Latvia national futsal team

Futsal in Latvia was officially organized and played according to international rules only after the country regained its independence. In 1992, the Latvian national futsal team was established and participated in an international tournament in Moscow, where they lost to teams from the Commonwealth of Independent States and Italy but secured a victory against Slovakia. In December 1998, Latvia made its debut in the UEFA European Championship qualification tournament in Belgium. Their first match ended in a 0–0 draw against Azerbaijan, followed by a 2–3 loss to the hosts, Belgium. The Latvian national team has participated in the UEFA European Championship qualification tournament 11 times, advancing past the preliminary round on five occasions. In total, Latvia has played 49 matches in European Championship qualification, recording 16 wins, 7 draws, and 26 losses. The team secured its first victory in an official qualification match in January 2007, defeating Bulgaria (2–0) and later England (5–1). In 2009, Latvia advanced past the preliminary round for the first time, overcoming Estonia, Armenia, and Bulgaria. However, in the main qualification round, the team did not secure a spot in the final tournament. In January 2000, Latvia participated in the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification tournament for the first time, suffering defeats in all four matches (against Russia, Poland, Belgium, and North Macedonia). A significant milestone for Latvian futsal came in November 2003 when the FIFA World Cup qualification tournament was held at the Riga Sports Arena (Rīgas Nacionālā sporta manēža). During this event, Latvia put up a respectable performance against the reigning world champions, Spain, losing by a narrow 1–3 margin. In October 2011, playing in Jelgava, Latvia advanced past the first round of the FIFA World Cup preliminary qualifiers for the first time, defeating England and San Marino while drawing against Cyprus. However, in the main qualification round, Latvia was unable to progress beyond the group stage, drawing with Hungary and Kazakhstan but losing to Russia, which later qualified for the final tournament. Latvia's national futsal team is the most successful team in the Baltic Futsal Cup, winning six out of the nine tournaments held. The competition traditionally includes futsal teams from Lithuania and Estonia. == UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 ==

Latvia national futsal team will make its debut in the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026, the most prestigious futsal competition in Europe. In 2022, Latvia and Lithuania submitted a joint bid to host the final tournament, and in December 2023 UEFA confirmed that both countries would be the hosts. As host nations, Latvia and Lithuania were granted automatic qualification for the final tournament. In 2025, complications arose when Belarus qualified for the finals. Latvian legislation prohibited Belarus from playing matches in Latvia, and Lithuania also refused to host the team. UEFA decided to involve Slovenia as an additional host country, ensuring that Belarus would play its group stage matches there. As a result, the Belarus group will be drawn separately to avoid matches against Latvia or Lithuania in the group stage. Latvia made an impressive start to their debut in front of their home crowd at a UEFA final tournament. In the opening match, Latvia defeated Georgia 4–0. The first goal in Latvia's history at a UEFA major tournament was scored by Germans Matjušenko. Two goals were scored by Latvia's “golden boy” Edgars Tarakanovs, while Andrejs Baklanovs added one more. Edgars Tarakanovs was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match. ==Coaching history==

The first head coach of the Latvian national futsal team in 1992 was Sergejs Jablokovs. From 2003 until the end of 2021, the team's head coach was Artūrs Šketovs, who spent most of his playing career in traditional football but also briefly played for the Latvia national futsal team toward the end of his career. At the beginning of 2022, a coaching change took place, with Portuguese coach Orlando Duarte taking over. However, after six months, he was replaced by Montenegrin specialist Vasko Vujović, who signed a contract under a 1+1 year system. In the summer of 2024, as part of preparations for UEFA Futsal Euro 2026, Italian futsal specialist Massimiliano Bellarte was appointed as the head coach. ==Major Competitions in Latvia==

The main futsal competition in Latvia is the Virslīga Championship, which has been held since 1997. The Virslīga consists of a regular season followed by playoff matches, where the two best teams compete in the final series, played in a best-of-five format. In the 2024/2025 season, ten teams participated in the Virslīga. Currently, Riga-based clubs FK RFS Futsal and Riga FC Futsal Futsal traditionally dominate the competition. However, over the years, teams from Daugavpils, Jūrmala, Jelgava, Ventspils, Rēzekne, Spuņciems, and Jēkabpils have also won medals in the league. ==Notable Latvian Futsal Players==

Since 2011, the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) has awarded the title of the Best Latvian Futsal Player of the Year. The most frequent recipient of this honor is forward Maksims Seņs, who has won the award four times, including three consecutive years (2011 and 2013–2015). Seņs has also been the top scorer of the Latvian Virslīga six times, playing for both of Latvia's strongest futsal clubs—RABA and Nikars. Aigars Bondars is the most capped player in the history of the Latvian national futsal team, having played 86 matches and received the best futsal player award in 2012. Germans Matjušenko – three-time recipient (2018, 2019, 2021). Andrejs Aleksejevs – two-time recipient (2016, 2017). Miks Babris – awarded in 2020 and 2022. Artjoms Kozlovskis – named the best player in 2023. Edgars Tarakanovs – received the title for the first time in 2024. ==Notable Teams==

The most successful futsal club in Latvia was FK Nikars, a Riga-based football club that won the Latvian championship title 12 consecutive times (2008–2019). During this period, Portuguese futsal specialist Orlando Duarte (Orlando Francisco Alves Duarte), who had previously won FIFA Futsal World Cup medals with Portugal national futsal team, coached Nikars for seven years. FK Nikars also competed in the UEFA Futsal Cup for 11 seasons, advancing past the main qualification round five times to reach the Elite Round, where the top 16 teams in the tournament compete. In 2017, Nikars achieved its highest European ranking, placing 7th in the UEFA futsal rankings. However, in 2019, due to financial difficulties, the club withdrew from the Latvian Virslīga. One year later, Nikars returned to top-level Latvian futsal as part of the FC RFS Futsal structure. The second most successful Latvian futsal team is RABA, another Riga-based club, which has won the Latvian championship three times. In 2021, RABA reclaimed the championship title after a 15-year gap. Additionally, RABA has finished as runners-up in the Latvian championship ten times. ==Current squad==

Updated 20 January 2026 The following players were called up for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026. Caps and goals as of 20 January 2026. ==Coaching staff==

2024 results 2025 results 2026 results ==Player records==

As of 29 January 2026, after the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026. Players in bold are still active with Latvia. Most appearances Top goalscorers ==Competition history==

===FIFA Futsal World Cup=== ===UEFA Futsal Championship=== ==References==