2022 Latvian Higher League
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 March – 12 November 2022 |
| Champions | Valmiera |
| Relegated | Spartaks Jūrmala |
| Champions League | Valmiera |
| Conference League | RFS, Riga, Auda |
| Matches played | 180 |
| Goals scored | 536 (2.98 per match) |
← 2021 2023 →
All statistics correct as of 18 November 2022. | |
The 2022 Latvian Higher League, known as the Optibet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, was the 31st season of top-tier football in Latvia. The season began on 11 March 2022 and ended on 12 November 2022. RFS were the defending champions after winning the league the previous season.
Teams
[edit]No teams were relegated at the end of the previous season. The league consists of 7 clubs from the previous season, joined by 3 teams from 1. līga - champions FK Auda, second place Tukums and third place SK Super Nova all were promoted.
| Club | Seasons in Virsliga |
2021 position | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BFC Daugavpils | 9 | 6th | Celtnieks Stadium | 1,980 |
| FK Auda | 1 | 1st in 1. līga | Audas stadions | 520 |
| FK Liepāja | 9 | 3rd | Daugava Stadium (Liepāja) | 4,022 |
| Metta/LU | 11 | 7th | Daugava Stadium (Riga) | 10,461 |
| Riga FC | 7 | 4th | Skonto Stadium | 8,087 |
| RFS | 7 | 1st | LNK Sporta Parks | 2,300 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | 11 | 5th | Slokas Stadium | 2,500 |
| SK Super Nova | 1 | 3rd in 1. līga | Olaines stadions | 2,500 |
| FK Tukums 2000 | 1 | 2nd in 1. līga | Tukuma pilsētas stadions | 1,000 |
| Valmiera FC | 5 | 2nd | Jānis Daliņš Stadium | 1,250 |
Managers
[edit]| Team | Coach | Appointed | In Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| FK Auda |  Tomislav Stipić
|
1 February 2022 | 2 years, 9 months |
| Daugavpils |  Andrejs Kaļiņins
|
4 January 2021 | 3 years, 10 months |
| Liepāja |  Tamaz Pertia
|
3 June 2022 | 2 years, 5 months |
| Metta/LU | Andris Riherts
|
27 June 2022 | 2 years, 4 months |
| Riga | Sandro Perković
|
7 June 2022 | 2 years, 5 months |
| RFS | Viktors Morozs
|
13 December 2019 | 4 years, 11 months |
| Spartaks Jūrmala |  Fabiano Flora
|
15 May 2022 | 2 years, 6 months |
| SK Super Nova | Aleksandrs Koliņko
|
29 June 2022 | 2 years, 4 months |
| Tukums 2000 | Kristaps Dišlers
|
25 January 2021 | 3 years, 9 months |
| Valmiera FC | Jurģis Kalns
|
17 February 2022 | 2 years, 9 months |
Managerial changes
[edit]| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riga |  Sashko Poposki (caretaker)
|
end of contract | 30 November 2021 |  Thorsten Fink
|
4 January 2022 |
| FK Auda | Sergejs Kožans
|
mutual agreement | 1 February 2022 | Tomislav Stipić
|
1 February 2022 |
| Liepāja |  Nebojša Vignjević
|
signed with  Honvéd
|
31 January 2022 |  Kirill Alshevsky
|
9 February 2022 |
| Valmiera FC | Tamaz Pertia
|
mutual agreement | 14 February 2022 | Jurģis Kalns
|
17 February 2022 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala |  Przemyslaw Lagozny
|
mutual agreement | 15 May 2022 | Fabiano Flora
|
15 May 2022 |
| Riga | Thorsten Fink
|
mutual agreement | 16 May 2022 | Kristaps Blanks (caretaker)
|
16 May 2022 |
| Liepāja | Kirill Alshevsky
|
mutual agreement | 3 June 2022 | Tamaz Pertia
|
3 June 2022 |
| SK Super Nova | Andrejs Lapsa
|
mutual agreement | 4 June 2022 | Igors Korabļovs (caretaker)
|
4 June 2022 |
| Riga | Kristaps Blanks (caretaker)
|
found new coach | 7 June 2022 | Sandro Perković
|
7 June 2022 |
| Metta/LU | Andrejs Gluščuks
|
mutual agreement | 22 June 2022 | Andris Riherts
|
27 June 2022 |
| SK Super Nova | Igors Korabļovs (caretaker)
|
found new coach | 29 June 2022 | Aleksandrs Koliņko
|
29 June 2022 |
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valmiera (C) | 36 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 101 | 25 | +76 | 85 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Riga | 36 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 68 | 23 | +45 | 81 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | RFS | 36 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 83 | 32 | +51 | 76 | |
| 4 | Liepāja | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 72 | 42 | +30 | 70 | |
| 5 | Auda | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round[a] |
| 6 | Tukums 2000 | 36 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 38 | 69 | −31 | 38 | |
| 7 | Daugavpils | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 30 | 67 | −37 | 34 | |
| 8 | Spartaks Jūrmala (R) | 36 | 9 | 4 | 23 | 37 | 75 | −38 | 31 | Relegation to the Latvian First League[b] |
| 9 | Metta (O) | 36 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 41 | 86 | −45 | 22 | Qualification for the Latvian Higher League play-off |
| 10 | Super Nova | 36 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 24 | 81 | −57 | 20 |
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.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
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.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Auda qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round by winning the 2022 Latvian Football Cup.
- ^ Spartaks Jūrmala were relegated after being refused a Latvian Higher League license; Super Nova were reprieved from relegation.
Fixtures and results
[edit]Rounds 1–18
[edit]Rounds 19–36
[edit]Statistics
[edit]Top goalscorers
[edit]- As of 12 November 2022
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raimonds Krollis
|
Valmiera | 24 |
| 2 | Andrej Ilić
|
RFS | 16 |
| 3 |  Camilo Mena
|
Valmiera | 14 |
| 4 |  Luiz Hilario
|
Liepāja | 13 |
| 5 |  Djibril Gueye
|
Valmiera | 12 |
| 6 | Emerson Deocleciano
|
RFS | 11 |
 Marcelo Torres
|
Riga | ||
| 8 | Valerijs Lizunovs
|
Daugavpils | 10 |
| Bruno Melnis
|
Metta | ||
| Deniss Rakels
|
RFS |
Hat-tricks
[edit]| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camilo Mena |
Valmiera FC | Spartaks Jūrmala | 4–1 (H) | 18 March 2022 |
| Lucas Villela |
FK Liepāja | BFC Daugavpils | 4–0 (A) | 14 May 2022 |
 Brice Tutu |
FK Auda | Spartaks Jūrmala | 5–0 (H) | 17 June 2022 |
Notes
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team