The 2026 Baltic Cup resumes on Saturday with semi-finals taking place in Kaunas and Pärnu, as defending champions Estonia begin their title defence while both Latvia and Lithuania look to end lengthy waits for regional silverware.
In Kaunas, Lithuania will host Latvia at Darius and Girėnas Stadium, while Estonia welcome the Faroe Islands to Pärnu Rannastaadion. Kick-off in Lithuania is scheduled for 16:00 local time, with the second semi-final beginning at 18:00 in Estonia.
The Baltic Cup remains the oldest international football tournament still being played in Europe. First contested in 1928, the competition will celebrate its centenary at the next edition in 2028.
Latvia remain the most successful nation in the tournament’s history, but have not lifted the trophy since 2018. Since then Estonia have won twice, while invited guest nation Iceland won the tournament once. Lithuania’s drought is even longer, with their last Baltic Cup triumph coming back in 2010.
This year’s tournament once again features four teams, with the Faroe Islands invited for a second consecutive edition.
The opening semi-final in Kaunas sees two teams heavily affected by injuries and absences. Lithuania head coach Edgaras Jankauskas is without several important squad members, including goalkeepers Edvinas Gertmonas and Marius Adamonis, defenders Pijus Širvys, Artemijus Tutyškinas and Klaudijus Upstas among others. However, the core of the Lithuanian side remains intact, led by Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis and Slovenia-based striker Armandas Kučys.
Latvia’s injury situation is arguably even more severe. Head coach Paolo Nicolato is already without captain Kristers Tobers, Roberts Uldriķis, Jānis Ikaunieks, Renārs Varslavāns, Vladislavs Gutkovskis, Eduards Dašķevičs and Dmitrijs Zelenkovs. The absences leave Marko Regža and Dario Šits as Latvia’s only recognised centre-forwards.
Despite the missing players, both camps have spoken openly about their ambitions. Jankauskas stated that Lithuania are approaching the tournament with the goal of winning it, while Nicolato and Latvian football officials have also stressed the importance of ending Latvia’s eight-year wait for the trophy.
“We lost a couple of players, but overall the preparation week went smoothly,” Jankauskas said ahead of the match. “The players who are here are very well prepared. We would like this game to show the depth of our squad.”
The Lithuanian coach also pointed to Andrejs Cigaņiks as Latvia’s biggest individual threat. “If we talk about individual players, probably the biggest name is Andrejs Cigaņiks. He is their most dangerous player and the one who can create the most problems.”
Nicolato expects a difficult challenge against Lithuania and is eager to see how some of Latvia’s less experienced players perform.
“We are in a rather unusual situation with many players unavailable, but I am very curious to see the younger players and those who will get their opportunity,” Nicolato said. “Lithuania are a good team. Their coach is doing a good job. This will be a very competitive match.”
One interesting statistic favours the hosts. Lithuania have not lost a home match against Latvia since the restoration of independence, a fact Jankauskas admitted he only recently learned.
“Every match against Latvia is important regardless of history. Games against our neighbours are special. These matches are more than just sport.”
Meanwhile in Pärnu, Estonia begin the defence of the title they won two years ago, when current head coach Jürgen Henn started his tenure with a 4-1 victory over the Faroe Islands in the semi-finals before lifting the trophy against Lithuania.
“In my head, the Estonia national team never goes onto the pitch with any other thought than achieving the maximum result,” Henn said.
The Estonian coach confirmed that one or two players were facing late fitness assessments after a demanding club season but stressed that Estonia would not take unnecessary risks.
“We definitely don’t want to take unnecessary risks because the bench is long enough. Overall the team has trained very well and we are physically and mentally prepared.”
Estonia are also missing several established internationals, including Karol Mets, Matvei Igonen, Karl Andre Vallner, Maksim Paskotši, Joonas Tamm, Martin Vetkal, Martin Miller, Henri Anier and Alex Matthias Tamm.
The Faroe Islands arrive as the highest-ranked team in the tournament, sitting 123rd in the FIFA rankings compared to Estonia’s 129th, Latvia’s 136th and Lithuania’s 148th. The Faroese also enjoyed an impressive World Cup qualifying campaign, collecting 12 points and recording notable victories against Montenegro and the Czech Republic.
Henn expects a direct and physical opponent. “They are very motivated, united and dangerous in transition. They have players with excellent deliveries and set-piece quality. They are strong, direct and know exactly what they want to do.”
The winners of Saturday’s semi-finals will meet in Tuesday’s Baltic Cup final, while the losing teams will contest the third-place match.
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