Latvian Higher League
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:For Template:Infobox football league Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, also known as TonyBet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a professional association football league in Latvia and the highest level of the Latvian football league system. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the league is contested by ten clubs.
History and league format
History
The first all-national Latvian championship – the Virslīga – which succeeded the Riga Football League and other, parallel regional leagues, was organized in 1927. It succeeded the previous Latvian Championship (Template:Langx) that was held from 1922 to 1926 in similar fashion.
The Virslīga 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 re-established Latvian Football Federation (LFF) decided to reorganise its competitions within the Virslīga from 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year Latvia returned to FIFA and became a member of UEFA.
Format
Latvian Higher League is usually played from early March till November. Although the team count in the league has changed multiple times (10 in 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 2020, 9 in 2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 2021, and 8 in 2015–2018), since 2022, a total of 10 teams participate in the Virslīga. Each side plays 36 games during the season, with 18 games being played at home and the 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 (Template:Langx).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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
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",<ref>Template:Cite web Template:In lang</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2016, it was announced that the Virslīga would be sponsored by SynotTip Sports Bar on a three-year contract.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were succeeded by betting firm Optibet on a two-year contract, beginning with the Optibet Virslīga 2019 season, which lasted until 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024 Optibet was replaced by TonyBet.
Clubs (2024)
| Club | Position in 2023 |
|---|---|
| RFS | 1st |
| Riga FC | 2nd |
| FK Auda | 3rd |
| Valmiera FC | 4th |
| FK Liepaja | 5th |
| FS Jelgava | 6th |
| BFC Daugavpils | 7th |
| FK Tukums 2000 | 8th |
| Metta/LU | 9th |
| Grobiņas SC | 1st in 2023 Nākotnes Līga |
Titles by year
Source:<ref name=rsf>Template:Cite web</ref>
Riga Football League
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- 1908 British FC
- 1909 RV Union
- 1910 RV Union
- 1911 Britannia FC
- 1912 RV Union
- 1913 SV Kaiserwald
- 1914 Britannia FC
- 1915 Britannia FC
Latvian Championship 1922–1940 (independent)
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- 1922 Kaiserwald Riga
- 1923 Kaiserwald Riga
- 1924 RFK Riga
- 1925 RFK Riga
- 1926 RFK Riga
- 1927 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1928 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1929 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1930 RFK Riga
- 1931 RFK Riga
- 1932 ASK Riga
- 1933 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1934 RFK Riga
- 1935 RFK Riga
- 1936 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1937 Not played
- 1938 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1939 Olimpija Liepāja
- 1940 RFK Riga
Football Championship of Latvian SSR 1942–1990
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- 1942 ASK Riga
- 1944 ASK Riga
- 1945 Dinamo Riga
- 1946 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1947 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1948 SA Riga
- 1949 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1950 AVN Riga
- 1951 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1952 AVN Riga
- 1953 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1954 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja
- 1955 Darba rezerves (local Trudovye Rezervy section)
- 1956 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja
- 1957 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja
- 1958 Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepaja
- 1959 RER Riga
- 1960 SKA Riga
- 1961 SKA Riga
- 1962 SKA Riga
- 1963 SKA Riga
- 1964 SKA Riga
- 1965 SKA Riga
- 1966 ESR-Enerģija Riga
- 1967 ESR-Enerģija Riga
- 1968 Starts Brocēni
- 1969 Venta Ventspils
- 1970 VEF Riga
- 1971 VEF Riga
- 1972 Jūrnieks Riga
- 1973 VEF Riga
- 1974 VEF Riga
- 1975 VEF Riga
- 1976 Enerģija Riga
- 1977 Enerģija Riga
- 1978 Ķīmiķis Daugavpils
- 1979 Elektrons Riga
- 1980 Ķīmiķis Daugavpils
- 1981 Elektrons Riga
- 1982 Elektrons Riga
- 1983 VEF Riga
- 1984 Torpedo Riga
- 1985 Alfa Riga
- 1986 Torpedo Riga
- 1987 Torpedo Riga
- 1988 RAF Jelgava
- 1989 RAF Jelgava
- 1990 Gauja Valmiera
Since independence in 1991
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- 1991 Skonto Riga
- 1992 Skonto Riga
- 1993 Skonto Riga
- 1994 Skonto Riga
- 1995 Skonto Riga
- 1996 Skonto Riga
- 1997 Skonto Riga
- 1998 Skonto Riga
- 1999 Skonto Riga
- 2000 Skonto Riga
- 2001 Skonto Riga
- 2002 Skonto Riga
- 2003 Skonto Riga
- 2004 Skonto Riga
- 2005 Liepajas Metalurgs
- 2006 FK Ventspils
- 2007 FK Ventspils
- 2008 FK Ventspils
- 2009 Liepajas Metalurgs
- 2010 Skonto Riga
- 2011 FK Ventspils
- 2012 Daugava Daugavpils
- 2013 FK Ventspils
- 2014 FK Ventspils
- 2015 FK Liepaja
- 2016 JPFS/FK Spartaks Jurmala
- 2017 JPFS/FK Spartaks Jurmala
- 2018 Riga FC
- 2019 Riga FC
- 2020 Riga FC
- 2021 RFS
- 2022 Valmiera
- 2023 RFS
- 2024 RFS
- 2025 Riga FC
Topscorers (1992–present)
Notable managers and players
-
Aleksandrs Starkovs has won 12 league titles since independence with Skonto as a manager. -
Three times winner with Ventspils Ukrainian Roman Hryhorchuk is the first manager who reached Europa League group stage in Virslīga history. -
First-ever Latvian who scored in Euros Māris Verpakovskis has won league titles with both Skonto and Liepāja. -
Ukrainian born Marians Pahars has won 5 league titles before moving to Southampton. -
-
Aleksandrs Koliņko, best known for playing for Crystal Palace has won 6 league titles totally with Skonto as a player and Spartaks as an assistant manager.
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).<ref name=rsf/> Teams in bold are part of 2025 Virslīga.
By club
| Club | No. of Titles | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010 | |
| 8 | 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1940 | |
| 7 | 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933, 1936, 1938, 1939 | |
| 6 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014 | |
| Riga FC | 4 | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025 |
| 3 | 1932, 1942, 1944 | |
| FK RFS | 3 | 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| 2 | 1922, 1923 | |
| 2 | 2005, 2009 | |
| 2 | 2016, 2017 | |
| Valmiera | 1 | 2022 |
| FK Liepāja | 1 | 2015 |
| 1 | 2012 |
Transfers Virslīga
Transfers from Virslīga
Transfers to Virslīga
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Virslīga clubs in international 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Skonto reached the UEFA Champions League last qualifying stage for a number of times in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but lost to teams like Barcelona in 1997, Inter Milan in 1998 and Chelsea in 1999.
RFS qualified for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, finishing in fourth place with 2 points.
Most recently, FK RFS qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League
Commonwealth of Independent States Cup
- Metalurgs
- Champions (1): 2007.
- Ventspils
- Champions (1): 2010.
- Runners-up (2): 2007, 2011.
- Skonto
- Champions (1): 2011.
- Runners-up (1): 2008.
References
External links
- https://www.futbolavirsliga.tv Association Virsliga in Latvia
- Current Virsliga table at eurorivals
- Virsliga fixtures, including kick off times, at worldfootball.net
- Topscorers at RSSSF
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