Latvian Third League

The Latvian Third League is the fourth tier of football in Latvia. It is organised by the Latvian Football Federation.

History

In 2019, the Latvian Football Federation changed the football league system by expanding it to a fourth tier, the Third League. The aim was to greatly reduce the number of teams in the Second League and increase the prestige of the higher levels of the league system. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, the inaugural 2020 season did not fully proceed as planned. The first edition of the Third League, held in accordance with the newly established format, took place in 2021.

Competition format

Regional stage

There are four regional divisions in the Third League, each containing approximately 10 teams, which must play home and away games against their regional opponents. From each region, two teams advance to the promotion round, whereas the other teams do not continue the season. This stage of the league is typically contested from April to September.
As this is the lowest level of Latvian football, no relegation takes place within the league.

Promotion stage

The promotion round involves additional matches between the top four teams of each regional group, allowing six of the best teams to be promoted to the Second League at the conclusion of the season. This takes place in a knockout format, starting from the quarterfinals. The teams contest additional matches in order to determine the exact placement of each team and the league winners.
Until the 2025 season, the promotion round involved matches between the top two teams of each regional division, allowing four of the best teams to be promoted, but the rules were changed since the expansion of the Second League to 20 teams starting from the 2026 season. Since 2026, the six best teams from the Third League are promoted to the Second League.