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
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
| Team | Coach | Appointed | In Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| FK Auda | Tomislav Stipić | 1 February 2022 | 3 years, 5 months |
| Daugavpils | Andrejs Kaļiņins | 4 January 2021 | 4 years, 6 months |
| Liepāja | Tamaz Pertia | 3 June 2022 | 3 years, 1 month |
| Metta/LU | Andris Riherts | 27 June 2022 | 3 years, 1 month |
| Riga | Sandro Perković | 7 June 2022 | 3 years, 1 month |
| RFS | Viktors Morozs | 13 December 2019 | 5 years, 7 months |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | Fabiano Flora | 15 May 2022 | 3 years, 2 months |
| SK Super Nova | Aleksandrs Koliņko | 29 June 2022 | 3 years, 1 month |
| Tukums 2000 | Kristaps Dišlers | 25 January 2021 | 4 years, 6 months |
| Valmiera FC | Jurģis Kalns | 17 February 2022 | 3 years, 5 months |
Managerial changes
| 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
| 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
Rounds 1–18
Rounds 19–36
Statistics
Top goalscorers
- 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
| 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