kids encyclopedia robot

Latvia national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Latvia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) 11 vilki
(11 Wolves)
Association Latvijas Futbola federācija
Confederation UEFA
Head coach Dainis Kazakevičs
Captain Antonijs Černomordijs
Most caps Vitālijs Astafjevs (167)
Top scorer Māris Verpakovskis (29)
Home stadium Daugava Stadium
FIFA code LVA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 131 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 45 (November 2009)
Lowest 148 (September 2017)
Elo ranking
Current 138 Decrease 18 (3 March 2019)
Highest 45 (25 September 1938)
Lowest 155 (October 2019)
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
Appearances 1 (first in 2004)
Best result Group stage (2004)

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.

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. Latvia beat Lithuania 4–2 in Riga, after a Fricis Kaņeps hat-trick and an Iļja Vestermans goal. In Kaunas, they won 5–1, after two goals each from Kaņeps, Vaclavs Borduško, and Vestermans, but lost 1–2 in the decisive away match against Austria, despite an early goal from Vestermans. 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 .

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.

Latvian kannattajia
Latvian fans at Euro 2004

In September 2003, Latvia surprisingly finished second, ahead of Poland, in their qualifying group for Euro 2004. 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. The second leg finished in a 2–2 draw, with Latvia winning 3–2 on aggregate, thus qualifying for the tournament. 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. At Euro 2004, Latvia were drawn in Group D, alongside Germany, Czech Republic, and Netherlands. Latvia faced Czech Republic in their opening match on 15 June 2004, with Verpakovskis scoring before half-time. However, the Czechs would later come back to win the game 2–1. Four days later, Latvia earned a respectable 0–0 draw against Germany to earn their first point in a major tournament. They lost their final match with 3–0 against Netherlands, and were eliminated, finishing fourth, with one point from their draw and two losses.

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.

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. .

Stadium City / town Pld W D L Win % Last match hosted
Skonto Stadium Riga &&&&&&&&&&&&&062.&&&&&062 &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028 &&&&&&&&&&&&&030.60000030.6 2021
Daugava Stadium Riga &&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&035.50000035.5 2020
Daugava Stadium Liepāja &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&066.70000066.7 2016
Olympic Stadium Ventspils &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.00 2002
ASK Stadium Riga &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 1994
Ozolnieki Stadium Ozolnieki &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 1994
Totals 102 35 23 44

Results and fixtures

2022

2023

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Latvia Dainis Kazakevičs
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

  • Technical Commission (1922–1923)
  • Latvia Juris Rēdlihs-Raiskums (1924)
  • Austria Willy Malousek (1924)
  • England Walter Wilson (1925)
  • Hungary Ferenc Molnár (1926)
  • Austria Karl Kurz (1927)
  • Austria Willy Malousek (1929)
  • Latvia Juris Rēdlihs-Raiskums (1930–1931)
  • Latvia Jānis Lapiņš (1932–1934)
  • Hungary Ferenc Voggenhuber (1935)
  • Austria Rudolf Stanzel (1936–1939)
  • Latvia Kārlis Upenieks (1940)
  • Latvia Jānis Gilis (1992–1997)
  • Georgia (country) Revaz Dzodzuashvili (1998–1999)
  • England Gary Johnson (1999–2001)
  • Latvia Aleksandrs Starkovs (2001–2004)
  • Latvia Jurijs Andrejevs (2004–2007)
  • Latvia Aleksandrs Starkovs (2007–2013)
  • Latvia Marians Pahars (2013–2017)
  • Latvia Aleksandrs Starkovs (2017–2018)
  • Finland Mixu Paatelainen (2018)
  • Slovenia Slaviša Stojanovič (2019–2020)
  • Latvia Dainis Kazakevičs (2020–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the 2022 Baltic Cup matches on 16 and 19 November 2022.

Caps and goals as of 25 September 2022, after the match against Andorra.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Pāvels Šteinbors (1985-09-22) 22 September 1985 (age 38) 28 0 Latvia RFS
1GK Rihards Matrevics (1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 24) 2 0 Latvia Valmiera
1GK Nils Toms Puriņš (1998-08-01) 1 August 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Latvia Riga

2DF Roberts Savaļnieks (1993-02-04) 4 February 1993 (age 30) 48 2 Latvia Liepāja
2DF Igors Tarasovs (1988-10-16) 16 October 1988 (age 34) 46 2 Republic of Cyprus Ypsonas
2DF Raivis Jurkovskis (1996-12-07) 7 December 1996 (age 26) 35 0 Latvia Riga
2DF Antonijs Černomordijs (captain) (1996-09-26) 26 September 1996 (age 26) 29 1 Latvia Riga
2DF Elvis Stuglis (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 (age 30) 9 0 Latvia RFS
2DF Vladislavs Sorokins (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 26) 5 0 Latvia RFS
2DF Daniels Balodis (1998-06-10) 10 June 1998 (age 25) 2 0 Latvia Valmiera
2DF Emīls Birka (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Latvia Valmiera
2DF Iļja Korotkovs (2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Latvia Auda
2DF Ivo Minkevičs (1999-06-28) 28 June 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Latvia Auda

3MF Artūrs Zjuzins (1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 (age 32) 59 8 Latvia RFS
3MF Jānis Ikaunieks (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995 (age 28) 49 11 Finland KuPS
3MF Andrejs Cigaņiks (1997-04-12) 12 April 1997 (age 26) 40 2 Slovakia DAC Dunajská Streda
3MF Eduards Emsis (1996-02-23) 23 February 1996 (age 27) 26 1 Finland Lahti
3MF Alvis Jaunzems (1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 24) 25 0 Latvia Valmiera
3MF Aleksejs Saveļjevs (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 (age 24) 8 1 Latvia Auda
3MF Renārs Varslavāns (2001-08-23) 23 August 2001 (age 22) 4 0 Latvia RFS
3MF Maksims Toņiševs (2000-05-12) 12 May 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Latvia Valmiera

4FW Dāvis Ikaunieks (1994-01-07) 7 January 1994 (age 29) 42 6 Czech Republic Jablonec
4FW Roberts Uldriķis (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 (age 25) 38 6 Netherlands Cambuur
4FW Raimonds Krollis (2001-10-28) 28 October 2001 (age 21) 27 3 Latvia 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 Roberts Ozols (1995-09-10) 10 September 1995 (age 28) 15 0 Latvia Riga v.  Azerbaijan, 29 March 2022
GK Krišjānis Zviedris (1997-01-25) 25 January 1997 (age 26) 0 0 Latvia Liepāja v.  Andorra, 25 September 2022

DF Kaspars Dubra (1990-12-20) 20 December 1990 (age 32) 59 3 Latvia RFS v.  Andorra, 25 September 2022
DF Mārcis Ošs (1991-07-25) 25 July 1991 (age 32) 20 1 Free agent v.  Liechtenstein, 6 June 2022
DF Krišs Kārkliņš (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 27) 16 0 Latvia Liepāja v.  Andorra, 25 September 2022

MF Vladimirs Kamešs (1988-10-28) 28 October 1988 (age 34) 38 3 Latvia Riga v.  Liechtenstein, 6 June 2022
MF Kristers Tobers (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 22) 21 0 Poland Lechia Gdańsk v.  Andorra, 25 September 2022
MF Vladislavs Fjodorovs (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 26) 14 1 Latvia RFS v.  Azerbaijan, 29 March 2022
MF Mārtiņš Ķigurs (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 26) 12 0 Latvia Liepāja v.  Azerbaijan, 29 March 2022
MF Daniels Ontužāns (2000-03-07) 7 March 2000 (age 23) 6 0 Germany SC Freiburg v.  Kuwait, 25 March 2022 INJ

FW Vladislavs Gutkovskis (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 28) 40 11 Poland Raków Częstochowa v.  Andorra, 25 September 2022

INJ Withdrew due to injury

Player records

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 0 2000–2019
9 Aleksandrs Koliņko 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 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 53 0.25 2013–present
9. Aleksandrs Cauņa 12 45 0.27 2007–2015
Mihails Zemļinskis 105 0.11 1992–2005

Hat-tricks

Player Competition Against Home/Away Result Date
, Voldemārs ŽinsVoldemārs Žins International Friendly Lithuania Lithuania Home 6–3 27 July 1927
, Voldemārs PladeVoldemārs Plade 1929 Baltic Cup Lithuania Lithuania Home 3–1 14 August 1929
, Ēriks PētersonsĒriks Pētersons 1930 Baltic Cup Lithuania Lithuania Away 3–3 17 August 1930
, Ēriks PētersonsĒriks Pētersons 4 International Friendly Lithuania Lithuania Home 5–2 30 June 1931
, Ēriks PētersonsĒriks Pētersons International Friendly Lithuania Lithuania Home 6–2 12 June 1933
Hugo Vītols International Friendly Lithuania Lithuania Home 6–1 30 May 1935
, Fricis KaņepsFricis Kaņeps 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Lithuania Lithuania Home 4–2 29 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 Was not invited
Italy 1934 Declined participation
France 1938 Did not qualify 3 2 0 1 10 5
Brazil 1950 Part of the  USSR Part of the  USSR
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
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  USSR Part of the  USSR
Spain 1964
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
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 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 6 0 4 2 2 6 Same position 51st
2020–21 D 1 6 1 4 1 8 4 Same position 53rd
2022–23 D 1 6 4 1 1 12 5 Rise 50th
2024–25 C To be determined
Total 18 5 9 4 22 15 50th

Baltic Cup

Baltic Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
1928 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 4 0
1929 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 1 0 5 3
1930 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 1 0 6 5
1931 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 3
1932 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 5 1
1933 Abandoned 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2
1935 Runners-up 2nd 2 0 2 0 3 3
1936 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 4 2
1937 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 6 2
1938 Runners-up 2nd 2 0 2 0 2 2
1991 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 1 0 3 1
1992 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 4
1993 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 0
1994 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 1
1995 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 4 0
1996 Third place 3rd 2 0 1 1 2 3
1997 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 2
1998 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 2 1
2001 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 7 2
2003 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
2005 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 2
2008 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 3 1
2010 Runners-up 2nd 2 0 2 0 0 0
2012 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 6 1
2014 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 1 0
2016 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
2018 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
2020 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 3
Total 13 Titles 28/28 55 31 16 8 88 47

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
France 1924 Second round 15th 1 0 0 1 0 7 Squad
Total Second round 1/1 1 0 0 1 0 7

Head-to-head record

As of 11 October 2021 after match against  Turkey

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Kits and crest

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. Rather than displaying the logo of the Latvian Football Federation, Latvia's jersey from the 2018 features the Latvia National Teams brand #11wolves.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Letonia para niños

  • Latvia national under-21 football team
  • Latvia national under-19 football team
  • Latvia national under-17 football team
National Hispanic Heritage Month on Kiddle
Hispanic astronauts
Ellen Ochoa
Michael López-Alegría
Franklin Chang-Díaz
Serena Auñón-Chancellor
kids search engine
Latvia national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.