Latvia national football team

Latvia
Nickname(s)11 vilki[1]
(11 Wolves)
AssociationLatvijas Futbola federācija
ConfederationUEFA
Head coachDainis Kazakevičs
CaptainAntonijs Černomordijs
Most capsVitālijs Astafjevs (167)
Top scorerMāris Verpakovskis (29)
Home stadiumDaugava Stadium
FIFA codeLVA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 135 (31 March 2022)[2]
Highest45 (November 2009)
Lowest148 (September 2017)
First international
 Latvia 1–1 Estonia 
(Riga, Latvia; 24 September 1922)
Biggest win
 Latvia 6–1 Lithuania 
(Riga, Latvia; 30 May 1935)
 Latvia 5–0 Lithuania 
(Võru, Estonia; 1 June 2012)
 Gibraltar 0–5 Latvia 
(Gibraltar; 29 March 2016)
 Andorra 0–5 Latvia 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 17 November 2020)
Biggest defeat
 Sweden 12–0 Latvia 
(Stockholm, Sweden; 29 May 1927)
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2004)
Best resultGroup stage (2004)
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Latvia women's national football team.

The Latvia national football team (Latvian: Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they have qualified for the European Championship in 2004 under head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs.

Latvia, alongside their Baltic rivals, Lithuania and Estonia, have also participated in the local sub-regional Baltic Cup tournament, which takes place every two years. Latvia has won the Baltic Cup championship a record 13 times, more than any other country in the history of the tournament, most recently in 2018.

Latvia's current home ground is the Daugava Stadium in Riga.

History

Early years

Latvia played their first match in 1922, a game against Estonia, which finished in a 1–1 draw. Latvia have won the Baltic Cup 12 times, and played 99 official games during its pre-war period from 1922 to 1940.[3][4]

In 1937, the Latvian team participated in the first qualification tournament for the 1938 World Cup. Latvia were placed in Group 8, alongside Austria and Lithuania.[5] Latvia beat Lithuania 4–2 in Riga, after a Fricis Kaņeps hat-trick and an Iļja Vestermans goal.[5] In Kaunas, they won 5–1, after two goals each from Kaņeps, Vaclavs Borduško, and Vestermans,[5] but lost 1–2 in the decisive away match against Austria, despite an early goal from Vestermans.[5] In April 1938, the Austrian Anschluss relegated the Austrian team, however, Latvia was not invited to the tournament by FIFA as the group's runner-up.[6]

Occupation period (1945–1990)

In 1940, Latvia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1991 and played their first match against Estonia on 16 November of that year in the Baltic Cup, and their first FIFA-recognized match against Romania on 8 April 1992 in Bucharest, a match, which Latvia lost 2–0.[7]

Euro 2004 underdog story
Latvian fans at Euro 2004

In September 2003, Latvia surprisingly finished second, ahead of Poland, in their qualifying group for Euro 2004.[8] This meant they qualified for the play-offs, where they were drawn against Turkey. Latvia won the first leg 1–0, through top goalscorer, Māris Verpakovskis.[9] The second leg finished in a 2–2 draw, with Latvia winning 3–2 on aggregate, thus qualifying for the tournament.[10][11] This resulted in Latvia being the first and only Baltic team, as well as being the second former-Soviet state in Europe at the time (after Russia) to qualify for a European Championship.[10][11] At Euro 2004, Latvia were drawn in Group D, alongside Germany, Czech Republic, and Netherlands.[12] Latvia faced Czech Republic in their opening match on 15 June 2004, with Verpakovskis scoring before half-time.[13] However, the Czechs would later come back to win the game 2–1.[13] Four days later, Latvia earned a respectable 0–0 draw against Germany to earn their first point in a major tournament.[14] They lost their final match with 3–0 against Netherlands,[15] and were eliminated, finishing fourth, with one point from their draw and two losses.[16]

Hope for the World Cup

Latvia came close to qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After eight qualifying matches, Latvia were level on points with their next opponent, second-placed Greece, but a 5–2 defeat virtually ended all hopes of qualification and Latvia finished third in UEFA Group 2.

The sharp fall

Latvia have since failed to qualify for another major tournament. Recent years have seen a sharp decline with many loses and anti records .

Stadium

The majority of home matches take place at the Daugava Stadium in Riga. Between 2000 and 2018, the main base for the team was the Skonto Stadium, which was built as a temporary location due to the planned renovation of Daugava Stadium, which started only in 2017, with the first stage completed a year later.

Home venues record

The following table provides a summary of Latvia's results at home venues since 1992.

As of 8 June 2021.
Stadium City / town Pld W D L Win % Last match hosted
Skonto Stadium Riga 62 19 15 28 030.6 2021
Daugava Stadium Riga 31 11 7 13 035.5 2020
Daugava Stadium Liepāja 6 4 0 2 066.7 2016
Olympic Stadium Ventspils 1 1 0 0 100.0 2002
ASK Stadium Riga 1 0 0 1 000.0 1994
Ozolnieki Stadium Ozolnieki 1 0 1 0 000.0 1994
Totals102352344—

Results and fixtures
Main article: Latvia national football team results (2020–present)

2021
4 June 2021 2020 Baltic Cup Latvia 3–1  Lithuania Riga, Latvia
19:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Juri Frischer (Estonia)
7 June 2021 Friendly Germany  7–1 Latvia Düsseldorf, Germany
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Merkur Spiel-Arena
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)
10 June 2021 2020 Baltic Cup Estonia  2–1 Latvia Tallinn, Estonia
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Lilleküla Stadium
Attendance: 740
Referee: Robertas Valikonis (Latvia)
1 September 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Latvia 3–1  Gibraltar Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Pavel Orel (Czech Republic)
4 September 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Latvia 0–2  Norway Riga, Latvia
19:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: David Fuxman (Israel)
7 September 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Montenegro  0–0 Latvia Podgorica, Montenegro
20:45 UTC+2 Report Stadium: City Stadium
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
8 October 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Latvia 0–1  Netherlands Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Andrew Madley (England)
11 October 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Latvia 1–2  Turkey Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (Sweden)
13 November 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Norway  0–0 Latvia Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Referee: Lawrence Visser (Belgium)
16 November 2021 2022 World Cup qualification Gibraltar  1–3 Latvia Gibraltar
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)

2022
25 March 2022 Friendly Latvia 1–1  Kuwait Ta' Qali, Malta
13:00
Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Matthew De Gabriele (Malta)
29 March 2022 Friendly Azerbaijan  0-1 Latvia Ta' Qali, Malta
13:00 Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (Malta)
3 June 2022 2022-23 Nations League Latvia v  Andorra Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Daugava Stadium
6 June 2022 2022-23 Nations League Latvia v  Liechtenstein Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Daugava Stadium
10 June 2022 2022-23 Nations League Moldova  v Latvia Moldova
Report
14 June 2022 2022-23 Nations League Liechtenstein  v Latvia Vaduz, Liechtenstein
20:45 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Rheinpark Stadion
22 September 2022 2022-23 Nations League Latvia v  Moldova Latvia
21:45 UTC+3 Report
25 September 2022 2022-23 Nations League Andorra  v Latvia Andorra
15:00 UTC+2 Report

Coaching staff
As of 20 February 2020
Position Name
Head coach Dainis Kazakevičs
Assistant coach Jurģis Pučinsks
Jānis Intenbergs
Marians Pahars
Analyst Vladimirs Serbins
Fitness coach Māris Smirnovs
Goalkeeping coach Aleksandrs Proskurņins
Physiotherapist Artūrs Ivuškāns
Jurijs Ksenzovs
Dmitrijs Jefremenkovs
Masseur Sergejs Avakovs
Doctor Boriss Novikovs
Manager Aivars Vaivods
Kitman Jānis Zeltiņš
Media officer Viktors Sopirins

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the Friendlies against Kuwait and Azerbaijan on 25 and 29 March 2022.[17]

Caps and goals as of 29 March 2022, after the match against Azerbaijan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Pāvels Šteinbors (1985-09-21) 21 September 1985 21 0 Jagiellonia Białystok
1GK Roberts Ozols (1995-09-10) 10 September 1995 15 0 Riga
1GK Rihards Matrevics (1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 1 0 Valmiera
2DF Kaspars Dubra (1990-12-20) 20 December 1990 52 3 RFS
2DF Igors Tarasovs (1988-10-16) 16 October 1988 45 2 Ethnikos Achna
2DF Roberts Savaļnieks (1993-02-04) 4 February 1993 40 2 Liepāja
2DF Antonijs Černomordijs (captain) (1996-09-26) 26 September 1996 21 1 Riga
2DF Krišs Kārkliņš (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 16 0 Liepāja
2DF Vladislavs Sorokins (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 4 0 RFS
2DF Emīls Birka (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 0 0 Valmiera
2DF Daniels Balodis (1998-06-10) 10 June 1998 0 0 Valmiera
2DF Iļja Korotkovs (2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 0 0 Auda
3MF Jānis Ikaunieks (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995 40 7 KuPS
3MF Vladimirs Kamešs (1988-10-28) 28 October 1988 37 3 Riga
3MF Andrejs Cigaņiks (1997-04-12) 12 April 1997 31 1 DAC Dunajská Streda
3MF Eduards Emsis (1996-02-23) 23 February 1996 17 1 Lahti
3MF Alvis Jaunzems (1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 17 0 Valmiera
3MF Kristers Tobers (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 14 0 Lechia Gdańsk
3MF Mārtiņš Ķigurs (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 12 0 Liepāja
3MF Vladislavs Fjodorovs (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 14 1 RFS
3MF Aleksejs Saveļjevs (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 8 1 Auda
3MF Renārs Varslavāns (2001-08-23) 23 August 2001 4 0 RFS
4FW Vladislavs Gutkovskis (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 33 6 Raków Częstochowa
4FW Raimonds Krollis (2001-10-28) 28 October 2001 19 2 Valmiera

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Krišjānis Zviedris (1997-01-25) 25 January 1997 0 0 Liepāja v.  Gibraltar, 16 November 2021
DF Vitālijs Maksimenko (1990-12-08) 8 December 1990 53 1 RFS v.  Estonia, 10 June 2021
DF Raivis Jurkovskis (1996-12-07) 7 December 1996 26 0 Riga v.  Gibraltar, 16 November 2021
DF Mārcis Ošs (1991-07-25) 25 July 1991 20 1 Spartaks Jūrmala v.  Kuwait, 25 March 2022 INJ
DF Aleksandrs Solovjovs (1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 11 0 Auda v.  Turkey, 30 March 2021
DF Elvis Stuglis (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 5 0 RFS v.  Gibraltar, 16 November 2021
MF Artūrs Zjuzins (1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 52 7 RFS v.  Gibraltar, 16 November 2021
MF Daniels Ontužāns (2000-03-07) 7 March 2000 6 0 Freiburg v.  Kuwait, 25 March 2022 INJ
MF Raivis Ķiršs (2000-01-15) 15 January 2000 0 0 Riga v.  Estonia, 10 June 2021
MF Eduards Tīdenbergs (1994-12-18) 18 December 1994 1 0 Liepāja v.  Turkey, 30 March 2021
FW Dāvis Ikaunieks (1994-01-07) 7 January 1994 34 6 Jablonec v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2021
FW Roberts Uldriķis (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 32 4 Cambuur v.  Gibraltar, 16 November 2021

INJ Withdrew due to injury

Player records
As of 16 November 2021[18]
Players in bold are still active with Latvia.

Most capped players
Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1. Vitālijs Astafjevs 167 16 1992–2010
2. Andrejs Rubins 117 9 1998–2011
3. Juris Laizāns 113 15 1998–2013
4. Imants Bleidelis 106 10 1995–2007
5. Mihails Zemļinskis 105 12 1992–2005
6. Māris Verpakovskis 104 29 1999–2014
7. Igors Stepanovs 100 4 1995–2011
Andris Vaņins 100 0 2000–2019
9. Aleksandrs Koļinko 94 0 1997–2015
10. Kaspars Gorkšs 89 5 2005–2017

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Average Period
1. Māris Verpakovskis 29 104 0.28 1999–2014
2. Ēriks Pētersons 24 63 0.38 1929–1939
3. Vitālijs Astafjevs 16 167 0.1 1992–2010
4. Marians Pahars 15 75 0.2 1996–2007
Juris Laizāns 15 113 0.13 1998–2013
6. Alberts Šeibelis 14 54 0.26 1925–1939
7. Iļja Vestermans 13 23 0.57 1935–1938
8. Aleksandrs Cauņa 12 45 0.27 2007–2015
Valērijs Šabala 12 52 0.23 2013–present
Mihails Zemļinskis 12 105 0.11 1992–2005

Hat-tricks
PlayerCompetitionAgainstHome/AwayResultDate
Voldemārs Žins International Friendly LithuaniaHome6–327 July 1927
Voldemārs Plade 1929 Baltic Cup LithuaniaHome3–114 August 1929
Ēriks Pētersons 1930 Baltic Cup LithuaniaAway3–317 August 1930
Ēriks Pētersons 4International Friendly LithuaniaHome5–230 June 1931
Ēriks Pētersons International Friendly LithuaniaHome6–212 June 1933
Hugo VītolsInternational Friendly LithuaniaHome6–130 May 1935
Fricis Kaņeps 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification LithuaniaHome4–229 July 1937
  • 4 Player scored 4 goals

Clean sheets
Rank Player Games
1 Andris Vaņins 25
2 Aleksandrs Koļinko 21
3 Oļegs Karavajevs 13
4 Raimonds Laizāns 12
5 Arvīds Jurgens 5
Jānis Bebris 5
7 Jānis Kļaviņš 4
Roberts Ozols 4
9 Andrejs Piedels 2
Pāvels Šteinbors 2

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Did not enter Was not invited
1934 Declined participation
1938 Did not qualify 3 2 0 1 10 5
1950 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994 Did not qualify 12 0 5 7 4 21
1998 10 3 1 6 10 14
2002 8 1 1 6 5 16
2006 12 4 3 5 18 21
2010 10 5 2 3 18 15
2014 10 2 2 6 10 20
2018 10 2 1 7 7 18
2022 10 2 3 5 11 14
2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/11 85 21 18 46 93 144

UEFA European Championship
Main article: Latvia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1960 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996 Did not qualify 10 4 0 6 11 20
2000 10 3 4 3 13 12
2004 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 1 5 Squad 10 6 2 2 13 8
2008 Did not qualify 12 4 0 8 15 17
2012 10 3 2 5 9 12
2016 10 0 5 5 6 19
2020 10 1 0 9 3 28
2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Group stage 1/7 3 0 1 2 1 5 — 72 21 13 38 70 116

UEFA Nations League
UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 D 1 60422651st
2020–21 D 1 61418453rd
2022–23 D 1 To be determined
Total 12 1 8 3 10 10 51st

Baltic Cup
Baltic Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
1928Champions1st220040
1929Runners-up2nd211053
1930Runners-up2nd211065
1931Runners-up2nd210123
1932Champions1st220051
1933Abandoned1st211032
1935Runners-up2nd202033
1936Champions1st220042
1937Champions1st211062
1938Runners-up2nd202022
1991Runners-up2nd211031
1992Runners-up2nd210144
1993Champions1st211020
1994Runners-up2nd210121
1995Champions1st220040
1996Third place3rd201123
1997Runners-up2nd210122
1998Runners-up2nd210121
2001Champions1st220072
2003Champions1st211021
2005Runners-up2nd100102
2008Champions1st220031
2010Runners-up2nd202000
2012Champions1st220061
2014Champions1st220010
2016Champions1st211021
2018Champions1st211021
2020Runners-up2nd210143
Total13 Titles28/2855311688847

Olympic Games
Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1924Second round15th100107Squad
TotalSecond round1/1100107—

Head-to-head record

As of 11 October 2021 after match against  Turkey[19]

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

See also

References
  1. Krīgers, Renārs. "Jauna identitāte". www.lff.lv. LFF. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  3. "Latvian national team history". Latvian Football Federation. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  4. "1922–1940. gads (99 spēles)". Latvian Football Federation (in Latvian). Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. "World Cup 1938 – Qualifying". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  6. "1938 FIFA World Cup France ™ Preliminaries". International Federation of Association Football. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  7. "1992. gads". Latvian Football Federation (in Latvian). Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. "How they qualified: Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  9. "Verpakovskis sparks Latvian joy". Unions of European Football Associations. 16 November 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  10. "Joyful Latvia make history". Unions of European Football Associations. 20 November 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  11. "Latvia claim historic win". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  12. "Euro 2004 draw". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  13. "Czech Rep 2–1 Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 June 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  14. "Latvia 0–0 Germany". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 June 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  15. "Holland 3–0 Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  16. "Group D". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 May 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  17. "LATVIJAS IZLASĒ DIVI JAUNPIENĀCĒJI". Latvian Football Federation. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  18. Mamrud, Roberto. "Latvia - Record International Players". RSSSF.
  19. "World Football Elo Ratings: Latvia". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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