Latvia national under-21 football team
| Nickname | Sarkanbaltsarkanie (The red-white-reds) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Latvian Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Aleksandrs Basovs | ||
| Captain | Jānis Beks | ||
| Most caps | Endijs Šlampe, Reinis Flaksis (31) | ||
| Top scorer | Edgars Gauračs (10) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Latvia 0–0 Lithuania (Vilnius, Lithuania; 28 October 1992) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| Latvia 4–0 Estonia (Carnikava, Latvia; 28 April 1994) Latvia 4–0 Andorra (Riga, Latvia; 6 June 2009) Latvia 5–1 Romania (Riga, Latvia; 9 October 2009) Turkmenistan 0–4 Latvia (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 26 January 2013) Latvia 4–0 Liechtenstein (Jūrmala, Latvia; 11 June 2013) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Latvia 0–6 Greece (Athens, Greece; 9 June 1999) Latvia 0–6 Slovakia (Jelgava, Latvia; 11 October 2011) Latvia 1–7 Switzerland (Lugano, Switzerland; 8 September 2014) | |||
The Latvia national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Latvia and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body of football in Latvia. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years. The team is coached by Aleksandrs Basovs and is currently captained by defender Daniels Balodis.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams in Europe were formed, while Latvian team was formed only in 1991, after regaining independence from the USSR. The team is exclusively for football players that are aged 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23. Many U-21 players later represent the senior side.
Latvia U-21 have never yet qualified for the European U-21 championships, but has produced many players, who have become regular internationals for the senior side. Oskars Kļava, Deniss Ivanovs, Edgars Gauračs and Artjoms Rudņevs have all played for the U-21 side and are now first eleven players for Latvia internationally.
Latvia U-21 team plays its home matches at the Skonto stadions, which is also the home stadium of Latvia senior side. Before the opening of the Skonto stadions the team played its home matches in many different venues all around the country, including Ozolnieki, Daugavpils and Liepāja.
History
As a team, Latvia U-21 was formed in 1992, after regaining independence from the USSR. The team played its first match in Vilnius, Lithuania on October 28, 1992 that ended in a 0-0 draw. The team firstly participated in the European Championship qualification in 1994, playing the first match in Riga against Ireland U-21 on September 6, that ended in a 1-1 draw.[1] Since 2001 the team also participates in the Baltic Cup, winning in 2008. Since 1992 Latvia have already played more than 100 matches.
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
- 1978 to 1992 - see Soviet Union
2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 4 | +23 | 22 | Final tournament | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 7–0 | |
| 2 | Norway | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 11 | +17 | 19[a] | Play-offs | 0–3 | — | 3–2 | 5–1 | 7–0 | 4–0 | |
| 3 | Republic of Ireland | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 12 | +12 | 19[a] | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 3–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Turkey | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 13 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 5 | Latvia | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 11 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 6 | San Marino | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 51 | −50 | 0 | 0–7 | 0–7 | 0–7 | 1–6 | 0–3 | — |
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
| 2 June 2022 2023 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification | Latvia | 1–0 | Israel | Skonto Stadium, Riga |
| 17:30 |
|
Report | Attendance: 300 Referee: Bulat Sariyev (Kazakhstan) |
| 7 June 2022 2023 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification | Latvia | 0-2 | Hungary | Skonto Stadium |
| 19:00 | Report | András Németh, András Németh |
| 27 September 2022 Friendly | Poland | 1-1 | Latvia | Suwalki |
| 18:30 | Bartlomiej Kludka | Report | Kristiāns Kaušelis | Referee: Paweł Malec |
| 18 November 2022 Under-21 Baltic Cup | Latvia | 1-0 | Estonia | Jānis Daliņš Stadium |
| 13:00 | Lūkass Vapne | Report | Attendance: 100 Referee: Donatas Šimenas (LTU) |
| 20 November 2022 Under-21 Baltic Cup | Lithuania | 1-2 | Latvia | LFF Kauno treniruočių centro stadionas, Kaunas |
| 15:00 | Matas Dedura | Report | Deniss Meļņiks, Deniss Meļņiks | Referee: Ilie Laurentiu (SMR) |
| 23 March 2023 Friendly | North Macedonia | 0-3 | Latvia | Bellis Deluxe, Antalia |
| 16:00 | Report | Artjoms Puzirevskis, Kristofers Rēķis, Kristofers Rēķis |
| 26 March 2023 Friendly | Georgia | 1-0 | Latvia | Bellis Deluxe, Antalia |
| 17:30 | Giorgi Guliashvili | Report |
| 20 June 2023 2025 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification | Latvia | 2-0 | San Marino | Sloka Stadium, Jūrmala |
| 18:00 | Report | Dario Šits, Bruno Melnis | Attendance: 300 Referee: Helgi Mikael Jónasson (ISL) |
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Georgia and Greece on 10 and 14 October 2025; respectively.[2]
Caps and goals correct as of 9 September 2025, after the match against Germany
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ņikita Parfjonovs | 5 February 2004 | 2 | 0 | Tukums 2000 | |
| GK | Ņikita Pinčuks | 4 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | Grobiņa | |
| GK | Dāvis Veisbuks | 1 March 2005 | 0 | 0 | Super Nova | |
| DF | Gļebs Mihaļcovs | 15 March 2004 | 4 | 0 | BFC Daugavpils | |
| DF | Daniels Nosegbe-Suško | 14 September 2004 | 3 | 0 | Samtredia | |
| DF | Milāns Tihonovičs | 30 December 2005 | 3 | 0 | Super Nova | |
| DF | Alans Kangars | 7 October 2005 | 2 | 0 | Metta | |
| DF | Ralfs Kragliks | 6 February 2004 | 2 | 0 | Auda | |
| DF | Maksims Semeško | 19 February 2004 | 2 | 0 | Tukums 2000 | |
| DF | Aleksandrs Molotkovs | 11 August 2007 | 0 | 0 | Metta | |
| MF | Ivans Patrikejevs | 31 August 2005 | 6 | 1 | Nõmme Kalju | |
| MF | Gļebs Žaleiko | 27 June 2004 | 4 | 0 | Jelgava | |
| MF | Kevins Cēsnieks | 6 March 2005 | 2 | 0 | Metta | |
| MF | Ralfs Šitjakovs | 21 September 2004 | 1 | 0 | Super Nova | |
| MF | Markuss Strods | 5 October 2006 | 1 | 0 | Bohemian | |
| MF | Roberts Bočs | 3 July 2006 | 0 | 0 | Vis Pesaro | |
| MF | Kristers Volkovs | 1 August 2004 | 0 | 0 | Tukums 2000 | |
| FW | Gļebs Patika | 9 November 2004 | 8 | 1 | Tatran Prešov | |
| FW | Valerijs Lizunovs | 24 February 2004 | 7 | 0 | BFC Daugavpils | |
| FW | Ruslans Deružinskis | 27 July 2004 | 2 | 0 | Jelgava | |
| FW | Emīls Evelons | 1 June 2005 | 2 | 0 | Metta | |
| FW | Dannī Aņisjko | 11 January 2006 | 1 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | |
| FW | Ēriks Boroduška | 20 May 2005 | 1 | 0 | Jelgava | |
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up within the last twelve months and remain eligible.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Staff
| Head coach | Aleksandrs Basovs |
| Assistant coach | Aleksandrs Jeļisejevs |
| Assistant coach | Sergejs Golubevs |
| Goalkeeping coach | Andrejs Piedels |
| Physiotherapist | Sergejs Pečņikovs |
| Doctor | Oļegs Samoiļenko |
| Manager | Didzis Matīss |
Coaching history
- Aleksandrs Starkovs (1994)
- Jurijs Andrejevs (1995)
- Jānis Dreimanis (1996–1998)
- Jurijs Andrejevs (1998–2001)
- Jurijs Popkovs (2001–2003)
- Jurijs Ševļakovs (2004–2005)
- Genādijs Šitiks (2006–2009)
- Mihails Zemļinskis (2009–2011)
- Anton Joore (2012–2013)
- Marians Pahars (2013)
- Dainis Kazakevičs (2013–2019)
- Aleksandrs Basovs (2020-)
Most capped players
Only official matches against U-21 national teams, not including against clubs or any other matches.
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Endijs Šlampe | 2014–2016 | 31 | 0 |
| Reinis Flaksis | 2013–2016 | 31 | 1 | |
| 3. | Dmitrijs Klimaševičs | 2014–2016 | 30 | 4 |
| 4. | Andrejs Kiriļins | 2014–2016 | 29 | 0 |
| Vladislavs Gutkovskis | 2014–2016 | 29 | 6 | |
| Antonijs Černomordijs | 20??–2018 | 29 | 1 | |
| 7. | Jevgēņijs Kazačoks | 20??–2016 | 27 | 5 |
| Eduards Tīdenbergs | 20??–2016 | 27 | 2 | |
| 9. | Edgars Vardanjans | 2011–2014 | 25 | 1 |
| Kaspars Svārups | 20??–2016 | 25 | 3 |
- Players in bold are still available to play for the U-21 National team.
Best goalscorers
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Edgars Gauračs | 2009–2009 | 9 | 10 |
| 2. | Deniss Rakels | 2011–2013 | 13 | 6 |
| Vladislavs Gutkovskis | 2014–2016 | 29 | 6 | |
| 4. | Jevgēņijs Kazačoks | 2013–2016 | 27 | 5 |
| Marko Regža | 2018- | 14 | 5 | |
| 6. | Artjoms Rudņevs | 2009–2009 | 10 | 4 |
| Dmitrijs Klimaševičs | 2014–2016 | 30 | 4 |
See also
References
- ^ "Games of the XXVI. Olympiad - Football Qualifying Tournament".
- ^ "U-21 izlase EČ kvalifikācijā uzņems Gruziju un Grieķiju" (in Latvian). Latvijas Futbola Federācija. 3 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.