Peru
National Team Information
General Info
CONMEBOL
La Blanquirroja (The White and Red), La Rojiblanca (The Red and White), Los Incas, La Bicolor
- Paolo Guerrero – Goals: 39
- Jefferson Farfan – Goals: 27
- Teofilo Cubillas – Goals: 26
- Teodoro Fernandez – Goals: 24
- Claudio Pizarro – Goals: 20
Teofilo Cubillas is the greatest player in Peruvian soccer history and one of the best attacking midfielders of all time. Cubillas won Best Young Player and the Bronze Boot at the 1970 World Cup and was the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972. He also won the Best Player Award as Peru won the 1975 Copa America and the Silver Boot at the 1978 World Cup.
Considered one of the best South American defenders ever, Hector Chumpitaz made over 100 appearances for the Peru national team. He was the captain of Peru for almost fifteen years and guided the team to the quarterfinals of the 1970 World Cup and Copa America glory in 1975. Despite his 5’7” stature, Chumpitaz read the game excellently and was an adept passer of the ball.
Claudio Pizarro is the most prolific Peruvian goalscorer in European competitions history. Pizarro is Werder Bremen’s all time top scorer and one of the top ten Bundesliga all time scorers. Pizarro won six Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and a UEFA Champions League. He also scored 20 goals for Peru and represented the national team for 17 years.
Hugo “Cholo” Sotil was a key member of the successful Peru national football team of the 1970’s. Sotil played as either a striker or midfielder and scored the winning goal vs. Colombia in the 1975 Copa America Final. Sotil made 62 appearances for the national team and appeared at two World Cups.
Paolo Guerrero is Peru’s all time leading scorer, with 38 goals in 107 appearances. Guerrero was the top or joint-top scorer at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Copa Americas. The striker also played a key role in helping Peru qualify for their first World Cup for 36 years, in 2018. He also scored the winning goal in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup final for Corinthians.
Five teams took part at the 1939 South American Championships. Peru joined Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile to contest a round-robin tournament. Teodoro Fernandez scored a hat trick in Peru’s first match as they defeated Ecuador 5-2. Fernandez continued his excellent play and scored two of Peru’s goals in their subsequent 3-1 win over Chile. Then, La Blanquirroja blew out Paraguay 3-0 as Fernandez added two more goals. Peru entered their final match vs. Uruguay with a perfect record.
Both teams came into the match 3-0 and the game served as a de facto final. While Fernandez didn’t get on the scoresheet, it took Jorge Alcalde just seven minutes to put Peru ahead. Their lead was doubled as Victor Bielich scored in the 35th minute. Uruguay got a consolation goal but Peru held on to complete a perfect tournament. Peru lifted their first-ever trophy and it remains the only time they’ve managed a perfect record at a major tournament. Teodoro Fernandez was named the tournament’s best player and he led the field with seven goals.
In their next match, Peru scored a 3-0 win vs. Morocco as Teofilo Cubillas managed a double. Despite a 3-1 loss to West Germany in their next match, Peru advanced to the quarterfinals. La Blanquirroja lost 4-2 to CONCACAF rivals Brazil but put on a good showing at the tournament. Peru won the Fair Play Award and Cubillas, who scored in all of Peru’s matches, won the Best Young Player award.
While 1970 was a success, Peru’s performance in 1930 left a lot to be desired. La Blanquirroja lost to Romania 3-1 in their first match as Placido Galindo became the first player to ever get sent off in the World Cup. This match also had one the smallest crowd in World Cup history, with a reported 2,459 fans. Reports imply that it was actually closer to 300.
Needing a result to have a hope of going through, Peru dropped their second match 1-0 to hosts Uruguay. Uruguay went on to win the competition.
Peru National Football Team History
Rodillo Negro: Peru's Golden Generation
The Peruvian Football League was founded all the way back in 1912. Ten years later, the Peruvian Football Federation joined FIFA. The Peru national football team made their FIFA World Cup debut at the inaugural tournament in 1930. However, La Blanquirroja went out in the group stage.
One of the best decades for Peruvian soccer was the 1930’s. Despite their World Cup struggle, Peru won the first Bolivarian Games in 1938 and the Copa America in 1939. Peru’s golden generation during this decade was called the Rodillo Negro.
Peru national football team fell off in the coming years but they did finish in third place in the 1949 and 1955 Copa Americas. The next Peru FIFA World Cup appearance came in 1970 and they were one of the surprises of the tournament. La Blanquirroja reached the knockout stage for the first time, falling in the quarterfinals.
Then, Peru won the 1975 Copa America as Teofilo Cubillas was voted the tournament’s best player. Peru also qualified for the 1978 World Cup and reached the second round for a second straight appearance.
Tragic 1987 Plane Crash
In the 80s, Peru once again had a solid team. They made the FIFA World Cup in 1982 and were expected to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. Tragically, in 1987 a plane crash killed most of Alianza’s team, which included the national team coach and several players.
La Blanquirroja had a resurgent period in the late 2010’s under Ricardo Gareca. They finished third at the 2015 Copa America, qualified for the 2018 World Cup and finished runners up at the 2019 Copa America. Peru were one game away from qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, they lost to Australia in the intercontinental playoff, in the “dancing goalkeeper” penalty shootout.
Check out the latest FIFA World Cup news and betting analysis.
Peru Soccer Leagues & Clubs:
Primera División (Liga 1):
The Peruvian Primera División, commonly called Liga 1, is the top-tier soccer league in Peru. It’s also the most common league for Peruvian soccer betting. Like many other Latin American leagues, Liga 1 follows an Apertura and Clausura tournament format. A round-robin between all 19 teams is held in both the Apertura and Clausura stages. The first-place team at the end of the Apertura and Clausura round-robins is crowned champion. Then, there is a playoff phase that features the Apertura and Clausura winners and the top two teams in the aggregate table.
If one or both of the Apertura or Clausura winners ends up in the top two places of the aggregate table, they earn a bye to the playoff final. Both the semifinals and final are played as two-legged fixtures. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams in the aggregate table are relegated and the 17th-placed team contests a relegation playoff vs. a second-division side.
Primera División (Liga 1) Clubs 2023
| Team |
|---|
| ADT |
| Alianza Atlético |
| Alianza Lima |
| Atlético Grau |
| Binacional |
| Cantolao |
| Carlos A. Mannucci |
| Cienciano |
| Cusco |
| Deportivo Garcilaso |
| Deportivo Municipal |
| Melgar Arequipa |
| Sport Boys |
| Sport Huancayo |
| Sporting Cristal |
| Unión Comercio |
| Universidad César Vallejo |
| Universitario |
| UTC |
Segunda División (Liga 2):
The second-tier Peruvian soccer league is named the Segunda División or Liga 2. A total of 14 teams will play in Liga 2 in 2023. The league’s format has changed periodically, as well as the number of teams. Currently, an Apertura and Clausura phase are played. In 2022, only one team was promoted as Cusco won both the Apertura and Clausura phases and Union Comercio lost the promotion playoff. The last-placed team goes down to the third tier at the end of each season.
Segunda División (Liga 2) Clubs 2023
| Team |
|---|
| Alfonso Ugarte |
| Alianza Universidad |
| Ayacucho |
| Carlos Stein |
| Comerciantes |
| Comerciantes Unidos |
| Deportivo Coopsol |
| Deportivo Llacuabamba |
| Juan Aurich |
| Los Chankas |
| Pirata |
| Santos |
| Unión Huaral |
| Universidad San Martín |
Peru Cups & Tournaments
Peru’s soccer teams, from the top two leagues, participate in the Copa Bicentenario. The tournament, which was canceled in 2022, is played as a straight knockout tournament. The winner qualifies for the Copa Sudamericana and the Supercopa Peruana.
Another competition for Peru soccer betting is the Supercopa Peruana. This is an annual match between the Copa Bicentenario champions and the Liga 1 champions. If a team wins both competitions, the second team in the match is the Liga 1 runners-up.
Peru Soccer Betting Information
Betting on the Liga 1
The most popular league for domestic Peru soccer betting is Liga 1. Entering the 2023 season, Alianza Lima are back-to-back champions. Although just three clubs have a majority of championships, 21 unique clubs have won a title. Universitario, Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal have combined for 70 of 105 possible titles. Peru’s big three are all popular picks for outright betting.
While home teams and away teams won at a similar clip during COVID-impacted seasons, a massive home-field advantage returned in 2022. Home teams won a whopping 53 percent of their matches in 2022 and lost just 23 percent of the time. Meanwhile, 22 percent of games finished in draws. The league had a decent scoring profile in 2022, with 2.71 goals per game and home teams outsourcing visitors by an average of .61 goals per game. Both teams scored 51 percent of the time and clean sheets were kept in 55 percent of matches.
Bettors should know that the table can vary wildly from the Apertura to Clausura. That can make predicting an outright winner difficult. The potential presence of byes in the playoffs can also create opportunities for punters, though. If one team has a bye to the final, the semifinalists must play two extra matches just to reach the final. Also, many teams have been deducted points recently for failing to pay debts. This isn’t necessarily anything that can be predicted but something bettors must keep on top of.
Peru National Team Betting Tips & Odds
Peru faces tough competition in South America, but their recent success in Copa America and potential reliance on youth give hope for future tournaments.
Peru narrowly missed out on the World Cup in 2022 by losing in penalties to Australia. Had they qualified, it would have been just the second time in their history they reached back-to-back World Cups. Appearances on soccer’s biggest stage have been few and far between for Peru in a stacked South American region. To automatically qualify for the World Cup in South America, teams must finish in the top four. That’s certainly not an easy feat with powers Argentina, Brazil and solid squads like Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay on the continent. Betting tips suggest tempering expectations for Peru.
La Blanquirroja have fielded some solid squads over the years but they’ve had little to show for it. Their last major trophy came in 1975 but they have done exceptionally well at recent Copa Americas. Peru reached the final but lost 3-1 to hosts Brazil. They’ve also qualified for the semifinals in four of the last five editions of the tournament. The thing that’s hurt Peru the most over the last few years is the lack of a prolific striker. No current Peru forward has scored more than 11 goals for the national team.
Christian Cueva led Peru in 2022 World Cup Qualifying, with five goals, but he’s already 31. Plus, players under the age of 25 only made seven total starts in qualifying. They scored 19 goals in 18 qualifying matches and finished with a negative goal differential. For Peru to compete in the coming years, they may have to rely more on their youth. Don’t count them out of making a deep run of Copa America 2024 just yet, though.
Conclusion
Peruvian domestic soccer isn’t too popular worldwide but bettors may find some unique opportunities in the league. With many cancellations, deductions and other recent developments, it’s important to stay on top of updates.
The Peru national team has made some runs in Copa America but failed to find any success on the global stage. They’ve made just one World Cup appearance since 1982 but often threaten to qualify. Peru could be a solid bet in future editions of Copa America, though.
