The Latvian Football Federation has officially announced the dates for the upcoming Virslīga promotion/relegation playoffs. For the second consecutive year, Virslīga’s 9th-placed side FK Grobiņa will face JDFS Alberts, who finished second in the Nākotnes Līga, in a battle for the final spot in the 2026 Virslīga season.
The first leg will take place on November 20 in Liepāja, while the return leg is scheduled for November 23 at RTU Stadium in Rīga.
Both clubs are familiar with this playoff format, having met in the same scenario last season. On that occasion, Grobiņa managed to retain their Virslīga status, though it was far from easy. After suffering a 2-3 home defeat in Liepāja, they produced a determined performance in the return leg at RTU Stadium, scoring twice in cold conditions and keeping a clean sheet. That result secured a 4-3 aggregate victory, leaving JDFS Alberts to spend another season in the second tier.
JDFS Alberts clinched second place in dramatic fashion, snatching it in the final round with a 2-0 win over Riga Mariners. The victory denied Riga Mariners a top-two finish and confirmed Ogre United as league champions and newly promoted Virslīga side.
Meanwhile, FK Grobiņa, coached by Oskars Kļava, endured a tense final round themselves. As late as the 85th minute, they were bottom of the live standings and heading for automatic relegation. However, Ukrainian forward Mykola Agapov scored a crucial goal to earn a valuable point – enough to secure 9th place and another shot at survival, while FK Metta dropped to 10th and automatic relegation.
Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/18635/virsligas-parspeles-notiks-20-un-23-novembri/
