Riga host decisive UEFA Conference League play-off return leg
Latvian champions Riga face Faroese side Klaksvík KÍ at home tonight in the decisive UEFA Conference League qualifying play-off, with a win securing a spot in the group stage.
Latvian football champions Riga will play the return leg of the UEFA Conference League qualifying play-off round against Faroe Islands club Klaksvík KÍ tonight at 20:00 at Skonto Stadium. The first leg in the Faroe Islands ended in a 0:0 draw, making tonight's match decisive — the winner advances to the Conference League group stage. The game will be broadcast live on TV4.
Should Riga win, it would become only the third Latvian club in history to reach the group stage of a UEFA club competition. Ventspils achieved this in the 2009/2010 Europa League season, and RFS did so in the 2022/2023 Conference League season, later also reaching the Europa League group stage.
The road to the decider
Riga began its European campaign in Champions League qualifying, losing 3:4 in the first round to Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia. Switching to the Conference League path, the Riga side beat North Macedonia's Vardar 8:4 in the second round, then defeated Hungary's Győri ETO 2:1 in the third round.
Klaksvík KÍ, meanwhile, beat Luxembourg's Atert Bissen 4:2 in the first round of Champions League qualifying before losing 0:1 to Lithuania's Žalgiris. Moving into Europa League qualifying, the Faroese club suffered a heavy 0:6 defeat to Poland's Lech Poznań.
Both teams currently sit second in their respective domestic leagues — Riga has suffered only one defeat this season in the Latvian Virslīga, while Klaksvík KÍ holds second place in the top Faroese league.
Among other Latvian clubs in this season's Conference League qualifying, RFS and Auda were eliminated in the third round, while Liepāja lost already in the second round. Reaching the group stage requires clearing all three qualifying rounds plus the play-off round.
