Latvian Higher League

Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, known for sponsorship reasons as TonyBet Virslīga since 2024,[1] is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs.

Latvian Higher League
Founded1927 (1927)
Country Latvia
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Number of teams10
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toOptibet Nākotnes Līga
Domestic cup(s)Latvian Cup
Latvian Supercup
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Conference League
Current championsRFS (2nd title)
(2023)
Most championshipsSkonto (15)
TV partnersDomestic
TV4
International
Eleven Sports
OneFootball
Websitetonybetvirsliga.com
Current: 2024 Latvian Higher League

History and league format

History

The first all-national Latvian championship, which succeeded the Riga Football League and other regional leagues, was organized in 1927, which lasted until the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. After World War II, between 1945 and 1991 the championship of Soviet Latvia was the main footballing competition in the Latvian SSR.

With Latvia regaining full independence in August 1991, the newly established Latvian Football Federation (LFF) decided to reorganise its competitions within the Virslīga from 1992.[2] The same year Latvia returned to FIFA and became a member of UEFA.

Format

Latvian Higher League is being played usually from early March till November. Although the team count in the league has changed multiple times (10 in 2007[3] and 2020, 9 in 2019[4] and 2021, and 8 in 2015-2018), since 2022, total of 10 teams are participating in the Virslīga. Each side are playing 36 games during the season, with 18 games being played at home and other 18 - away.

At the end of each season, the lowest placed team in the league gets automatically relegated to the Optibet Nākotnes Līga, with Nākotnes Līga winner replacing them, while the second lowest placed team gets to play in a 2 leg relegation playoff (Pārspēles) against the runner-up of the Nākotnes Līga, for the last spot in the league. The winner of Virslīga qualifies for the UEFA Champions League first qualification round, while runners-up and 3rd place teams qualify for the UEFA Conference League first qualification round.[5]

A winter off-season league cup, the Virslīga Winter Cup, was played in January of each year from 2013 to 2017, which was replaced in 2018 by the Virslīga Cup (Latvian: Virslīgas kausa izcīņa).[6] However since 2024, a revamped off-season tournament, Livonia Cup, is being played from January till February, with teams from Latvia's and Estonia's leagues taking part.

Sponsorships and name changes
LMT Virslīga logo (2006–2010)

The League has changed sponsors for several times. From 2006 until 2010 it was known as the LMT Virslīga. No sponsorships were established for the 2011 season. Starting from the 2012 season, the league was reorganised in partnership with an NGO as "Latvijas Futbola virslīga",[7] adopting the NGO's name in the 2012 season. From 2013 to 2015, the league was known as the SMScredit.lv Virslīga due to a contract with the online microfinance company SMScredit.[8] In March 2016, it was announced that the Virslīga would be sponsored by SynotTip Sports Bar on a three-year contract.[9] They were succeeded by betting firm Optibet on a two-year contract, beginning with the Optibet Virslīga 2019 season, which lasted until 2024.[10] In 2024 Optibet was replaced by TonyBet.

Clubs (2024)
Locations of the 2024 Latvian Higher League teams
FK Liepāja
Grobiņas SC
Grobiņas SC
RFSRiga FCMETTA/LU
Jelgava
Valmiera
BFC Daugavpils
BFC Daugavpils
Tukums 2000
Tukums 2000
FK Auda
Locations of the 2024 Latvian Higher League teams
Club Position
in 2023
RFS1st
Riga FC2nd
FK Auda3rd
Valmiera FC4th
FK Liepaja5th
FS Jelgava6th
BFC Daugavpils7th
FK Tukums 20008th
Metta/LU9th
Grobiņas SC1st in 2023 Nākotnes Līga

Titles by year

Source:[11]

Riga Football League

Latvian Championship 1922–1940 (independent)

Football Championship of Latvian SSR 1942–1990

Since independence in 1991

Topscorers (1992-present)
Year Top scorers Club Goals
1992 Latvia Vjačeslavs ŽevnerovičsFK VEF Rīga19
1993 Latvia Aleksandrs JeļisejevsSkonto FC20
1994 Latvia Vladimirs BabičevsSkonto FC14
1995 Latvia Vitālijs AstafjevsSkonto FC19
1996 Latvia Russia Mihails MiholapsDaugava Riga33
1997 Georgia (country) David ChaladzeSkonto FC25
1998 Latvia Viktors DobrecovsFK Liepājas Metalurgs23
1999 Latvia Viktors DobrecovsFK Liepājas Metalurgs22
2000 Latvia Vladimirs KoļesņičenkoSkonto FC17
2001 Latvia Russia Mihails MiholapsSkonto FC24
2002 Latvia Russia Mihails MiholapsSkonto FC23
2003 Latvia Viktors DobrecovsFK Liepājas Metalurgs36
2004 Russia Aleksandr KatasonovFK Liepājas Metalurgs21
2005 Latvia Viktors Dobrecovs
Latvia Igors Sļesarčuks		FK Liepājas Metalurgs
FK Venta/FK Ventspils		18
2006 Latvia Russia Mihails MiholapsSkonto FC15
2007 Latvia Vīts RimkusFK Ventspils20
2008 Latvia Vīts RimkusFK Ventspils14
2009 Latvia Kristaps GrebisFK Liepājas Metalurgs30
2010 Latvia Deniss Rakels
Brazil Nathan Júnior		FK Liepājas Metalurgs
Skonto FC		18
2011 Brazil Nathan JúniorSkonto FC22
2012 Georgia (country) Mamuka GhonghadzeFC Daugava18
2013 Latvia Artūrs Karašausks
Latvia Andrejs Kovaļovs		Skonto FC
FC Daugava		16
2014 Latvia Vladislavs GutkovskisSkonto FC28
2015 Latvia Dāvis IkaunieksFK Liepāja15
2016 Latvia Ģirts KarlsonsFK Ventspils17
2017 Russia Yevgeni Kozlov
Latvia Artūrs Karašausks
Nigeria Adeleke Akinjemi		FK Spartaks Jūrmala
FK Liepāja
FK Ventspils		10
2018 Serbia Montenegro Darko LemajićRiga FC15
2019 Serbia Montenegro Darko LemajićRiga FC/RFS15
2020 Brazil DodôFK Liepāja18
2021 Cameroon Leonel WambaFK Spartaks Jūrmala14
2022 Latvia Raimonds KrollisValmiera FC24
2023 Latvia Marko RegžaRiga FC19

Notable managers and players

Most titles

This is a list of clubs, in order of most titles won in championships in independent Latvia (1922–1940 and 1991 to date).[11] Teams in bold are part of 2020 Virslīga.

Players of FK Ventspils celebrate after becoming champions in 2008

By club
Club No. of Titles Years won
Skonto Riga 15 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010
RFK Riga 8 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1940
Olimpija Liepāja 7 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933, 1936, 1938, 1939
Ventspils 6 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014
ASK Riga 3 1932, 1942, 1944
Riga FC 3 2018, 2019, 2020
Liepājas Metalurgs 2 2005, 2009
Kaiserwald Riga 2 1922, 1923
JPFS/Spartaks Jūrmala 2 2016, 2017
RFS 2 2021, 2023
Valmiera 1 2022
FK Liepāja 1 2015
Daugava Daugavpils 1 2012

Transfers Virslīga

Transfers from Virslīga
# Player From To Season Fee
1Nigeria Tolu ArokodareValmiera FCFrance Amiens SC2022/20232,50 mln €
2Latvia Māris VerpakovskisSkonto FCUkraine FC Dynamo Kyiv2003/20042,00 mln €
3Serbia Andrej Ilić RFSNorway Vålerenga Fotball2023/20241,60 mln €
4Latvia Raimonds KrollisValmiera FCItaly Spezia Calcio2022/20231,52 mln €
5Republic of the Congo France Gabriel CharpentierFK Spartaks JūrmalaItaly Genoa CFC2020/20211,50 mln €
Ghana Patrick TwumasiKazakhstan FC Astana2014/20151,50 mln €
7Ukraine Bulgaria Borys TashchyJFK OlimpsRussia Dynamo Moscow2011/20121,00 mln €
8Serbia Montenegro Darko Lemajić RFSBelgium K.A.A. Gent2021/2022900 tys. €
9Nigeria Chinonso Offor RFSUnited States Chicago Fire FC2020/2021760 tys. €
10Latvia Aleksandrs KoliņkoSkonto FCEngland Crystal Palace F.C.2000/2001750 tys. €

Transfers to Virslīga
# Player From To Season Fee
1 Croatia Hrvoje BabecCroatia NK Vihor JelisavacRiga FC2022/20231,60 mln €
2Peru Italy Gustavo DulantoMoldova FC Sheriff Tiraspol2022/20231,00 mln €
Costa Rica Nicaragua Anthony ContrerasCosta Rica C.S. Herediano2022/20231,00 mln €
4Peru Luis IbericoPeru FBC Melgar2022/2023900 tys. €
5Ukraine Bulgaria Borys TashchyUkraine FC Chornomorets OdesaJFK Olimps2011/2012600 tys. €
6Bosnia and Herzegovina Rifet KapićUkraine FC Kryvbas Kryvyi RihValmiera FC2023/2024500 tys. €
7Ivory Coast Cédric GogouaSerbia FK PartizanRiga FC2016/2017350 tys. €
Georgia (country) Lasha OdishariaGeorgia (country) FC Dinamo Tbilisi RFS2023/2024350 tys. €
9 Brazil Portugal Douglas AurélioCyprus Pafos FCRiga FC2022/2023300 tys. €
Lithuania Audrius KšanavičiusLithuania FBK KaunasSkonto FC2001/2002300 tys. €

Rivalries

The most well-known rivalry is the Kurzeme derby (Kurzemes derbijs) between Ventspils and Liepāja. The two biggest clubs in Kurzeme have played 86 matches between themselves with a record of 31–28–27 (including Metalurgs) in favor of Liepāja prior to the 2019 Virslīga.[12]

Since 2016, the Riga Derby (Rīgas derbijs) was started between Riga FC and Rīgas FS as two clubs were promoted at the same time. A 2019 match in Skonto Stadium between the two sides broke a ten-year attendance record.[13]

Virslīga clubs in international competitions

UEFA competitions

Ventspils was the Latvian first club who qualified for the group stage of a UEFA club competition, reaching the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League group stage.[14]

Skonto reached the UEFA Champions League last qualifying stage for a number of times in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but lost to such teams like Barcelona in 1997, Inter Milan in 1998 and Chelsea in 1999.

Most recently, RFS qualified for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, finishing in fourth place with 2 points.

Commonwealth of Independent States Cup

Baltic League

  • Metalurgs
    • Champions (1): 2007.
  • Ventspils
    • Champions (1): 2010.
    • Runners-up (2): 2007, 2011.
  • Skonto
    • Champions (1): 2011.
    • Runners-up (1): 2008.

References
  1. Gaigalietis, Niks (28 February 2024). "Latvijas Virslīgas futbola čempionātam jauns ģenerālsponsors". TonyBet Virslīga / Futbola Virslīga (in Latvian). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  2. "Latvia". UEFA. All rights reserved. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  3. Mike Dryomin (14 March 2008). "Latvia 2007". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  4. "Sacensību sistēmas modeļa apstiprināšana". lff.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  5. "Dokumenti". Optibet Virslīga / Futbola Virslīga (in Latvian). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  6. "Ziemas kauss futbolā vairs nenotiks, to aizstās Virslīgas kausa izcīņa". LA.lv (in Latvian). 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  7. "About Virslīga". Biedrība Latvijas Futbola Virslīga. Futbolavirsliga.lv. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (in Latvian)
  8. "Latvijas futbola virslīgai nākamajā sezonā būs jauns ģenerālsponsors". Public Broadcasting of Latvia (in Latvian). 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  9. "Virslīga ar "SynotTip" noslēdz vērienīgāko līgumu līgas vēsturē" (in Latvian). Sportacentrs.com. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. "Becomes main sponsor of Latvian football league". Enlabs AB. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  11. Almantas Lauzadis and Hans Schöggl (23 March 2017). "Latvia – List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  12. "Futbola virslīgā tiks aizvadīts Kurzemes derbijs". TVNET (in Latvian). 20 June 2019. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  13. Suveizda, Agris (2 June 2019). "Rīgas derbijs labo Virslīgas desmitgades apmeklētības rekordu". SportaCentrs.com (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  14. https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/01dd-0e72db017feb-8c553ea87481-1000--ventspils-do-latvia-proud-in-berlin/


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