Riga FC is close to a Latvian European peak

After years of failures, Latvian football is one step away from reaching the Europa Conference League group stage.

It was a summer night in Riga. The Latvian champions, Riga FC, hosted FC Copenhagen for a do or die match in the Europa League play-offs. They could have been in a better position after the first leg in Copenhagen, but a Mohamed Daramy goal in the 93rd minute gave the Danish side a 3-1 lead. In the return leg, Riga’s Felipe Brisola scored in the 75th minute, but it wasn't enough.

These play-off matches in the 2019-20 Europa League were the greatest achievement for a Latvian team for a decade. Now, Riga FC have another chance to save the future of Latvian football.

Old Memories

A long time has passed since the country’s only participation in the finals of a major tournament, Euro 2004. Latvia had a chance to reach the play-offs for the 2010 World Cup, but narrowly missed out after losing to Greece 5-2 in the decisive group match.

In the winter of 2009, Ventspils shocked BATE Borisov to reach the Champions League playoffs, ensuring a Europa League group stage spot in the process. They lost that match to FC Zürich, but the club’s run in the Europa League that season was one the most significant events in Latvian club football. Ventspils completed its historic participation with draws against Hertha Berlin, Heerenveen, and Sporting Lisbon.

But that is the closest that Latvian football has got to reaching the Champions League group stage. No Latvian clubs have managed to even reach the play-offs since. Since the 2013-14 season, Latvian teams have reached the third qualifying round of the Europa League three times.

The decline of Latvian football has been reflected in the national team. They failed to live up to their tremendous campaign in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. In their attempt to qualify for Euro 2016, they won none of their ten matches. In Euro 2020 qualifying, they were placed in pot 6, alongside footballing minnows Liechtenstein, Andorra, Malta and San Marino.

But these weren’t the only bad moments for Latvian football in the past few years. In 2016, Latvia's greatest club, Skonto Riga, failed to obtain a license to play in the top division. The team that won the first fourteen Latvian championships, after the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,has been dissolved following bankruptcy.

Last June, Ventspils also faced problems. UEFA banned the team from participating in continental club competitions for seven years, after they were accused of being involved in bribing a referee during a 2018 Europa League match. As team officials were also banned, Ventspils decided to withdraw from the league.

A Chance of a Lifetime

After the withdrawal of these two big sides, new clubs have emerged in Latvia. Riga FC are one of these clubs. Only founded in 2014, they’ve already been dominant in the league. They’ve won three consecutive championships, and are now aiming to make it through the group stage of the new Europa Conference League.

The Latvian side know they have the chance of a lifetime. After being knocked out in the Champions League qualifiers by Malmö, Riga FC defeated both North Macedonia’s Shkëndija, and Hibernians, from Malta. Their play-off opponents will be another team from a country that has barely played in the latter stages of a continental tournament before, Gibraltar's champions, Lincoln Red Imps.

Although it seems easy, Riga FC know it will be a challenge. In the previous round against Hibernians, they struggled to decide the match in 90 minutes. Three goals in extra time helped them to a 3-1 win, but it was something to pay attention to. The players are inexperienced in such matches. Some are part of the national team, but it's not sufficient preparation for a game that no Latvian club has taken part in since 2009.

Latvia are ranked in 40th place in the UEFA Country coefficients and, after 12 years without a team reaching the group stage of a major tournament, Riga FC can take an important step in the revival of Latvian football. Can they turn the luck of the draw, against one of the weakest teams left in the competition, into Latvia's finest footballing moment in years?