Bolivia ends year with improved FIFA ranking

La Paz, Dec 19 (IANS) Bolivia's national football team ended the year with a notable improvement in its FIFA rankings, up two places to 85.

The rankings, published monthly by world soccer body FIFA (International Federation of Association Football), showed the team moved up 16 spots in November to reach 87, before moving up another two in December, with a total of 375 points, reports Xinhua.

"After a year of being in last place in the (South American) region, we succeeded in the final two months in climbing up from the bottom of the list," Alberto Lozada, the head of the Bolivian Football Federation," said.

"And we hope to improve during the new cycle that begins in January, and with a new head coach, as this year we managed with all interim coaches," he added.

Bolivia, however, won't have it easy when it competes as part of Group A in next year's Copa America, in Chile, along with World Cup teams Mexico, Ecuador and Chile.

"We know it's a tough group (but) we're going to take it on as a challenge for Bolivian football," he said.

Bolivia's total of 375 points for 2014 placed it six points ahead of Venezuela, which ended up in last place among teams belonging to the regional South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), a position Bolivia occupied for much of this year.