Bolivia surprises with a World Cup play-off place after victory against Brazil!

Bolivia surprises with a World Cup play-off place after victory against Brazil!

With an impressive 1-0 win against Brazil in El Alto, Bolivia secured a play-off place for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Miguel Terceros scored the decisive goal and made the last qualification game for the Bolivian national soccer team a historical triumph. Bolivia thus ends the qualification round in seventh place and secures the chance of fighting one of the last World Cup tickets in Mexico in March 2026 in Mexico OE24 reported.

However, the way to this success was anything but easy. The Bolivians had previously drawn attention to themselves in qualifying with a high defeat against the rival Venezuela, where they won 4-0 in the 'Titán' stadium 'Titán' in Villa Ingenio, El Alto. In this game, which took place at over 4,000 meters, Ramiro Vaca, Carmelo Algarañaz, Miguel Terceros and Enzo Monteiro scored the goals for Bolivia. While Venezuela tried to reduce the pace, Bolivia showed an offensive style of play and used his home advantages, reports Efe.

Historical importance of the World Cup qualification

Bolivia's last appearance at a World Cup was 31 years ago when they were there in the United States in 1994. The future qualification could be crucial for the country, especially since the Bolivian national soccer team has failed over the years due to numerous World Cup qualifications. From 1930 to 2022 they only qualified once and have often failed in the qualification process since then, like that Wikipedia shown.

The South American qualification for the 2026 World Cup also remained highly contested. Venezuela failed despite a 3: 6 against Colombia and stays behind Bolivia, while Brazil fell back to fifth place with it, but remains in the race for the World Cup participation. Argentina, which had to compete without Lionel Messi, surprisingly lost 0: 1 against Ecuador, but secured the group victory from Colombia and Uruguay.

The next challenges for Bolivia

Success against Brazil is an upswing for Bolivia, especially after a qualification that had started with four defeats and in which the team was under pressure for a long time. Bolivia still has to work hard to secure the last World Cup tickets and will have to take further high pressure in the coming year.

The upcoming challenges are not only against strong teams such as Uruguay and Argentina, but also the associated height conditions that always represent a challenge. Taking into account the geographical conditions, Bolivia, known for his games at unusual altitude, could play a crucial role in the further course of the qualification round.

Overall, football in Bolivia has a long and complex history that is feeding both from past failures and from current motivations. The nation now looks hopefully at the possibility of being part of a world championship again in 2026.