"Devil's advocate! They will disrupt their opponents' psychology by moving the stadium to a different location."

The South American country of Bolivia has moved to a stadium located 600 meters higher than sea level with the goal of participating in the 2026 World Cup. While their old venue in La Paz is known for being approximately 3,600 meters above sea level, their new venue, Villa Ingenio Stadium in El Alto, stands out with an altitude exceeding 4,000 meters.

Bolivia, always a tough opponent at home due to the high altitude advantage, has slipped to second-to-last place in the 10-team group after suffering three defeats in their first five World Cup qualifying matches. This negative trend prompted the Bolivian Football Federation to make a radical decision.

In September, it was decided to move the remaining five home matches to the higher-altitude Villa Ingenio Stadium. This strategic move was made to provide the team with the advantage it needs.

IT SEEMS THE ALTITUDE STRATEGY WORKED

Oscar Villegas was appointed as the head coach, replacing former Beşiktaş player Antonio Carlos Zago. Under Villegas's leadership, the team defeated Chile 2-1 away and then won 1-0 against Colombia in El Alto on Thursday, rising to sixth place in the group. This position represents the last automatic qualifying spot for direct participation in the World Cup.

Bolivia last participated in the World Cup held in the USA 30 years ago. Speaking about the decision to move to the new stadium, Villegas stated that this change would greatly benefit the team. "Football consists of details. This stadium change does not guarantee victory, but we are focusing on details that could make us more effective," he said.

Villegas continued: "We will play as intensely as possible in El Alto and make our opponents feel that they are on a new pitch where we are invincible. Psychological and emotional factors are also important; this change will help us a lot."

Bolivia's remaining home matches will be against Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil. The team aims to realize their World Cup dream by utilizing the advantage of high altitude.