The Latvian First League () is the second tier of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
in
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and is organised by the
Latvian Football Federation. Since 2021, its full name is Nākotnes Līga (''Future League'').
History
The league was founded together with other Latvian football competitions in 1992. From 2007 to 2008, the tournament was known as the Traffic 1. līga, due to its first sponsorship deal concluded with the "Traffic auto advert" advertising company.
From 2015 its name was Komanda.lv First League (''Komanda.lv 1. līga'') for sponsorship reasons, after th
Komanda.lvsporting goods
Sports equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear, which varies in shapes, size, and usage in a particular sport. It includes balls, nets, rackets, protective gears like helmets, goggles, etc. Since the p ...
store became the league's main sponsor in 2015. Between 2021 and 2024, the league's general sponsor was the gambling company Optibet, so the league was called "Optibet Future League".
Format
There are 14 clubs in the First League. During the course of the season each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, with a total of 26 games. At the end of the season, the highest placed club is automatically promoted to the
Virslīga
Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, also known as TonyBet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Latvia and the highest level of the Latvian football league system. Organised by the Latvian Football F ...
. The second lowest placed club in the Virslīga and the second placed club in the First League compete in a two-legged tie for the remaining place in the following season's Virslīga. The two clubs finishing at the bottom of the First League are relegated to the
Second League, while the third-from-bottom team competes in a two-legged tie with the third-placed team of the Second League for a place in the First League.
First League clubs (2025)
14 clubs took part in the Nākotne līga season:
*
Rēzekne (
Rēzekne)
*
Mārupes SC (
Mārupe)
*
Ogre United (
Ogre
An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...
)
*
JDFS Alberts (
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
)
*
Leevon PPK (
Rīga)
*
FK Smiltene/BJSS (
Smiltene
Smiltene () is a town in the Vidzeme region in northern Latvia, 132 km northeast of the capital Riga, and the administrative centre of Smiltene Municipality. It has a population of 5,536 (2015).
Name
Its original name was Smiltesele (the end ...
)
*
Skanstes SK (
Rīga)
*
AFA Olaine (
Olaine
Olaine (; ) is a city in Olaine Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Olaine gained town rights in 1967. The population in 2020 was 10,668.
History
The name comes from the (), built by the stream, a Misa River, Misa river tributary, ...
)
*
JFK Ventspils (
Ventspils
Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country.
At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...
)
*
Riga FC-2 (
Rīga)
*
FK RFS-2 (
Rīga)
*
Augšdaugavas NSS (
Ilūkste)
*
FK Tukums 2000-2 (
Tukums
Tukums (; ; ) is a town in Latvia and serves as the administrative center of Tukums Municipality. It is located in the eastern part of the historical region of Courland, and with more than 16,000 inhabitants Tukums is the 13th largest settlem ...
)
*
Riga Mariners (
Rīga)
Past First League winners
:
a Previously won as Ranto/AVV.
References
External links
The First League on the Latvian Football Federation website(in Latvian)
(Archive) The page of the league on the Latvian Football Federation website (in English)- Latvian football league tables, records & statistics database.
{{UEFA second leagues
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