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Togliatti Akron and Bolivia national team left-back Roberto Fernandez assessed the national team's chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup and spoke about the team's coaching staff's interest in striker Artem Dzyuba.
— The Bolivian national team could qualify for the World Cup for the first time in a long time. Will the dream come true?
— I think we have a chance to qualify for the World Cup. If we can do this, it will change the lives of many players. In the end, we will go down in history.
It is important for me that, despite leaving for Russia, I remained in the national team. The coaching staff follows our games. One coach even asked me to bring Artem Dzyuba’s jersey. He is a big fan of his! — Fernandez said in an interview with Championat correspondent Dmitry Zimin.
The Bolivian national team has 14 points from 14 matches and is in eighth place in the South American qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With four rounds remaining in the qualifying round, the Bolivians are one point behind seventh place, which would allow them to play in the intercontinental play-offs, and six points behind sixth place, which would give them a direct qualification for the World Cup.
The last time Bolivia participated in the World Cup was in 1994, when the tournament was also held in the United States.