Peru wants to use altitude for World Cup qualifying

Tired of missing the finals for 24-years, Peru is thinking of playing their World Cup Qualifying matches in the historic city of Cuzco, which happens to be a 3,300 meters (10,800 ft) above sea level in the Andes.

Both Bolivia (3,600m/11,800ft) and Ecuador (2,800m/9,200ft) play their home matches at high altitude and both saw some solid rewards from doing so. For 2006 qualifying, Bolivia earned all 14 of their points at home while Ecuador did not lose any at home (won 7 and tied 2) while only winning 1 and tying 2 on the road. The only road game Ecuador won was against Bolivia.

Peru currently plays their matches in Lima at sea level.

When you are playing in South America, you should use any legal tactics possible to give your side a home pitch advantage. Yes, Lima is beautiful and has a huge population but getting to the World Cup might be worth the trade off.

By the way, Mexico's Estadio Azteca is 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) above sea level. Helps explain why, of the 160+ games Mexico has played in Azteca, they have only lost 10.