Club Bolívar

Club Bolívar, known as "Los Celestes" for their sky-blue kits, is Bolivia's most successful football club. Founded on April 12, 1925, in La Paz, the club honors the South American liberator Simón Bolívar. They compete in the Bolivian Primera División and play their home matches at the Estadio Hernando Siles, a venue with a capacity of about 41,143 that sits high in the Andes, adding a unique altitude challenge for visiting teams.

The club's history is rich with domestic dominance. They won their first amateur title in 1932 and claimed the first professional league championship in 1950. With 31 league titles, they stand as the most decorated club in Bolivia. Internationally, Bolívar has made roughly 40 appearances in the Copa Libertadores, the most by any Bolivian club, and reached the semi-finals in 1986 and 2014, a feat no other Bolivian team has matched. In 2004, they reached the Copa Sudamericana final, losing to Argentina's Boca Juniors.

Under the ownership of Marcelo Claure, who took control in 2008 and later became president in 2020, the club has won ten local titles. In January 2021, Bolívar became the first partner club of the City Football Group, gaining access to the group's expertise in coaching, scouting, and business strategy. The club's fierce rivalry with Club The Strongest, known as the Clásico Paceño, is one of the most intense in South American football, with both clubs based in the same city and continually vying for supremacy. [edit]

Club Bolívar was founded on April 12, 1925, as "Atlético Bolívar Literario Musical" by a group of young men before being renamed Club Atlético Bolívar, in honor of the liberator Simón Bolívar. The club won its first amateur championship in 1932 and then took four consecutive titles from 1939 to 1942. In the professional era, they claimed the first Bolivian Primera División tournament in 1950. Since then, they have accumulated 31 league titles, making them the most decorated club in the country.

Internationally, Bolívar has made the most Copa Libertadores appearances of any Bolivian side, around 40. They reached the semi-finals in 1986 and again in 2014, a milestone no other Bolivian team has achieved. In 2004, they made it to the Copa Sudamericana final, where they lost to Boca Juniors after winning the first leg in La Paz. More recently, in 2023, they reached the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

In 2008, Marcelo Claure took control of the club and founded BAISA to manage it, later becoming club president in 2020. Under his stewardship, Bolívar has won ten local titles. In January 2021, the club joined the City Football Group as its first partner club, gaining access to CFG's expertise in coaching, scouting, and business strategy. The 2025 season saw Bolívar finish second of 16 in the División Profesional. In the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, they advanced past Grêmio in the Round of 16 playoffs, winning the first leg 3-2 in La Paz and the second leg 1-0 in Porto Alegre, before facing São Paulo in the Round of 16. [edit]