England will play at the stadium without the fourth stand: what the arena in Riga looks like.

England meets Latvia

According to The Sun: The stars of the England national team are heading to Riga today, where they will play against Latvia in the World Cup qualifiers.

After the match at Wembley against Wales, the 'Daugava' stadium will be a real contrast for the 'Three Lions'.

If all tickets are sold, the match can gather only 10,461 spectators – significantly fewer than at any Premier League stadium.

Unlike the three tiers of Wembley, there are only three sections here.

The stations are located behind the running track, with two of them without roofs.

Opposite the main stand is a huge scoreboard.

The stadium has been open since 1927 and has been renovated multiple times.

The stands behind the goals were built in 2018, increasing capacity by 4,778 seats.

The scoreboard was also installed at the same time, along with VIP facilities, to meet UEFA category 4 and IAAF category 2 standards.

In addition to football, a new Guinness record was set here for the largest number of participants completing 100 meters in a relay over 24 hours – 3,807 runners.

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The stadium is part of the Latvian National Sports Center, adjacent to a tennis court, a bobsleigh and luge track.

England manager Thomas Tuchel commented on the stadium where Jordan Henderson suffered defeat with FK RFS last season in the Europa League.

“I was at a club in Germany, where we were in the third league, then in the second, and the team rose to the first league without me, unfortunately. But we had a somewhat similar stadium.

“It’s very unusual. The pitch looked very good from afar, I must say, from 20-30 meters it looked good. It’s unusual. No more, no less.

“There are no excuses if we come here as the England team, if we wear the England shirt, if we are handed trophies, it’s a great honor. We are proud to represent England, and it’s a dream – to play in any national game.

“It should not hold us back. This is the beauty of qualifying – to play in stadiums that you rarely visit, and hopefully, we will achieve a better result than Jordan Henderson did on his visit.”

The match between the England and Latvia national teams promises to be interesting not only for the players but also for the fans, even in the conditions of lower attendance. Importantly, for both teams such matches are not only part of the qualifiers for a major tournament but also an opportunity to make a statement on the European stage. The strategic importance of this match underscores its significance in the context of the further development of the England national team in international competitions.