Latvian Higher League
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "For". Template:Infobox football league Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, also known as TonyBet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons,[1] 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 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 usually played 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, 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.[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 (Template:Langx).[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
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)
| 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:[11]
Riga Football League
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Latvian Championship 1922–1940 (independent)
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Football Championship of Latvian SSR 1942–1990
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Since independence in 1991
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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).[11] Teams in bold are part of 2020 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 | |
| 3 | 1932, 1942, 1944 | |
| Riga FC | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| FK RFS | 3 | 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| 2 | 1922, 1923 | |
| 2 | 2005, 2009 | |
| JPFS/Spartaks Jūrmala | 2 | 2016, 2017 |
| Valmiera | 1 | 2022 |
| FK Liepāja | 1 | 2015 |
| 1 | 2012 |
Transfers Virslīga
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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.[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
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 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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