At Vilnius’ Sportima Arena tonight, reigning champions FK Kauno Žalgiris officially begin the defense of their Toplyga title, facing FK Riteriai in the final fixture of the league’s opening round. Kick-off is scheduled for 20:00, closing a first matchday that has already delivered drama and unexpected results.
The new Lithuanian football season got underway on Friday with an early shock. Džiugas Telšiai stunned FK Žalgiris Vilnius 3-2, with Ronald Sobowale striking deep into second-half stoppage time to seal a memorable victory. The momentum of surprise continued on Saturday when FK Banga Gargždai secured a deserved 2-0 win over FC Hegelmann. Elsewhere, points were shared between FK TransInvest and FA Šiauliai, as well as FK Panevėžys and FK Sūduva.
With the opening round already marked by unpredictability, attention now turns to whether another twist awaits in Vilnius. Kauno Žalgiris arrive as clear favorites. Under head coach Eivinas Černiauskas, the Kaunas side recently lifted the Lithuanian Super Cup, adding early silverware to their campaign and reinforcing their status as the benchmark team in the league.
Last season’s meetings underline their dominance in this fixture. Riteriai managed to take points only once – a goalless draw in the third round when the team was coached by Serbian specialist Nikola Vitorovic. In the remaining three encounters, Kauno Žalgiris were emphatically superior, recording three victories, scoring 14 goals and conceding just three. The club’s leading scorer from last season, Amine Benchaib, accounted for three of those goals against Riteriai and remains one of the key attacking figures heading into the new season.
Stability has been a defining feature of Kauno Žalgiris’ offseason. While the core of the championship-winning squad remains intact, the club strengthened its roster with experienced additions familiar with Lithuanian football, including Dāvis Ikaunieks, Yukiyoshi Karashima, Joris Moutachy and Leo Ribeiro.
Riteriai, by contrast, enter the season following structural changes off the pitch. The club underwent a partial sale and was acquired by the Dutch football development organisation 4ThePlayers Academy.
Toplyga Matchday 1:
- 21.02.2026 – FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 2-3
- 22.02.2026 – FK Panevėžys vs FK Sūduva – 0-0
- 22.02.2026 – FC Hegelmann vs FK Banga Gargždai 0-2
- 22.02.2026 – FK TransInvest vs FA Šiauliai – 2-2
- 23.02.2026 – FK Riteriai vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 20:00
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FK Banga |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 |  FA Šiauliai |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 |  Transinvest |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  FK Sūduva |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  FK Žalgiris |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 9 |  FK Riteriai |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 10 |  FC Hegelmann |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
