Nacional B

Table

Nacional B Standings

About Nacional B

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The Campeonato de Ascenso, also called Copa Simón Bolivar, is Bolivia's second most important football league. The competition was created in 1989 by two different football authorities and changed its name to Nacional B in 2011. Nonetheless, the competition modified its format and name in 2011, becoming the Simón Bolívar Nacional B. The league would go through another name change in 2016 when the name Simón Bolívar was adopted as the official monicker of the tournament.

The Campeonato de Ascenso operates under a promotion-relegation system, where up to two teams can earn promotion to Bolivia’s first football division, the División Profesional. The Simón Bolívar winners get promoted to that division, while the runners-up enter a promotion playoff with one División Profesional side to see if they join the top league in the country.

The Copa Simón Bolívar Cup invites up to five teams from each region in Bolivia. Each region sees its teams playing against each other twice, where the two top clubs in each region earn a spot in the next round. The top six teams that finish their regional round in third place also get access to the second stage. Once there, teams are drawn into eight groups of three squads, with the top two getting a spot in the knockout stage.

The final round is played in a home-and-away format, with the better-ranked team getting the home-field advantage for the return leg. In the event of the aggregate being level after both legs, extra time and penalties are to be used to find a winner.

Nacional B has welcomed some famous Bolivian teams since its inception. Teams such as Always Ready, Blooming, and Real Potosí have played in this competition and won it several times. One of the most successful teams in Campeonato de Ascenso history is Club Deportivo Guabirá.