Bolivian Football Regional Leagues
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The third tier of the Bolivian football league system consists of nine regional leagues (one for each department); the number of participants varies depending
on the department. It usually has between 8 and 12 teams. The winner and the runner-up of each league compete in the Copa Simón Bolívar, with the winner of such tournament gaining promotion to the 1st Division, and the runner-up playing a play-off match with the last two placed teams in the First Division. Until 1976, all 8 regional championships (Pando didn't have an organized tournament at the time) were the top division of the national football pyramid, with the winner of the Copa Simón Bolívar being crowned as national champion.
The oldest regional championship is the one played in La Paz. It started in 1914 and it was considered for many years as the top Bolivian league, especially when it turned into a semi-professional tournament in 1950 and started to include teams from Oruro and Cochabamba.
Copa Simón Bolívar
The tournament started in 1960. Initially, only champions from La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Santa Cruz participated. In later years, teams from other associations joined the cup, and the tournament eventually also had runners-up participating.
Until 1976, with the lack of a nationwide league, the cup determined the national champion and representative teams for the Copa Libertadores. With the creation of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano, the Bolivian FA stopped organizing the tournament.
In 1989, the tournament was resurrected, with the same format of both champions and runners-up from each association, but this time each regional league was the second tier on the football pyramid so the champion was supposed to be awarded a place in the professional league. Previously, the last placed team in the 1st division was replaced by the regional champion of its department. However, that practice was kept until 1993 when finally the champion was awarded a spot in the top league.
The competition format changes frequently. In 2008, the teams were divided into three groups of six teams, to save costs. Geographically close teams were teamed up and played on a home-away round-robin basis, with group 1 consisting of teams from La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba; group 2 of teams from Potosí, Chuquisaca and Tarija, and group 3 of teams from Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando. The top two placed teams advanced to the next round, now playing play-offs on home-away basis, the three winners and the best loser advanced to the semifinals and then the final.
Liga Nacional B
It was announced by LFPB that, due to the change of football in First Division, Copa Simon Bolivar would be replaced by Liga Nacional B which consists of thirteen clubs, the champions from each department except for Tarija which would have two clubs (Champions and runner-up), the last two relegated teams from First division and the winners of Torneo Nacional Provincial. La Paz Football Association and Oruro Football Association Championship were against this change, however the National Football Association and Bolivian Football Federation approved this change in Bolivian Football.
List of Regional Championships
Beni Football Association Championship
Chuquisaca Football Association Championship
Cochabamba Football Association Championship
La Paz Football Association Championships
- 1914 : The Strongest
- 1915 : Colegio Militar
- 1916 : The Strongest
- 1917 : The Strongest
- 1918-21 : No competition
- 1922 : The Strongest
- 1923 : The Strongest
- 1924 : The Strongest
- 1925 : The Strongest
- 1926 : No competition
- 1927 : Nimbles Sport
- 1928 : Colegio Militar
- 1929 : Universitario (La Paz)
- 1930 : The Strongest
- 1931 : Nimbles Sport
- 1932 : Bolívar
- 1933 : No competition
- 1934 : No competition
- 1935 : The Strongest
- 1936 : Ayacucho
- 1937 : Bolívar
- 1938 : The Strongest
- 1939 : Bolívar
- 1940 : Bolívar
- 1941 : Bolívar
- 1942 : Bolívar
- 1943 : The Strongest
- 1944 : Ferroviario
- 1945 : The Strongest
- 1946 : The Strongest
- 1947 : CD Lítoral
- 1948 : CD Lítoral
- 1949 : CD Lítoral
- 1950 : Bolívar
- 1951 : Always Ready
- 1952 : The Strongest
- 1953 : Bolívar
- 1954 : CD Litoral
- 1955 : San José
- 1956 : Bolívar
- 1957 : Always Ready
- 1958 : Wilstermann
- 1959 : Wilstermann
- 1960 : Wilstermann
- 1961 : Deportivo Municipal
- 1962 : Chaco Petrolero
- 1963 : The Strongest
- 1964 : The Strongest
- 1965 : Municipal
- 1966 : Bolívar
- 1967 : Bolívar
- 1968 : Always Ready
- 1969 : Bolívar
- 1970 : The Strongest
- 1971 : The Strongest
- 1972 : Litoral
- 1973 : Municipal
- 1974 : The Strongest
- 1975 : 31 De Octubre
- 1976 : Bolívar
- 1977 : 31 De Octubre
- 1978 : 31 De Octubre
- 1979 : No competition
- 1980 : Unión Maestranza
- 1981 : Chaco Petrolero
- 1982 : Mariscal Braun
- 1983 : Litoral
- 1984 : No competition
- 1985 : No competition
- 1986 : Always Ready
- 1987 : Chaco Petrolero
- 1988 : Mariscal Braun
1989 To Present
Oruro Football Association Championship
Pando Football Association Championship
| Season | Champion (title count) | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Unión Comercio | — |
| 1998 | Cobija | Vaca Díez |
| 1999 | Cobija | Porvenir |
| 2000 | Cobija | Antequera |
| 2001 | Cobija | Veracruz |
| 2002 | Cobija | Oriente Agropecuario |
| 2003 | Oriente Agropecuario | Cobija |
| 2004 | Cobija | Vaca Díez |
| 2005 | Vaca Díez | Deportivo Paraíso |
| 2006 | Vaca Díez | 27 de Mayo |
| 2007 | Vaca Díez | Miraflores |
| 2008 | Miraflores | Vaca Díez |
| 2009 | Vaca Díez | Universitario |
| 2010 | Vaca Díez | Universitario |
| 2011 | Vaca Díez | Miraflores |
| 2011–12 | Vaca Díez | Real Vaca Díez |
| 2012–13 | Universitario | Vaca Díez |
| 2013–14 | Real Mapajo | Miraflores |
| 2014–15 | Mariscal Sucre | Real Mapajo |
| 2015–16 | Miraflores | Mariscal Sucre |
| 2016–17 | Gatty Ribeiro | Vaca Díez |
| 2018 | Gatty Ribeiro | Mariscal Sucre |
| 2019 I | Mariscal Sucre | Vaca Díez |
| 2019 II | Vaca Díez | Mariscal Sucre |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | Mariscal Sucre | Vaca Díez |
Potosí Football Association Championship
Santa Cruz Football Association Championship
Tarija Football Association Championship
References
- ^ "ASOCIACION BENIANA DE FUTBOL". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION CHUQUISAQUEÑA DE FUTBOL". Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION DE FUTBOL DE COCHABAMBA". Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION DE FUTBOL DE LA PAZ". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION DE FUTBOL ORURO". Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION PANDIÑA DE FUTBOL". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION DE FUTBOL POTOSÍ". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION CRUCEÑA DE FUTBOL". Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "ASOCIACION TARIJEÑA DE FUTBOL". Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
External links
| National teams | |||||||
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| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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