Copa America 2024 Team Previews: Bolivia

Copa America 2024 Team Previews: Bolivia

The 2024 Copa America begins on June 20th in the U.S., with 10 CONMEBOL and six CONCACAF teams set to compete in the tournament. Over the next couple of weeks, we will preview every team playing in the competition. Next up is Bolivia.

Known for the heavy home-field advantage it has in its capital of La Paz, Bolivia will now try to make a surprise run in the U.S. Once a heavy-hitter in CONMEBOL, Bolivia is now often an afterthought in the region. La Verde finds itself ranked 85th in the FIFA Rankings, the lowest of all CONMEBOL teams, and is currently second to last in the standings of CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They also have not looked great in their pre-tournament friendly games. Nevertheless, the Bolivians will be hoping to spring a surprise this summer and reach the knockout stage for the first time in almost a decade.

Copa America Appearances

This will be Bolivia’s 29th Copa America appearance. The first came in 1926.

Best Finish in Copa America

Bolivia won its sole Copa America title in 1963 when it hosted the tournament. It also reached the final in 1997 when it was yet again the host.

Key Players

Despite being just 20 years old, Miguel Terceros (Santos) is an exciting player who has a lot to prove at this tournament. Leonel Justiniano (Bolívar) offers experience in the midfield and will be joined by club teammate Ramiro Vaca as an important fixture in the center of the park for La Verde. Bolivia’s captain Luis Haquín (Ponte Petra) will also be vital to Bolivia’s tournament hopes.

Manager

After winning the 1999 Copa America with Brazil and earning 37 caps with the Seleçao, Antônio Carlos Zago moved into a managerial career that initially began in his native Brazil. He later moved to Japan and Bolivia to manage at the club level before finally taking the Bolivia head coaching job in 2023.

Biggest Game — vs the U.S. on June 23rd

Bolivia will want to start off the tournament strongly if they want to make a shock run to the quarterfinals of the Copa America, and that means a positive result against the hosts. With a final group stage game against Panama offering a serious chance to earn points, if Bolivia can snag a good result against the U.S., their Copa America outlook will suddenly become much more positive than many people think possible for La Verde.

Prediction

With the U.S. and Uruguay joining Bolivia in Group C, it would be surprising to see this Bolivian squad make it to the quarterfinals. It will likely be a battle between Bolivia and Panama for third place in the group, and unfortunately for La Verde, I think they will lose this battle and finish bottom of Group C.

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