Peru national football team

During the 19th century, British immigrants and Peruvians returning from England introduced football to Peru.^[9] In 1859, members of the British community in the country's capital founded the Lima Cricket Club, Peru's first organisation dedicated to the practice of cricket, rugby, and football.^[B][11][12] These new sports became popular among the local upper-class over the following decades, but early developments stopped due to the War of the Pacific that Peru fought against Chile from 1879 to 1883. After the war, Peru's coastal society embraced football as a modern innovation.^[13] In Lima's barrios, football became a popular daily activity, encouraged by bosses who wanted it to inspire solidarity and productivity among their workers.^[14] In the adjacent port of Callao and other commercial areas, British civilian workers and sailors played the sport among themselves and with locals.^[15][C] Sports rivalries between locals and foreigners arose in Callao, and between elites and workers in Lima—as foreigners departed, this became a rivalry between Callao and Lima.^[9][17] These factors, coupled with the sport's rapid growth among the urban poor of Lima's La Victoria district (where, in 1901, the Alianza Lima club formed), led to Peru developing the Andean region's strongest footballing culture,^[18] and, according to historian Andreas Campomar, "some of the most elegant and accomplished football on the continent".^[19]

The Peruvian Football League, founded in 1912, held annual competitions until it disbanded in 1921 amid disputes amongst its clubs.^[20] The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), formed in 1922, reorganised the annual tournament in 1926.^[21] The FPF joined the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) in 1925 and, after restructuring its finances, formed the Peru national football team in 1927.^[22] The team debuted in the 1927 South American Championship, hosted by the FPF at Lima's Estadio Nacional.^[15] Peru lost 0–4 against Uruguay in its first match, and won 3–2 over Bolivia in its second.^[23] Peru did not advance beyond the first stage of the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.^[24]

The 1930s were the team's first golden era,^[7] when they improved their game through play with more experienced teams.^[19] The Combinado del Pacífico (a squad composed of Chilean and Peruvian footballers) toured Europe from 1933 to 1934.^[D][19] Starting with Ciclista Lima in 1926, Peru's football clubs toured Latin America with much success.^[25][26] During one of these tours—Alianza Lima's undefeated journey through Chile in 1935—emerged the Rodillo Negro ("Black Roller"), a skillful group led by forwards Alejandro Villanueva, Teodoro Fernández and goalkeeper Juan Valdivieso.^[27] Sports historian Richard Witzig described these three as "a soccer triumvirate unsurpassed in the world at that time", citing their combined innovation and effectiveness at both ends of the field.^[7] Peru and the Rodillo Negro impressed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, won the inaugural Bolivarian Games in 1938, and finished the decade as South American champions.^[28][29]

Historian David Goldblatt assessed the decline of its previous success: "despite all the apparent preconditions for footballing growth and success, Peruvian football disappeared".^[30] He attributes this sudden decline to Peruvian authorities' repression of "social, sporting and political organisations among the urban and rural poor" during the 1940s and 1950s.^[30] Nevertheless, Peru performed creditably at the South American Championships, placing third in Brazil 1949 and Chile 1955, and missed qualification for the Sweden 1958 World Cup finals, over two legs to eventual champions Brazil.^[31]

Successes during the late 1960s, including qualification for the Mexico 1970 World Cup finals, ushered in a second golden period for Peruvian football.^[7][32] The formidable forward partnership between Teófilo Cubillas and Hugo Sotil was a key factor in Peru's triumphs during the 1970s.^[33] Peru reached the quarter-finals in 1970, losing to the tournament winners Brazil, and earned the first FIFA Fair Play Trophy;^[34][35] historian Richard Henshaw describes Peru as "the surprise of the 1970 competition, showing flair and a high level of skill".^[31] Five years later, Peru became South American champions for the second time when it won the 1975 Copa América (the then-rechristened South American Championship) despite failing to qualify for West Germany 1974 a year earlier. The team next qualified for two consecutive World Cup finals, reaching the second round in Argentina 1978 and the first group stage in Spain 1982. Peru's early elimination in 1982 marked the end of the side's globally-admired "flowing football".^[36] Peru, nonetheless, barely missed the Mexico 1986 World Cup finals after placing second in a qualification group to eventual champions Argentina.^[37] In their golden period from 1970 to 1982, Peru was among the best teams in the world.

By the late 1980s, renewed expectations for Peru were centred on a young generation of Alianza Lima players known colloquially as Los Potrillos ("The Colts"). Sociologists Aldo Panfichi and Victor Vich write that Los Potrillos "became the hope of the entire country"—fans expected them to qualify for the Italy 1990 World Cup finals.^[38] These hopes were dashed when the national team entered a hiatus after its manager and several of its players died in a plane crash carrying most of Alianza's team and staff in 1987.^[39] Peru subsequently only came close to reaching the France 1998 World Cup finals, missing qualification on goal difference,^[37] but would go on to win the 1999 Kirin Cup tournament in Japan (sharing the title with Belgium)^[40] and reached the semi-finals at the 1997 Copa América and the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup (contested as an invitee).^[41]

Qualification for the FIFA World Cup finals continued being an elusive objective for Peru during the early 21st century.^[37] According to historian Charles F. Walker, player indiscipline problems marred Peru's national team and football league.^[42] Troubles in the FPF, particularly with its then-president Manuel Burga, deepened the crisis in Peruvian football—FIFA temporarily suspended the country from international competition, in late 2008, because the Peruvian government investigated alleged corruption within the FPF.^[43][E] Burga's twelve-year tenure as FPF president, deemed by journalists and the public as disastrous for the national team, despite a third place at the 2011 Copa América, ended in 2014.^[45][46][F] The FPF's new leadership appointed Juan Carlos Oblitas as the federation's new director and Ricardo Gareca as Peru's manager in March 2015.^[49] Sports journalists credited Gareca with revitalizing Peru's football prowess by improving the players' training and professional conduct.^[50] Under Gareca, Peru participated in the group stage of the Russia 2018 World Cup finals and finished runners-up at the 2019 Copa América.^[51][52] After Peru narrowly missed qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, losing the inter-continental play-off against Australia, the FPF appointed former team captain Juan Reynoso as Peru's new manager. Dissatisfied with results for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the FPF replaced Reynoso with Uruguayan Jorge Fossati in 2023.^[53]

The Peru national football team plays in red and white, Peru's national colours.^[54] Its first-choice kit has been, since 1936, white shorts, white socks, and white shirts with a distinctive red "sash" crossing their front diagonally from the proper left shoulder to the right hip and returning on the back from the right hip to the proper left shoulder. This basic scheme has been only slightly altered over the years.^[4]

Peru's kit has won praise as one of world football's most attractive designs. Christopher Turpin, the executive producer of NPR's All Things Considered news show, lauded the 1970 iteration as "the beautiful game's most beautiful shirt", also describing it as "retro even in 1970".^[55] Miles Kohrman, football reporter for The New Republic, commended Peru's kit as "one of soccer's best-kept secrets".^[56] Rory Smith, Chief Soccer Correspondent for The New York Times, referred to Peru's 2018 version of the jersey as "a classic" with a nostalgic, fan-pleasing "blood-red sash".^[57] The version worn in 1978 came first in a 2010 ESPN list of the "Best World Cup jerseys of all time", described therein as "simple yet strikingly effective".^[58]

Peru's first kit, made for the 1927 South American Championship, comprised a white-and-red striped shirt, white shorts and black socks.^[59] At the 1930 World Cup, Peru used an alternate design because Paraguay had already registered a similar kit with white-and-red striped shirts. The Peruvians instead wore white shirts with a red collar, white shorts and black socks.^[59] The team added a horizontal red stripe to the shirt for the 1935 South American Championship. The following year, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the team adopted the iconic diagonal red sash design it has retained ever since.^[4] According to historian Jaime Pulgar-Vidal Otálora, the idea for the design came from school football matches in which coloured sashes worn over the shoulder would allow two teams wearing white shirts to play against each other.^[60]

Peru wears as its badge the emblem of the Peruvian Football Federation. The first badge, presented in 1927, had a heater shield design with the country's name and the federation's acronym (FPF). Eight different emblems followed, with the longest-lasting design being the modern French escutcheon form emblazoned in the team's jersey from 1953 until 2014. This design had the Peruvian flag at its base, and either the country's name or the federation's acronym at its chief. Since 2014, the badge has a retro-inspired heater shield design, with the entire field comprised by Peru's flag and the federation's acronym, surrounded by a gold-colored frame.^[61]

Eight sportswear manufacturers have supplied Peru's national team. The first, German company Adidas, supplied the team's kit in 1978 and 1983–1985. The FPF has signed contracts with manufacturers from Brazil (Penalty, 1981–82), Switzerland (Power, 1989–1991), Italy (Diadora, 1991–1992), England (Umbro, 1996–1997, 2010–2018), Ecuador (Marathon Sports, 2018–2022), and another from Germany (Puma, 1987–1989). The team has also been supplied by three local firms: Calvo Sporwear (1986–1987), Polmer (1993–1995), and Walon Sport (1998–2010).^[62][63] Since January 2023, Adidas produces Peru's kit.^[64]

Exterior of the Estadio Nacional in 2013.

Interior of the Estadio Nacional in 2011.

The traditional home of Peruvian football is the country's national stadium, the Estadio Nacional in Lima, which seats 50,000 spectators.^[15] The present ground is the Estadio Nacional's third incarnation, renovated under the Alan García administration. Its official re-inauguration, 24 July 2011,^[65] marked 88 years to the day after the original ground opened on the same site in 1923.^[66]

To celebrate the centenary of Peru's independence from Spain, Lima's British community donated the original Estadio Nacional, a wooden structure with a capacity of 6,000.^[66] Construction began on 28 July 1921, overseen by President Augusto B. Leguía.^[67] The stadium's re-inauguration on 27 October 1952, under the Manuel A. Odría administration, followed an onerous campaign for its renovation led by Miguel Dasso, president of the Sociedad de Beneficencia de Lima.^[68][69] The renovated stadium boasted a cement structure and larger spectator capacity of 53,000.^[67] Its last redevelopment, in 2011, included the construction of a plaque-covered exterior, an internal multicoloured illumination system, two giant LED screens, and 375 private suites.^[70][71]

A distinctive feature of the ground is the Miguel Dasso Tower on its north side, which contains luxury boxes (renovated in 2004).^[68] The Estadio Nacional currently has a natural bermudagrass pitch, reinstalled as part of redevelopments completed in 2011. Previously, the FPF had installed artificial turf in the stadium for the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, making it the only national stadium in CONMEBOL with such a turf.^[72] Despite the synthetic ground's rating of "FIFA Star II", the highest certification granted to artificial pitches, players accused the turf of causing them injuries, such as burns and bruises.^[73]

Peru sometimes play home matches at other venues. Outside the desert-like coast region of Lima, the thin atmosphere at the high-altitude Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega in Cusco has been described as providing strategic advantages for Peru against certain visiting teams.^[74] Other common alternate venues for the national team include two other grounds in the Peruvian capital—Alianza's Estadio Alejandro Villanueva and Universitario's Estadio Monumental ''U''.^[75][76]

The national team's training grounds are located within the Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) sports complex in Lima's San Luis district. Since 1981, the complex is managed by the Peruvian Institute of Sport (IPD).^[77] In 2017, following Peru's qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup finals, the Peruvian Football Federation announced the creation of a new complex, the Center of National Teams, in Lima's Chaclacayo district. The new complex will contain six training grounds for both the male and the female squads, including the senior and the youth sides.^[78] In 2023, the FPF also announced its Plan Maestro, which incorporates modernized infrastructure in the VIDENA.^[79]

Football has been the most popular sport in Peru since the early 20th century, with Peru having one of the largest fanbases in America's and possibly the world.^[80] Originally largely exclusive to Lima's Anglophile elite and expatriates, and secluded from the rest of the city,^[81] football became an integral part of wider popular culture during the 1900s and 1910s. Over the following decades, Augusto Leguía's government institutionalised the sport into a national pastime by promoting and organising its development.^[82] Consequently, the national football team became an important element of Peru's national identity.^[83] According to the historian Carlos Aguirre, nationalist fervor spiked during the qualification phase for the 1970 World Cup finals, because the revolutionary government of General Juan Velasco Alvarado tied the national team's success with the alleged cultural, social, and psychological changes spurred by the country's new political project.^[84]

Peruvian football fans are known for their distinctive cheer ¡Arriba Perú! ("Onward Peru!"),^[5] unabating popular chant ¡Vamos peruanos! (Let's go Peruvians!),^[85] as well as for their use of traditional Peruvian música criolla to express support, both at national team games and at club matches. Música criolla attained national and international recognition with the advent of mass media during the 1930s, becoming a recognised symbol of Peru and its culture.^[86] The national team's most popular anthems are Peru Campeón, a polca criolla (Peruvian polka) glorifying Peru's qualification for the Mexico 1970 World Cup,^[86] and Contigo Perú, a vals criollo (Peruvian waltz) that newspaper El Comercio calls "the hymn of Peruvian national football teams".^[87][G] In 2018, a FIFA-sanctioned worldwide online poll honoured the "fervent and dedicated group" of Peruvian supporters at that year's World Cup tournament with the FIFA Fan Award.^[89]

The Estadio Nacional disaster of 24 May 1964, involving Peruvian supporters, is cited as one of the worst tragedies in football history.^[90] During a qualifying match for the 1964 Olympics between Peru's under-20 team and its counterpart from Argentina, the Uruguayan referee Angel Payos disallowed a would-be Peruvian equaliser, alleging rough play. Spectators threw missiles from the stands while two fans invaded the pitch and attacked the referee. Police threw tear gas into the crowd, causing a stampede; trying to escape, fans were crushed against the stadium's locked gates. A total of 315 people died in the chaos, with more than 500 others injured.^[91]

Chile

The Peru national football team maintains prominent rivalries with its counterparts from neighbouring Chile and Ecuador. The Peruvians have a favourable record against Ecuador and a negative record against Chile.^[92][93] Peru faced both rivals in the 1939 South American Championship in Lima, which also marked the first time that Peru faced Ecuador in an official tournament; Peru won both games.^[94] Peru also defeated its rivals during qualifying for the Argentina 1978 World Cup, directly eliminating both teams.^[92][93]

The Chile–Peru football rivalry is known in Spanish as the Clásico del Pacífico ("Pacific Derby").^[6] CNN World Sport editor Greg Duke ranks it among the top ten football rivalries in the world.^[95] Peru first faced Chile in the 1935 South American Championship, defeating it 1–0.^[93] The football rivalry between Peru and Chile, partly a reflection of the geopolitical conflict between both neighboring states, is primarily a result of both football squads vying for recognition as the better team in South America's Pacific coast—as their football confederation is historically dominated by countries in South America's Atlantic coast.^[96] The two countries traditionally compete with each other over the rank of fourth-best national team in South America (after Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay).^[97] They also both claim to have invented the bicycle kick; Peruvians call it the chalaca, while it is the chilena in Chile.^[98]

Ecuador

The rivalry between the Ecuador and Peru football teams is rooted in the historical border conflict between the two nations dating back to the 19th century. In 1995, after the brief Cenepa War, CONMEBOL contemplated altering that year's Copa América group stage to prevent a match between the two sides, but ultimately did not.^[99] According to cultural historian Michael Handelsman, Ecuadorian fans consider losses to Colombia or Peru "an excuse to lament Ecuador's inability to establish itself as an international soccer power".^[100] Handelsman adds that "[t]he rivalries are intense, and the games always carry an element of national pride and honor".^[100]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2023

South Korea  v  Peru

16 June Friendly	South Korea	0–1	Peru	Busan, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9		Report	Reyna 11'	Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium Attendance: 52,443 Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

Japan  v  Peru

20 June 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[101]	Japan	4–1	Peru	Suita, Japan
18:55 UTC+9	H. Ito 22' Mitoma 37' J. Itō 63' Maeda 75'	Report	Gonzáles 83'	Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita Attendance: 35,001 Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

Paraguay  v  Peru

7 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Paraguay	0–0	Peru	Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
18:30 UTC−4		Report		Stadium: Estadio Antonio Aranda Attendance: 16,211 Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)

Peru  v  Brazil

12 September 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	0–1	Brazil	Lima, Peru
21:00 UTC−5		Report	Marquinhos 90'	Stadium: Estadio Nacional Attendance: 56,328 Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)

Chile  v  Peru

12 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Chile	2–0	Peru	Santiago, Chile
21:00 UTC−3	Valdés 74' López 90+1' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Estadio Monumental David Arellano Attendance: 36,847 Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)

Peru  v  Argentina

17 October 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	0–2	Argentina	Lima, Peru
21:00 UTC−5		Report	Messi 32', 42'	Stadium: Estadio Nacional Attendance: 37,675 Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)

Bolivia  v  Peru

16 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Bolivia	2–0	Peru	La Paz, Bolivia
16:00 UTC−4	H. Vaca 20' R. Vaca 87'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles Attendance: 28,000 Referee: Guillermo Guerrero (Ecuador)

Peru  v  Venezuela

21 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	1–1	Venezuela	Lima, Peru
21:00 UTC−5	Y.Yotun 17'	Report	J.Savarino 54'	Stadium: Estadio Nacional del Perú Attendance: 27,323 Referee: Darío Herrera (Argentina)

2024

Peru  v  Nicaragua

22 March Friendly	Peru	2–0	Nicaragua	Lima, Peru
20:45 UTC+1	Grimaldo 2' Lapadula 12'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Villanueva Attendance: 33,900 Referee: Paulo Cezar Zanovelli (Brazil)

Peru  v  Dominican Republic

26 March Friendly	Peru	4–1	Dominican Republic	Lima, Peru
20:00 UTC−4	Peña 18' Castillo 45+1' Quispe 54' Guerrero 90+4' (pen.)	Report	J.C. López 58'	Stadium: Estadio Monumental Referee: Braulio Da Silva Machado (Brazil)

Peru  v  Paraguay

7 June Friendly	Peru	v	Paraguay	Lima, Peru
20:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Estadio Monumental

Peru  v  El Salvador

14 June Friendly	Peru	v	El Salvador	Philadelphia, United States
20:00 UTC−4				Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field

Peru  v  Chile

21 June 2024 Copa América	Peru	v	Chile	Arlington, United States
19:00 UTC−5				Stadium: AT&T Stadium

Peru  v  Canada

25 June 2024 Copa América	Peru	v	Canada	Kansas City, United States
17:00 UTC−5				Stadium: Children's Mercy Park

Argentina  v  Peru

29 June 2024 Copa América	Argentina	v	Peru	Miami Gardens, United States
20:00 UTC−4				Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium

Peru  v  Colombia

September 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	v	Colombia	Lima, Peru
--:-- UTC−5				Stadium: Estadio Nacional

Ecuador  v  Peru

September 2026 World Cup qualification	Ecuador	v	Peru	Ecuador
--:-- UTC−5

Peru  v  Uruguay

October 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	v	Uruguay	Lima, Peru
--:-- UTC−5				Stadium: Estadio Nacional del Perú

Brazil  v  Peru

October 2026 World Cup qualification	Brazil	v	Peru	Brazil
--:-- UTC−3

Peru  v  Chile

November 2026 World Cup qualification	Peru	v	Chile	Lima, Peru
--:-- UTC−5				Stadium: Estadio Nacional del Perú

Argentina  v  Peru

November 2026 World Cup qualification	Argentina	v	Peru	Argentina
--:-- UTC−3

A total of 44 managers have led the Peru national football team since 1927 (including multiple spells separately); of these, 36 have been from Peru and 24 have been from abroad.^[102] Sports analysts and historians generally consider Peru's most successful managers to have been the Englishman Jack Greenwell and the Peruvian Marcos Calderón. The former managed Peru to triumph in the 1938 Bolivarian Games and the 1939 South American Championship, and the latter led Peru to victory in the 1975 Copa América tournament and coached it at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.^[103][104] Three other managers have led Peru to tournament victories—Juan Carlos Oblitas, Freddy Ternero, and Sergio Markarián each oversaw Peru's victory in the Kirin Cup in Japan, in 1999, 2005 and 2011, respectively.^[105]

Soon after forming Peru's national football team, the FPF invited Uruguayan coaches Pedro Olivieri and Julio Borelli to manage the squad. Olivieri received the FPF's first appointment, for the 1927 South American Championship, due to his prior experience managing Uruguay. Borelli became the national team's second manager, for the 1929 South American Championship, after some years of refereeing football matches in Peru.^[106] The Spaniard Francisco Bru, Peru's third manager and first World Cup coach at the inaugural tournament in 1930, previously had been Spain's first manager.^[103] The FPF next appointed the national team's first Peruvian coach, Telmo Carbajo, for the 1935 South American Championship.^[102] Coach Ricardo Gareca was credited well, bringing Peru to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, finished second in the 2019 and placed third in 2015 and fourth in 2021 Copa América's, along with almost bringing Peru to their 6th World Cup in 2022 but was removed in 2022. The team's manager since December 2023 is the Uruguayan, Jorge Fossati

Managers that brought outstanding changes to the Peru national team's style of play include the Hungarian György Orth and the Brazilians Didi and Tim. Orth coached Peru from 1957 to 1959; sports historian Andreas Campomar cites Peru's "4–1 thrashing of England in Lima" as evidence of Orth's positive influence over the national team's offensive game.^[107] Víctor Benítez, Peru's defensive midfielder under Orth, attributes the Hungarian with maximizing the team's potential by accurately placing each player in their optimal positions.^[108] Didi coached Peru from 1968 to 1970 and managed it at the 1970 FIFA World Cup; Campomar attributes Didi's tactics as the reason for Peru's development of a "free-flowing football" style.^[107] Placar, a Brazilian sports journal, attributed Tim, who managed Peru at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, with making Peru "a team that plays beautiful, combining efficiency with that swagger that people thought only existed in Brazil".^[109]

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic on 22 and 26 March 2024, respectively.^[110]

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against Dominican Republic.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Pedro Gallese	(1990-02-23) 23 February 1990 (age 34)	104	0	Orlando City
12	1GK	Carlos Cáceda	(1991-09-27) 27 September 1991 (age 32)	8	0	Melgar
	1GK	Diego Romero	(2001-08-17) 17 August 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Universitario
	1GK	Renato Solís	(1998-01-27) 27 January 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Sporting Cristal
17	2DF	Luis Advíncula	(1990-03-02) 2 March 1990 (age 34)	116	2	Boca Juniors
6	2DF	Miguel Trauco	(1992-08-25) 25 August 1992 (age 31)	75	0	Criciúma
3	2DF	Aldo Corzo	(1989-05-20) 20 May 1989 (age 34)	51	0	Universitario
2	2DF	Luis Abram	(1996-02-27) 27 February 1996 (age 28)	40	1	Atlanta United
22	2DF	Alexander Callens	(1992-05-04) 4 May 1992 (age 31)	40	1	AEK Athens
26	2DF	Marcos López	(1999-11-20) 20 November 1999 (age 24)	33	0	Feyenoord
5	2DF	Miguel Araujo	(1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 (age 29)	30	0	Portland Timbers
4	2DF	Anderson Santamaría	(1992-01-10) 10 January 1992 (age 32)	27	0	Atlas
	2DF	Carlos Ascues	(1992-06-19) 19 June 1992 (age 31)	26	5	Universidad César Vallejo
19	2DF	Oliver Sonne	(2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 23)	2	0	Silkeborg
13	2DF	Erick Noriega	(2001-07-22) 22 July 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Comerciantes Unidos
10	3MF	Sergio Peña	(1995-09-28) 28 September 1995 (age 28)	36	4	Malmö FF
16	3MF	Wilder Cartagena	(1994-09-23) 23 September 1994 (age 29)	31	0	Orlando City
15	3MF	Jesús Castillo	(2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 22)	8	1	Gil Vicente
23	3MF	Joao Grimaldo	(2003-02-20) 20 February 2003 (age 21)	6	1	PSV
8	3MF	Piero Quispe	(2001-08-14) 14 August 2001 (age 22)	4	1	UNAM
21	3MF	Martín Távara	(1999-03-25) 25 March 1999 (age 25)	4	0	Sporting Cristal
9	4FW	Paolo Guerrero (captain)	(1984-01-01) 1 January 1984 (age 40)	117	39	Universidad César Vallejo
20	4FW	Edison Flores	(1994-05-15) 15 May 1994 (age 29)	71	15	Universitario
7	4FW	Andy Polo	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 29)	44	1	Universitario
14	4FW	Gianluca Lapadula	(1990-02-07) 7 February 1990 (age 34)	31	9	Cagliari
24	4FW	Alex Valera	(1996-05-16) 16 May 1996 (age 27)	15	3	Universitario
11	4FW	Bryan Reyna	(1998-08-23) 23 August 1998 (age 25)	10	2	Belgrano
18	4FW	Franco Zanelatto	(2000-05-09) 9 May 2000 (age 23)	4	0	Alianza Lima
25	4FW	José Rivera	(1997-05-08) 8 May 1997 (age 26)	2	0	Universitario

Recent call-ups

The players listed below were not included in the current squad, but have been called up by Peru in the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alejandro Duarte	(1994-04-05) 5 April 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Alajuelense	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
GK	José Carvallo	(1986-03-01) 1 March 1986 (age 38)	8	0	Universidad César Vallejo	v.  Japan, 20 June 2023
DF	Carlos Zambrano	(1989-07-10) 10 July 1989 (age 34)	70	4	Alianza Lima	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
DF	Rafael Lutiger	(2001-07-03) 3 July 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Sport Boys	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 INJ
DF	Jhilmar Lora	(2000-10-24) 24 October 2000 (age 23)	8	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Paolo Reyna	(2001-10-13) 13 October 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Melgar	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Leonardo Díaz	(2004-03-19) 19 March 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Marco Huamán	(2002-09-25) 25 September 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Alianza Lima	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Matías Lazo	(2003-07-11) 11 July 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Melgar	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Emilio Saba	(2001-03-26) 26 March 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Carlos A. Mannucci	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Arón Sánchez	(2003-05-04) 4 May 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Academia Cantolao	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
DF	Nilson Loyola	(1994-10-26) 26 October 1994 (age 29)	9	0	Universidad César Vallejo	v.  Argentina, 17 October 2023
DF	Alonso Yovera	(2001-02-11) 11 February 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Cusco	v.  Paraguay, 7 September 2023 PRE
MF	Pedro Aquino	(1995-04-13) 13 April 1995 (age 29)	36	3	Santos Laguna	v.  Nicaragua, 22 March 2024 INJ
MF	Yoshimar Yotún	(1990-04-07) 7 April 1990 (age 34)	128	8	Sporting Cristal	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF	Renato Tapia	(1995-07-28) 28 July 1995 (age 28)	84	5	Celta Vigo	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF	Alexis Arias	(1995-12-13) 13 December 1995 (age 28)	5	0	Melgar	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
MF	Walter Tandazo	(2000-06-14) 14 June 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Melgar	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
MF	Gonzalo Aguirre	(2003-05-06) 6 May 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Nueva Chicago	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Adrián Ascues	(2002-11-15) 15 November 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Kenji Cabrera	(2003-01-27) 27 January 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Melgar	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Jefferson Cáceres	(2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Melgar	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Sebastián Cavero	(2002-06-20) 20 June 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Melgar	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Christian Neira	(2000-11-23) 23 November 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Unión Comercio	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
MF	Christofer Gonzáles	(1992-10-12) 12 October 1992 (age 31)	47	3	Universitario	v.  Argentina, 17 October 2023
MF	Jairo Concha	(1999-05-27) 27 May 1999 (age 24)	2	0	Universitario	v.  Argentina, 17 October 2023
MF	Jostin Alarcón	(2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Chile, 12 October 2023 PRE
MF	Aldair Fuentes	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Alianza Lima	v.  Chile, 12 October 2023 PRE
MF	Leonardo Villar	(2000-03-18) 18 March 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Sport Huancayo	v.  Chile, 12 October 2023 PRE
MF	Christian Cueva	(1991-11-23) 23 November 1991 (age 32)	98	16	Al-Fateh	v.  Paraguay, 7 September 2023 PRE
FW	André Carrillo	(1991-06-14) 14 June 1991 (age 32)	97	11	Al-Qadsiah	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023 INJ
FW	Santiago Ormeño	(1994-02-04) 4 February 1994 (age 30)	11	0	Puebla	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
FW	Matías Succar	(1999-02-16) 16 February 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Carlos A. Mannucci	v.  Venezuela, 21 November 2023
FW	Jhamir D'Arrigo	(1999-11-15) 15 November 1999 (age 24)	0	0	Alianza LIma	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
FW	Fabrizio Roca	(2002-03-20) 20 March 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Sport Boys	v.  Bolivia, 16 November 2023 PRE
FW	Christopher Olivares	(1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Universitario	v.  Chile, 12 October 2023 PRE
FW	Brandon Palacios	(1998-03-25) 25 March 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Sport Boys	v.  Chile, 12 October 2023 PRE
FW	Raúl Ruidíaz	(1990-07-25) 25 July 1990 (age 33)	55	4	Seattle Sounders	v.  Brazil, 12 September 2023
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to injury/absent from the national team due to injury. PRE Preliminary squad SUS Player is serving a suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad RETPlayer has retired from international football.

Notable

A report published by CONMEBOL in 2008 described Peru as traditionally exhibiting an "elegant, technical and fine football style", and praised it as "one of the most loyal exponents of South American football talent".^[111] In 2017, Argentine manager Ricardo Gareca described Peruvian footballers as "technically sound, [physically] strong and adaptable", adding that their adaptability resulted from Peru's diverse geography.^[112]

Peruvian players noted in the CONMEBOL report as "true artists of the ball" include forwards Teófilo Cubillas, Pedro Pablo León and Hugo Sotil, defender Héctor Chumpitaz and midfielders Roberto Challe, César Cueto, José del Solar, and Roberto Palacios.^[111] Cubillas, an attacking midfielder and forward popularly known as El Nene ("The Kid"), is widely regarded as Peru's greatest ever player.^[113] Chumpitaz is often cited as the team's best defender; Witzig lists him among his "Best Players of the Modern Era", and praises him as "a strong reader of the game with excellent ball skills and distribution, [who] marshalled a capable defence to support Peru's attack".^[114] El Gráfico, an Argentine sports journal, described Cueto, Cubillas, and José Velásquez as, collectively, "the best [midfield] in the world" in 1978.^[115]

Before Cubillas' appearance, Teodoro "Lolo" Fernández, a forward nicknamed El Cañonero ("The Cannoneer"), held the status of Peru's greatest player—due to his powerful shots, marksmanship, and club loyalty to Universitario.^[116] Fernández participated as a key member of the Rodillo Negro team of the 1930s, along with Alejandro Villanueva and Juan Valdivieso.^[117] Fernández scored most of the team's goals; his partner in attack, the gifted playmaker Villanueva, awed audiences with his acrobatic skills. Goalkeeper Valdivieso had a reputation as a penalty stopper with exceptional athleticism.^[118]

In 1972, teams representing Europe and South America played a commemorative match in Basel, Switzerland, for the benefit of homeless children. Cubillas, Chumpitaz, Sotil, and Julio Baylón played in the South American team, which won the game 2–0; Cubillas scored the first goal.^[119] The teams held another match the following year, at Barcelona's Camp Nou, with the declared intent of fighting global poverty. Cubillas, Chumpitaz, and Sotil again participated, with Chumpitaz named South America's captain. Each of the Peruvians scored in a 4–4 draw, which South America won 7–6 on penalties.^[120]

The Peru national football team has played 645 matches since 1927, including friendlies.^[23] The largest margin of victory achieved by a Peru side was a 9–1 win against Ecuador on 11 August 1938, at the Bolivarian Games in Colombia. The team's record defeat was a 7–0 loss to Brazil at the 1997 Copa América in Bolivia.^[23]

As of 26 March 2024^[121]

Players in bold are still active with Peru.

Most appearances

The two Peruvian players with the most international caps is Roberto Palacios, and Yoshimar Yotún who both made 128 appearances for the side from 1992 to 2007 and 2011 to present. The player with the third-most caps is Paolo Guerrero with 116. The Peruvian goalkeeper with the most appearances is Pedro Gallese with 103. The goalkeeper with the second-most caps is Óscar Ibáñez with 50; Miguel Miranda is third with 47.^[8]

Top goalscorers

The team's all-time top goalscorer is Paolo Guerrero, with 39 goals in 117 appearances. He is followed by Jefferson Farfán, with 27 goals in 102 appearances, and Teófilo Cubillas, who scored 28 goals in 81 appearances.^[8] Of the top ten scorers for Peru, Teodoro Fernández, with 24 goals in 32 games, holds the best goal-per-appearance ratio (0.75 goals/match).^[8] Claudio Pizarro scored Peru's fastest ever goal, coming less than a minute into a match against Mexico on 20 August 2003.^[122]

Peru's current captain is forward Paolo Guerrero.^[123] Midfielder Leopoldo Basurto was the team's first captain.^[124] Defender Héctor Chumpitaz held the Peruvian team's leadership position for the longest time, between 1965 and 1981.^[125] Forward Claudio Pizarro had the second-longest tenure as captain, from 2003 to 2016.^[124] In 2022, streaming service Netflix launched "Contigo capitán", a series about Paolo Guerrero's doping ban that almost impeded his participation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[126] Other notable captains include Rubén Díaz (1981–1985), Julio César Uribe (1987–1989), Juan Reynoso (1993–1999), and Nolberto Solano (2000–2003).^[125]

FIFA World Cup

Peru has taken part in the World Cup finals five times. The Peruvian team competed at the first World Cup in 1930 by invitation, and has entered each tournament at the qualifying stage since 1958, qualifying for the finals four times: in 1970, 1978, 1982 and 2018. Its all-time record in World Cup qualifying matches, as of 2017, stands at 43 wins, 37 draws and 69 losses. In the finals, the team has won five matches, drawn three and lost ten, with 21 goals in favour and 33 against.^[23] Peru won the inaugural FIFA Fair Play Trophy, awarded at the 1970 World Cup, having been the only team not to receive any yellow or red cards during the competition.^[34] Peru has the peculiar distinction of always facing the tournament's eventual winners during the finals phase.^[127]

Luis de Souza Ferreira scored Peru's first World Cup goal on 14 July 1930, in a match against Romania.^[128] José Velásquez scored Peru's fastest World Cup finals goal—that is, that scored soonest after kick-off—two minutes into the match against Iran on 11 June 1978.^[129] Jefferson Farfán is Peru's top scorer and fifth-overall top scorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualification, with 16 goals.^[130] Teófilo Cubillas is the team's top scorer in the World Cup finals, with 10 goals in 13 games.^[131] During the 1930 competition, a Peruvian became the first player sent off in a World Cup—his identity is disputed between sources as either defender Plácido Galindo or midfielder Mario de las Casas.^[H] Peru's Ramón Quiroga holds the unusual record of being the only goalkeeper to commit a foul in the opponent's side of the pitch in a match at the World Cup finals.^[134]

FIFA World Cup											Qualification
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Squad		Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	F	A
1930	Uruguay	Group stage	2	0	0	2	1	4	Squad		Qualified as invitees
1934	Italy	Withdrew									Withdrew
1938	France	Did not enter									Did not enter
1950 to 1954		Withdrew									Withdrew
1958	Sweden	Did not qualify									2nd	2	0	1	1	1	2
1962	Chile										2nd	2	0	1	1	1	2
1966	England										2nd	4	2	0	2	8	6
1970	Mexico	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	9	9	Squad		1st	4	2	1	1	7	4
1974	West Germany	Did not qualify									Play-off	3	1	0	2	3	4
1978	Argentina	Quarter-finals	6	2	1	3	7	12	Squad		2nd	6	3	2	1	13	3
1982	Spain	Group stage	3	0	2	1	2	6	Squad		1st	4	2	2	0	5	2
1986	Mexico	Did not qualify									Play-offs	8	3	2	3	10	9
1990	Italy										3rd	4	0	0	4	2	8
1994	United States										4th	6	0	1	5	4	12
1998	France										5th	16	7	4	5	19	20
2002	South Korea  Japan										8th	18	4	4	10	14	25
2006	Germany										9th	18	4	6	8	20	28
2010	South Africa										10th	18	3	4	11	11	34
2014	Brazil										7th	16	4	3	9	17	26
2018	Russia	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	2	Squad		Play-off	20	8	6	6	29	26
2022	Qatar	Did not qualify									Play-off	19	7	4	8	19	22
2026	Canada  Mexico  United States	To be determined									In progress	6	0	2	4	1	8
2030	Morocco  Portugal  Spain										To be determined
2034	Saudi Arabia
Total		Quarter-finals	18	5	3	10	21	33	—		5/22	174	50	43	81	184	241

Copa América

Peru's national team has taken part in 33 editions of the Copa América since 1927, and has won the competition twice (in 1939 and 1975), showing great results, almost always getting past the group stage. The country has hosted the tournament six times (in 1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957 and 2004). Peru's overall record in the competition is 52 victories, 33 draws, and 57 losses.^[23] Peru won the Fair Play award in the 2015 edition.^[135]

Demetrio Neyra scored Peru's first goal in the competition on 13 November 1927, in a match against Bolivia.^[59] Christian Cueva scored Peru's fastest Copa América goal, two minutes into the match against Brazil on 14 June 2015.^[136] Four tournaments have featured a Peruvian top scorer—Teodoro Fernández in 1939 and Paolo Guerrero in 2011, 2015, and 2019.^[137][138] Fernández, the Copa América's third-overall scorer, was named best player of the 1939 tournament; Teófilo Cubillas, voted the best player in the 1975 competition, is the only other Peruvian to win this award.^[139]

Peru earned its first continental title in 1939, when it won the South American Championship with successive victories over Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. This marked the first time that the competition had been won by a team other than Uruguay, Brazil, or Argentina.^[140] Peru became South American champions for the second time in 1975, when it won that year's Copa América, the first to feature all ten CONMEBOL members.^[141] Peru came top of their group in the first round, eliminating Chile and Bolivia, and in the semi-finals drew with Brazil over two legs, winning 3–1 in Brazil but losing 2–0 at home. Peru was declared the winner by drawing of lots. In the two-legged final between Colombia and Peru, both teams won their respective home games (1–0 in Bogota and 2–0 in Lima), forcing a play-off in Caracas that Peru won 1–0.^[142]

South American Championship (1916–1967)
Year	Host	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1916 to 1926		Did not enter
1927	Peru	Third place	3	1	0	2	4	11	Squad
1929	Argentina	Fourth place	3	0	0	3	1	12	Squad
1935	Peru	Third place	3	1	0	2	2	5	Squad
1937	Argentina	Sixth place	5	1	1	3	7	10	Squad
1939	Peru	Champions	4	4	0	0	13	4	Squad
1941	Chile	Fourth place	4	1	0	3	5	5	Squad
1942	Uruguay	Fifth place	6	1	2	3	5	10	Squad
1945 to 1946		Withdrew
1947	Ecuador	Fifth place	7	2	2	3	12	9	Squad
1949	Brazil	Third place	7	5	0	2	20	13	Squad
1953	Peru	Fifth place	6	3	1	2	4	6	Squad
1955	Chile	Third place	5	2	2	1	13	11	Squad
1956	Uruguay	Sixth place	5	0	1	4	6	11	Squad
1959 (first)	Argentina	Fourth place	6	1	3	2	10	11	Squad
1959 (second)	Ecuador	Did not enter
1963	Bolivia	Fifth place	6	2	1	3	8	11	Squad
1967	Uruguay	Withdrew
Copa América (1975–present)
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1975	No fixed host	Champions	9	6	1	2	14	7	Squad
1979	No fixed host	Third place	2	0	1	1	1	2	Squad
1983	No fixed host	Third place	6	2	3	1	1	7	Squad
1987	Argentina	Group stage	2	0	2	0	2	2	Squad
1989	Brazil	Group stage	4	0	3	1	4	7	Squad
1991	Chile	Group stage	4	1	0	3	9	9	Squad
1993	Ecuador	Quarter-finals	4	1	2	1	4	5	Squad
1995	Uruguay	Group stage	3	0	1	2	2	2	Squad
1997	Bolivia	Fourth place	6	3	0	2	2	2	Squad
1999	Paraguay	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	7	6	Squad
2001	Colombia	Quarter-finals	4	2	2	3	4	8	Squad
2004	Peru	Quarter-finals	4	1	2	1	7	6	Squad
2007	Venezuela	Quarter-finals	4	1	1	2	5	8	Squad
2011	Argentina	Third place	6	3	1	2	8	5	Squad
2015	Chile	Third place	6	3	1	2	8	5	Squad
2016	USA	Quarter-finals	4	2	2	0	4	2	Squad
2019	Brazil	Runners-up	6	2	2	2	10	11	Squad
2021	Brazil	Fourth place	7	2	2	3	10	14	Squad
2024	USA	Qualified
Total	2 titles	33/47	137	56	37	59	203	224	—

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Peru competed in the CONCACAF Gold Cup's fifth edition in 2000. Peru participated, along with Colombia and South Korea, as that year's invitees. The Peruvian team's overall record in the tournament is 1 victory, 1 draw, and 2 losses.^[23]

Ysrael Zúñiga scored Peru's first goal in the competition on 14 February 2000, in a match against Haiti. Roberto Palacios, the team's top scorer with two goals in four matches, received a spot in that year's "team of the tournament", comprising the competition's eleven best players.^[143]

Peru progressed past the North American tournament's first stage, despite not winning any of its matches, as the second-best ranked team in Group B behind the United States.^[143] Peru next defeated Honduras 5–3 in a heated quarter-finals match that ended a minute early due to a pitch invasion by irate Honduran fans.^[144] Colombia defeated Peru 2–1 in the semi-finals, in a match that included an own goal from Peru's Marcial Salazar.^[143]

Olympic Games

Peru's senior side has competed in the Olympic football tournament once, at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The multiracial 1936 team has been latterly described by historian David Goldblatt as "the jewel of the country's first Olympic delegation".^[145] It had a record of two victories, scoring 11 goals and conceding 5.^[23]

Teodoro Fernández scored Peru's first goal in the tournament in the match against Finland on 6 August, and finished as the team's top scorer with six goals in two games, including Peru's only hat-trick at the Olympics.^[146]

The 1935 South American Championship in Lima acted as the qualifying stage for the 1936 Olympic tournament. Uruguay won undefeated and Argentina came second, but neither took up their Olympic spot because of economic issues. Peru, who had come third, duly represented South America.^[7][147] The Peruvian team began the competition with a 7–3 win over Finland,^[146] after which it faced Austria, managed by Jimmy Hogan and popularly known as the Wunderteam, in the quarter-finals.^[I] After the game ended 2–2, Peru scored twice in extra time to win 4–2.^[151] Peru expected to then face Poland in the semi-finals, but events off the pitch led to the withdrawal of Peru's Olympic delegation before the match.^[J]

• Peru national football team indiscipline scandals
• Peru women's national football team
• Peru Olympic football team
• Peru national under-20 football team
• Peru national under-17 football team
• Peru national beach soccer team
• Peru national futsal team
• Peruvian Primera División
• Sport in Peru

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peru national association football team.

• Official website (in Spanish)
• Peru profile on FIFA.com
• ELO team records

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Inaugural Champions	Bolivarian Champions 1938 (First title)	Succeeded by U-20 Peru
Preceded by 1937 Argentina	South American Champions 1939 (First title)	Succeeded by 1941 Argentina
Preceded by 1967 Uruguay	South American Champions 1975 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1979 Paraguay
Preceded by 1998 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 1999 (First title, shared)	Succeeded by 2000 Slovakia
Preceded by 2004 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 2005 (Second title, shared)	Succeeded by 2006 Scotland
Preceded by 2009 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 2011 (Third title, shared)	Succeeded by 2016 Bosnia and Herzegovina