Copa Simón Bolívar


The old 2nd tier in the Bolivian Football pyramid consists of 9 regional leagues, the number of participants varies depending on the department, It usually has between 8 and 12 teams. Both winner and 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 11th placed team in the 1st Division. Until 1976 all 8 regional championships were the top in the national football pyramid, with the winner of the Copa Simón Bolívar being crowned as national champion. In 2011, and for five seasons, the Copa Simón Bolívar was replaced by the Liga Nacional B, until 2016 when it was reinstated as Bolivia's second tier football championship.
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 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.
Finally in 1989 the tournament was resurrected, with 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 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 departament. 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 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

Torneo Nacional

As First Division Tournament
SeasonChampion Runner-upThird Place
1958Jorge Wilstermann Deportivo MunicipalSan José
1959Jorge Wilstermann Always ReadyBolívar

Copa Simón Bolívar

As First Division Tournament
SeasonChampion Runner-upThird Place
1960Jorge Wilstermann AuroraDeportivo Chaco
1961Deportivo Municipal AuroraDeportivo Chaco
1962Deportivo Chaco The StrongestDeportivo Municipal
1963Aurora Deportivo Municipal
1964The Strongest Aurora
1965Deportivo Municipal Jorge WilstermannOriente Petrolero
1966Bolívar 31 de OctubreJorge Wilstermann
1967Jorge Wilstermann Always ReadyBlooming
1968Bolívar GuabiráLitoral
1969Universitario BolívarOriente Petrolero
1970Chaco Petrolero The Strongest
1971Oriente PetroleroChaco PetroleroThe Strongest
1972Jorge Wilstermann Oriente PetroleroPetrolero Cochabamba
1973Jorge Wilstermann Deportivo Municipal31 de Octubre
1974The Strongest Jorge Wilstermann
1975Guabirá BolívarOriente Petrolero
1976Bolívar Oriente PetroleroGuabirá

As Second Division Tournament
SeasonChampion Runner-upThird Place
1989Enrique Happ Universidad de Santa Cruz
1990Universidad de Santa Cruz Naval Mamoré
1991Enrique Happ Guabirá
1992Enrique Happ Universidad Católica
1993Real Santa Cruz Estudiantes Frontanilla
1994Stormers Always Ready
1995Deportivo Municipal Chaco Petrolero
1996Blooming Universidad de Santa Cruz
1997Real Potosí Universitario
1998Union Central Atlético PompeyaAurora
Ciclón
1999Atlético Pompeya Mariscal BraunLitoral
Universitario
2000Iberoamericana AuroraCooper
Guarani
2001San José Primero de MayoIngenieros
Litoral
2002Aurora FancesaDeportivo Zuraca
Primero de Mayo
2003La Paz Real Santa CruzUniversitario
Universitario
2004Destroyers Primero de MayoABB
Esparta
2005Universitario GuabiráABB
Universidad de Santa Cruz
2006Municipal Real Mamoré CiclónGuabirá
2007Guabirá Nacional PotosíFancesa
Mariscal Braun
2008Nacional Potosí Primero de MayoCiclón
Destroyers
2009Guabirá CiclónFraternidad Tigres
Stormers
2010Nacional Potosí Real AméricaGarcía Agreda
Primero de Mayo
2016–17Aurora DestroyersReal América
Ramiro Castillo
2017Royal Pari Deportivo KalaAtlético Bermejo
Quebracho
2018Always Ready Avilés IndustrialIndependiente Petrolero
Mariscal Sucre
2019Municipal Vinto Real Santa CruzDeportivo FATIC
Real Tomayapo

NB: Enrique Happ from Cochabamba were never promoted to the first division in spite of winning the cup three time, apparently because they are a special footballing school.