2020 Latvian Higher League
Latvian football league season for the highest division
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The 2020 Latvian Higher League, known as the Optibet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, was the 29th season of top-tier football in Latvia. The season began on 15 June 2020 and ended on 29 November 2020.[1] The league winners earned a place in the UEFA Champions League and the second and third-placed clubs earned a place in the new UEFA Europa Conference League.[2]
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 June 2020 – 29 November 2020 |
| Champions | Riga |
| Relegated | Tukums |
| Champions League | Riga |
| Conference League | RFS Valmiera Liepāja |
| Matches | 135 |
| Goals | 415 (3.07 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Dodô (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Spartaks Jūrmala 7–0 Jelgava (26 November 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Jelgava 0–7 Liepāja (29 November 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Liepāja 2–5 RFS (30 June 2020) RFS 5–2 Valmiera (29 July 2020) Riga 5–2 Tukums (23 August 2020) Spartaks Jūrmala 7–0 Jelgava (26 November 2020) Jelgava 0–7 Liepāja (29 November 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 14 matches Riga |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Riga |
| Longest winless run | 20 matches Tukums |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Tukums |
← 2019 2021 →
All statistics correct as of 29 November 2020. | |
Riga were the defending champions after winning the league the previous season.[3]
Teams
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riga (C) | 27 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 21 | +39 | 69 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Rīgas FS | 27 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 66 | 21 | +45 | 66 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Valmiera/BSS | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 47 | |
| 4 | Ventspils | 27 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 44 | |
| 5 | Liepāja | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 57 | 34 | +23 | 42 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round[a] |
| 6 | Spartaks Jūrmala | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 53 | 44 | +9 | 40 | |
| 7 | Jelgava | 27 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 19 | 64 | −45 | 22 | |
| 8 | Daugavpils | 27 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 20 | |
| 9 | Metta/LU | 27 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 22 | 55 | −33 | 16 | |
| 10 | Tukums (R) | 27 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 21 | 70 | −49 | 14 | Relegation to the Latvian First League |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Fair-play ranking; 7) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Fair-play ranking; 7) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Liepāja qualified for the Europa Conference League as the 2020 Latvian Football Cup winners.
Results
Rounds 1–18
Rounds 19–27
Statistics
Top scorers
- As of matches played 29 November 2020[5]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dodô |
Liepāja | 18 |
| 2 |  Tolu Arokodare |
Valmiera | 15 |
 Nemanja Belaković |
Spartaks | ||
| 4 |  Kule Mbombo |
Riga | 12 |
| 5 |  Yevgeni Kozlov |
Ventspils | 11 |
 Raimonds Krollis |
METTA/LU | ||
| 7 | Chinonso Offor |
Daugavpils RFS |
10 |
| Emerson Deocleciano |
RFS | ||
| 9 | Artūrs Karašausks |
Liepāja | 9 |
| 10 |  Alain Kouadio |
RFS | 8 |
 Tomáš Šimkovič |
RFS | ||
| Kaspars Svārups |
Ventspils |