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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 the country of Georgia in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Georgian Football Federation. They are a member of UEFA (Europe's football governing body) and FIFA (the world's football governing body).

The Georgian team played its first match on May 27, 1990, against Lithuania. At that time, Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. Since Euro 1996, the team has tried to qualify for every major tournament. Their hard work paid off when they qualified for their first big tournament, the UEFA Euro 2024. They earned their spot by winning against Greece in the play-off final.

The team is often called Jvarosnebi, which means "The Crusaders". They use Saint George, a patron saint of Georgia, as their symbol. When Georgia joined FIFA, they were ranked 156th. They reached their highest World Ranking of 42nd in 1998. The team plays its home games at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi.

History of Georgian Football

How Football Started in Georgia

Football came to Georgia in the early 1900s. English sailors brought the sport when their ships docked in cities like Poti and Batumi. They played matches among themselves, and local Lelo burti players quickly learned and loved the new game. The first mention of football in Georgian newspapers was in 1890.

Georgian Players in the Soviet Era

From 1923 to 1990, Georgian football players were part of the USSR national team. Two famous Georgian players, Murtaz Khurtsilava and Aleksandre Chivadze, even became captains of that team. Georgian players helped the USSR team achieve great things. For example, Slava Metreveli scored a goal in the 1960 European Nations' Cup final. Murtaz Khurtsilava was a key player when the USSR finished fourth in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Other important players included Vitaly Daraselia and David Kipiani.

Becoming an Independent Team

After Georgia became independent from the Soviet Union, the modern Georgia national football team began. Their first international match was on May 27, 1990, against Lithuania. This friendly game ended in a 2–2 draw.

In 1992, the Georgian Football Federation joined both UEFA and FIFA. This meant Georgia could start playing in official competitions. Their first competitive match was a 1–0 loss to Moldova in September 1994. This was part of the qualifiers for Euro 1996. Georgia finished third in their group, which was a good start.

The team tried to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup but didn't make it. However, during this time, Georgia reached its highest ever FIFA World Ranking of 42nd place.

Recent Years and Euro 2024 Success

Georgia kept trying to qualify for major tournaments like the World Cup and European Championship. They had some tough times but always kept working hard. In June 2016, they had a big win, beating Spain 1–0 in a friendly match. Spain was a very strong team at the time.

In 2018, Georgia made history by being the first team to get promoted in the new UEFA Nations League. They won their group and earned a spot in the play-offs for UEFA Euro 2020. They beat Belarus in the semi-final, but sadly lost to North Macedonia in the final. This meant they missed out on Euro 2020.

TUR-GEO 18.06.24, Batum (4)
Georgian fans in Batumi celebrating their first goal in the history of the European Championship (against Turkey at Euro 2024).

The team continued to improve. On November 11, 2021, they had a strong 2–0 win against Sweden in a World Cup qualifier. They also won their group in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C, which moved them up to a higher league and gave them another chance at a play-off spot for UEFA Euro 2024.

Georgia won 2–0 against Luxembourg in the play-off semi-final. This put them in the final against Greece. After a 0–0 draw, Georgia won 4–2 in a penalty shootout! This amazing victory meant Georgia qualified for their first-ever major international tournament, UEFA Euro 2024.

At Euro 2024, Georgia was in Group F. They lost 3–1 to Turkey, but Georges Mikautadze scored Georgia's first-ever goal in the Euros. They then drew 1–1 with the Czech Republic. Their 2–0 win against Portugal was a huge surprise and one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history! This win was enough to send Georgia to the Round of 16. In the Round of 16, they played against Spain (who later won the tournament) and lost 4–1. Georges Mikautadze finished Euro 2024 as one of the top goalscorers.

Recent Matches and Schedule

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

Here are the results from the last 12 months and upcoming matches.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

2025 Upcoming Matches

Team Staff and Players

Coaching Staff

The people who help coach and train the team are very important.

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

Current Players

Here are the players currently in the squad for the upcoming matches.

Stats are correct as of November 20, 2024.

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 30) 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

Players Called Up Recently

These players were called up in the last 12 months but are not in the current squad.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Saba Goglichidze (2004-06-25) 25 June 2004 (age 21) 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

Team Records

Here are some interesting records for the Georgia national football team.

Most Games Played

Geo Team (Kashia)
Guram Kashia has played the most games for Georgia, with 123 appearances.

These players have played the most matches for Georgia. Players in bold are still playing for the team.

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.

These players have scored the most goals for Georgia. Players in bold are still playing for the team.

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

Overall Performance Statistics

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

This table shows Georgia's all-time international record against different teams, as of November 16, 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

Awards and Achievements

Friendly Tournaments

  • 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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