Bolivia Plays at 4,000 Meters Altitude; Brazilian Has something to do with it

If the Bolivian national team now plays their matches in El Alto, a city with a stadium located at about 4,100m above sea level, a Brazilian has had a hand in it. Antonio Carlos Zago was the coach of the Bolivian national team when the local Federation decided to move the World Cup Qualifiers matches from the Hernando Siles Stadium in La Paz to the Municipal de El Alto. This change meant a jump from 3,600m to about 4,100m. That’s where Carlo Ancelotti and the Brazilian national team are heading on Tuesday. The match kicks off at 8:30 PM (Brasília time). The Italian coach managed to avoid the effects of high altitude when facing Ecuador in Guayaquil instead of Quito, but now there’s no way around it. Zago coached the Bolivian national team from October 2023 to July 2024 and was well aware of the behind-the-scenes decision to move the games to El Alto. ‘They took it to El Alto because it’s even higher. There’s no way around it. When the president came to talk to me about it, I accepted immediately,’ Zago told UOL. Being at a higher altitude means amplifying the effects of thin air. Players in La Paz already feel the difference at 500m above sea level, so those coming from sea level, like the Brazilians, face an even greater challenge.