Nacional Potosí known as river de bolivia, is a

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

n football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team from

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

. The football team currently plays in the Bolivian Primera División. Founded on 8 April 1942, it plays its home games at

Estadio Víctor Agustín Ugarte Estadio Víctor Agustín Ugarte, also known by its old name Estadio Mario Mercado Vaca Guzmán, is a multi-purpose stadium in Potosí, Bolivia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, on club level by Real Potosí and Nacional Potosí. Th ...

History

Nacional Potosí is one of

's oldest football clubs, being founded on 8 April 1942. The team has mainly played in the second tier of Bolivian football. In 2004 it came under the ownership of Emilio Alave and the team started to mount a serious promotion challenge, coming close in 2007 when they lost to

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

in the relegation play-off. Nacional bounced back the following year and won the Copa Simon Bolívar, gaining promotion to the first division. In 2009 Nacional made its debut in the

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

, but the club couldn't survive its first season and was relegated. In 2010, Wilfredo Condori took over as chairman and the side won both the Copa Simon Bolívar and promotion back to the first division. The club played its first ever

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American fo ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. They lost 1-3 on aggregate to

Club Libertad Club Libertad is a professional football club based in Asunción, Paraguay that currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División. The club plays its home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta; which holds 10,100 people. Founded in 1905, Libe ...

of Paraguay in the first round. Celebrating its diamond anniversary in 2017, the side was playing in the first division and the

for just the second time in their history.

Stadium

The club plays its home games at

. It has a capacity for 32,000 people. The stadium was originally called Estadio San Clemente, but was renamed Mario Mercado Vaca Guzmán after some modifications on the structure, including new illumination towers, were made. Newer modifications led ultimately to its actual name. Located 4,090 metres above sea level, the stadium is one of the highest in the world. It has raised numerous controversies in footballing circles, as its significant altitude affects the absorption of oxygen in the human body, offering considerable advantage to the home team who are more accustomed to such conditions.

Current squad

Rivalries

The club has a rivalry with the only other first division club in the

Potosí Department Potosí (; Aymara: ''Putusi''; qu, P'utuqsi) is a department in southwestern Bolivia. It comprises 118,218 km2 with 823,517 inhabitants (2012 census). The capital is the city of Potosí. It is mostly a barren, mountainous region with one ...

Real Potosí Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

. They share the same stadium, and matches between them usually draw lots of attention. The first match played between the two clubs was in the

2009 Copa Aerosur La Copa Aerosur 2009 is the seventh edition of the summer soccer tournament sponsored by Aerosur. Involved six teams of core cities in Bolivia: Bolivar and The Strongest of La Paz, Cochabamba Aurora and Wilstermann, Blooming and Oriente Petrolero ...

on 18 January 2009. Real Potosi won 2-1. The first league match between the two clubs was on 19 April 2009, which finished in a 1-1 draw. Although both clubs were founded in the 20th century, the reason why it took so long for both clubs to meet was because Nacional Potosi had been playing in the lower divisions until 2009. Nacional Potosí have won 18 times, while Real Potosí have only done it 15 times, there were 11 draws.

Achievements

National Honours

* First Division – Professional Era: 0 * First Division – Semiprofessional Era: 0 * Second Division, Copa Simón Bolivar: 2 ::2008, 2010 ::Runners-up (1): 2007

Managers

Víctor Hugo Andrada Víctor Hugo Andrada Canalis (born 25 December 1958 in Santa Fe), nicknamed ''Copito'', is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of Nueva Santa Cruz. Club career In his native co ...

(2007–09) *

Juan Carlos Paz Juan Carlos Paz (5 August 1897 – 26 August 1972) was an Argentine composer and music theorist. Paz was born in Buenos Aires, either in 1897 or in 1901, where he studied piano with Roberto Nery and composition with Constantino Gaito and Edua ...

(May 19, 2012 – March 3, 2013) *

Julio César Baldivieso Julio César Baldivieso Rico (born 2 December 1971) is a Bolivian association football, football coach and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. Baldivieso was a midfielder who played for the Bolivia national team at the Footbal ...

(March 4, 2013 – Nov 28, 2013)

References

External links

Ascenso a Primera División

Nacional Potosi
at Soccerway {{DEFAULTSORT:Nacional Potosi Football clubs in Bolivia Association football clubs established in 1942 1942 establishments in Bolivia