Latvian Higher League
Season2023
Dates11 March –
11 November
ChampionsRFS
RelegatedSuper Nova
Champions LeagueRFS
Conference LeagueAuda
Riga
Valmiera
Matches played180
Goals scored523 (2.91 per match)
← 2022
2024 →
All statistics correct as of 07 January 2024.

The 2023 Latvian Higher League, known as the Optibet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, was the 32nd season of top-tier football in Latvia. The season began on 11 March 2023 and ended on 11 November 2023.[1]

The winners (RFS, their second title win) qualified for the 2024–25 Champions League first qualifying round. The second-placed team (Riga) qualified for the 2024–25 Conference League second qualifying round. The third and fourth-placed teams (Auda and Valmiera) qualified for the 2024–25 Conference League first qualifying round. The ninth-placed team (Metta) qualified for the Latvian Higher League play-off. The bottom team (Super Nova) were relegated to the 2024 Latvian First League.

Teams

Ten teams contest the league; the top nine clubs from the previous season, and one team promoted from 1. līga.

Promoted from
2022 Latvian First League		 Relegated
Jelgava Spartaks Jūrmala

FS Jelgava won promotion by winning the First League in 2022.[2] After Spartaks Jūrmala failed to obtain the necessary license for participation in the league, SK Super Nova (who had been relegated) were given the chance to return to the league.[3] Ninth-placed Metta defeated Grobiņa from the Latvian First League to retain their status in the top-flight. Valmiera entered the season as defending champions.[4]

2023 Virslīga competitors
Club Seasons
in Virsliga		 2022 position Stadium Capacity
BFC Daugavpils 10 7th Celtnieks Stadium 1,980
FK Auda 2 5th Audas Stadions 520
FS Jelgava 1 1st in 1. līga Zemgale Olympic Center 2,500
FK Liepāja 10 4th Daugava Stadium (Liepāja) 4,022
Metta/LU 12 9th Daugava Stadium (Riga) 10,461
RFS 8 3rd LNK Sporta Parks 2,300
Riga FC 8 2nd Skonto Stadium 8,087
SK Super Nova 2 10th Sloka Stadium 2,500
FK Tukums 2000 2 6th Tukuma Pilsētas Stadions 1,000
Valmiera FC 6 1st Jāņa Daliņa Stadions 1,250

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 RFS (C) 36 27 8 1 96 18 +78 89 Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2 Riga 36 27 7 2 89 21 +68 88 Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round[lower-alpha 1]
3 Auda 36 16 10 10 44 39 +5 58 Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round
4 Valmiera 36 14 11 11 47 40 +7 53
5 Liepāja 36 14 9 13 52 54 −2 51
6 Jelgava 36 10 10 16 42 57 −15 40
7 Daugavpils 36 9 9 18 40 52 −12 36
8 Tukums 2000 36 9 8 19 47 83 −36 35
9 Metta (O) 36 8 9 19 41 63 −22 33 Qualification for the Latvian Higher League play-off
10 Super Nova (R) 36 3 5 28 25 96 −71 14 Relegation to Latvian First League
Source: Soccerway
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. (Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played)
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ↑ The 2023 Latvian Football Cup winners qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round. Since the cup winners (Riga) qualified based on league position, the Conference League spot was passed to the second-placed team, and the second Conference League first qualifying round spot was passed to the fourth-placed team.

Results

Home \ Away AUD DAU JEL LIE MLU RFS RIG SUP TUK VAL AUD DAU JEL LIE MLU RFS RIG SUP TUK VAL
Auda 1–1 1–0 0–4 3–1 0–0 0–2 2–0 0–3 0–4 1–0 3–0 1–1 3–1 2–5 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–0
Daugavpils 0–2 5–2 1–2 1–1 0–5 1–1 3–0 3–3 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 4–2 0–1 0–2 2–0 3–1 0–0
Jelgava 0–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 0–2 1–3 2–0 2–2 2–0 0–2 0–0 3–2 2–3 0–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 0–1
Liepāja 1–1 1–0 3–2 1–1 0–3 0–3 2–1 0–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–0 1–4
Metta 0–2 3–2 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 4–1 3–2 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 0–6 1–3 0–1 1–1 4–1
RFS 2–0 3–1 4–0 2–0 5–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 2–1 3–0 3–1 1–0 3–1 1–0 0–0 5–0 7–0 3–0
Riga 2–0 1–0 2–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 5–1 5–1 3–0 1–0 3–0 3–5 3–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 4–0 3–0
Super Nova 0–2 0–4 2–2 2–6 0–3 1–6 0–4 2–0 1–0 0–5 0–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–5 2–5 0–2
Tukums 2000 2–2 1–0 2–0 0–3 1–2 1–7 0–2 3–2 0–0 2–2 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–1 4–5 0–6 1–0 3–2
Valmiera 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–1 4–3 1–2 0–1 2–2 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 6–0
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Latvian Higher League play-off

The ninth-placed club (Metta) faced the third-placed club from the 2023 Latvian First League (Skanste) for the final place in the following season's Latvian Higher League.

First leg

22 November 2023 Metta 6–1 Skanste Riga
16:00 BST
  • Puzirevskis 12', 56'
  • Vapne 23' (pen.)
  • Corréa 48'
  • Kamara 60'
  • Melnis 70'
  • Ivulans 24'
 Stadium: Daugava Stadium

Second leg

25 November 2023 Skanste1–2
(2–8 agg.)		 Metta Riga
11:00 BST Stadium: Skanstes Stadium

Season statistics

Top scorers

As of match played 11 November 2023
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Latvia Marko Regža Riga 19
2 Latvia Jānis Ikaunieks RFS 15
3 Serbia Andrej Ilić RFS 14
4 Brazil Dodô Liepāja 13
5 Brazil Reginaldo Ramires Auda 12
6 Ivory Coast Ismaël Diomandé BFC Daugavpils/RFS 11
7 Latvia Jevgenijs Miņins Super Nova 10
8 Brazil Emerson Deocleciano RFS 9
Latvia Raivis Ķiršs Tukums 2000
Latvia Valerijs Lizunovs Daugavpils
Nigeria Victor Osuagwu Jelgava

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef.
Brazil Emerson DeoclecianoRFSTukums 20001–7 (A)9 May 2023[5]
Ivory Coast Ismaël Diomandé4RFSAuda2–5 (A)23 July 2023[6]
Latvia Jānis IkaunieksRFSTukums 20007–0 (H)29 July 2023[7]
Brazil Léo GaúchoValmieraLiepāja1–4 (A)17 September 2023[8]
  • 4 Player scored 4 goals

Own goals

Top assists

As of match played 11 November 2023
Rank Player Club Assists
1 Czech Republic Petr Mareš RFS 11
Latvia Eduards Tīdenbergs Liepāja
3 Latvia Bogdans Samoilovs Tukums 2000 10
4 Latvia Roberts Savaļnieks RFS 9
5 Brazil Douglas Aurélio Riga 8
Brazil Emerson Deocleciano RFS
7 Democratic Republic of the Congo Gauthier Mankenda Liepāja/Riga 7
Latvia Jānis Ikaunieks RFS
9 Serbia Miloš Jojić Riga 6
Ivory Coast Cédric Kouadio RFS
Latvia Daniils Ulimbaševs Auda

Clean sheets

As of matches played on 11 November 2023
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 Latvia Jevgēņijs Ņerugals RFS 19
2 Latvia Nils Puriņš Riga 16
3 Venezuela Carlos Olses Valmiera 10
4 Latvia Vladislavs Kurakins Daugavpils 8
5 Cameroon Fabrice Ondoa Auda 7
Latvia Raivo Sturins Jelgava
7 Latvia Roberts Ozols Auda 5
8 Latvia Sergejs Vilkovs Tukums 2000 4
Latvia Rihards Matrevics Riga
Latvia Pāvels Šteinbors RFS
Latvia Niks Aleksandrovs Auda

Discipline

Red cards

As of match played 11 November 2023

References

  1. ↑ "APSTIPRINĀTI VIRSLĪGAS UN 1. LĪGAS JAUNĀS SEZONAS REGLAMENTI" (in Latvian). lff.lv. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  2. ↑ ""FS Jelgava" nosvin atgriešanos Virslīgā ar "sauso" uzvaru Smiltenē" (in Latvian). zz.lv. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ↑ "Virslīgā bez Spartaka" (in Latvian). sportacentrs.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  4. ↑ ""Valmiera" uzvar "Liepāju" un izcīna savu pirmo Latvijas čempionu titulu futbolā" (in Latvian). sports.tv3.lv. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  5. ↑ "Tukums 1-7 RFS". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Auda 2-5 RFS". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "RFS 7-0 Tukums". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Liepāja 1-4 Valmiera". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
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