Latvia coach Liene Vāciete's journey from youth teams to Women's Nations League success

Latvia enjoyed a historic unbeaten run in League C of the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations, securing promotion to League B for the first time.

This year's competition is the European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, with Latvia's first match against Slovakia on Tuesday 3 March, followed by fixtures against Finland and Portugal.

Leading the team from the dugout will be Liene Vāciete, who was promoted from coaching Latvia's youth teams to senior team coach at the start of 2025.

A former international with 24 appearances and seven goals for Latvia, Vāciete is the first woman from her country to earn a UEFA Pro licence.

After retiring from playing, she began working with Latvia's youth teams, also learning from the legendary Anna Signeul during the 2021–23 cycle of the UEFA Coach Mentor Programme.

Ahead of Latvia's debut in League B, Vāciete looked back on her coaching journey.

Liene, what are you hoping to achieve in League B this season?

The first goal will be to gain experience and awareness of the level we have reached and what we need to do to stay at this level. The draw has certainly not spared us from a sporting point of view – we will compete with two teams that have just played at UEFA Women's EURO 2025, Finland and Portugal, as well as Slovakia.

We want to maintain our place in League B. This is a very difficult task, but we will try. People will think this is unrealistic, but, in my opinion, it is a privilege to be in an underdog position when nothing is expected of you.

If we don't manage to stay in League B, then the goal will be to return in the next cycle, but with good experience and a clear plan on how to stay there.

How have the players reacted after promotion to League B?

The ambitions of the players are growing, and we are observing a positive trend – the desire of the players to seek bigger challenges in their daily lives and play at a higher level in their clubs so they can compete with higher-level teams on the international stage.

Latvia players before a UEFA Women's Nations League matchLatvian Football Federation

Could you tell us about your career journey – when did you decide to become a coach?

When I returned to Latvia from the United States, where I received a degree in sports administration and management, I had no clear plan. I only knew that I still wanted to continue playing football and look for opportunities to work in that environment.

With the support of UEFA, a C diploma course was organised, to which I received an invitation. I thought, why not? From that moment on, I realised that coaching is what I really like, and it is my challenge.

When did obtaining a UEFA Pro licence become an important goal for you?

When I began working with Latvia's youth national teams, it quickly became clear that my calling was professional sport – an environment driven by ambition, structure and long-term goals.

Even while working with the girls' Under-15 team, I realised one day I wanted to coach the senior team, and I set that as a clear career objective.

It was definitely a personal victory when I achieved the Pro licence. But if you look at the path and time frame of how I have improved myself step by step, then obtaining the qualification seemed like the natural next step in my development.

Liene Vāciete during a training sessionLatvian Football Federation

You also took part in the UEFA Coach Mentor Programme. How important was that experience to your development?

This was a very important stage in my development. Anna Signeul is a fantastic mentor. Even now, after the end of the programme, she is always there with support and opinions, which I take into account.

The programme is extremely important for professional development, as long as the participant enters the process with a desire to grow. There are so many things that are unknown and, in some ways, scary in our profession, but the programme gives you someone who has been through most of these experiences and knows what you will have to face.

Without Anna's support and presence, I doubt I would have been ready to become Latvia's head coach. Her words certainly had an impact, and for that I will always be grateful.