1996 Latvian Higher League
| Season | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Skonto FC |
| Relegated | Skonto/Metals FK Jurnieks |
| UEFA Champions League | Skonto FC |
| UEFA Cup | Torpedo Riga |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Dinaburg FC |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | RAF Jelgava |
| Top goalscorer |  Mihails Miholaps (33 goals) |
← 1995 1997 → | |
The 1996 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the sixth domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Tenth teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.
First round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skonto | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 74 | 9 | +65 | 47 | Qualification for championship group |
| 2 | Daugava Rīga | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 11 | +30 | 43 | |
| 3 | Dinaburg | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 32 | |
| 4 | Baltika Liepāja | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 28 | |
| 5 | Universitāte | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 26 | |
| 6 | Starts | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 20 | |
| 7 | Vairogs | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 32 | −13 | 18 | Qualification for relegation group |
| 8 | Lokomotīve | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 17 | |
| 9 | Skonto/Metāls | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 38 | −29 | 9 | |
| 10 | Jūrnieks | 18 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 44 | −33 | 9 |
Source: rsssf.com
Match table
Second round
Championship group
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skonto (C) | 28 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 98 | 12 | +86 | 73 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Daugava Rīga | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 61 | 18 | +43 | 61 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dinaburg | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 53 | 31 | +22 | 47 | Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 4 | Universitāte | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 39 | Qualification for Intertoto Cup group stage |
| 5 | Baltika Liepāja | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 38 | |
| 6 | Starts (R) | 28 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 26 | 69 | −43 | 23 | Dissolved after the season |
Match table
Relegation group
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Lokomotīve | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 39 | |
| 8 | Vairogs | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 33 | |
| 9 | Skonto/Metāls (R) | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 25 | 53 | −28 | 27 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Jūrnieks (R) | 30 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 25 | 61 | −36 | 20 | Relegation to Latvian First League |
Match table
Relegation play-offs
The matches were played on 29 October and 3 November 1996.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skonto/Metāls | 1–2 | Valmiera | 1–0 | 0–2 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mihails Miholaps (LAT) |
FK Daugava Rīga | 33 |
| 2 |  Aleksandr Pindeyev (UKR) |
Skonto FC | 17 |
| 3 | Vladimirs Babičevs (LAT) |
Skonto FC | 16 |
| Juris Karašausks (LAT) |
Dinaburg FC | ||
| 5 | Aleksandrs Fedotovs (LAT) |
Dinaburg FC | 13 |
Awards
| Best | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Raimonds Laizāns (LAT) |
Skonto FC |
| Defender | Jurijs Ševļakovs (LAT) |
Skonto FC |
| Midfielder | Vitālijs Astafjevs (LAT) |
Skonto FC |
| Forward | Mihails Miholaps (LAT) |
FK Daugava Rīga |
Skonto FC 1996
| Pos | Name | Birthdate | P | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Vitālijs Astafjevs |
03.04.1971 | 18 | 12 | 1 | - |
| MF | Vladimirs Babičevs |
22.04.1968 | 25 | 16 | 3 | - |
| - |  Vladlen Bausev |
03.03.1967 | 10 | 3 | - | - |
| DF | Oļegs Blagonadeždins |
16.05.1973 | 23 | 1 | - | - |
| MF | Imants Bleidelis |
16.08.1975 | 20 | 3 | - | - |
| - | Konstantin Ivanov |
10.05.1964 | 6 | - | - | - |
| MF | Valērijs Ivanovs |
23.02.1970 | 27 | 3 | 2 | - |
| FW | Aleksandrs Jelisejevs |
11.08.1971 | 15 | 10 | 1 | - |
| GK | Aleksandrs Koļiņko |
18.06.1975 | 9 | –3 | 1 | - |
| GK | Raimonds Laizāns |
05.08.1964 | 19 | –9 | 1 | - |
| - | Vsevolods Līdaks |
22.10.1977 | 6 | 1 | - | - |
| - | Valentins Lobaņovs |
23.10.1971 | 19 | 3 | 2 | - |
| DF | Boriss Monjaks |
11.04.1970 | 10 | - | - | - |
| FW | Marians Pahars |
05.08.1976 | 28 | 12 | 2 | - |
| - | Aleksandr Pindejev |
03.03.1971 | 26 | 17 | 5 | - |
| - | Igors Stepanovs |
21.01.1976 | 22 | 2 | 3 | - |
| DF | Jurijs Ševļakovs |
24.01.1959 | 24 | 1 | 5 | - |
| FW | Andrejs Štolcers |
08.07.1974 | 26 | 6 | 3 | - |
| DF | Igors Troickis |
11.01.1969 | 26 | 3 | 4 | - |
| DF | Mihails Zemļinskis |
21.12.1969 | 24 | 4 | 3 | - |
| Manager: Aleksandrs Starkovs
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