Bolivia has been turning tables in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign to secure one berth in the final round.
Bolivia has been regarded as one of the weakest sides in CONMEBOL. They only made three appearances in World Cup final rounds, two of which were in 1930 and 1950 editions before their last performance in USA 1994.
Since then, they have never been able to qualify, let alone finish in the midtable of South American World Cup qualifiers. Initially, they could see the same devastating results again in the current campaign. They were outclassed by Brazil and suffered a 5-1 rout and only managed to snatch one win in the first six matches.
Nevertheless, the appointment of Óscar Villegas to replace Antônio Carlos Zago, the former Roma defender who took charge of the team in 2023, seems to change everything as things pick up almost instantly. Bolivia have been unbeaten ever since and even clinched their first away victory in 31 years while thumping Chile 2-1 last September. They are now sitting sixth with the chance to qualify still wide open.
It is interesting to see how they have turned tables. The changes the former Always Ready boss has brought to the team are not only about tactical. It does impact the team as Roberto Fernández and Co switch formation from 4-2-3-1 under Zago with Marcelo Moreno leading the line to the offensive 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 under Villegas’s tutelage. Yet there is something more than that. Here is how Bolivia alters the course of their qualifying campaign.
The arrival of Villegas appears to have much deeper impact than the team setup. He is believed to be the one suggesting the departure from the iconic stadium in the capital, Hernando Siles of La Paz, to the Estadio Municipal de El Alto. It is a smaller venue compared to the former, with a capacity of only 22,000 fans.
Such a move was rather unusual. Yet, it has paid off well as the venue is located in El Alto, the highest city in the world with a 4,090-metre altitude, even higher than La Paz, which is ‘only’ 3,650 metre above the sea level. Bolivia has just extended his third unbeaten run on the home turf of Villegas’s former team, Always Ready, after defeating Colombia 1-0 in a recent World Cup qualifier.
Their decision is also justified as La Paz is no longer the terrifying venue as it used to be for their opposition sides as they have found a way to accustom themselves with the altitude issue. In the current qualifiers, only Argentina and Ecuador were able to pick up three points there.
Staging games in La Paz was once under criticism. In the late 2000s, FIFA banned playing the matches on high-altitude stadiums situated in 2000–3000 metres above sea level, which surely impacted Bolivia. Fortunately, such a ban was lifted entirely in 2010 following the statement from FIFA’s then president, Sepp Blatter, that the subject of altitude was no longer their issue.
Following the retirement of the all-time top scorer in the Bolivia national team, Marcelo Moreno, Villegas was determined to shake the team by rebuilding the squad based on the younger players.
The 54-year-old gaffer snubbed a number of senior names in the squad, such as the 37-year-old goalkeeper, Carlos Lampe, the experienced defenders, Adrián Jusino (aged 32) and Jesús Segredo (30), two Bolivar men who were regularly in the line-up, midfielders, Leonel Justiniano (32), and Fernando Saucedo (34) and the strongest frontman, Rodrigo Ramallo. They were all last called up for Copa America 2024, or before Villegas took the reins.
In the current squad, the oldest player is their shotstopper, the 31-year-old Guillermo Viscarra. In his 4-3-3 set up, Villegas sometimes deploys the left back, Roberto Fernandez, to feature as a left winger, which proved to be effective as he contributed double assists in a 2-1 victory over Chile on the road. The versatile wingback is currently playing for Russian Premier Liga side, FC Akron Tolyatti.
Meanwhile, the one who leads the line is Carmelo Algarañaz, the striker of the Greek second-tier side, Kalamata, supported by the promising talent from Santos, Miguel Terceros. The 20-year-old right winger has notched up three goals in the qualifiers, including the only goal in the 1-0 win over James Rodriguez’s Colombia.
Should Bolivia remain strong and at least carry on their positive form, they could make their return to the USA for the World Cup finals after their disappointing campaign in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Erwin Sánchez and co failed to progress to the second round at that time after only snatching one point in three matches.
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