The National Team never gave up. That is our destiny, standing tall and facing the daily struggle. The National Team never gave up. Bolivia is always Bolivia, standing tall and never bowing our heads to defeat. That is our destiny, standing tall and facing the daily struggle. Bolivia is always Bolivia, standing tall and never bowing our heads to defeat,” Paz said on X. The match played in Mexico granted the last ticket to the World Cup, an objective that revived the illusion of a classification in Bolivia after 32 years, since 1994. In turn, the Bolivian Football Federation published: “In good times and in bad, always with the Verde”. The party continued in the early hours of the morning in the vicinity of the Steel Giant in Monterrey after the Iraq vs. Bolivia match, where the Asian team secured the last ticket to compete in the 2026 World Cup. And, to console the Bolivian fans who were left without… The Bolivian press reflected the frustration: “A battling Bolivia... falls with its head held high” and “Bolivia falls to Iraq and says goodbye to the 2026 World Cup”. The Bolivian national team will return from Monterrey to Santa Cruz after being eliminated. Thank you, team! “The homeland never surrenders. We will move forward,” affirmed Paz in a video on his social networks. In another message, he highlighted that the team did not give up and asked the country not to bow its head in defeat. The homeland never surrenders. Let's go towards the next victory. Let's go, damn it. The president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, asked this Wednesday to receive the players of the national team as “heroes” for having “left everything on the field” in the playoff match that they lost 2-1 to Iraq, being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. “Bolivians, we must receive our team as heroes. They left everything on the field, everything for the tricolor. Our success was never about luck.
