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Liga 4 (Georgia)

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Liga 4
Founded2019; 5 years ago (2019)
Country Georgia
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams15
Level on pyramid4
Promotion toLiga 3
Relegation toRegionuli Liga
Domestic cup(s)Georgian Cup
Current championsGonio
(2023)
Websiteliga.gff.ge
Current: 2024 Liga 4

Liga 4 (Georgian: ლიგა 4), organized by the Georgian Football Federation, is the fourth tier of the national football league. It was founded in 2019 as a part of comprehensive reorganization of the league system.

As of the 2024 season, Algeti and Odishi 1919 hold the longest tenure in this division. They have been in Liga 4 since its inaugurating season.

There are currently three former top-division teams participating in the tournament: Chikhura (2012–20), Mertskhali (1990–92, 2003–04) and Sulori (1991, 1991–92).

Structure and format

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In 2018, GFF decided to form an additional division between Liga 3 and Regionuli Liga by introducing Liga 4 for the 2019 season. After the first year the top two clubs were promoted to Liga 3 and the bottom two were supposed to be relegated to Regional league. However, in February 2020 the league regulation sustained new changes, which saved the doomed teams from relegation and enlarged the tournament with four more Regionuli Liga clubs.[1]

In January 2021, the Federation announced that the number of clubs participating in the upcoming season would be increased to twenty,[2] although for the next year they were reduced back to sixteen.

After the 2022 season the top three teams earned automatic promotion to Liga 3 and the bottom four clubs were relegated to Regionuli Liga.[3] The league underwent one change in 2023: with fourteen clubs competing this season, the drop zone was reduced to two places.

The number of teams in each season:

2019 = 10

2020, 2022 = 16

2021 = 20

2023 = 14

2024 = 15

Each club play each of the other clubs twice (once at home and once away) and obtain three points for a win, one for a draw and no points for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.

At the end of the season the top three teams gain promotion to Liga 3. Similarly, the three teams that finish at the bottom are relegated to Regionuli Liga. A team can be spared relegation if another team either resigns or is expelled from the league.

Final league position is determined, in order, by points obtained, head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals scored, head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams), goal difference and goals scored.

Since Liga 4 is the bottom national tier, this is where the Federation may expel a team from higher divisions. Shukura is the latest club demoted in January 2024.[4]

It is the only national division where no play-offs are held.

Current members

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Fifteen teams will be competing in the league in 2024.

Chikhura, Mertskhali and Sulori have taken part in the top division. There are also six junior teams of higher league members represented in the division this season.

The clubs are listed below in alphabetical order.

Club Position last season Location Region Venue
Algeti 9th Marneuli Kvemo Kartli Central stadium
Chikhura 16th in Liga 3 Sachkhere Imereti Dzveli stadioni
Didube 1st in Regionuli Liga A Tbilisi Tbilisi Central stadium, Kaspi
Gagra-2 1st in Regionuli Liga B Tbilisi Tbilisi Central stadium, Mukhrani
Margveti 2006 5th Zestafoni Imereti Murtaz and Soso Abashidze
stadium, Kharagauli
Merani Martvili-2 7th Martvili Samegrelo-Z.Svaneti Murtaz Khurtsilava stadium
Merani Tbilisi-2 15th in Liga 3 Tbilisi Tbilisi Shromiti rezervebi
Mertskhali 1st in Regionuli Liga C Ozurgeti Guria Megobroba stadium
Odishi 1919 4th Zugdidi Samegrelo-Z.Svaneti Central stadium, Ganmukhuri
Samgurali-2 6th Tskaltubo Imereti 26 May stadium
Skuri 12th Tsalenjikha Samegrelo-Z.Svaneti Sasha Kvaratskhelia stadium
Sulori 8th Vani Imereti Grigol Nikoleishvili stadium
Varketili-2 11th Tbilisi Tbilisi Marakana
WIT Georgia-2 10th Tbilisi Tbilisi Mtskheta Park, Mtskheta
Zana Regionuli Liga PO winner Abasha Samegrelo-Z.Svaneti Mevlud Miminoshvili stadium

Seasons

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Previous years

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In the first season, ten teams played 27 games each. Eventually, two clubs from Tbilisi finished in top places awarding them promotion to the upper league.[5]

The 2020 season was scheduled to start in April, but Covid-2019 postponed it for four months. In July GFF decided to form White and Red Groups with winners getting automatic promotion and bottom two clubs going down.[6] 16 teams were split into two groups. The football season started in August and lasted five months with each team playing 14 games only. Two winners and two runners-up were promoted to Liga 3.

The next year, Promotion and Relegation Groups were created after the first phase. In the end, the first four teams of the former advanced to Liga 3, while the bottom four of the latter dropped down a further level to Regionuli Liga.

In contrast, starting from 2022 the seasons are held as a single two-round tournament.

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2019 Spaeri • Tbilisi City
2020 VarketiliDidubeMerani-2 TbilisiMagaroeli
2021 Dinamo-2 Tbilisi ZestafoniBorjomi • Irao
2022 Locomotive-2ShturmiMatchakhela
2023 GonioBetlemiGardabani
2024 Didube • Odishi 1919Margveti 2006

Note: Teams indicated in bold are champions.

Relegated teams

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2019 N/A
2020 N/A
2021 Torpedo-2 • Tbilisi • ImeretiEgrisi
2022 Didube • SamegreloMagaroeli • Iberia
2023 Kolkheti-2 1913Dinamo Zugdidi
2024 TBD • Merani-2 TbilisiChikhura

Participation per club

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Taking into account the 2024 season, thirty-seven teams have been members of this league for at least one year.

Team Par.
Algeti 6
Odishi 1919 6
Skuri 5
Sulori 5
WIT Georgia-2 5
Betlemi 4
Margveti 2006 4
Merani-2 Martvili 4
Samegrelo 4
Didube 3
Egrisi 3
Iberia 3
Imereti 3
Team Par.
Magaroeli 3
Samgurali-2 3
Borjomi 2
Matchakhela 2
Merani-2 Tbilisi 2
Shturmi 2
Varketili 2
Varketili-2 2
Zestafoni 2
Chikhura 1
Dinamo Tbilisi-2 1
Dinamo Zugdidi 1
Gagra-2 1
Team Par.
Gareji 1
Gonio 1
Irao 1
Kolkheti-2 1913 1
Locomotive-2 1
Mertskhali 1
Spaeri 1
Tbilisi 1
Tbilisi City 1
Torpedo-2 1
Zana 1

Their current status as of 2024:

Erovnuli Liga 2 4
Liga 3 8
Liga 4 15
Regionuli Liga 5
Defunct 5

References

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  1. ^ "დიდი ცვლილებები ლიგა 4-ში". lelo.ge (in Georgian). 13 Feb 2020.
  2. ^ "სიახლე საქართველოს ჩემპიონატში". popsport.com (in Georgian). 25 Jan 2021.
  3. ^ "სფფ-ში აღმასრულებელი კომიტეტის სხდომა გაიმართა". gff.ge (in Georgian), 22 February 2022.
  4. ^ "ეროვნული ლიცენზირების შედეგები". gff.ge (in Georgian ). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Liga 4 in 2019". gff.ge.
  6. ^ "ლიგა 4 და თასი: წილი ნაყარია!." lelo.ge (in Georgian). 23 Jul 2020.
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