The Georgia national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. It is considered to be the feeder team for the senior Georgian national football team. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years.
| Nickname(s) | ჯვაროსნები Jvarosnebi (Crusaders) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Georgian Football Federation | |||
| Confederation | UEFA | |||
| Head coach | Ramaz Svanadze | |||
| Captain | Gabriel Sigua | |||
| Most caps | Saba Khvadagiani (31 games) | |||
| Top scorer | Giorgi Guliashvili (8 goals) | |||
| FIFA code | GEO | |||
| ||||
| First international | ||||
(Tbilisi, 27 May 1994) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
(Vienna, 26 March 2013) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
(Chervonohrad, 12 October 2004) | ||||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2023) | |||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2023) | |||
| Website | nakrebi.ge | |||
The current team is for Georgian players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for Georgia at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s. This has been the case for several senior team players like Jano Ananidze and Levan Kakubava.
Although the breakup of the Soviet Union occurred officially on 25 December 1991, the under-21 team continued as Soviet Union until the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. After that, Georgia and the other countries who split from the Soviet Union like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine became separate footballing entities.
Georgia held its first official game in a 1996 UEFA European U21 Championship qualification campaign against Moldova. They made a debut in the final tournament of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2023 for which they automatically qualified as a co-host nation.
Despite the lowest rating points among the 2023 Championship teams, Georgia produced a main surprise on the tournament. They finished the group on top of the table and remained unbeaten after 120 minutes of a quarter-final clash with Israel as well, before eventually losing on penalties.[1]
Georgia fought hard to qualify for the 2025 Championship. As runners-up of Group C, they beat Croatia after a dramatic penalty shoot-out in play-offs.[2]
Georgia U21s do not have a permanent home ground and play in stadiums of Erovnuli Liga clubs across the country. The record attendance for their match was set on 1 July 2023 when Georgia played Israel in quarter-final of the European Championship in front of 44,338 spectators.[3]
Competitive record
editUEFA European U-21 Championship
edit| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 finals | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | |
| Group | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
Note:
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Qualification
editRunners-up Third place Tournament held on home soil
| Year | Group | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | ||
| Group 2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Group 2 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 13 | ||
| Group 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 17 | ||
| Group 10 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | ||
| Group 2 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 22 | ||
| Group 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Group 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 22 | ||
| Group 2 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | ||
| Group 5 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 18 | ||
| Group 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 15 | ||
| Group 6 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 17 | ||
| Group 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 19 | ||
| Group 2 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 14 | ||
| Qualified as hosts | ||||||||
| Group C | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 10 | ||
| Group F | ||||||||
Results and fixtures
editWin Draw Loss
2024
edit| 5 September 2024 UEFA Euro QR | Georgia | 3–0 | | Batumi |
| 20:00 GEO Time |
|
Report | Stadium: Batumi Stadium Attendance: 5,250 Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov (Bulgaria) |
| 9 September 2024 UEFA Euro QR | Netherlands | 3–1 | | Venlo |
| 22:00 GEO Time | Report |
|
Stadium: Covebo Stadion – De Koel Attendance: 3,458 Referee: Robert Schröder (Germany) |
| 10 October 2024 UEFA Euro QR | Sweden | 3–2 | | Jönköping |
| 20:00 GEO Time | Report | Stadium: Stadsparksvallen Attendance: 1,620 Referee: Iwan Arwel Griffith (Wales) |
| 15 October 2024 UEFA Euro QR | Georgia | 2–1 | | Kutaisi |
| 20:00 GEO Time |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Referee: Viktor Shimusik (Belarus) |
| 15 November 2024 UEFA Euro play-off 1st leg | Georgia | 1–0 | | Tbilisi |
| 19:00 GEO Time | Soldo |
Report | Stadium: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium Attendance: 9,372 Referee: Adam Ladebäck (Sweden) |
2025
edit| 22 March 2025 Friendly | Finland | 2–4 | | Belek |
| 18:00 GEO Time |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Gloria Sports Arena |
| 25 March 2025 Friendly | Serbia | 1–3 | | Antalya |
| 17:00 GEO Time | Mitrovic |
|
| 11 June 2025 UEFA Euro | Poland | 1–2 | | Žilina |
| 21:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 2,218 Referee: Alessandro Dudic (Switzerland) |
| 14 June 2025 UEFA Euro | France | 3–2 | | Žilina |
| 21:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Štadión pod Dubňom Attendance: 3,687 Referee: Jakob Sundberg (Denmark) |
| 17 June 2025 UEFA Euro | Georgia | 0–4 | | Trenčín |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Štadión Sihoť Referee: Elchin Masiyev (Azerbaijan) |
| 9 September 2025 2027 UEFA Euro QR | Georgia | 1–1 | | Kutaisi |
| 20:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 3,260 Referee: Kamal Umudlu (Azerbaijan) |
| 10 October 2025 2027 UEFA Euro QR | Latvia | 1–1 | | Riga |
| 19:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: LNK Sporta Parks Attendance: 312 Referee: Jérémy Muller (Luxembourg) |
| 14 October 2025 2027 UEFA Euro QR | Malta | 0–5 | | Ta'Qali |
| 21:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Centenary Stadium Attendance: 203 Referee: Johann Ingi Jonsson (Iceland) |
| 14 November 2025 2027 UEFA Euro QR | Greece | 3–0 | | Athens |
| 19:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Leoforos Alexandras Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Viktor Kopiievskyi (Ukraine) |
2026
edit| 27 March 2026 2027 UEFA Euro QR | | 1–1 | Latvia | Kutaisi |
| 19:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 1,390 Referee: Konstantinos Fellas (Cyprus) |
| 31 March 2026 2027 UEFA Euro QR | | 4–1 | Malta | Kutaisi |
| 18:00 |
|
Report | Ellul |
Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 3,125 Referee: Seth Galia (Gibraltar) |
| 5 June 2026 Friendly | | 1–0 | Georgia | Blagoevgrad |
| 18:30 |
|
Narimanidze |
Stadium: Stadion Hristo Botev |
2027 European Championship
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 18 | Final tournament | — | 2–3 | 3–0 | 6 Oct | 5–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 4 | +17 | 18 | Final tournament or play-offs | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | 3–0 | 1 Oct | 5–0 | ||
| 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 10 | 1–2 | 6 Oct | — | 1 Oct | 1–0 | 2–0 | |||
| 4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 9 | 0–2 | 26 Sep | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–1 | |||
| 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 5 | 26 Sep | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | 6 Oct | |||
| 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 28 | −27 | 0 | 30 Sep | 0–5 | 26 Sep | 0–5 | 0–1 | — |
Current team
editCoaching staff
editAs of 15 March 2025[4]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| Goalkeeper coach | |
| Fitness coach | |
| Video analyst |
Players
editThe following players born in or after 2004 were called up for friendly matches against USA and Moldova, played respectively on 5 and 9 June 2026.[5]
Note: Names in italics denote players that have been called up to the senior team.
Caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2026, after the match against Malta.[6]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Mikheil Makatsaria | 11 June 2004 | 5 | 0 | |
| 23 | GK | Papuna Beruashvili | 21 March 2004 | 4 | 0 | |
| GK | Giorgi Kavlashvili | 24 January 2007 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DF | Rati Grigalava | 22 June 2006 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | Aleksandre Amisulashvili | 9 March 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Davit Bukia | 27 July 2005 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 4 | DF | Aleksandre Narimanidze | 3 June 2005 | 5 | 2 | |
| 17 | DF | Akaki Giunashvili | 1 March 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 21 | DF | Giorgi Tabatadze | 29 October 2005 | 6 | 1 | |
| 16 | DF | Nikoloz Tsetskhladze | 29 October 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Nikoloz Chikovani | 1 March 2005 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Dachi Lortkipanidze | 3 August 2005 | 5 | 0 | ||
| MF | Giorgi Robakidze | 30 June 2005 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF | Luka Tsulukidze | 8 February 2004 | 6 | 1 | |
| 10 | MF | Giorgi Kokhreidze | 4 March 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | MF | Tsotne Berelidze | 24 March 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF | Guram Japaridze | 15 August 2005 | 5 | 0 | |
| 20 | MF | Nikoloz Dadiani | 8 December 2004 | 7 | 1 | |
| MF | Daniel Kvartskhava | 15 July 2006 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | Diego Deisadze | 15 October 2004 | 7 | 0 | |
| 11 | FW | Nikoloz Chikovani | 21 June 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 22 | FW | Luka Parkadze | 6 April 2005 | 6 | 0 | |
| FW | Dimitri Gurtskaia | 4 February 2004 | 1 | 0 | ||
Recent call-up
editThe following players have been called up within the last twelve months and are still eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Revaz Kurtanidze | 11 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Saba Kajaia | 23 August 2005 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Giorgi Gvasalia | 28 June 2005 | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Saba Kharebashvili | 3 September 2008 | 7 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Luka Latsabidze | 18 March 2004 | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Otar Chochia | 18 November 2006 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | George Karseladze | 18 May 2005 | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Gela Sadgobelashvili | 19 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Saba Goglichidze | 25 June 2004 | 7 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Mate Shatirishvili | 25 May 2008 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Gia Nadareishvili | 3 March 2005 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Irakli Yegoian | 19 March 2004 | 18 | 1 | v. | |
| MF | Gabriel Sigua | 30 June 2005 | 15 | 4 | v. | |
| MF | Giorgi Kharebava | 26 February 2004 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Andria Bartishvili | 30 March 2009 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Saba Gegiadze | 21 January 2004 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Teimuraz Odikadze | 28 March 2006 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Davit Gotsiridze | 6 September 2004 | 7 | 0 | v. | |
Past squads
editStatistics
editMost capped players
editLast updated: 24 April 2026
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saba Khvadagiani | 2023–2025 | 31 | 3 |
| 2 | Giorgi Kvernadze | 2022–2025 | 24 | 2 |
| Otar Mamageishvili | 2022–2025 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Luka Gagnidze | 2021–2025 | 23 | 1 |
| 5 | Nodar Lominadze | 2022–2025 | 21 | 4 |
Leading goalscorers
editLast updated: 24 April 2026
| # | Player | Career | Goals | Caps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giorgi Guliashvili | 2020–2023 | 8 | 20 | 2.5 |
| 2 | Nika Kacharava | 2013–2016 | 7 | 11 | 1.57 |
| 3 | Giorgi Arabidze | 2017–2019 | 6 | 13 | 2.17 |
Record against opponent
editLast update: 10 June 2026[7]
Note: Includes friendly matches
| Opponent | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1* | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 195 | 63 | 44 | 88 |
- Luxemburg were awarded a 3–0 win[8]
Notable results
edit| Date | Tournament | Venue | Team | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 1997 | Euro 1998 | Rustavi | 2–0 | ||
| 10 October 1997 | Euro 1998 | Tbilisi | 5–1 | ||
| 20 November 2007 | Euro 2009 | Tbilisi | 2–0 | ||
| 9 September 2009 | Euro 2011 | Zestaponi | 4–0 | ||
| 3 June 2011 | Euro 2013 | Dugopolje | 0–1 | ||
| 4 September 2014 | Euro 2015 | Deventer | 0–1 | ||
| 16 November 2021 | Friendly | Batumi | 3–2 | ||
| 21 June 2023 | Euro 2023 | Tbilisi | 2–0 |
Notable former players
edit- Akaki Khubutia
- Aleksandre Amisulashvili
- Alexander Guruli
- Alexander Kobakhidze
- Davit Devdariani
- Dato Kvirkvelia
- David Targamadze
- George Popkhadze
- Giorgi Loria
- Giorgi Makaridze
- Gogita Gogua
- Gulverd Tomashvili
- Guram Kashia
- Jaba Kankava
- Jaba Lipartia
- Jano Ananidze
- Kakha Kaladze
- Levan Kakubava
- Levan Kenia
- Levan Mchedlidze
- Mate Vatsadze
- Murtaz Daushvili
- Nika Dzalamidze
- Nukri Revishvili
- Otar Martsvaladze
- Roin Kvaskhvadze
- Shota Grigalashvili
- Solomon Kvirkvelia
- Tornike Okriashvili
- Ucha Lobjanidze
- Valeri Kazaishvili
- Vladimir Dvalishvili
- Zurab Khizanishvili
Managerial history
edit
Shota Cheishvili (1994–97)
Vladimir Gutsaev (1997–1998)
Gigla Imnadze (1998–1999)
Murtaz Khurtsilava (1999–2001)
Vakhtang Kopaleishvili (2001–2003)
Revaz Arveladze (2003–2004)
Gocha Tkebuchava (2004–2005)
Koba Zhorzhikashvili (2005–2006)
Ralf Minge (2006–2007)
Petar Segrt (2007–2009)
Kakha Tskhadadze (2009)
Otar Gabelia (2009–2011)
Soso Chedia (2011–2012)
Aleksandre Chivadze (2012–2016)
Gia Geguchadze (2016–2017)
Giorgi Tsetsadze (2017–2019)
Vasil Maisuradze (2020)
Ramaz Svanadze (2021–present)
Source[9]
Media coverage
editGeorgia Euro qualifiers and international friendlies are usually shown by the Public Broadcaster. The 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship will be broadcast by the Setanta Sports.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Georgia loses to Israel in penalty shootout of UEFA U21 European Championship quarter-finals". agenda.ge. 2 July 2023.
- ↑ "Under-21 EURO play-offs: Czechia, Finland, Georgia qualify". UEFA. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ↑ "Under-21 EURO finals attendance record broken". UEFA. UEFA. 1 July 2023.
- ↑ "U21 coaches". nakrebi.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ↑ "ახალგაზრდული აშშ-ს და მოლდოვას დაუპირისპირდება" [U21 squad to face USA and Moldova] (in Georgian). nakrebi.ge. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Squad". nakrebi.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ "U21 statistics". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ↑ "Georgia vs Luxemburg". UEFA. UEFA. 5 March 2014.
- ↑ "ახალგაზრდული ნაკრების ყველა მატჩი". 1tv.ge (in Georgian), p.33. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ "UEFA-ს 21-წლამდელთა ევროპის ჩემპიონატი 2025 Setanta Sports-ზე" [2025 UEFA U21 European Championship on Setanta Sports]. setantasports.com (in Georgian). 20 March 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
External links
edit- Team Profile & Squad at UEFA.com