Bolivian Football Regional Leagues

The 2nd tier in the Bolivian Football pyramid consists of 9 regional leagues (one for each department), the number of participants varies depending on the departament, it's usually between 8 and 12 teasm. Both winner and runner-up of each eague competes in the Copa Simón Bolívar, with the winner of such tournamet gaining promotion to the 1st Division, and the runner-up playing a play-off match with the 11th placed team in the 1st Division. Until 1976 all 8 regional championships (Pando didn't have an organized tournament back then) were the top in 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, even more when it turned into a semi-pro tournament in 1950 and started including 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, on later years teams from other associations started joining the cup, and the tournament eventually had also runner-up's participating.

Until 1976, due the lack of a nation-wide 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. Finally in 1989 the tournament was resurrected, with in the same format of having both champions and runner-up from each association, but this time each regional league was the 2nd tier on the football pyramid so the champion was awarded a place in the professional league. Previously the last placed team in the 1st division was replaced by the regional champion of its departament.

The competition format changes frequently, in 2007, the team were divided in 3 groups of 6 teams each, 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 with teams from Potosí, Chuquisaca and Tarija, and group 3 with teams from Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando. The top 2 placed teams advanced to the next round, now playing play-offs on home-away basis, the 3 winners and the best loser advanced to the semifinals and then the final.

List of Champions

Copa Simón Bolívar

As First Division Tournament

As Second Division Tournament

Chuquisaca Football Association Championship

*2005 Universitario
*2006 Fancesa
*2007 Fancesa

Cochabamba Football Association Championship

*2007 Universitario(Cochabamba)

La Paz Football Association Championships

*1914 The Strongest
*1915 Colegio Militar(football Club)
*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 CD Litoral
*1973 Municipal
*1974 The Strongest
*1975 31 de Octubre
*1976 Bolívar...
*2007 Mariscal Braun

Oruro Football Association Championship

*2007 Huachacalla

Potosí Football Association Championship

*2007 Nacional Potosí

Santa Cruz Association Championship

*2007 Guabirá

Notes