Georgia Under-21
Nickname(s)ჯვაროსნები
Jvarosnebi (Crusaders)
AssociationGeorgian Football Federation
ConfederationUEFA
Head coachRamaz Svanadze
CaptainSaba Khvadagiani
Most capsNika Kvekveskiri (20 games)
Top scorerBeka Gotsiridze (9 goals)
FIFA codeGEO
First colours
Second colours
First international
Georgia (country) Georgia 3–0 Moldova Moldova
(Tbilisi, 27 May 1994)
Biggest win
Georgia (country) Georgia 7–1 Malaysia Malaysia
(Vienna, 26 March 2013)
Biggest defeat
Ukraine Ukraine 6–0 Georgia Georgia (country)
(Chervonohrad, 12 October 2004)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2023)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2023)
Websitenakrebi.ge

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.

The current team is for Georgian players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Football 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 and achieved the best result in the next round by coming second in their group. Since the establishment of the Georgian under-21 side, it never reached a final tournament of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, until the 2023 edition 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 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.[2]

Competitive record

Georgia Under 21 at European Championship

Year Round Pld W D* L GF GA
Georgia (country) Romania 20231/4 f.413053

Note:

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European U-21 Championship qualification

Year Group Place Pld W D L GF GA
Spain 1996 Group 7 5th 8 1 0 7 7 17
Romania 1998 Group 2 2nd 8 3 3 2 10 10
Slovakia 2000 Group 2 3rd 8 2 5 3 11 13
Switzerland 2002 Group 8 5th 8 1 0 7 9 17
Germany 2004 Group 10 5th 8 1 2 5 7 16
Portugal 2006 Group 2 5th 12 3 2 7 7 22
Netherlands 2007 Group 3 3rd 2 0 0 2 1 4
Sweden 2009 Group 4 5th 8 2 0 6 6 22
Denmark 2011 Group 2 3rd 10 4 3 3 12 9
Israel 2013 Group 5 3rd 8 3 1 4 8 18
Czech Republic 2015 Group 3 4th 8 3 1 4 8 15
Poland 2017 Group 6 4th 10 4 1 5 17 17
Italy San Marino 2019 Group 3 3rd 8 3 3 4 11 19
Hungary Slovenia 2021 Group 2 3rd 10 5 0 5 17 14
Georgia (country) Romania 2023Qualified as hosts
Slovakia 2025 Group C

2025 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Netherlands 6 6 0 0 18 2 +16 18 Final tournament — 9 Sep '24 14 Oct '24 3–0 5 Sep '24 1–0
2  Georgia 5 3 1 1 4 3 +1 10 Play-offs 0–3 — 0–0 5 Sep '24 15 Oct '24 2–0
3  Sweden 5 2 1 2 11 5 +6 7 2–4 10 Oct '24 — 4–0 0–1 6 Sep '24
4  Moldova 6 2 0 4 6 12 −6 6 25 Mar '24 0–1 10 Sep '24 — 2–1 1–2
5  North Macedonia 4 1 0 3 2 5 −3 3 0–2 0–1 26 Mar '24 11 Oct '24 — 21 Mar '24
6  Gibraltar (Y) 6 1 0 5 3 17 −14 3 0–5 26 Mar '24 0–5 1–3 9 Sep '24 —
Updated to match(es) played on 21 November 2023. Source: UEFA
(Y) Cannot qualify directly, but may still qualify through play-offs

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

2023

16 November 2023 (2023-11-16) UEFA Euro QR North Macedonia  0–1  Georgia Skopje, North Macedonia
16:00 GET Report
  • Mamatsashvili 54'
 Stadium: FFM Training Centre
Referee: Rauf Jabarov (Azerbaijan)
17 October 2023 (2023-10-17) UEFA Euro QR Georgia  0–0  Sweden Batumi, Georgia
19:00 GET Report Stadium: Batumi Stadium
Referee: Michael Fabbri (Italy)
12 October 2023 (2023-10-12) UEFA Euro QR Georgia  0–3  Netherlands Batumi, Georgia
18:00 GET Report
Stadium: Batumi Stadium
Referee: Alessandro Dudic (Switzerland)
12 September 2023 (2023-09-12) UEFA Euro QR Moldova  0–1  Georgia Chisinau, Moldova
20:00 Report
  • Iobashvili 84'
 Stadium: Stadionul Zimbru
Referee: Antti Munukka (Finland)
6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) UEFA Euro QR Georgia  2–0  Gibraltar Kutaisi, Georgia
20:00
Report Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium
Referee: Daniyar Sakhi (Kazakhstan)
27 June 2023 (2023-06-27) UEFA Euro U21 Netherlands  1–1  Georgia Tbilisi, Georgia
20:00
Report
Stadium: Boris Paichadze Stadium
Attendance: 43,004
Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)
24 June 2023 (2023-06-24) UEFA Euro U21 Georgia  2–2  Belgium Tbilisi, Georgia
20:00
Report
Stadium: Boris Paichadze Stadium
Attendance: 41,886
Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia)
21 June 2023 (2023-06-21) UEFA Euro U21 Georgia  2–0  Portugal Tbilisi, Georgia
20:00
Report Stadium: Boris Paichadze Stadium
Attendance: 24,447
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)
15 June 2023 (2023-06-15) Friendly Georgia  2–0  Cyprus Tbilisi, Georgia
 Stadium: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
26 March 2023 (2023-03-26) Friendly Latvia  0–1  Georgia Belek, Turkey

2022

21 November 2022 (2022-11-21) Friendly Georgia  1–1  Ukraine Gori, Georgia
Stadium: Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium
16 November 2022 (2022-11-16) Friendly Georgia  1–2  Israel Gori, Georgia
  • N.Khorkheli 84'
  • Lemkin 49'
  • Kanaan 56'
 Stadium: Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium
27 September 2022 (2022-09-27) Friendly Turkey  1–0  Georgia Istanbul, Turkey
 Stadium: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium
24 September 2022 (2022-09-24) Friendly Portugal  4–1  Georgia Covilhã, Portugal
Stadium: Estádio Municipal José dos Santos Pinto
3 June 2022 (2022-06-03) Friendly Georgia  2–0  Romania Gori, Georgia
  • Kapanadze 68', 74'
 Stadium: Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium
29 March 2022 (2022-03-29) Friendly Georgia  4–1  Estonia Gori, Georgia
  • Tamm 75'
 Stadium: Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium

2021

16 November 2021 (2021-11-16) Friendly Georgia  3–2  England Batumi, Georgia
Stadium: Batumi Arena

Source

Current team

Coaching staff

As of June 2023[3]

PositionName
Head CoachGeorgia (country) Ramaz Svanadze
Assistant coachGeorgia (country) Giorgi Adamia
Georgia (country) Zaur Svanadze
Georgia (country) Aleksandre Amisulashvili
Goalkeeper coachGeorgia (country) Temur Charkviani
Fitness coachGeorgia (country) Bondo Gotsiridze
Video analystGeorgia (country) Jumber Burjanadze

Players

The following players born in or after 2002 were called up for the 2025 UEFA European under-21 championship qualification matches against North Macedonia in November 2023.[4]

Note: Names in italics denote players that have been called up to the senior team.

Caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2023, after the match against North Macedonia.[5]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
23 1GK Luka Kharatishvili (2003-01-13) 13 January 2003 4 0 Georgia (country) Samtredia
1 1GK Mikheil Makatsaria (2004-06-11) 11 June 2004 1 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
12 1GK Levan Tandilashvili (2003-02-27) 27 February 2003 0 0 Georgia (country) Locomotive Tbilisi
4 2DF Saba Khvadagiani (2003-01-30) 30 January 2003 17 2 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
15 2DF Saba Sazonov (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 8 1 Italy Torino
18 2DF Giorgi Maisuradze (2002-01-31) 31 January 2002 8 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
3 2DF Saba Goglichidze (2004-06-25) 25 June 2004 4 0 Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi
13 2DF Saba Mamatsashvili (2003-08-23) 23 August 2003 4 1 Georgia (country) Gagra
2 2DF Zurab Rukhadze (2003-07-30) 30 July 2003 1 0 Latvia Metta
2DF Nikoloz Ugrekhelidze (2003-08-15) 15 August 2003 0 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
10 3MF Luka Gagnidze (2003-02-28) 28 February 2003 11 0 Russia Dynamo Moscow
8 3MF Otar Mamageishvili (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 10 1 Georgia (country) Saburtalo Tbilisi
6 3MF Nodar Lominadze (2002-04-04) 4 April 2002 10 0 Georgia (country) Samgurali Tskaltubo
14 3MF Levan Osikmashvili (2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 6 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
7 3MF Lasha Odisharia (2002-10-23) 23 October 2002 5 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
11 3MF Gizo Mamageishvili (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 4 0 Georgia (country) Saburtalo Tbilisi
19 3MF Tornike Morchiladze (2002-01-10) 10 January 2002 3 0 Georgia (country) Telavi
21 3MF Irakli Egoian (2004-03-19) 19 March 2004 3 0 Netherlands Twente
17 3MF Shalva Ogbaidze (2002-01-08) 8 January 2002 3 0 Netherlands Den Bosch
16 3MF Demetre Gvasalia (2002-02-28) 28 February 2002 0 0 Georgia (country) Kolkheti Poti
9 4FW Giorgi Kvernadze (2003-02-07) 7 February 2003 9 0 Italy Frosinone
20 4FW Giorgi Abuashvili (2003-02-08) 8 February 2003 4 0 Romania Petrolul
4FW Jaduli Iobashvili (2004-01-01) 1 January 2004 3 1 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi
4FW Vasilios Gordeziani (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 2 1 Greece PAOK

Recent call-up

The 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
DF Irakli Azarovi (2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 7 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v.  Israel, 1 July 2023
DF Luka Latsabidze (2004-03-18) 18 March 2004 0 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi v.  Netherlands, 17 October 2023
MF Gegi Geguchadze (2003-12-30) 30 December 2003 1 0 Georgia (country) Locomotive Tbilisi v.  Netherlands, 17 October 2023
DF Mukhran Bagrationi (2004-02-13) 13 February 2004 0 0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Batumi v.  Netherlands, 17 October 2023
MF Nikoloz Tskhovrebashvili (2004-01-07) 7 January 2004 1 0 Latvia Liepaja v.  Moldova, 12 September 2023
MF Gabriel Sigua (2005-06-30) 30 June 2005 5 0 Switzerland Basel v.  Netherlands, 17 October 2023
FW Giorgi Gvishiani (2003-11-19) 19 November 2003 0 0 Georgia (country) Samtredia v.  Latvia, 26 March 2023

Statistics

Note: Includes friendly matches[6]

Opponent Matches Wins Draws Losses GF GA
 Albania 8 3 1 4 7 10
 Armenia 2 1 0 1 3 4
 Azerbaijan 3 2 1 0 5 1
 Belarus 2 1 0 1 4 2
 Belgium 1 0 1 0 2 2
 Bulgaria 3 0 0 3 1 4
 Croatia 4 1 2 1 4 4
 Cyprus 3 1 2 0 4 2
 Denmark 5 0 1 4 7 15
 England 4 1 1 2 4 9
 Estonia 7 6 0 1 14 5
 Faroe Islands 2 1 0 1 2 3
 Finland 2 1 1 0 4 3
 France 3 0 0 3 3 10
 Germany 3 0 1 2 2 7
 Gibraltar 1 1 0 0 2 0
 Greece 5 0 2 3 4 11
 Hungary 2 0 0 2 1 4
 Iceland 2 1 1 0 7 5
 Republic of Ireland 4 0 4 0 4 4
 Israel 4 1 1 2 3 5
 Italy 4 1 0 3 4 11
 Kazakhstan 4 2 0 2 4 6
 Latvia 4 4 0 0 11 3
 Liechtenstein 2 2 0 0 6 0
 Lithuania 6 3 1 2 9 6
 Luxembourg 2 1 0 1* 3 3
 Malta 3 3 0 0 9 4
 Moldova 7 4 2 1 9 4
 Montenegro 2 0 1 1 2 3
 Netherlands 4 1 1 2 2 10
 North Macedonia 1 1 0 0 1 0
 Norway 2 0 1 1 0 3
 Poland 6 1 1 4 8 17
 Portugal 2 1 0 1 3 4
 Romania 5 1 1 3 5 8
 Russia 4 1 0 3 4 10
 San Marino 2 2 0 0 7 0
 Scotland 2 1 1 0 3 2
 Serbia 1 0 0 1 1 3
 Slovakia 4 1 0 3 5 8
 Slovenia 4 1 3 0 6 3
 Spain 6 0 0 6 4 24
  Switzerland 8 0 1 7 1 16
 Sweden 3 0 1 2 2 4
 Turkey 5 2 1 2 5 3
 Ukraine 5 0 3 2 7 16
 Wales 4 0 2 2 5 10
Total172543979213301
  • Luxemburg were awarded a 3–0 win[7]

Last update: 16 November 2023

Most capped players

Note: Competitive matches only

With 20 caps, Kvekveskiri is the most capped player of the U21 team
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Nika Kvekveskiri 2009–2014 20 2
2 Gulverd Tomashvili 2008–2010 18 0
3 Giorgi Khidesheli 2005–2010 16 1
4 Davit Ubilava 2013–2016 15 0
5 Mikheil Ashvetia 1997–1999 14 6
Solomon Kverkvelia 2011–2013 0

Last updated: 16 June 2023

Source: UEFA

Top goalscorers

Note: Competitive matches only

# Player Career Goals
1 Mikheil Ashvetia 1997–1999 6
Nika Kacharava 2013–2016
3 Rati Aleksidze 1997–1999 4
Vladimir Akhalaia 2002–2003
Beka Mikeltadze 2017–2018

Last updated: 16 June 2023

Source: UEFA

Notable results

Date Tournament Venue Team Result Team
10 September 1997 Euro 1998 Rustavi  Georgia 2–0  Italy
20 November 2007 Euro 2009 Tbilisi  Georgia 2–0  Russia
9 September 2009 Euro 2011 Zestafoni  Georgia 4–0  Turkey
3 June 2011 Euro 2013 Dugopolje  Croatia 0–1  Georgia
4 September 2014 Euro 2015 Deventer  Netherlands 0–1  Georgia
16 November 2021 Friendly Batumi  Georgia 3–2  England
21 June 2023 Euro 2023 Tbilisi  Georgia 2–0  Portugal

Notable former players

Managerial history

Source[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Georgia loses to Israel in penalty shootout of UEFA U21 European Championship quarter-finals". agenda.ge. 2 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "Under-21 EURO finals attendance record broken". uefa.com. UEFA. 1 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "U21 coaches". nakrebi.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "წლის ბოლო მატჩი სკოპიეში - ახალგაზრდულის შემადგენლობა და განრიგი" (in Georgian). საქართველოს ფეხბურთის ფედერაცია. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Squad". nakrebi.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "U21 statistics". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Georgia vs Luxemburg". uefa.com. UEFA. 5 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "ახალგაზრდული ნაკრების ყველა მატჩი". 1tv.ge (in Georgian), p.33. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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