2016 Latvian Higher League
# 2016 Latvian Higher League

The 2016 Latvian Higher League was the 25th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Liepāja were the defending champions. The season began on 11 March 2016 and ended on 5 November 2016; the relegation play-offs took place on 9 and 13 November 2016.

## Teams

FB Gulbene were excluded from the previous season due to suspicion of match-fixing. 2015 Latvian First League winners FC Caramba/Dinamo were promoted to the league and before the season changed their name to Riga FC.

Skonto FC did not obtain a license to play in the 2016 Higher League. Skonto appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. Since 2015 Latvian First League runners-up Valmiera Glass FK/BSS turned down the opportunity to be promoted to the Higher League, third-placed Rīgas Futbola skola (RFS) was promoted instead.

### Stadiums and locations

| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| - | - | - | - |
| BFC Daugavpils | Daugavpils | Celtnieks Stadium | 1,980 |
| FK Jelgava | Jelgava | Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs | 1,560 |
| FK Liepāja | Liepāja | Daugava Stadium | 5,000 |
| FS Metta/LU | Riga | Hanzas vidusskolas futbola laukums | 500 |
| Riga FC | Riga | Skonto Stadium | 9,500 |
| FK RFS | Riga | Stadions Arkādija | 500 |
| FK Spartaks Jūrmala | Jūrmala | Slokas Stadium | 2,500 |
| FK Ventspils | Ventspils | Olimpiskais Stadium | 3,200 |

### Kits manufacturer and sponsors

| Club | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| - | - | - |
| BFC Daugavpils | Adidas | Intergaz |
| FK Jelgava | Nike | Igate |
| FK Liepāja | Adidas | Mogo |
| FS Metta/LU | Nike | |
| Riga FC | Jako | |
| FK RFS | Nike | LNK Group |
| FK Spartaks Jūrmala | Nike | Hanseatisches Fußball Kontor |
| FK Ventspils | Adidas | VK Tranzīts |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Spartaks Jūrmala (C) | 28 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 55 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Jelgava | 28 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Ventspils | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Liepāja | 28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 42 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Riga | 28 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 36 | |
| 6 | FK RFS | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 31 | −9 | 35 | |
| 7 | METTA/LU (O) | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 32 | 47 | −15 | 30 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 8 | BFC Daugavpils (R) | 28 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 13 | 56 | −43 | 11 | Relegation to the Latvian First League |

* 1 2 Head-to-head record; Ventspils–Jelgava 1–0, Jelgava–Ventspils 4–3, Jelgava–Ventspils 2–0, Ventspils–Jelgava 1–2.
* ↑ Since the winner of the 2016–17 Latvian Football Cup (Ventspils) qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the Cup winner (Europa League first qualifying round) was passed to the next best-placed team (in this case, to the fourth-placed team).

### Relegation play-offs

The 7th-placed side, FS METTA/LU, faced AFA Olaine, runners-up of the 2016 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2017 Higher League competition.

**Second leg**

METTA/LU won 2–1 on aggregate and retained their place in the 2017 Higher League.

## Season statistics

### Top scorers

    As of 29 October 2016

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ģirts Karlsons | Ventspils | 17 |
| 2 | Dzmitry Platonaw | Spartaks | 11 |
| 3 | Jevgēņijs Kazačoks | Spartaks | 10 |
| 4 | Eduards Tīdenbergs | Ventspils | 8 |
| 5 | Edgars Gauračs | Liepāja/Spartaks | 7 |
| 5 | Gļebs Kļuškins | Jelgava | 7 |
| 7 | Andrejs Kovaļovs | Jelgava | 6 |
| 7 | Oskars Kļava | Liepāja | 6 |
| 7 | Roberts Uldriķis | FS Metta/LU | 6 |
| 7 | Raivis Jurkovskis | FK RFS | 6 |
| 7 | Yevgeni Kozlov | Spartaks | 6 |

Updated to match(es) played on 29 October 2016. Source:UEFA

