Latvia have qualified for a UEFA European Championship once, the 2004 edition. After finishing second in their qualifying group, they won the two-legged play-offs against Turkey (3–2 on aggregate) to secure their first appearance in a major tournament finals.[1][2] In doing so, Latvia became the first and so far only Baltic team to qualify for a European Championship.[1][2]
At Euro 2004, Latvia were drawn in Group D, alongside Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.[3] Latvia faced the Czech Republic in their opening match on 15 June 2004, with Māris Verpakovskis scoring before half-time.[4] However, the Czechs would later come back to win the game 2–1.[4] Four days later, Latvia earned a respectable 0–0 draw against World Cup runners-up Germany to earn their first point in a major tournament.[5] They lost their final match 3–0 against the Netherlands,[6] and were eliminated, finishing fourth in the group with one point from their draw and two losses.[7]
