Continuing their preparations for the upcoming UEFA Futsal Euro 2026, which will be hosted early next year in Rīga, Kaunas, and Ljubljana, the Latvian national futsal team claimed 3-1 victory over friendly tournament hosts Romania. Goals from Miks Babris, Viktors Kuļepovs, and Edgars Tarakanovs secured the win for Latvia.
This friendly tournament in Romania marks another key stage in Latvia’s build-up to their historic debut at the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026, where they will host the group stage in Rīga and face Georgia, France, and Croatia.
After a convincing 8-3 victory over Malta the previous day, Latvia faced a tougher test against the home side, who had defeated Malta 3-0 two days earlier.
Latvia took the lead midway through the first half when Miks Babris converted from close range after a sharp assist from Edgars Tarakanovs. In the second half, Latvia doubled their advantage while playing with an extra man – Viktors Kuļepovs finishing off a well-worked team move. With just over a minute remaining, Tarakanovs added Latvia’s third goal, while Romania managed to pull one back in the closing seconds.
This was already the third international preparation series for Latvia since September as they gear up for the European Championship. Earlier in the autumn, the Latvian futsal team won a friendly tournament in Indonesia, defeating the hosts as well as the Netherlands and Tanzania. Last month, they hosted Portugal, one of the world’s strongest sides, for two high-profile friendlies in Rīga.
The UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 Final Tournament will take place from January 21 to February 7, marking the first time in history that the competition is co-hosted by three nations – Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia. Latvia will make their long-awaited debut with three home matches at Xiaomi Arena in Rīga.
Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/18637/uzvareti-ari-ranga-augstak-esosie-rumani/
