
8	Máximo Alcócer	13	22	0.59	1953–1963
	Marco Etcheverry	13	71	0.18	1989–2003
10	Miguel Aguilar	10	34	0.29	1977–1983

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Bolivia at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Group stage	12th	2	0	0	2	0	8	Squad		Qualified as invitees
1934	Did not enter										Declined participation
1938
1950	Group stage	13th	1	0	0	1	0	8	Squad		Qualified automatically
1954	Did not enter										Declined participation
1958	Did not qualify										4	2	0	2	6	6
1962											2	0	1	1	2	3
1966											4	1	0	3	4	9
1970											4	2	0	2	5	6
1974											4	0	0	4	1	11
1978											8	3	1	4	10	25
1982											4	1	0	3	5	6
1986											4	0	2	2	2	7
1990											4	3	0	1	6	5
1994	Group stage	21st	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad		8	5	1	2	22	11
1998	Did not qualify										16	4	5	7	18	21
2002											18	4	6	8	21	33
2006											18	4	2	12	20	37
2010											18	4	3	11	22	36
2014											16	2	6	8	17	30
2018											18	4	2	12	16	38
2022											18	4	3	11	23	42
2026	Qualification in progress										12	4	1	7	13	27
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total	Group stage	3/22	6	0	1	5	1	20	—		180	47	33	100	213	353

FIFA World Cup record
Year	Round	Score	Result
1930	Group stage	Bolivia 0–4 Yugoslavia	Loss
	Group stage	Bolivia 0–4 Brazil	Loss
1950	First round	Bolivia 0–8 Uruguay	Loss
1994	Group stage	Bolivia 0–1 Germany	Loss
	Group stage	Bolivia 0–0 South Korea	Draw
	Group stage	Bolivia 1–3 Spain	Loss

Copa América

Main article: Bolivia at the Copa América

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1916	Not a CONMEBOL member
1917
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926	Fifth place	5th	4	0	0	4	2	24	Squad
1927	Fourth place	4th	3	0	0	3	3	19	Squad
1929	Did not participate
1935
1937
1939
1941
1942
1945	Sixth place	6th	6	0	2	4	3	16	Squad
1946	Sixth place	6th	5	0	0	5	4	23	Squad
1947	Seventh place	7th	7	0	2	5	6	21	Squad
1949	Fourth place	4th	7	4	0	3	13	24	Squad
1953	Sixth place	6th	6	1	1	4	6	15	Squad
1955	Did not participate
1956
1957
1959	Seventh place	7th	6	0	1	5	4	23	Squad
1959	Withdrew
1963	Champions	1st	6	5	1	0	19	13	Squad
1967	Sixth place	6th	5	0	1	4	0	9	Squad
1975	Group stage	8th	4	1	0	3	3	9	Squad
1979		6th	4	2	0	2	4	7	Squad
1983		8th	4	0	2	2	4	6	Squad
1987		7th	2	0	1	1	0	2	Squad
1989		9th	4	0	2	2	0	8	Squad
1991		9th	4	0	2	2	2	7	Squad
1993		10th	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
1995	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	5	6	Squad
1997	Runners-up	2nd	6	5	0	1	10	5	Squad
1999	Group stage	9th	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
2001		11th	3	0	0	3	0	7	Squad
2004		9th	3	0	2	1	3	4	Squad
2007		10th	3	0	2	1	4	5	Squad
2011		12th	3	0	1	2	1	5	Squad
2015	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	4	10	Squad
2016	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	2	7	Squad
2019		12th	3	0	0	3	2	9	Squad
2021		10th	4	0	0	4	2	10	Squad
2024		16th	3	0	0	3	1	10	Squad
Total	1 Title	29/48	122	20	26	76	109	308

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	2	3	Squad
2001	Did not qualify
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
Total	Group stage	1/10	3	0	2	1	2	3	—

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Score	Result
1999	Group stage	Bolivia 2–2 Egypt	Draw
	Group stage	Bolivia 0–0 Saudi Arabia	Draw
	Group stage	Bolivia 0–1 Mexico	Loss

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not participate
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975	Round 2	6th	5	2	0	3	4	14
1979	Did not participate
1983
1987
1991
1995
Since 1999	See Bolivia national under-23 football team
Total	Round 2	1/12	5	2	0	3	4	14

Honours

Major competitions

Continental

• South American Championship/Copa América
  • Champions (1): 1963
  • Runners-up (1): 1997

Regional

• Bolivarian Games
  • Gold medal (2): 1970, 1977
  • Silver medal (2): 1938, 1947-48 (shared)
  • Bronze medal (2): 1965, 1973 (shared)

Friendly

• Copa Paz del Chaco (vs Paraguay)
  • Champions (4): 1957, 1962, 1979, 1993
• Copa Mariscal Sucre (vs Peru)
  • Champions (1): 1973 (shared)

Summary

Senior Competition				Total
Copa América	1	1	0	2
Total	1	1	0	2

See also

• Bolivia national under-23 football team
• Bolivia national under-20 football team
• Bolivia national under-17 football team
• Bolivia national futsal team

External links

• Official website (in Spanish)
• Bolivia FIFA profile
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers