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Georgia national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Georgia women's national football team.
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Georgia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) ჯვაროსნები
Jvarosnebi (The Crusaders)
Association Georgian Football Federation (GFF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Willy Sagnol
Captain Guram Kashia
Most caps Guram Kashia (123)
Top scorer Shota Arveladze (26)
Home stadium Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena (main)
Adjarabet Arena (second)
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium & Ramaz Shengelia Stadium (third)
FIFA code GEO
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 91 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 42 (September 1998)
Lowest 156 (March 1994)
Elo ranking
Current 69 Increase 16 (3 March 2019)
Highest 49 (11 October 1995)
Lowest 108 (late 2009)
First international
Unofficial
Georgian SSR 2–4 Azerbaijan SSR Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (1924-1927).svg
(Tbilisi, Georgian SSR; December 1926)
Official
 Lithuania 1–0 Georgia 
(Kaunas, Lithuania; 2 September 1992)
Biggest win
 Georgia 8–0 Thailand 
(Tbilisi, Georgia; 12 October 2023)
Biggest defeat
 Georgia 1–7 Spain 
(Tbilisi, Georgia; 8 September 2023)
European Championship
Appearances 1 (first in 2024)
Best result Round of 16 (2024)

The Georgia national football team (Georgian: საქართველოს ეროვნული საფეხბურთო ნაკრები, romanized: sakartvelos erovnuli sapekhburto nak'rebi) represents Georgia in men's international football matches, and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Georgia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions.

The Georgian team's first match took place on 27 May 1990 against Lithuania, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major tournament from Euro 1996 onwards. Their efforts culminated in their first successful qualification for a major tournament, the UEFA Euro 2024, secured with a win against Greece in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-off final.

The team is colloquially referred to as Jvarosnebi (The Crusaders) and has adopted Saint George as their symbol, which is a patron of Georgia.

Upon its admission into FIFA ranked 156th, Georgia ascended to their peak World Ranking of 42nd in 1998. The team plays their home games at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi.

History

20th century

Football was introduced to Georgia by English sailors in early 20th century. British ships that docked at the harbors of Poti and Batumi frequently hosted football matches among their crew, attracting the attention of Lelo burti players, who quickly embraced and adapted the sport. While the exact date of the first football match in Georgia remains uncertain, football was first mentioned in the Georgian press in 1890.

From 1923 to 1990, Georgian football players were part of the USSR national team, with two of them, Murtaz Khurtsilava and Aleksandre Chivadze, serving as captains at different times. During the early Soviet era, Georgia competed in the Trans-Caucasian Championship, hosting the 1926 edition. Georgia's first game came against Azerbaijan in Tbilisi, losing 4–2 in Tbilisi. The Georgian SSR's first win came in their second game, beating Armenia 7–0. Georgia would later host the 1927 and 1928 editions of the Trans-Caucasian Championship, winning the latter edition after a 5–1 and 6–0 win over Armenia and Azerbaijan respectively. After a six year hiatus, Georgia played in the 1934 competition in Azerbaijan, before once against hosting the 1935 Trans-Caucasian Championship, winning it once again.

During this period, the USSR national team included players from various Soviet republics, including Georgian SSR. Georgian players made significant contributions to the team, with several becoming key figures and achieving notable success, such as Slava Metreveli scoring in the 1960 European Nations' Cup final. One of the most famous Georgian footballers who played for the USSR national team was Murtaz Khurtsilava, who captained the team and played a crucial role in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, where the USSR finished in fourth place. Another prominent player was Vitaly Daraselia, known for his performances in the 1980s, along with David Kipiani.

Following Soviet rule in Georgia, the contemporary history of the Georgia national football team began in 1990, when the team played their first international match against Lithuania, the first country to accept an invitation. The match was held on 27 May 1990 at the national stadium. Georgia were coached by Givi Nodia. The friendly match ended in a 2–2 draw. This was the only match prior to the declaration of independence on 9 April 1991. Soon afterwards the team played another friendly match against Moldova.

The Georgian Football Federation became a member of both UEFA and FIFA in 1992, enabling Georgia to play competitive matches. The first of these came in September 1994, a 1–0 defeat to Moldova as part of the qualifiers for Euro 1996. Georgia finished third in their group, ahead of Moldova, Wales and Albania, but seven points behind second-placed qualifier Bulgaria.

Georgia failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France, obtaining 10 points and finishing in fourth place, level on points with Poland. At this time Georgia reached 42nd place in the FIFA World Ranking.

21st century

During UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying the Georgia national team won one match, drew two and finished at the bottom of the group with five points.

The team finished fifth (and last) with seven points in their qualifying group for Euro 2004, although they defeated Russia with a goal scored by Malkhaz Asatiani.

In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers Georgia beat Albania 2–0 at home and Kazakhstan away 2–1. They finished sixth of seven with ten points in Group 2.

Georgia were sixth out of seven teams in the Euro 2008 qualifying group with ten points. They defeated Scotland 2–0 at home and the Faroe Islands 6–0 away and 3–1 at home.

Héctor Cúper became the manager of Georgia in August 2008. During the qualification round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Georgia failed to win any matches and finished sixth (and last) with three points. Cuper didn't extend his contract, and on 6 November 2009, Temur Ketsbaia was appointed as the new manager of the Georgian national team. Ketsbaia resigned as manager after a 4–0 defeat at home to Poland in the Euro 2016 qualifiers on 14 November 2014, having previously stated he would do so before the match regardless of the result.

TUR-GEO 18.06.24, Batum (4)
Georgian fans following the match in the fan zone established in Batumi and celebrating their first goal (vs Turkey) in the history of the championship.

In June 2016, Georgia beat the two-time reigning European champions Spain 1–0 in their final pre-Euro 2016 friendly.

In 2018, they were the first team to earn promotion in the new UEFA Nations League. They scored the event's first goal in a UEFA Nations League D game in Kazakhstan before beating Latvia twice and Andorra, with two games still to spare and earned their first-ever playoff berth. In the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Georgia had a disappointing run, with their only two wins came over Gibraltar. In the Path D playoff semi-final, Georgia managed to beat Belarus 1–0 and thus the hope to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020 increased, but it went in vain after the Georgians suffered a heartbreaking home defeat to North Macedonia in the decisive match and thus missed the opportunity to make a historic debut in a major competition.

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Mamardashvili
Gvelesiani
Lochoshvili
Kakabadze
Dvali
Kashia (C)
Chakvetadze
Kiteishvili
Kochorashvili
Mikautadze
Kvaratskhelia
Starting lineup in Georgia's 2–0 win against Portugal at UEFA Euro 2024.

Georgia showed improvements with a strong 2–0 win over Sweden at the 2022 World Cup qualification on 11 November 2021. They continued their improvement by winning the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C Group 4, getting promoted to 2024-25 UEFA Nations League B, and qualified for their second-ever play-off berth. Georgia won 2–0 against Luxembourg, earning them a spot in the final of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs. They defeated Greece 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in the playoff final, which guaranteed Georgia's qualification for their first ever international tournament at Euro 2024.

During Euro 2024, Georgia were placed in Group F; they subsequently lost 3–1 in the match against Turkey, where Georges Mikautadze scored the first-ever goal in Georgia's history in the Euros, and drew 1–1 against the Czech Republic. Their 2–0 victory against Portugal was considered one of the biggest upsets in European Championship history, and was enough to propel Georgia to the round of 16 in their first international tournament appearance. Georgia subsequently played eventual Champions Spain in the Round of 16, and lost by a score of 4–1. Georgia's Georges Mikautadze finished the Euro 2024 campaign as the joint-UEFA European Football Championship Top Goalscorer.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Georgia national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Position Name
Manager France Willy Sagnol
Assistant Manager Tunisia Adel Chedli
Georgia (country) Zurab Khizanishvili
England David Webb
Goalkeeping Coach Georgia (country) Davit Gvaramadze
Analyst Georgia (country) Irakli Chitauri
Georgia (country) Levan Zamtaradze
Fitness Trainer France Fabien Bossuet

Coaching history

As of 20 November 2024

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were named in the squad for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Ukraine and the Czechia on 16 and 19 November 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2024, after the match against Czechia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Giorgi Loria (1986-01-27) 27 January 1986 (age 39) 78 0 Cyprus Omonia Aradippou
12 1GK Giorgi Mamardashvili (2000-09-29) 29 September 2000 (age 24) 27 0 Spain Valencia
23 1GK Luka Gugeshashvili (1999-04-29) 29 April 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Greece Panserraikos
2 2DF Otar Kakabadze (1995-06-27) 27 June 1995 (age 29) 71 0 Poland Cracovia
3 2DF Lasha Dvali (1995-05-14) 14 May 1995 (age 30) 41 1 Cyprus APOEL
4 2DF Guram Kashia (captain) (1987-07-04) 4 July 1987 (age 37) 123 3 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
5 2DF Solomon Kvirkvelia (1992-02-06) 6 February 1992 (age 33) 62 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
13 2DF Giorgi Gocholeishvili (2001-02-14) 14 February 2001 (age 24) 11 0 Denmark Copenhagen
14 2DF Luka Lochoshvili (1998-05-29) 29 May 1998 (age 27) 20 1 Italy Cremonese
15 2DF Giorgi Gvelesiani (1991-04-05) 5 April 1991 (age 34) 8 0 Iran Persepolis
18 2DF Aleksandre Kalandadze (2001-05-09) 9 May 2001 (age 24) 2 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
19 2DF Levan Shengelia (1995-10-27) 27 October 1995 (age 29) 20 1 Greece OFI Crete
6 3MF Giorgi Kochorashvili (1999-06-29) 29 June 1999 (age 25) 17 2 Spain Levante
9 3MF Zuriko Davitashvili (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 24) 45 6 France Saint-Étienne
10 3MF Giorgi Chakvetadze (1999-08-29) 29 August 1999 (age 25) 35 9 England Watford
11 3MF Saba Lobzhanidze (1994-12-18) 18 December 1994 (age 30) 38 3 United States Atlanta United
16 3MF Nika Kvekveskiri (1992-05-29) 29 May 1992 (age 33) 61 0 Hungary Nyíregyháza
17 3MF Otar Kiteishvili (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 (age 29) 45 3 Austria Sturm Graz
20 3MF Anzor Mekvabishvili (2001-06-05) 5 June 2001 (age 24) 19 0 Romania Universitatea Craiova
21 3MF Giorgi Tsitaishvili (2000-11-18) 18 November 2000 (age 24) 23 1 Spain Granada
7 4FW Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 (age 24) 40 17 Italy Napoli
8 4FW Budu Zivzivadze (1994-03-10) 10 March 1994 (age 31) 34 8 Germany Karlsruher SC
22 4FW Georges Mikautadze (2000-10-31) 31 October 2000 (age 24) 35 16 France Lyon

Recent call-ups

The following players have not been called up for the upcoming matches but have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Saba Goglichidze (2004-06-25) 25 June 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Italy Empoli v.  Ukraine, 16 November 2024 INJ
DF Irakli Azarovi (2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 (age 23) 18 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v.  Albania, 10 September 2024
DF Jemal Tabidze (1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 29) 15 1 Russia Dynamo Makhachkala v.  Albania, 10 September 2024
DF Luka Gadrani (1997-04-12) 12 April 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Kazakhstan Kairat v.  Albania, 10 September 2024
DF Vladimer Mamuchashvili (1997-08-28) 28 August 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Greece, 26 March 2024
DF Saba Sazonov (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Italy Empoli v.  Greece, 26 March 2024
MF Sandro Altunashvili (1997-05-19) 19 May 1997 (age 28) 8 0 Austria Wolfsberger AC v.  Albania, 14 October 2024
MF Shota Nonikashvili (2001-01-10) 10 January 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Ukraine LNZ v.  Albania, 14 October 2024
MF Gabriel Sigua (2005-06-30) 30 June 2005 (age 19) 2 0 Switzerland Basel UEFA Euro 2024
MF Jaba Kankava RET (1986-03-18) 18 March 1986 (age 39) 101 10 No Club UEFA Euro 2024 PRE
FW Giorgi Guliashvili (2001-09-05) 5 September 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo v.  Albania, 14 October 2024
FW Giorgi Kvilitaia (1993-10-01) 1 October 1993 (age 31) 38 6 Cyprus Aris Limassol UEFA Euro 2024
  • PRE Preliminary squad
  • RET Player has retired from the national team
  • INJ Not part of the current squad due to injury

Records

Players in bold are still active with Georgia.

Most appearances

Geo Team (Kashia)
Guram Kashia is Georgia's most capped player with 123 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Guram Kashia 123 3 2009–present
2 Jaba Kankava 101 10 2004–2024
3 Levan Kobiashvili 100 12 1996–2011
4 Zurab Khizanishvili 92 1 1999–2015
5 Kakha Kaladze 83 1 1996–2011
6 Giorgi Loria 78 0 2008–present
7 Otar Kakabadze 71 0 2015–present
8 Giorgi Nemsadze 69 0 1992–2004
9 Aleksandre Iashvili 67 15 1996–2011
10 Gocha Jamarauli 62 6 1994–2004
Valeri Qazaishvili 62 13 2014–2022
Solomon Kvirkvelia 62 0 2014–present

Top goalscorers

Shota Arveladze
Shota Arveladze is Georgia's top scorer with 26 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Shota Arveladze 26 61 0.43 1992–2007
2 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 17 40 0.43 2019–present
Temur Ketsbaia 17 52 0.33 1990–2003
4 Georges Mikautadze 16 35 0.46 2021–present
5 Aleksandre Iashvili 15 67 0.22 1996–2011
6 Tornike Okriashvili 13 50 0.26 2010–2021
Valeri Qazaishvili 13 62 0.21 2014–2022
8 Giorgi Demetradze 12 56 0.21 1996–2007
Levan Kobiashvili 12 100 0.12 1996–2011
10 Jaba Kankava 10 101 0.1 2004–2024

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
Uruguay 1930 to Italy 1990 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
United States 1994 FIFA member from 1992. Not admitted to the tournament. Not admitted to the tournament
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 3 1 4 7 9 4/5
South Korea Japan 2002 8 3 1 4 12 12 3/5
Germany 2006 12 2 4 6 14 25 6/7
South Africa 2010 10 0 3 7 7 19 6/6
Brazil 2014 8 1 2 5 3 10 4/5
Russia 2018 10 0 5 5 8 14 5/6
Qatar 2022 8 2 1 5 6 12 4/5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/7 64 11 17 36 57 101 —

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Georgia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Position
France 1960 to Sweden 1992 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
England 1996 Did not qualify 10 5 0 5 14 13 3/6
Belgium Netherlands 2000 10 1 2 7 8 18 6/6
Portugal 2004 8 2 1 5 8 14 5/5
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 3 1 8 16 19 6/7
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 2 4 4 7 9 5/6
France 2016 10 3 0 7 10 16 5/6
Europe 2020 10 3 2 5 8 12 4/5 (PO runners-up)
Germany 2024 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 5 8 Squad 10 3 3 4 14 18 4/5 (PO winners)
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Round of 16 1/8 4 1 1 2 5 8 — 80 22 13 45 85 119 —

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season League Group Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 D 1 1st 6 5 1 0 12 2 Rise 40th
2020–21 C 2 3rd 6 1 4 1 6 6 Same position 42nd
2022–23 C 4 1st 6 5 1 0 16 3 Rise 33rd
2024–25 B 1 3rd 6 2 1 3 7 6 TBD
Total 24 13 7 4 41 17 TBD

Statistics

See also: Georgia national football team results (1990–2019)

The following table shows Georgia‘s all-time international record, correct as of 16 November 2024.

Opponents Play Win Draw Lost Goals for Goals Against
 Albania 16 9 4 4 24 14
 Andorra 2 1 1 0 4 1
 Armenia 7 3 2 2 14 8
 Austria 2 0 1 1 2 3
 Azerbaijan 6 2 2 2 8 6
 Belarus 4 2 1 1 4 4
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 1 0 0 1 0
 Bulgaria 8 2 2 4 12 21
 Cameroon 1 0 1 0 0 0
 Croatia 3 1 0 2 3 4
 Cyprus 8 4 1 3 12 8
 Czech Republic 3 1 1 1 6 4
 Denmark 5 0 2 3 5 15
 Egypt 1 0 1 0 0 0
 England 2 0 0 2 0 4
 Estonia 8 4 2 2 9 7
 Faroe Islands 2 2 0 0 9 1
 Finland 2 0 1 1 1 2
 France 4 0 1 3 1 7
 Germany 5 0 0 5 2 12
 Gibraltar 6 6 0 0 19 3
 Greece 10 0 3 7 6 17
 Hungary 2 1 0 1 4 5
 Iceland 1 0 0 1 1 3
 Iran 1 0 0 1 1 2
 Republic of Ireland 11 0 2 9 5 18
 Israel 6 1 2 3 4 7
 Italy 8 0 1 7 2 14
 Jordan 2 1 0 1 3 3
 Kazakhstan 6 3 2 1 7 4
 Kosovo 2 1 0 1 2 2
 Latvia 10 5 2 3 18 10
 Lebanon 2 0 0 2 4 7
 Liechtenstein 1 1 0 0 2 0
 Lithuania 8 4 1 3 13 6
 Luxembourg 5 3 1 1 7 2
 Malta 9 6 2 1 12 5
 Morocco 1 0 0 1 0 3
 Moldova 12 4 4 4 17 14
 Mongolia 1 1 0 0 6 1
 Montenegro 3 1 1 1 4 3
 Netherlands 1 0 0 1 0 3
 New Zealand 1 0 0 1 1 3
 Nigeria 1 0 0 1 1 5
 Northern Ireland 1 0 0 1 1 4
 Macedonia 5 2 2 1 7 3
 Norway 5 0 1 4 3 9
 Paraguay 1 0 0 1 0 1
 Poland 5 1 0 4 4 13
 Portugal 2 1 0 1 2 2
 Qatar 1 1 0 0 2 1
 Romania 8 1 2 5 6 20
 Russia 3 1 1 1 3 4
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 1 0 0 3 0
 Saudi Arabia 1 1 0 0 2 0
 Scotland 6 2 1 3 6 7
 Serbia 2 0 0 2 1 4
 Slovakia 2 1 0 1 3 3
 Slovenia 4 1 1 2 4 5
 South Africa 1 1 0 0 4 1
 South Korea 1 0 1 0 2 2
 Spain 9 1 0 7 5 23
 Sweden 2 1 0 1 2 1
 Switzerland 4 0 1 3 1 7
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 8 0
 Tunisia 2 1 1 0 3 1
 Turkey 6 1 1 4 6 15
 Ukraine 11 0 4 7 7 18
 United Arab Emirates 1 0 0 1 0 1
 Uruguay 1 1 0 0 2 0
 Uzbekistan 2 1 1 0 3 2
 Wales 5 3 1 1 9 3
72 National Teams 293 94 62 137 355 411

Honours

Friendly

  • Malta International Football Tournament
    • Champions (1): 1998

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Georgia para niños

  • Football in Georgia
  • List of Georgia international footballers
  • Georgia national football team results
  • List of Georgian national football team captains
  • Georgia national under-21 football team
  • Georgia national under-19 football team
  • Georgia national under-17 football team
  • Georgia national futsal team
  • Georgia national beach soccer team
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