The 2026 Latvian Cup began with 14 ties in the first stage, which was restricted to clubs playing no higher than the Altero.lv 2. līga (third tier). Two matches went to penalty shoot-outs and Salaspils set a new record with a 26-0 win over Namejs.
Salaspils, who have started their third tier campaign with three straight victories, overwhelmed Namejs 26-0 at the recently opened ground – Metta’s new base “Rūpnīca”. Nikita Lazarenko scored seven, while Gļebs Cvetkovs and Roberts Gorodņickis each hit four. Vjačeslavs Miņins, Svetoslavs Čugunovs and Ukrainian Jaroslavs Tkačenko all completed hat-tricks, with every goal coming from starting players.
There were two shoot-outs in this round. Upesciema Warriors knocked out Babīte after a 1-1 draw, winning 4-1 on penalties in a game that featured a red card for the visitors in normal time and another dismissal for the hosts in extra time. In an all-2. līga meeting, Aliance equalised late in extra time to draw 2-2 with Dinamo Rīga before winning 7-6 on spot-kicks, reversing a recent league defeat to the same opponents.
Rīgas Futbola skola were among the early exits, losing 3-2 away to Saldus despite twice coming back in the match. Elsewhere, Traktors beat Karosta 1-0, while several ties were decided by heavy scorelines, including Spēks’ 9-0 win over Cēsis and Valka’s 10-0 victory against Dobele. The second-stage draw, which brings in LVBET league sides (second tier), is scheduled for Tuesday at 14:30 local time, with second-stage matches planned for late May and Virslīga clubs entering in mid-July at the last-16 stage.
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Source: https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/citi_latvijas_turniri/18052026-latvijas_kausa_izcina_sakas_ar_divam_pend
