25 Jun, 2014 | Ollie Vargas

Bolivia is known for not qualifying for the FIFA World Cup since 1994, when it was eliminated in the group stage. The country is far better known in the world of futsal, or indoor football, coming...

25 Jun, 2014 | Leo Nelson-Jones

Bolivia, and especially La Paz, is home to a unique and vibrant setup of footballing leagues. Neither entirely professional nor fully amateur, these informal but well-organised competitions have given...

25 Jun, 2014 | Inske Groenen

The importance of football in Bolivia is in no way proportional to the country’s achievements in the sport throughout history. Despite being a country that only holds a single Copa América title and h...

25 Jun, 2014 | Inske Groenen

Earth's riches join the game The big pyramid-shaped mountain overlooking Potosí has always had its power over the city. The silver coming from this Cerro Rico –rich hill– once brought unbelievabl...

25 Jun, 2014 | Tommy Walters, François Schollaert Paz

Today, South America produces some of the best football players in the world. Such is its footballing success that Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter, FIFA’s president, pointed to South America as the ‘Old Contine...

25 Jun, 2014 | Ander Zarraga

‘Roly, with the Tahuchi Academy, has revolutionized the world of children’s football’, famed Brazilian football star Pelé said about the dream of engineer Rolando Aguilera Pareja, who wanted to pro...

25 Jun, 2014 | Alex Walker

A politician who plays football, or a footballer who plays at politics? In 2010, a bitterly-fought charity match was played between two teams, one of them led by Bolivian President Evo Morales an...

25 Jun, 2014 | Alex Walker

It was rumoured in May that David Beckham might emerge from his footballing retirement for Bolívar’s Copa Libertadores semi-final. With the club’s reigning oligarch Marcelo Claure later dismissing thi...

21 May, 2014 | Alex Walker

Violence constitutes an inherent and quotidian part of club football worldwide. In South America, barras bravas – supporters’ groups cut from the same cloth as European Ultras – are the culprits held...

27 Mar, 2014 | Laura Van Antwerp

Making the Most of a Disappearing Water Source Loose rock and snow crumble beneath my feet as I struggle to keep up with David, my leader, who is gliding effortlessly up the mountain ahead of me. I’...

24 Sep, 2013 | John Downes

When contemplating football in South America, one automatically thinks about those countries steeped in World Cup tradition such as Brazil, Argentina, and even Uruguay. One would be forgiven for ne...

10 Jan, 2013 | Theo Haynes

Pimp my Ride, Bolivia Neon lights more evocative of the Christmas season than high-performance motoring; oversized exhausts with noises so strange they suggest engine malfunction rather than power;...

14 Aug, 2012 | Xenia Elsaesser

'We need women who are fighters, who are more enterprising. They must not be submissive' 'The only thing I can be is Claudia Balderrama. Nothing else. That is it.’ Claudia Balderrama speaks softl...

15 May, 2012 | Lauren Bell

JUANITA LA CARIÑOSA CARMEN ROSA LA CAMPEONA YOLANDA LA AMOROSA CLAUDINA LA MALA MARTHA LA ALTEÑA Cholitas luchadoras: the strapping heroines of El Alto's weekly cholita wrestling. Every Sunday to...

15 May, 2012 | Anthony Moore Bastos

Fulbito in Bolivia and South America In Bolivia there is no such thing as a "No Ball Games" sign. Consequently, Bolivian windows are criss-crossed by enrejados, preventing both burglars and football...