Erovnuli Liga


The Erovnuli Liga is the top division of professional top tier football in Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional Football League of Georgia and Georgian Football Federation. From 1927 to 1989, the competition was held as a regional tournament within the Soviet Union. From 2017, the Erovnuli Liga switched to a spring-autumn system, with only 10 clubs in the top flight.
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History and format evolution

The Erovnuli Liga is the highest division of Georgian football, established in 1990 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Prior to that, Georgian clubs competed within the Soviet league system and the Georgian SSR Championship.
Originally called the Umaglesi Liga, the league adopted the name Erovnuli Liga after a rebranding in 2017.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the number of participating teams fluctuated widely:
- 1990s: Between 16 and 20 clubs
- Early 2000s: Reduced to 10–12 clubs for quality stabilization
- 2017 onward: Fixed at 10 clubs
Originally operating on a traditional autumn–spring schedule, the league shifted to a spring–autumn calendar in 2017, aligning with many Nordic and Eastern European competitions. The switch was intended to avoid harsh winter interruptions and better synchronize with UEFA club competition calendars.

League Structure by Year

PeriodNo. of teamsNotes
1990–199916–20Early expansion
2000–201110–12Contraction for financial stability
2012–201612Stable double round-robin format
2017–present10Spring–autumn calendar, quadruple round-robin

Teams play each other four times per season, totaling 36 matches per club. The bottom-placed team is relegated to Erovnuli Liga 2, while the 9th-placed team enters a promotion/relegation playoff.

Sponsorship and Branding

Since 2019, the league operates under the official title of Crystalbet Erovnuli Liga, following a sponsorship deal with the betting company Crystalbet.
The Crystalbet partnership enhanced the league’s marketing efforts, with unified branding across team jerseys, match broadcasts, and official materials.
Previously, the league operated without a title sponsor.

Broadcasting and Media Coverage

- Major matches are broadcast live on 1TV Sport and Adjarasport channels.
- Non-televised games are streamed via the GFF's official YouTube channel and other online platforms.
- Highlight shows and weekly reviews summarize the matchday action.
As of the 2020s, virtually every league match is available live either on television or digital streams, significantly improving fan access and visibility.

Club Licensing and Modernization

The Georgian Football Federation enforces strict UEFA club licensing regulations for Erovnuli Liga participation, covering:
- Stadium standards
- Financial transparency
- Youth development
- Administrative professionalism
By 2024, all Erovnuli Liga clubs successfully met UEFA licensing standards.
Modern stadiums like Batumi’s Adjarabet Arena and Kutaisi’s Ramaz Shengelia Stadium meet UEFA Category 4 standards.

Recent Developments and European Access

Since the 2020s, the Erovnuli Liga has produced more diverse champions:
- FC Saburtalo Tbilisi
- FC Dinamo Batumi
The league champion qualifies for the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, while second and third-placed teams qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Further modernization efforts include:
- Gradual preparation for VAR implementation
- Enhanced media rights packaging
- Youth academy investments through GFF’s strategic plan
The Erovnuli Liga remains vital to the continued development of Georgian football both domestically and internationally.

Format

Below is a complete record of how many teams have played in each season throughout the league's history:


UEFA country ranking

Champions

Soviet era

as Georgian SSR

Post-independence

;Key
†League champions also won the Georgian Cup, i.e. they completed the domestic Double.

As Umaglesi Liga
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird place
1990Iberia Tbilisi Guria LanchkhutiGorda Rustavi
1991Iberia Tbilisi Guria LanchkhutiKutaisi
1991–92Iberia-Dinamo Tbilisi †Tskhumi SokhumiGorda Rustavi
1992–93Dinamo Tbilisi †Shevardeni-1906 TbilisiAlazani Gurjaani
1993–94Dinamo Tbilisi †Kolkheti-1913 PotiTorpedo Kutaisi
1994–95Dinamo Tbilisi †SamtrediaKolkheti-1913 Poti
1995–96Dinamo Tbilisi †Margveti ZestaponiKolkheti-1913 Poti
1996–97Dinamo Tbilisi †Kolkheti-1913 PotiDinamo Batumi
1997–98Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo BatumiKolkheti-1913 Poti
1998–99Dinamo Tbilisi Torpedo KutaisiLocomotive Tbilisi
1999–00Torpedo Kutaisi WIT Georgia TbilisiDinamo Tbilisi
2000–01Torpedo Kutaisi †Locomotive TbilisiDinamo Tbilisi
2001–02Torpedo Kutaisi Locomotive TbilisiDinamo Tbilisi
2002–03Dinamo Tbilisi †Torpedo KutaisiWIT Georgia Tbilisi
2003–04WIT Georgia Tbilisi Sioni BolnisiDinamo Tbilisi
2004–05Dinamo Tbilisi Torpedo KutaisiFC Tbilisi
2005–06Sioni Bolnisi WIT Georgia TbilisiDinamo Tbilisi
2006–07Olimpi Rustavi Dinamo TbilisiAmeri Tbilisi
2007–08Dinamo Tbilisi WIT Georgia TbilisiZestaponi
2008–09WIT Georgia Tbilisi Dinamo TbilisiOlimpi Rustavi
2009–10Olimpi Rustavi Dinamo TbilisiZestaponi
2010–11Zestaponi Dinamo TbilisiOlimpi Rustavi
2011–12Zestaponi Metalurgi RustaviTorpedo Kutaisi
2012–13Dinamo Tbilisi †Dila GoriTorpedo Kutaisi
2013–14Dinamo Tbilisi †ZestaponiSioni Bolnisi
2014–15Dila Gori Dinamo BatumiDinamo Tbilisi
2015–16Dinamo Tbilisi †SamtrediaDila Gori
2016Samtredia Chikhura SachkhereDinamo Batumi

As Erovnuli Liga
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird place
2017Torpedo Kutaisi Dinamo TbilisiSamtredia
2018Saburtalo Dinamo TbilisiTorpedo Kutaisi
2019Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo BatumiSaburtalo
2020Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo BatumiDila Gori
2021Dinamo Batumi Dinamo TbilisiDila Gori
2022Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo BatumiDila Gori
2023Dinamo Batumi Dinamo TbilisiTorpedo Kutaisi
2024Iberia 1999 Torpedo KutaisiDila Gori
2025Iberia 1999 Dila GoriTorpedo Kutaisi

Performance by club

ClubWinnersRunners-upThird placeWinning seasons
Dinamo Tbilisi19861990, 1991, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2019, 2020, 2022
Torpedo Kutaisi4471999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2017
Iberia 19993012018, 2024, 2025
Dinamo Batumi2522021, 2023
WIT Georgia2312003–04, 2008–09
FC Zestaponi2122010–11, 2011–12
Metalurgi Rustavi2142006–07, 2009–10
Dila Gori1252014–15
Samtredia1212016
Sioni Bolnisi1112005–06