2025 Latvian Higher League
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 March 2025 – 9 November 2025[1] |
| Matches played | 34 |
| Goals scored | 106 (3.12 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Darko Lemajić (12 goals) |
← 2024 2026 →
All statistics correct as of 13 June 2025. | |
The 2025 Latvian Higher League, known as the TonyBet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, is the 34th season of top-tier football in Latvia. The season began on 5 March 2025 and will end in November 2025 (not including play-off matches).
Teams
The league consisted of ten teams; the top nine clubs from the previous season, and one team promoted from the Latvian First League. RFS entered the season as defending champions (for the second consecutive season).
The promoted team was 2024 Latvian First League champions Super Nova (returning to the top flight after a single-season absence). They replaced the 2024 Latvian Higher League fourth-placed team Valmiera (relegated after seven seasons in the top flight due to being refused a Latvian Higher League license).[2][3][4]
2025 Virslīga competitors
| Club | Seasons in Virsliga |
2024 position | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auda | 7th | 3rd | Skonto Stadium | 6,747 |
| Daugavpils | 10th | 5th | Esplanādes stadions | 575 |
| Grobiņa | 2nd | 9th | Daugava Stadium (Liepāja) | 4,022 |
| FS Jelgava | 3rd | 10th | Zemgale Olympic Center | 1,560 |
| Liepāja | 12th | 6th | Daugava Stadium (Liepāja) | 4,022 |
| Metta | 14th | 7th | Daugava Stadium (Riga) | 10,461 |
| RFS | 10th | 1st | LNK Sporta Parks | 1,700 |
| Riga | 10th | 2nd | Skonto Stadium | 6,747 |
| Super Nova | 3rd | 1st in Latvian First League | Jānis Skredelis' Stadium | 396 |
| Tukums 2000 | 5th | 8th | Tukuma Pilsētas Stadions | 425 |
Personnel
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Auda | Jurģis Kalns | Kemehlo Nguena |
| Daugavpils | Kirils Kurbatovs | Edgars Ivanovs |
| Grobiņa | Viktors Dobrecovs | Dāvids Družiņins |
| Jelgava | Aleksandrs Basovs | Armands Pētersons |
| Liepāja | Andreas Alm | Marko Simić |
| Metta | Andris Riherts | Kārlis Vilnis |
| RFS | Viktors Morozs | Žiga Lipušček |
| Riga | Adrián Guľa | Antonijs Černomordijs |
| Super Nova | Ervīns Pērkons | Dāvis Vējkrīgers |
| Tukums 2000 | Kristaps Dišlers | Bogdans Samoilovs |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liepāja | Tamaz Pertia | Sacked | 7 January 2025 | Pre-season | Dino Skender[5] | 7 January 2025 |
| Auda | Zoran Zeljković[6] | 7 January 2025 | Aleksandre Rekhviashvili (interim)[7] | 8 January 2025 | ||
| Riga | Mareks Zuntners (interim)[8] | End of interim spell | 14 January 2025 | Adrián Guľa[8] | 14 January 2025 | |
| Auda | Aleksandre Rekhviashvili (interim)[9] | 9 February 2025 | Jurģis Kalns[9] | 9 February 2025 | ||
| Liepāja | Dino Skender[10] | Sacked | 6 April 2025 | 5th | Jānis Goba (interim)[10] | 6 April 2025 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riga | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 13 | +39 | 55 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | RFS | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 53 | 20 | +33 | 52 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Auda | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 33 | 23 | +10 | 37 | |
| 4 | Liepāja | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 35 | |
| 5 | Daugavpils | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 27 | |
| 6 | Jelgava | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 24 | |
| 7 | Super Nova | 22 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 21 | |
| 8 | Grobiņa | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 42 | −22 | 19 | |
| 9 | Tukums 2000 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 40 | −17 | 18 | Qualification for the Latvian Higher League play-off |
| 10 | Metta | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 43 | −25 | 17 | Relegation to the Latvian First League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Fair-play ranking; 7) Play-off.[11]
Results
Teams play each other four times (twice at home and twice away).
Latvian Higher League play-off
The ninth-placed team will face the second-placed team from the 2025 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the 2026 Latvian Higher League.
Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|
References
- ^ "Kalendārs 2025" (in Latvian). 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "2024. gada sezona" (in Latvian). 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "Valmiera booted from top Latvian football league over financial affairs". eng.lsm.lv. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
- ^ ""Valmiera FC" neizpilda kritērijus; virslīgas licence piešķirta FS "Jelgava"" (in Latvian). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
- ^ "Dino Skenders – FK Liepāja galvenais treneris" (in Latvian). 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Zeļkovičs un asistenti darbu neturpinās" (in Latvian). 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Pirmssezonu sākam kopā ar Aleksandru Rehviašvili" (in Latvian). 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Adrians Gula – Riga Football Club galvenais treneris" (in Latvian). 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b "FK Auda turpmāk vadīs Jurģis Kalns" (in Latvian). 9 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Pirmā treneru maiņa – Liepājas vēji horvātu aizpūš jau aprīļa sākumā" (in Latvian). 6 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "2025.gada Latvijas Virslīgas futbola čempionāta reglaments" (PDF) (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2025.