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Latvia’s ‘Higher League’ football. Worth a visit?

Latvia’s ‘Higher League’ football. Worth a visit?
29 May 2025

Lest you be caught unawares, the football season is underway in Latvia; Riga FC has already played 15 games this year (at the time of writing). What? Football in Latvia? In fact, it’s the third most popular sport in Latvia. In this post I’ll share something of the experience and history of the sport in this country, and where you can buy tickets to upcoming games 

Last summer, on a Friday afternoon, some fellow students and I noticed the magnificent Skonto Stadium in Riga, and we purchased tickets (approx. 8 eur) to the football game that afternoon. The particulars evade recollection; I believe it was Riga FC and Liepāja. We passed through the main gates to the stadium, purchased last season’s discounted jersey and a beer, and took our choice of seat across from the loyal members contingent, which featured shirtless and painted men, a large drum, and multiple sets of binoculars.

We had been expecting a somewhat mediocre performance. Being from Australia, that is the common expectation at a football match. “Is that Ramires?” Someone asked, referencing the famous and now retired Chelsea footballist. No- just the same last name. But that didn’t matter; these men, a majority of them foreigners from the African and American continents, were serious, and they played fantastic football.

The sun reclining toward midnight, as it does at that time of year, we watched Riga score once, a second time, and a third. The members’ contingent banging the drum unceasingly; the crowd roused from their end of week stupor. A beautiful woman arrived with her small child and sat near to us. From the intensity with which she watched the game, we figured that her husband was playing. We joined in with the rest of the crowd chanting “Riga’s on fire!”

 

 

 

Is football popular in Latvia?

Yes- it’s the third most popular sport in the country, and it has a a long and varied history. The first clubs were started in 1907/08 by British expatriates, and the first national team was established in 1920. At the 1924 Olympics they lost to France (7-0). The team and more generally football in Latvia continued to grow in popularity; the national league was established in 1927 which, in one form or another (from 1945-1992 as the Soviet Latvian Championship) has continued to the present day.

 

Amatieris“, one of Latvia’s first football teams, 1922. 

 

Great- how can I buy tickets?

You can buy tickets from Riga FC’s website here.

Though, with an average attendance of 483 spectator’s per game (for the top club, Riga FC), you will also be able to buy a ticket at the door before the game starts.

 

Final thoughts

In all seriousness, despite a series of scandals in the 2010s, Latvia’s football scene is on the rise. Riga FC is a fully professional team with a large annual budget. More importantly, for your purposes, Skonto Stadium- the proud and shirtless member’s contingent, the young families and school children, the beer, discounted jerseys, and internationally composed team from Liepāja- is distinctly ‘Latvian’, and, I assure you, offers an intimate and worthwhile understanding of this country.

 

пока пока!

Laef, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz Riga.

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