Latvia’s national team begins 2026 with an away match in Gibraltar, as Paolo Nicolato’s side plays the first of two fixtures that will determine their place in UEFA Nations League C.
The Italian coach has called up 27 players for the tie, including the returning Roberts Uldriķis and Eduards Emsis, both back after missing several international windows due to injuries. Uldriķis returns to the national team for the first time since November 2024 after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and resuming action with Arminia Bielefeld in January.
The squad also features English Premier League side Sunderland defender Denniss Cirkin, who has joined the national team setup for the first time. However, he will not be eligible to play in this window as his international documentation has not yet been completed. This call-up serves as an opportunity for him to integrate into the squad and adapt to the team environment.
Latvia last faced Gibraltar in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier, also played away, where they secured a 3-1 victory. Goals in that match were scored by forwards Roberts Uldriķis, Vladislavs Gutkovskis, and Raimonds Krollis, although Krollis is unavailable for these matches due to injury.
This will be the fifth meeting between the two nations. Latvia have won three of the previous encounters, while Gibraltar have recorded one victory – a 1-0 win in 2018. That defeat was one of the most shocking ones at the time, and it led to the departure of legendary head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs, who had previously guided Latvia to EURO 2004.
The stakes for this tie are clear. The winner over two legs, with the return match scheduled at Skonto Stadium on March 31, will compete in Nations League C later this year against Armenia, Cyprus and Montenegro. The losing side will drop to Nations League D, where they will face Andorra and either Malta or Luxembourg.
The matches also carry importance for Nicolato. After the World Cup qualifying campaign ended in November, his contract expired, but it was later extended until April. The outcome of this tie is expected to play a key role in determining whether he remains in charge ahead of the Baltic Cup and the next Nations League cycle.
Latvia will be without Roberts Savaļnieks, who is suspended for the first match. Nicolato confirmed ahead of the game that his starting lineup is already decided as the team looks to begin the tie with a positive result.
Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 Baltic time.
Latvia National Team – March 2026
Goalkeepers
- Rihards Matrevics (18 Mar 1999) – Dukla Praha (Czech Republic) – Caps: 15, Goals: 0
- Krišjānis Zviedris (25 Jan 1997) – Riga FC – Caps: 7, Goals: 0
- Frenks Dāvids Orols (28 Jun 2000) – Riga FC – Caps: 0, Goals: 0
Defenders
4. Roberts Savaļnieks (4 Feb 1993) – FC RFS – Caps: 72, Goals: 2
5. Andrejs Cigaņiks (12 Apr 1997) – FC Luzern (Switzerland) – Caps: 68, Goals: 4
6. Raivis Andris Jurkovskis (9 Dec 1996) – Riga FC – Caps: 58, Goals: 0
7. Antonijs Černomordijs (26 Sep 1996) – Riga FC – Caps: 45, Goals: 2
8. Vitālijs Jagodinskis (28 Feb 1992) – Visakha FC (Cambodia) – Caps: 39, Goals: 0
9. Daniels Balodis (10 Jun 1998) – Tatran Prešov (Slovakia) – Caps: 24, Goals: 1
10. Deniss Meļņiks (7 Sep 2002) – FK Auda – Caps: 10, Goals: 0
11. Roberts Veips (22 Feb 2000) – FC RFS – Caps: 4, Goals: 0
12. Emīls Birka (25 Apr 2000) – Riga FC – Caps: 1, Goals: 0
13. Niks Sliede (8 Mar 2004) – FC RFS – Caps: 1, Goals: 0
14. Denniss Cirkins (6 Apr 2002) – Sunderland AFC (England) – Caps: –, Goals: –
Midfielders
15. Jānis Ikaunieks (16 Feb 1995) – FC RFS – Caps: 72, Goals: 12
16. Aleksejs Saveļjevs (30 Jan 1999) – FK Asia Talas (Kyrgyzstan) – Caps: 35, Goals: 1
17. Eduards Emsis (23 Feb 1996) – SK Super Nova – Caps: 33, Goals: 2
18. Dmitrijs Zelenkovs (15 May 2000) – FC RFS – Caps: 22, Goals: 1
19. Renārs Varslavāns (23 Aug 2001) – Riga FC – Caps: 20, Goals: 1
20. Lūkass Vapne (31 Aug 2003) – Sogndal IL (Norway) – Caps: 16, Goals: 0
21. Danila Patijčuks (22 Mar 2003) – FK Liepāja – Caps: 0, Goals: 0
22. Kristers Penkevics (28 Jan 2003) – FC Zlín (Czech Republic) – Caps: 2, Goals: 0
23. Kristaps Grabovskis (14 Jun 2005) – B93 (Denmark) – Caps: 1, Goals: 0
Forwards
24. Vladislavs Gutkovskis (2 Apr 1995) – Arka Gdynia (Poland) – Caps: 59, Goals: 13
25. Roberts Uldriķis (3 Apr 1998) – Arminia Bielefeld (Germany) – Caps: 55, Goals: 8
26. Marko Regža (20 Jan 1999) – FC Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) – Caps: 16, Goals: 0
