The Bolivia national football team (), nicknamed La Verde, has represented Bolivia in men's international football since 1926. Organized by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol (), it is one of the ten members of FIFA's South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
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 3âÂÂ2. This also ended a winless streak in the Copa América, with their last win being on 28 June 1997, when they defeated Mexico 1âÂÂ0 in the semi-finals.
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 7âÂÂ1. Bolivia also lost their following three matches: 0âÂÂ5 against Argentina, 1âÂÂ6 against Paraguay and 0âÂÂ6 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 4âÂÂ0, 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 â 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 8âÂÂ0 defeat to Uruguay at the Estádio Independência in Belo Horizonte.
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 4âÂÂ4 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 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 2âÂÂ0 win, and qualified for the 1994 World Cup by finishing second in Group B behind the Brazilians themselves, which included record 7âÂÂ0 and 7âÂÂ1 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 3âÂÂ1 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 2âÂÂ1. Despite the decent performance the team displayed during the tournament, Lopez Habas left his post shortly before the 1997 Copa America, being replaced by Duà ¡an Draà ¡koviÃÂ. 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 3âÂÂ1 in the final.
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 2âÂÂ2 draw against Egypt. Their next match was a 0âÂÂ0 draw against Saudi Arabia. For their last match in the group, they had to play hosts Mexico, in which Bolivia lost 0âÂÂ1 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 0âÂÂ0. However, against Ecuador, Bolivia won 3âÂÂ2, 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 1âÂÂ3 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 2âÂÂ1 over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in a friendly.
Bolivia played their home matches at Estadio Hernando Siles, which has an altitude of 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 above sea level. The official reasoning by the coach is that it was freshly renovated and that they would play where they live.
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 the colors of the Flag of Bolivia. Given that red and yellow were used by many of the other South American national teams, green became the primary color, leading to the nickname "La Verde" ("The Green").
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
The following players were called up to the squad for the friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 March and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification inter-confederation play-offs against Suriname and Iraq on 26 March and 1 April 2026, respectively.
Caps and goals updated , after the match against Iraq.
The following players have been called up during the last twelve months.
<sup>COV</sup> Withdrew from the squad due to COVID-19.<br/> <sup>INJ</sup> Withdrew from the squad due to injury.<br/> <sup>PRE</sup> Preliminary squad / standby.<br/> <sup>RET</sup> Retired from the national team.<br/> <sup>SUS</sup> Withdrew from the squad due to suspension.<br/> <sup>TRP</sup> Invited as a Training player.<br/> <sup>WD</sup> Withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place