At the 1978 FIFA World Cup Sotil appeared in two out of three group stage matches. His first start of the competition was a 3–1 win over Scotland, on 3 June. After a draw with the Netherlands, 0–0, and a win over Iran 4–1, Peru pushed the Netherlands into second place in Group 4. Expectations were high for Peru, however, with 3 losses, Peru finished at the bottom of their group went out in the second round. Sotil failed to score in the tournament.