2018_Latvian_Higher_League
2018 Latvian Higher League
Latvian football league season for the highest division
The 2018 Latvian Higher League was the 27th season of top-tier football in Latvia. Spartaks Jūrmala were the defending champions, having won their second title in the previous season.
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Riga |
| Champions League | Riga |
| Europa League | Ventspils RFS Liepāja |
| Matches played | 112 |
| Goals scored | 315 (2.81 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Darko Lemajic (15) |
← 2017 2019 → | |
At the end of the 2017 season, Babīte were excluded from the league due to match-fixing. This resulted in METTA/LU ending up as the bottom-placed team. They were sent to the relegation playoffs against FK Progress/AFA Olaine. METTA/LU won, keeping them in the Latvian Higher League.
Babīte were replaced by the champions of the 2017 Latvian First League, Valmieras FK.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valmieras | Valmiera | J. Daliņa stadions | 2,000 |
| Jelgava | Jelgava | Olympic Sports Center of Zemgale | 1,560 |
| Liepāja | Liepāja | Daugava Stadium | 5,008 |
| Metta/LU | Riga | Hanzas vidusskolas laukums | 2,000 |
| RFS | Riga | Stadions Arkādija | 1,000 |
| Riga | Riga | Skonto Stadium | 8,207 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | Jūrmala | Slokas Stadium | 2,800 |
| Ventspils | Ventspils | Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions | 3,044 |
Source: Scoresway
Kits manufacturer and sponsors
| Club | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| FK Jelgava | Nike | Igate |
| FK Liepāja | Adidas | Mogo |
| FS Metta/LU | Nike | |
| Riga FC | Jako | |
| Rīgas Futbola skola | Nike | LNK Group |
| FK Spartaks Jūrmala | Nike | Hanseatisches Fußball Kontor |
| FK Ventspils | Adidas | VK Tranzīts |
| Valmiera Glass ViA | Nike | Valmiera Glass |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riga (C) | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 16 | +29 | 64 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Ventspils | 28 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 54 | 22 | +32 | 60 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | RFS | 28 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 57 | 23 | +34 | 55 | |
| 4 | Liepāja | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 46 | 25 | +21 | 51 | |
| 5 | Spartaks Jūrmala | 28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 42 | |
| 6 | Jelgava | 28 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 48 | −29 | 21 | |
| 7 | METTA/LU (O) | 28 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 24 | 52 | −28 | 19 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 8 | Valmiera Glass ViA | 28 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 22 | 92 | −70 | 8 |
Each team played the other seven teams home-and-away twice, for a total of 28 games each.
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The seventh-placed team from the 2018 Higher League faced the runners-up of the 2018 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off. The winner, METTA/LU, earned the right to participate in the 2019 Higher League.
| 14 November 2018 1st leg | METTA/LU | 7–2 | SK Super Nova |
| 17 November 2018 2nd leg | SK Super Nova | 0–3 (2–10 agg.) | METTA/LU |
Top scorers
- As of 13 November 2018[3]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Darko Lemajić |
Riga | 15 |
| 2 |  Maksym Marusych |
RFS | 14 |
| 3 |  Aleksejs Višņakovs |
Spartaks Jūrmala | 13 |
 Adeleke Akinyemi |
Ventspils | 13 | |
| Tosin Aiyegun |
Ventspils | 13 | |
| 4 | Ģirts Karlsons |
Liepāja | 10 |
| 5 | Jānis Ikaunieks |
Liepāja | 9 |
| 6 | Roberts Uldriķis |
RFS | 7 |
 Tamirlan Dzhamalutdinov |
METTA/LU | 7 | |
- "2017. GADA LATVIJAS VIRSLĪGAS FUTBOLA ČEMPIONĀTA REGLAMENTS" (PDF) (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 29 November 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- "Virslīga 2017 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- "Latvian First Division - Top scorers". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- Official website (in Latvian)