The new head coach of the Latvian national women’s team, Liene Vāciete, has announced the players selected for their first match in the UEFA Nations League C, which will take place on February 25 away against Kosovo.
The squad is made up of players from four domestic clubs, as well as teams from Germany, Greece, the USA, Poland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Cyprus. Notably, 16-year-old Gabriela Annija Andersone has been called up for the first time to the WNT.
The Latvian team will begin preparations for the match against Kosovo on February 20.
Following the match against Kosovo, the Latvian women’s national team will have an away game against North Macedonia in early April. Additionally, they will host both opponents at home during the May and June international windows.
The Kosovo national team initially earned a spot in the B League in 2023 but withdrew after suffering six losses to Wales, Ukraine, and Croatia during European Championship qualification. Previously Latvia and Kosovo played against each other not so long ago in a friendly match in April 2023, where Kosovo emerged victorious with a score of 1-0.
Winners of the subgroups in the C League will qualify for the B League. Meanwhile, the two best second-place teams (ranked 39th and 40th in the overall standings) will compete against the two best third-place teams from the B League subgroup in a playoff in October for a chance to ascend.
This marks the second season of the UEFA Nations League for women’s national teams. In the inaugural season in 2023, the Latvian national team finished second in its C League subgroup, trailing Malta but outperforming Andorra and Moldova. Latvia’s national team reached the playoffs for a spot in the B League but was decisively defeated by Slovakia.
Consequently, the team participated in the qualifying round for last year’s European Championship in the C League, where they finished ahead of North Macedonia and Moldova in their group but fell to Slovenia, ultimately failing to qualify for further matches.
| Player | Position | Club | Age | NT appearances (goals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofja Ņesterova | Goalkeeper | Werder Bremen (GER) | 23* | 19 (0) |
| Elza Renāte Strazdiņa | Goalkeeper | Riga FC Women | 18* | 2 (0) |
| Alīna Skļemenova | Goalkeeper | RFS Women | 20* | 1 (0) |
| Sofija Garanča | Defender | Riga FC Women | 20* | 20 (2) |
| Anna Hropatja | Defender | RFS Women | 19* | 11 (0) |
| Anastasija Ročāne | Defender | Asteras Tripolis (GRE) | 32* | 82 (3) |
| Fanija Mežecka | Defender | FS Metta | 22* | 1 (0) |
| Aleksandra Sofija Mairna | Defender | Michigan State University (USA) | 21* | 6 (0) |
| Nikola Brahmane | Defender | FK Auda | 26* | 4 (0) |
| Anastasija Čemirtāne | Midfielder | RFS Women | 25* | 21 (1) |
| Karlīna Miksone | Midfielder | Czarni Sosnowiec (POL) | 24* | 69 (20) |
| Anna Marija Valaka | Midfielder | RFS Women | 25* | 23 (0) |
| Sandra Voitāne | Midfielder | IBV Vestmannaeyja (ICE) | 25* | 66 (15) |
| Marina Teļukeviča | Midfielder | RFS Women | 19* | 4 (0) |
| Anastasija Poļuhoviča | Midfielder | Sparta Prague (CZE) | 19* | 25 (6) |
| Paula Linda Liniņa | Midfielder | FS Metta | 23* | 29 (0) |
| Viktorija Zaičikova | Midfielder | IBV Vestmannaeyja (ICE) | 24* | 61 (4) |
| Anna Kristīne Gornela | Midfielder | Riga FC Women | 27* | 25 (0) |
| Gabriela Annija Andersone | Midfielder | Sassuolo Calcio U19 (ITA) | 16* | 0 (0) |
| Santa Sanija Vuškāne | Midfielder | GKS Katowice (POL) | 19* | 5 (0) |
| Katrīna Daņilova | Midfielder | Aris Limassol (CYP) | 20* | 9 (0) |
| Signija Šenberga | Midfielder | FS Metta | 21* | 10 (0) |
| Olga Ševcova | Midfielder | IBV Vestmannaeyja (ICE) | 32* | 60 (14) |
*A player’s age followed by an * indicates they have not yet celebrated their birthday in 2025.
Latvia WNT calendar for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League C Group 6 games.
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 25.02.2025 | Kosovo vs Latvia |
| 04.04.2025 | North Macedonia vs Latvia |
| 30.05.2025 | Latvia vs North Macedonia |
| 03.06.2025 | Latvia vs Kosovo |
Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/18097/zinams-lienes-vacietes-pirmais-izsaukums-uz-nacionalo-izlasi/
