Latvia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)11 vilki[1]
(11 Wolves)
AssociationLatvijas Futbola federācija (LFF)
ConfederationUEFA
Head coachVacant
CaptainKristers Tobers
Most capsVitālijs Astafjevs (167)
Top scorerMāris Verpakovskis (29)
Home stadiumSkonto Stadium
Daugava Stadium (rare matches)
FIFA codeLVA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 137 Steady (21 December 2023)[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)

The Latvia national football team (Latvian: Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in men's 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, but did qualify 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, although since the autumn of 2022 most games have been held at Skonto Stadium.

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 made the Austrian team unable to participate, however, despite being the group's runner-up, Latvia was not invited to the tournament by FIFA to replace Austria.[6]

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]

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]

Latvia have since failed to qualify for another major tournament, although they 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. Recent years have seen a sharp decline with many losses. In the EURO 2020 qualifiers, Latvia lost 9 out of 10 games, including a woeful 0-5 home loss to Slovenia.

Team image

Kits

Latvia's kit is traditionally a carmine red jersey with white trim, carmine red shorts and socks, whilst their current away kit is all predominantly white. Latvia's kits have been produced by various manufacturers.

Crest

Until July 2018, the team crest consisted of the Latvian Football Federation logo, when it was switched to a shield with a football in the colors of the Latvian flag and 'LATVIJA' written above. A similar crest with a head of a howling wolf was also unveiled as a secondary logo for use in souvenirs etc as part of the #11vilki (#11wolves) brand.[17]

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Period
England Umbro 1992-1994
Germany Adidas 1994-1996
Austria Tro 1996-1998
Germany Puma 1998-2000
France Tramondi 2000-2002
Germany Adidas 2002–present

Media coverage

All Latvian matches are broadcast with full commentary on Viaplay Group. From the 2022 season until the 2028 season, Latvia's home and away qualifiers, and friendlies both home and away were broadcast live. On 20 July 2023, Viaplay announced that the Swedish streaming service provider "Viaplay" will leave the market of the Baltic countries.[18][19]

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 14 June 2023.
Stadium City / town Pld W D L Win % Last match hosted
Skonto Stadium Riga 63 19 15 29 030.2 2022
Daugava Stadium Riga 39 15 7 17 038.5 2022
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

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

22 March 2023 (2023-03-22) Friendly Republic of Ireland  3–2  Latvia Dublin, Ireland
19:45 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 41,211
Referee: Andrei Chivulete (Romania)
28 March 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Wales  1–0  Latvia Cardiff, Wales
19:45 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 32,80
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)
16 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Latvia  2–3  Turkey Riga, Latvia
21:45 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Skonto Stadium
Attendance: 6,287
Referee: Tamás Bognár (Hungary)
19 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Armenia  2–1  Latvia Yerevan, Armenia
20:00 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium
Attendance: 13,450
Referee: Peter Kralović (Slovakia)
8 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Croatia  5–0  Latvia Rijeka, Croatia
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Stadion Rujevica
Attendance: 8,152
Referee: Philip Farrugia (Malta)
11 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Latvia  0–2  Wales Riga, Latvia
20:45 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Skonto Stadium
Attendance: 6,464
Referee: Michal Ocenáš (Slovakia)
12 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Latvia  2–0  Armenia Riga, Latvia
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Skonto Stadium
Attendance: 5,128
Referee: Rade Obrenovič (Slovenia)
15 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Turkey  4–0  Latvia Konya, Turkey
21:45 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium
Attendance: 35,925
Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albania)
18 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Latvia  0–2  Croatia Riga, Latvia
19:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Skonto Stadium
Attendance: 6,747
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland)
21 November 2023 Friendly Poland  2–0  Latvia Warsaw, Poland
21:45 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Stadion Narodowy
Attendance: 31,000
Referee: Ondrej Berka (Czech Republic)

Coaching staff

As of 8 December 2023
Position Name
Head coach
Assistant coach Latvia Jurģis Pučinsks
Latvia Jānis Intenbergs
Latvia Marians Pahars
Analyst Latvia Vladimirs Serbins
Fitness coach Latvia Māris Smirnovs
Goalkeeping coach Latvia Aleksandrs Proskurņins
Physiotherapist Latvia Artūrs Ivuškāns
Latvia Jurijs Ksenzovs
Latvia Dmitrijs Jefremenkovs
Masseur Latvia Sergejs Avakovs
Doctor Latvia Boriss Novikovs
Manager Latvia Aivars Vaivods
Kitman Latvia Jānis Zeltiņš
Media officer Latvia Viktors Sopirins

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Croatia on 18 November 2023 and Friendly match against Poland on 21 November 2023.

Caps and goals as of 11 September 2023, after the match against Wales.[20]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Nils Toms Puriņš (1998-08-01) 1 August 1998 3 0 Latvia Riga
12 1GK Roberts Ozols (1995-09-10) 10 September 1995 16 0 Latvia Auda
23 1GK Rihards Matrevics (1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 3 0 Latvia Riga

2 2DF Vladislavs Sorokins (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 8 0 Latvia RFS
3 2DF Mārcis Ošs (1991-07-25) 25 July 1991 26 1 Latvia RFS
4 2DF Kaspars Dubra (1990-12-20) 20 December 1990 61 3 Lithuania Panevėžys
5 2DF Antonijs Černomordijs (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 31 1 Latvia Riga
11 2DF Roberts Savaļnieks (1993-02-04) 4 February 1993 53 3 Latvia RFS
13 2DF Raivis Jurkovskis (1996-12-07) 7 December 1996 37 0 Latvia Riga
21 2DF Daniels Balodis (1998-06-10) 10 June 1998 7 1 Latvia Valmiera

6 3MF Kristers Tobers (captain) (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 26 1 Switzerland Grasshopper
7 3MF Eduards Dašķevičs (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 5 0 Latvia Riga
8 3MF Eduards Emsis (1996-02-23) 23 February 1996 29 2 Norway Raufoss
9 3MF Dāvis Ikaunieks (1994-01-07) 7 January 1994 45 6 Czech Republic Jablonec
10 3MF Jānis Ikaunieks (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995 53 13 Latvia RFS
14 3MF Andrejs Cigaņiks (1997-04-12) 12 April 1997 46 2 Poland Widzew Łódź
15 3MF Maksims Toņiševs (2000-05-12) 12 May 2000 2 0 Latvia Valmiera
16 3MF Alvis Jaunzems (1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 32 0 Poland Stal Mielec
17 3MF Dmitrijs Zelenkovs (2000-05-15) 15 May 2000 2 0 Latvia RFS
22 3MF Aleksejs Saveļjevs (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 14 1 Latvia Auda
24 3MF Krišs Kārkliņš (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 17 0 Latvia Auda
25 3MF Bogdans Samoilovs (2000-05-13) 13 May 2000 0 0 Latvia Tukums

18 4FW Marko Regža (1999-01-20) 20 January 1999 4 0 Latvia Riga
19 4FW Raimonds Krollis (2001-10-28) 28 October 2001 33 3 Italy Spezia
20 4FW Roberts Uldriķis (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 44 7 Netherlands Cambuur

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 Finland SJK v.  Wales, 11 September 2023
GK Jānis Beks (2002-11-01) 1 November 2002 0 0 Latvia Metta v.  Armenia, 19 June 2023
GK Pāvels ŠteinborsWD (1985-09-22) 22 September 1985 30 0 Latvia RFS v.  Wales, 28 March 2023

DF Kirils Iļjins (2001-05-03) 3 May 2001 0 0 Latvia Riga v.  Turkey, 15 October 2023
DF Dāvis Dāvids Sprūds (1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 0 0 Luxembourg Swift Hesperange v.  Wales, 11 September 2023
DF Elvis Stuglis (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 10 0 Poland Chrobry Głogów v.  Armenia, 19 June 2023
DF Emīls Birka (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 0 0 Latvia Valmiera v.  Wales, 28 March 2023

MF Oskars Vientiess (2002-10-08) 8 October 2002 0 0 Latvia Metta v.  Turkey, 15 October 2023
MF Deniss Meļņiks (2002-09-07) 7 September 2002 0 0 Latvia Auda v.  Armenia, 19 June 2023
MF Artūrs ZjuzinsWD (1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 60 9 Latvia RFS v.  Wales, 28 March 2023
MF Renārs Varslavāns (2001-08-23) 23 August 2001 6 0 Latvia Valmiera v.  Wales, 28 March 2023

FW Vladislavs GutkovskisINJ (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 43 11 South Korea Daejeon Hana Citizen v.  Armenia, 19 June 2023

RET Retired from national team
INJ Injured player
WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue

Player records

As of 21 November 2023[21]
Players in bold are still active with Latvia.

Most appearances

Vitālijs Astafjevs is Latvia's most capped player with 167 appearances.
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 Koliņko 94 0 1997–2015
10 Kaspars Gorkšs 89 5 2005–2017

Top goalscorers

Māris Verpakovskis is Latvia's top scorer with 29 goals.
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
Valērijs Šabala 13 53 0.25 2013–2019
9. Aleksandrs Cauņa 12 45 0.27 2007–2015
Jānis Ikaunieks 12 58 0.25 2014–present
Mihails Zemļinskis 12 105 0.11 1992–2005

Hat-tricks

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

Clean sheets

Rank Player Games
1 Andris Vaņins 25
2 Aleksandrs Koliņko 21
3 Oļegs Karavajevs 13
4 Raimonds Laizāns 12
5 Arvīds Jurgens 5
Jānis Bebris 5
Pāvels Šteinbors 5
8 Jānis Kļaviņš 4
Roberts Ozols 4
10 Andrejs Piedels 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
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Did not enter
France 1938 Did not qualify 3 2 0 1 10 5
Brazil 1950 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 12 0 5 7 4 21
France 1998 10 3 1 6 10 14
South Korea Japan 2002 8 1 1 6 5 16
Germany 2006 12 4 3 5 18 21
South Africa 2010 10 5 2 3 18 15
Brazil 2014 10 2 2 6 10 20
Russia 2018 10 2 1 7 7 18
Qatar 2022 10 2 3 5 11 14
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/11 85 21 18 46 93 144

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
France 1960 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
Spain 1964
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992
England 1996 Did not qualify 10 4 0 6 11 20
Belgium Netherlands 2000 10 3 4 3 13 12
Portugal 2004 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 1 5 Squad 10 6 2 2 13 8
Austria Switzerland 2008 Did not qualify 12 4 0 8 15 17
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 3 2 5 9 12
France 2016 10 0 5 5 6 19
European Union 2020 10 1 0 9 3 28
Germany 2024 8 1 0 7 5 19
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Group stage 1/8 3 0 1 2 1 5 80 22 13 45 75 135

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 D 1 604226Same position51st
2020–21 D 1 614184Same position53rd
2022–23 D 1 6411125Rise50th
2024–25 C To be determined
Total 18 5 9 4 22 15 50th

Baltic Cup

Baltic Cup record
YearResultPositionMWDLGFGA
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
2022Runners-up2nd210122
Total13 Titles28/2855311688847

Olympic Games

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

Head-to-head record

As of March 29 2022 after match against  Azerbaijan[22]

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Honours

See also

References

  1. Krīgers, Renārs. "Jauna identitāte". www.lff.lv. LFF. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. "Latvian national team history". Latvian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  4. "1922–1940. gads (99 spēles)". Latvian Football Federation (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "World Cup 1938 – Qualifying". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. 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). Archived from the original on 30 December 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. "How they qualified: Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 May 2004. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  9. "Verpakovskis sparks Latvian joy". Unions of European Football Associations. 16 November 2003. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Joyful Latvia make history". Unions of European Football Associations. 20 November 2003. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Latvia claim historic win". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 November 2003. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  12. "Euro 2004 draw". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Czech Rep 2–1 Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 June 2004. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  14. "Latvia 0–0 Germany". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 June 2004. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  15. "Holland 3–0 Latvia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 June 2004. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  16. "Group D". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 May 2004. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  17. "Vilks - Latvijas futbola izlases jaunā identitāte" [Wolf - the new identity of the Latvian national football team]. TVNET (in Latvian). 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  18. Eliņš, Rolands. "Futbola izlases, NHL un F1 raidtiesību īpašniece "Viaplay" atstās Baltijas valstu tirgu". Sportacentrs.com. Sportacentrs. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  19. "Straumēšanas pakalpojumu sniedzējs 'Viaplay' aiziet no Baltijas tirgus". Delfi.lv. LETA. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  20. "Most Latvia Caps - EU-Football.info". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  21. "Latvia". National Football Teams.
  22. "World Football Elo Ratings: Latvia". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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