The 2025/26 Latvian Optibet Futsal Virslīga season got underway on Saturday with two exciting opening matches. Four teams, all eliminated in last season’s quarterfinals, faced off, with the two home sides – Salaspils FA and FC Nikers – both recording identical 5-3 victories over FK Madona and TFK Salaspils, respectively.
This season, nine teams are competing in the Virslīga, down from ten last year. The RFS Futsal team has ceased operations; under that name, they reached the finals for the past three seasons but lost to Riga Futsal Club. However, they won two Latvian Futsal Cup trophies. Also not coming back for this season Virslīga is last year’s bottom of the table team Ludza. Joining the league this year is Beitar, formerly Riga Futsal Club’s farm team.
In Salaspils the opening match of the new season happened where Salaspils FA overcame FK Madona 5-3. The visitors took an early lead in the first minute through Mārcis Rūtiņš. Later in the first half, Ruslans Medvedins missed a six-meter penalty, but FK Madona doubled their advantage when Maksims Molčanovs inadvertently scored an own goal. Salaspils FA pulled one back before halftime via a 10-meter penalty from Jevgēnijs Hercbergs, with the score 1-2 at the break.
The second half saw Salaspils FA seize control. Medvedins restored parity in the 23rd minute, before Hercbergs converted a six-meter penalty one minute later to give the hosts their first lead. Maksims Molčanovs doubled the lead in the 28th minute. Both sides scored once more, with Salaspils FA ultimately securing a 5-3 victory. The match ended with a red card for FK Madona player Klāvs Sveķis.
In Kuldīga, an identical 5-3 result unfolded between FC Nikers and TFK Salaspils. The visitors went 2-0 up in the 14th minute thanks to goals from Andrejs Jēgers and Aleksejs Panfilovs, but Ralfs Timbers pulled one back before halftime. In the second half, Nikers struck three unanswered goals, with Robins Kokarītis and Krists Krūmiņš (two goals) on the scoresheet. Artūrs Kuļešovs scored a six-meter penalty for TFK Salaspils late in the match, but Kokarītis restored Nikers’ two-goal advantage with his second goal. Aleksejs Panfilovs received the first straight red card of the season.
The next Latvian Futsal Virslīga match will take place on Friday, when defending champions Riga Futsal Club host the league newcomers and former farm team, Beitar.
