# 2017 Latvian Higher League

The 2017 Latvian Higher League is the 26th season of top-tier football in Latvia. Spartaks Jūrmala are the defending champions, having won their first title in the previous season.

## Teams

The bottom-placed team from the 2016 season, BFC Daugavpils, were directly relegated to the 2017 Latvian First League. They were replaced by Babīte, champions of the 2016 Latvian First League.
The seventh-placed team from the 2016 season, FS METTA/LU, retained their top-flight spot for the 2017 season by defeating 2016 First League runners-up, AFA Olaine in the play-offs.
Babīte was removed from the league on 22 June 2017 after the Latvian Football Federation received a notice from UEFA's Betting Fraud Detection System for 6 separate games involving Babīte. All the results for Babīte games were invalidated and do not count for the standings.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Babīte | Piņķi | Piņķu stadions | 500 |
| Jelgava | Jelgava | Olympic Sports Center of Zemgale | 1,560 |
| Liepāja | Liepāja | Daugava Stadium | 5,008 |
| Metta/LU | Riga | Hanzas vidusskolas laukums | 2,000 |
| RFS | Riga | Stadions Arkādija | 1,000 |
| Riga | Riga | Skonto Stadium | 8,207 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | Jūrmala | Slokas Stadium | 2,800 |
| Ventspils | Ventspils | Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions | 3,044 |
Source: Scoresway

### Kits manufacturer and sponsors

| Club | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| SK Babīte | Joma | |
| FK Jelgava | Nike | Igate |
| FK Liepāja | Adidas | Mogo |
| FS Metta/LU | Nike | |
| Riga FC | Jako | |
| Rīgas Futbola skola | Nike | LNK Group |
| FK Spartaks Jūrmala | Nike | Hanseatisches Fußball Kontor |
| FK Ventspils | Adidas | VK Tranzīts |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Spartaks Jūrmala (C) | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 46 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Liepāja | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 37 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Riga | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 37 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Ventspils | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 35 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | RFS | 24 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 29 | 31 | −2 | 35 | |
| 6 | Jelgava | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 30 | −8 | 29 | |
| 7 | METTA/LU (O) | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 46 | −25 | 15 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 8 | Babīte (D) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Excluded from league |
* 1 2 Liepāja is ahead of Riga on head-to-head goal difference: Liepāja +1, Riga -1.
* ↑ Liepāja qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2017 Latvian Football Cup.
* 1 2 Ventspils is ahead of RFS on overall goal difference.
* ↑ Babīte were excluded from the league for match fixing.

## Results

Each team will play the other seven teams home-and-away twice, for a total of 28 games each.

## Relegation play-offs

The seventh-placed side faced the runners-up of the 2017 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2018 Higher League competition.

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 4 November 2017
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Yevgeni Kozlov | Spartaks Jūrmala | 13 |
| 2 | Artūrs Karašausks | Liepāja | 12 |
| 3 | Adeleke Akinyemi | Ventspils | 10 |
| 4 | Tosin Aiyegun | Ventspils | 9 |
| 5 | Bogdan Vaštšuk | Riga | 8 |
| 6 | Mārcis Ošs | Jelgava | 7 |
| 6 | Daniils Ulimbaševs | RFS | 7 |
| 8 | Kristaps Grebis | Liepāja | 6 |
| 8 | Ģirts Karlsons | Liepāja | 6 |
| 8 | Edgars Gauračs | Spartaks Jūrmala | 6 |