Oriente Petrolero

Oriente Petrolero is a Bolivian football club based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The club was formed in 1926 and is the oldest football club in Bolivia. Oriente Petrolero play their home games at the Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera, which has a capacity of 40,000. The club has won the Bolivian Primera División title eight times and is the most successful team from the east of the country.

The club was originally formed by Bolivian oil workers and is still associated with the Oriente Petroleum Corporation, the largest oil corporation in Bolivia. The most successful period in the club’s history came in the 1970s with a four year period between 1973 and 1976 when the club claimed a total of six league titles. The most successful player in the club’s history is Jaime Morón who was part of the great team assembled in the 1970s and went on to play for Spanish side Real Madrid.

Oriente Petrolero’s most successful period has been between 2009 and 2016 when the club won the Primera División title four times, the Bolivian Cup three times and the Copa Aerosur twice. The 2016 Apertura Final between Oriente Petrolero and Blooming is considered one of the best matches in Bolivian league history with Oriente Petrolero coming out on top 5-4 on aggregate.

The club has a fierce rivalry with Blooming and the two sides contest the El Clásico Cruceño derby which is one of the most hotly contested fixtures in Bolivian football. The rivalry between the two sides stems from the great sides produced by both clubs in the 1970s when Oriente Petrolero and Blooming went head-to-head for the Primera División title. The rivalry between the two clubs is one of the most intense in Bolivian football with large crowds attending each game.