Peru may play in High Altitude during World Cup Qualifications
Peru football officials are considering the idea of moving their World Cup qualifying matches from sea level at Lima to Cuzco, which is a mere 3,300 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level. The change in locale would be made in an effort to improve their country’s chances for qualifying for the tournament, something it has not done since 1982.
Said Juvenal Silva, head of the Peruvian federation’s national team committee:
‘I’ve watched for 20 years as the other teams have come and walked over us in Lima,’ he told El Comercio in an interview.
‘If the altitude of Cuzco helps us get better results, we should use it.’
‘I don’t want to comment any further because some teams, such as Brazil and Argentina, could put on pressure to avoid this.’
Silva also mentioned the possibility of forming a team of domestic-based players for the high altitude home matches, while also fielding a foreign-based team for away matches.
This is an interesting idea at that, but thin air is no substitute for talented players. Certainly Ecuador and Bolivia have benefited in the past from playing at high altitude, but both have had to perform on the road as well to qualify for the big dance.
South American qualifiers start in September.
LIma is already at high altitude (2,600mts).
After Argentina played the qualifying there in 1996/7, Daniel Passarella had a memorable quote saying that “the ball doesn’t spin” at that stadium.
Posted from
Argentina
I’ve seen that the average altitude in the Lima area is 184 metres above sea level and goes up to 2200 metres or so. In any case, a move into the mountains will be an elevation gain for sure.
Posted from
United States
OK, my mistake, that was against Ecuador in Quito.
Posted from
Argentina
FIFA has already recommended against playing games above 2500m. COMNEBOL can not approve this change to Peru’s FIFA-approved alternate home venue, which is Cusco at 3400m. One of these days, a player from a country like Brazil will die because of this nonsense of playing games at dangerous altitudes.
Heck, India and Nepal could qualify for the World Cup if their home games were played by Sherpas, up in the Himalayas.
Posted from
United States
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World







weak
Posted from
Canada