Latvian referee Kristaps Ratnieks has received his first international appointment as the match referee after gaining FIFA status for 2026.
It is the first year in which Ratnieks has held FIFA category status, with the Latvian Football Federation confirming that he has now been selected for his first assignment abroad as the lead official – the 2027 European U-19 Championship first qualifying round tournament in Finland, where, in addition to the home team, youngsters from the Czechia, Ukraine and Estonia will also participate.
Ratnieks was added to Latvia’s list of FIFA referees at the end of 2025. Since then, he has continued to work on domestic matches, including in the Latvian top flight and cup competitions, before earning this latest step in his officiating career.
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Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/18869/kristaps-ratnieks-sanem-pirmo-starptautisko-nozimejumu-ka-galvenais-tiesnesis/
