Football in the Andes hits different. Literally. When you're playing at over 4,000 meters above sea level, the ball moves faster, lungs burn earlier, and the Bolivia premier league standings usually tell a story of survival as much as skill. The 2025 season, which wrapped up just weeks ago in mid-December, was honestly one of the most chaotic stretches of South American football I’ve seen in years. We saw giants stumble, a historic club drop out of the top flight, and a team from El Alto finally proving that their "Always Ready" moniker isn't just a marketing slogan.
If you’re looking at the final table for the 2025 FBF División Profesional, the name at the very top is Always Ready. They didn't just win; they dominated.
The Summit: Always Ready’s Path to the 2025 Title
For a long time, the conversation around Bolivian football was a duopoly between the La Paz titans: Bolívar and The Strongest. But 2025 felt like a changing of the guard. Always Ready finished the 30-match season with a staggering 71 points. To put that in perspective, they only lost three games all year. Three.
Their goal difference was a massive $+57$, bolstered by a terrifying attack that put 91 goals past opponents. You've got to feel for the goalkeepers visiting the Estadio Municipal de El Alto. It’s a fortress. Héctor Bobadilla was the spearhead of that attack, netting 20 goals, but the real story was the team's balance. While Bolívar chased them relentlessly, finishing second with 68 points, they just couldn't match the consistency of the "Banda Roja."
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The final standings at the top looked like this:
- Always Ready: 71 points (Champions)
- Bolívar: 68 points
- The Strongest: 64 points
It's a bit of a heartbreak for The Strongest. They’ve been the most consistent "almost" team lately, and 64 points is usually enough to be right in the mix for the trophy, but they fell away in the final weeks.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Standings
People look at the Bolivia premier league standings and assume it's all about altitude. "Oh, the La Paz teams win because the visiting teams can't breathe." While there's some truth to the physiological advantage, it ignores the tactical evolution we've seen this season.
Take San Antonio Bulo Bulo. They finished 4th with 46 points. They aren't a traditional high-altitude powerhouse, yet they managed to leapfrog massive clubs like Blooming and Oriente Petrolero. They played a gritty, counter-attacking style that frustrated the big three all season long. Honestly, seeing a team like San Antonio secure a spot in the Copa Sudamericana is exactly why we watch this league. It's unpredictable.
The Mid-Table Logjam
Between 4th and 9th place, the table was basically a knife fight.
- San Antonio Bulo Bulo (46 pts)
- Blooming (46 pts)
- Independiente Petrolero (45 pts)
- Nacional Potosí (43 pts)
- Guabirá (43 pts)
- GV San José (41 pts)
Only five points separated 4th from 9th. One bad weekend—one missed penalty in the 90th minute—and you're out of continental competition entirely. Independiente Petrolero was particularly fun to watch because of Damián Villalba. The guy was a machine, finishing as the league’s top scorer with 25 goals. It’s rare to see the Golden Boot winner come from a 6th-place team, but Villalba was basically carrying them on his back.
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The Tragedy of Jorge Wilstermann
We have to talk about the bottom of the table. It’s the part of the Bolivia premier league standings that fans in Cochabamba are trying to forget. Jorge Wilstermann, a club with 15 league titles and a massive continental pedigree, has been relegated.
It’s hard to overstate how shocking this is. They finished dead last with only 19 points from 30 matches. Financial issues, point deductions in previous cycles, and a revolving door of managers finally caught up to them. They only managed four wins all season. Seeing a name like Wilstermann in the second tier (Copa Simón Bolívar) in 2026 is going to feel wrong.
ABB (Academia del Balompié Boliviano) and Universitario de Vinto also struggled, both finishing on 26 points. ABB had to face the relegation/promotion play-offs, a nerve-wracking way to end a debut season in the top flight.
Looking Toward the 2026 Season
So, where do we go from here? The 2026 season is just around the corner, usually kicking off in late January or early February. The landscape has shifted.
The Libertadores spots are set. Always Ready, Bolívar, Nacional Potosí (who qualified via the Copa Bolivia), and The Strongest will represent the country on the biggest stage. This is where the league's quality is truly tested. Can Always Ready translate their domestic dominance into a deep run against Brazilian and Argentine giants?
Key Takeaways for Fans
If you're following the league moving forward, keep an eye on these three things:
- Managerial Stability: The 2025 season saw an insane amount of coaching changes. The Strongest went through three different managers alone. The teams that stop the "sacking culture" usually climb the standings faster.
- The "New" San José: Gualberto Villarroel San José (GV San José) is the spiritual successor to the legendary San José de Oruro. They finished 9th, which is a solid foundation. Watch them to be the dark horse in 2026.
- The Transfer Window: With Héctor Bobadilla and Damián Villalba putting up massive numbers, expect the big clubs in Chile and Colombia to come sniffing around. How these teams replace their star strikers will dictate the early 2026 table.
The Bolivia premier league standings are a reflection of a league that is high-scoring (averaging over 3.6 goals per game) and high-drama. While the 2025 trophy rests in El Alto, the 2026 race is wide open.
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Actionable Next Steps:
Keep a close eye on the official FBF (Federación Boliviana de Fútbol) announcements for the 2026 fixture list, usually released in late January. If you're tracking performance for betting or scouting, prioritize teams with strong home records in altitude, but don't sleep on the recruitment at Bolívar, who are desperate to reclaim their throne after a two-year drought.