Playing in the Highlands, the Argentine National Team Must Bring Oxygen Cylinders to Play Against Bolivia

Argentina's national team squad will play the World Cup Qualification match against Bolivia/INSTAGRAM

JAKARTA – Argentina national team players have to carry oxygen cylinders to overcome extreme altitudes when facing Bolivia in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

The stars who won the 2022 World Cup are scheduled to face the Bolivian national team at the Hernando Siles Stadium on Wednesday, September 13 early tomorrow morning.

This stadium, which is located in the La Paz area, will clearly provide a different challenge for the Argentine squad. The reason is, this location is at an altitude of 11,932 feet (around 3.6 kilometers) above sea level.

This extreme height makes it difficult for players to breathe. Therefore, they must carry oxygen cylinders to avoid unwanted things.

Being at an altitude of more than 6000 feet above sea level can cause shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches. For this reason, oxygen cylinders are used to ensure that each of them remains safe.

One of those seen carrying a handheld oxygen cylinder was Liverpool star, Alexis Mac Allister. He also uploaded a photo of himself using the tube on social media.

The Argentine national team is not the only visitor to Bolivia's stadium who is forced to use oxygen cylinders. In 2017, the Brazilian squad also experienced something similar.

For the Argentine national team, this height problem means that their star Lionel Messi may be excluded from the first team. The Inter Miami star was previously substituted for Argentina's 1-0 win over Ecuador last week.

The coach Lionel Scaloni also seemed unsure about playing the former Barcelona player when they appeared at such an extreme height.

"Leo felt tired a few days ago and asked to be replaced. However, we don't need to talk to him before the match. We'll just see how he develops," said Scaloni ahead of the match against Bolivia.