The 2024/25 European season is quickly approaching, with 236 clubs set to compete in UEFA’s continental club competitions.
With the first qualifying round draws two weeks away, Extratime Talk will be providing a comprehensive country coefficient preview. Between now and then, each country will be previewed, and all clubs discussed.
In these articles, we will provide an analyses of what to expect from each UEFA nation. We will all explore what is on the line from a coefficient standpoint, and the keys to succeeding.
In the eighth article in this series, Georgia is the focus. How will the Eurasian country react to last year’s performances?
Georgia In Europe: Country Profile
| Previous Season Coefficient (Rank) | 1.250 (48th) |
| Previous Season’s 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 7.625 (46th) |
| Starting 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 5.375 (49th) |
Georgia has consistently hung around places 40 to 45 for as long as UEFA coefficient aficionados could remember. However, there has been a decrease in quality in recent years, evidenced by the last three European seasons.
In the 2021-24 European club competition cycle, only five of UEFA’s 55 national associations earned less than Georgia’s 3.625 points. In that time, only two clubs – Dinamo Batumi and Dila Gori – managed to progress from two qualifying rounds in the same season. Things have looked incredibly dreary for Georgian football, and the likelihood of that changing anytime soon is not very high.
Georgia In Europe: Club Profile
| Club | Qualified As | Round of Entry | Total European Seasons | Last Season’s Performance | 5-Year Club Coefficient (2023/24) | 5-Year Country Coefficient Contribution, 2023/24 (%) |
| Dinamo Batumi | Domstic Champion | UCL Q1 | 11 | UECL Q1 | 5.500 | 1.375 (18.03%) |
| Iberia 1999 | Cup Winner | UECL Q2, Main Path | 4 | N/A | 4.500 | 1.125 (14.75%) |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | Domestic Runner-up | UECL Q1 | 28 | UECL Q2 | 8.000 | 2.125 (27.87%) |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | Domestic Third Place | UECL Q1 | 13 | UECL Q2 | 2.500 | 0.500 (6.56%) |
Having won the league title for just the second time last year, Dinamo Batumi enters the Champions League qualifiers. Across 10 previous European seasons, they have won just five ties. Now in their fifth consecutive continental campaign, Dinamo will hope to win a Champions League game for the very first time.
Iberia 1999, formerly known as Saburtalo Tbilisi, won the cup last term, giving them access to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. They have by far the fewest number of European seasons under their belt. However, Iberia 1999 has won four of their nine continental matches all-time. That could give Georgia a glimmer of hope going into this summer.
The country’s most successful club, Dinamo Tbilisi, finished second in the league once again. It is the fourth time in seven years that they have finished as runners-up. They make their entry at Q1 of the Conference League. The tournament has not been kind to them: since the UECL’s first season, Dinamo has not won a European tie. They have one win from those 10 games, coming against Estonia’s Paide.
Joining Dinamo Tbilisi in UECL Q1 will be Torpedo Kutaisi, who finished third in 2023. Torpedo started at that round a year ago, where they stunned FK Sarajevo on penalties. Add to the fact that they made the Europa League playoff round six years ago, and maybe FC Torpedo could be Georgia’s best performer this summer.
Season Ambitions
Due to their woeful showings in the last cycle, Georgia sits just two places above 51st place Montenegro to start the season. As a result, the aim will be simple: to finish above 51st spot and maintain the four European places for the 2026/27 season.
Fortunately for Georgia, it should not be difficult to claim a top 50 position, seeing they start the summer with 5.375 points. They only need about a point to finish above the bottom five. With that said, given the poor performances in recent years, even that might not be so straightforward.
What a Successful Season Would Be for Georgian Football
A good year for Georgian football would of course be to avoid the bottom five. Losing a European place would be the lowest of lows, and further troubles for the country. In order to be outside of the bottom five, they will need at least one team to make UECL Q3. Dinamo Batumi has the best chance of that, since they will have at least four European games.
Outside of that, aiming to avoid the bottom five should not be the aim for Georgia’s clubs. After all, the race for 38th place has greatly improved over the last couple of seasons. While the probability of Georgia making a serious push for a top 38 position this season is next to nil, they could try to add some more coefficient points so that next season they can compete for a top 38 spot.
What to Expect for the Georgian Coefficient in 2024/25
Things do not look promising for Georgia next season in Europe. The clubs have not impressed in recent times, and there is no reason to suggest that anything different from these last three years will occur in 2024/25. Georgian football expert Luka Lagvilava (GeorgianFooty on X) seems to agree.
“I personally don’t expect much from (the Georgian) teams this season,” said Lagvilava. “Torpedo Kutaisi could cause some damage in the 1/2 round if they get lucky with the draw.” He even went on to highlight that Torpedo “is probably the best team on paper out of the 4 participants,” which has to be seen as surprising.
As strange as this may seem, Georgia will indeed be likely to have a poor season. However, as they have a decent head-start over the teams below them, it would take a horror show for them to end up in the bottom five at season’s end. While it is difficult to see how these four clubs will end up winning four matches from (at least) 10 games, the coefficient position is on the line. Perhaps that could make a difference.
If Georgia does survive the bottom five this term, much more will have to be done to ensure they do not fall into that unwanted spot anytime soon. While they only have 1.750 points to defend, they have not reached that total in any of the three years. The time is now for Georgia’s clubs to kick on in Europe and keep the four European spots for the upcoming years.