Riga FC return to the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening after a five-year absence, opening their 2026/27 European campaign away to Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia. Kick-off in Abovyan is scheduled for 19:00 Baltic time.
The Latvian champions travelled to Armenia on Monday in high spirits after a convincing 3-0 Tonybet Virslīga victory over FS Jelgava. Combined with RFS dropping points against FK Auda, Riga FC have reduced the gap at the top of the league table to just one point, with the country’s two strongest clubs once again pulling away from the rest of the competition.
However, Adrian Guľa’s side will have to cope without captain Antonijs Černomordijs. The Latvian international centre-back suffered a muscle injury during Friday’s league match and did not travel with the squad to Armenia. Speaking at Monday’s pre-match press conference, Guľa expressed hope that the injury is not serious and that his captain will be available for next week’s return leg at Skonto Stadium.
Despite the setback, the Slovak coach made it clear that Riga FC have travelled to Armenia with ambition. “We need to play aggressively. We need to show our best performance. My philosophy is always to give your best and keep your DNA. Of course, it’s two games, but we need to be in top shape from the start because if you give these players space, they can be very dangerous. We need to control the game our way, not their way,” Guľa said.
Ararat-Armenia, three-time Armenian champions, are also chasing a historic breakthrough in Europe, with the billionaire-owned club still searching for its first appearance in the league phase of a UEFA competition (you can read more about the Ararat-Armenia here). Like Riga FC, they view this tie as a major opportunity, knowing that progressing from the opening qualifying round would significantly improve their chances of reaching the latter stages of the European qualifying campaign.
The Armenian side’s Portuguese head coach, Manuel Tulipa, admitted he has been impressed by Riga FC’s recent development.
“Riga are a very interesting team. I have studied the opponent: over the past three years, they have made major progress in their development, and serious investment has been made in the team. They have made good transfers and have very intelligently combined local players with foreign players,” Tulipa said before adding that he sees many similarities between the two clubs in terms of playing style.
Riga FC have come agonisingly close to reaching the main phase of a UEFA competition on several occasions. Most recently, last summer they pushed Czech giants Sparta Prague all the way in the UEFA Conference League play-off round before narrowly losing 1-2 on aggregate.
Riga FC Gambian striker Mohammed Badamosi leads the attack after scoring 15 goals in 21 Virslīga matches, while Brazilian forward Reginaldo and returning Nigerian striker Abdulrahman Taiwo provide Adrian Guľa with additional attacking firepower.
Ararat-Armenia will not be playing this today’s tie at their usual European home. Last season, the Armenian club welcomed continental opponents to its modern 1,500-seat academy stadium, but this year switched domestic matches to the 15,000-capacity Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, home of the Armenian national team.
However, ongoing renovation work at the capital’s main stadium has forced another temporary relocation. As a result, Tuesday’s first leg against Riga FC will instead be held in nearby Abovyan, around 10 kilometres from Yerevan. The match will take place at the 3,149-seat Vahagn Tumasyan Stadium.
