Latvian club football structure consists of 4 leagues. 10 professional and semi-professional clubs compete in the highest tier – Tonybet Virsliga. Current map of the League includes almost all major Latvian cities: Riga, Daugavpils, Liepaja, Valmiera, Jelgava and Tukums. Two Riga clubs – RFS and Riga FC are Real and Barcelona of the Latvian football. Riga city derbies played between these two teams are considered the biggest rivalry in Latvian sport and attract major interest both from spectators and medias. Last 4 matches at Skonto stadium (Riga FC home ground) were attended by at least 4000 spectators.
Only two times Latvian clubs qualified for UEFA Club competition group stage. FK Ventspils (currently plays in 1st League, 2nd tier of Latvian club football) did it for the first time among all Baltic state clubs back in 2009. Matches against Hertha BSC, SC Heerenveen and Sporting Lisbon were played in Riga, as the stadium in Ventspils did not comply with UEFA regulations.
Second successful attempt was made by the current Latvian champions – RFS. It happened recently, in season 2022/23, when RFS reached UEFA Europa Conference League group stage and brought to Latvia such well known clubs as Hearts from Scotland, Italian Fiorentina and Istanbul Basaksehir. In both occasions Latvian clubs did not make it to the Knock-out stage.
Skonto Riga, club that doesn’t exist anymore, is the most successful club since 1991 when the first season of Virsliga, after Latvia gained its independence after Soviet Union era, was played. In total Skonto has 15 League titles, including 14 consecutive ones from 1991 to 2004.
Local fans and football tourists can surf Virsliga’s website to get the latest information on matches, teams, and players and also use links to club ticketing platforms. Games are rarely sold out, but it is always more convenient to buy tickets in advance. Priced are dependable on teams and venues, but usually to do not exceed 10 EUR.
