Liga 3 (Georgia)

Last updated
Liga 3
Founded1990;34 years ago (1990)
CountryFlag of Georgia.svg  Georgia
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams16
Level on pyramid3
Promotion to Erovnuli Liga 2
Relegation to Liga 4
Domestic cup(s) Georgian Cup
Current champions Aragvi (2023)
Website liga.gff.ge
Current: 2023 Liga 3

Liga 3, organized by the Georgian Football Federation since 1990, is the third division of professional football in Georgia.

Contents

Until 2017, when the current name was introduced, it was known as Meore Liga (the Second league).

Structure and league system

There were 20 teams competing in the league in 2017. In 2019, when Liga 4 was formed, their number was reduced to ten, [1] although after two seasons GFF decided to extend the league to 14 at the expense of two bottom teams from the previous season and two second-placed clubs from Liga 4 While and Red Groups. [2] For 2022 the number of clubs was increased to 16. [3]

Seasons run based on Spring-Autumn system with each team playing an equal amount of home and away games against their league rivals.

The league operates based on a system of promotion and relegation. Starting from the 2022 season, champions and runners-up win automatic promotion to Erovnuli Liga 2, while the teams that finish in the third and fourth positions book a place in promotion play-off home and away games against respectively the 8th and 7th placed clubs of Liga 2. Three bottom teams are relegated to Liga 4. [4]

In case two or more clubs obtain the same number of points, their head-to-head records are next to be taken into consideration.

Number of teams each season

● 2017–18 = 20

● 2019–20 = 10

● 2021 = 14

● 2022–24 = 16

Current members

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Locations of Liga 3 football clubs in 2024

Sixteen teams will compete in Liga 3 for the 2024 season. Five of them, namely Borjomi, Guria, Merani Martvili, Merani Tbilisi and Zestafoni, have previously played in the top division. There are also two reserve teams of higher league members this season.

The clubs are listed below in alphabetical order.

ClubsPosition last seasonLocationRegion
Betlemi 2nd in Liga 4 Keda Adjara
Bakhmaro 12th Chokhatauri Guria
Borjomi 11th Borjomi Samtskhe-Javakheti
Gardabani 3rd in Liga 4 Gardabani Kvemo Kartli
Gonio 1st in Liga 4 Gonio Adjara
Gori 8th Gori Shida Kartli
Guria 9th Lanchkhuti Guria
Orbi [a] 6th Tbilisi Tbilisi
Locomotive-2 10th Tbilisi Tbilisi
Matchakhela 14th Khelvachauri Adjara
Merani M 9th in Liga 2 Martvili Martvili
Merani T 10th in Liga 2 Tbilisi Tbilisi
Saburtalo-2 7th Tbilisi Tbilisi
Meshakhte 5th Tkibuli Imereti
Varketili 4th Tbilisi Tbilisi
Zestafoni 13th Zestafoni Imereti

a Until January 2024 known as Irao

Results

Group Winners of Meore Liga

SeasonWestEastCenter
2011–12 Chikhura Sachkhere II Sasco Tbilisi —
2012–13 Matchakhela Khelvachauri Kartli 2011 —
2013–14 Lazika Zugdidi Borjomi —
2014–15 Imereti Khoni Tskhumi Sukhumi Liakhvi Tskhinvali
2015–16 Sulori Vani Gardabani Mark Stars
2016 Betlemi ● Margveti ● Samegrelo Algeti ● N.Dinamo ● Shevardeni ● Telavi Gori

Note: Due to the season being transitional in 2016, none of the teams was promoted

Top three teams of Liga 3

SeasonWinnerRunner-upThird place
2017 Shevardeni Norchi Dinamo Tbilisi Telavi
2018 Zugdidi Bakhmaro Chokhatauri Guria Lanchkhuti
2019 Merani Martvili Samgurali Tskhaltubo Aragvi Dusheti
2020 Gareji Sagarejo Kolkheti-1913 Poti Gori
2021 Spaeri Tbilisi Kolkheti-1913 Poti Tbilisi City
2022 Dinamo Tbilisi-2 Kolkheti-1913 Poti Aragvi Dusheti
2023 Aragvi Dusheti Shturmi Rustavi

Notes: Apart from the champions who were automatically promoted to the second division, the teams indicated in bold gained promotion after winning the play-offs against their Liga-2 rivals. Due to the changed format, in 2022 and 2023, the runner-ups of the seasons were also promoted directly.

Relegated teams

The number of relegated teams per each recent season varies due to the fact that the competition format is subject to frequent changes.

SeasonClubs
2017 Odishi-1919 Zugdidi ● Chkherimela Kharagauli ● Liakhvi Tskhinvali ● Sapovnela Terjola
2018 Samegrelo Chkhorotsku ● Magaroeli Chiatura ● Varketili Tbilisi ● Algeti Marneuli ● Mark Stars Tbilisi ● Imereti Khoni ● Gardabani ● Sulori Vani ● Samgurali Tskaltubo-2 ● Machakhela Khelvachauri
2019 Borjomi ● Betlemi Keda
2020 NONE
2021 Magaroeli Chiatura ● Didube Tbilisi
2022 Tbilisi City*
2023 TBD ● Merani-2 ● Chikhura

Note: Tbilisi City failed to obtain a league license for the 2023 season.

Participation per club

Including the 2024 season there have been 45 teams in total competing in this league since 2017. Gori are topping the list with an overall nine-year continuous tenure in the third tier, including all the eight seasons after its re-branding as Liga 3.

TeamPar.
Gori 8
Bakhmaro 7
Meshakhte 7
Saburtalo-2 7
Borjomi 6
Guria 6
Kolkheti Khobi 6
Aragvi 5
Varketili5
Betlemi 4
Kolkheti 1913 3
Magaroeli 3
Merani-2 Tb 3
Tbilisi City3
Gardabani 3
TeamPar.
Matchakhela 3
Orbi3
Zestafoni 3
Algeti 2
Chikhura 2
Imereti 2
Locomotivi-2 2
Merani M 2
Merani Tb 2
Mark Stars2
Samegrelo 2
Spaeri 2
Sulori 2
Chkherimela 1
Didube1
TeamPar.
Dinamo-2 1
Gareji 1
Gonio 1
Liakhvi1
Margveti 2006 1
Odishi 1919 1
Rustavi 1
Samgurali 1
Samgurali-2 1
Sapovnela 1
Shturmi 1
Skuri 1
Shevardeni 1906 1
Telavi 1
Zugdidi 1

As of 2024 their current status is:

Erovnuli Liga 3
Erovnuli Liga 2 7
Liga 3 16
Liga 4 9
Regionuli Liga 5
Defunct5

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References

  1. ↑ "2019 regular season". soccerway.com.
  2. ↑ "სფფ-ს აღმასკომი - ცვლილებები Crystalbet ეროვნულ ლიგაში". crystalsport.ge (in Georgian), 25 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "2022 წლიდან ლიგა 2-ში და ლიგა 3-ში გუნდების რაოდენობა იზრდება". primesport.ge (in Georgian), 12 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "სფფ-ში აღმასრულებელი კომიტეტის სხდომა გაიმართა". gff.ge (in Georgian), 22 February 2022.
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