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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.
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Spartaks Jūrmala 1st title |
| Relegated | BFC Daugavpils |
| Champions League | Spartaks Jūrmala |
| Europa League | Jelgava Ventspils |
| Matches played | 112 |
| Goals scored | 252 (2.25 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ģirts Karlsons (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Jelgava 4–0 Rīgas Futbola skola (12 March 2016)[1] Spartaks Jūrmala 5–1 Ventspils (10 June 2016)[2] |
| Biggest away win | BFC Daugavpils 0–5 Ventspils (16 April 2016)[3] |
| Highest scoring | Jelgava 4–3 Ventspils (22 June 2016)[4] Liepāja 4–3 Spartaks Jūrmala (24 July 2016)[5] |
← 2015 2017 → | |
FB Gulbene were excluded from the previous season due to suspicion of match-fixing.[6] 2015 Latvian First League winners FC Caramba/Dinamo were promoted to the league and before the season changed their name to Riga FC.[7]
Skonto FC did not obtain a license to play in the 2016 Higher League.[8] Skonto appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.[9] 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.[8]
Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2016 Latvian Higher League teams
| 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 |
| 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[lower-alpha 1] | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2] |
| 3 | Ventspils | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 51[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 4 | Liepāja | 28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 42 | |
| 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 |
Source: Virslĩga (in Latvian), UEFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Fairplay ranking; 7) Play-off.[10][11]
(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) Fairplay ranking; 7) Play-off.[10][11]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- 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.
First leg
| AFA Olaine | 1–1 | METTA/LU |
|---|---|---|
Asgarov  85' |
Report | Uldriķis 52' |
Second leg
| METTA/LU | 1–0 | AFA Olaine |
|---|---|---|
| Šibass 10' |
Report |
METTA/LU won 2–1 on aggregate and retained their place in the 2017 Higher League.
|
|
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 |
| Gļebs Kļuškins |
Jelgava | ||
| 7 | Andrejs Kovaļovs |
Jelgava | 6 |
| Oskars Kļava |
Liepāja | ||
| Roberts Uldriķis |
FS Metta/LU | ||
| Raivis Jurkovskis |
FK RFS | ||
 Yevgeni Kozlov |
Spartaks | ||
Updated to match(es) played on 29 October 2016.
Source:UEFA
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