Regionuli Liga Explained

Confed:UEFA
Promotion:Liga 4
Level:5
Teams:40
Domest Cup:Georgian Cup
Website:https://www.gff.ge/en
https://www.gff.ge/en/championships/regional-league/group-east

Regionuli Liga (Georgian: რეგიონული ლიგა), run by Georgian Football Federation since 1990, is the fifth and lowest division of the Georgian league system after Erovnuli Liga, Erovnuli Liga 2, Liga 3 and Liga 4. Its participants are both professional clubs and reserve teams of higher league members.

Prior to the introduction of Liga 4 in 2019, Regionuli Liga was the fourth tier.

Structure

As the name implies, the league is based on regional principle. Depending on the number of participating clubs, it is divided into several groups. In 2017, there were forty teams allocated in three groups.[1] The next year two zones were created for teams based in western Georgia and two more for the eastern regions. This regulation lasted three seasons until 2021, when the league was split into two groups, although the next year it switched back to three groups.

The number of promoted clubs per season also varies. Usually only the group winners gain automatic promotion, although several second-placed and third-placed teams, too, directly or through play-offs have advanced to the fourth tier in recent years.[2] In another case, play-off ties against Liga 3 teams determined the fate of Liga 4 two slots.[3]

The seasons are played on Spring-Autumn system.

Current season

For the 2024 season 27 clubs from the southern and eastern parts of Georgia and three Tbilisi-based teams from Abkhazia formed A and B groups, while zone C consists of thirteen clubs from the western regions.[4] Each club plays each of the other clubs twice, once at home and once away. At the end of the season four teams will gain promotion to Liga 4. Three group winners will be joined by one of the runners-up based on play-off results among the three second-placed teams.

Clubs represented in Regionuli liga for the 2024 season are listed below in alphabetical order.[5] Six of them have in the past participated in the top division:

Groups Teams
Aragvelebi Tbilisi • Dmanisi • Gardabani-2Gareji-2 • Grand Tbilisi • Iberia 2010 • Liakhvi Achabeti • Locomotive-3 • Orbi-2 • Rustavi-2Shturmi-2 • Sporti Gardabani • Tskhumi Sokhumi
Chele Kobuleti • BSU Batumi • Chibati LanchkhutiEgrisi SenakiImereti Khoni • Enguri Jvari • Magaroeli ChiaturaKolkheti-2 1913 • Martve Kutaisi • Meshakhte Tkibuli-2 • Sapovnela TerjolaSairme BagdatiTorpedo-2
Notes:

Past seasons

Group Winners

YearTeams
2017Bakhmaro ChokhatauriSaburtalo Tbilisi-2 • Varketili Tbilisi
2018Salkhino Martvili • Dinamo Batumi-2 • Tbilisi City • Gareji Sagarejo
2019Torpedo Kutaisi-2 • Skuri TsalenjikhaWIT Georgia Tbilisi-2 • Didube 2014 Tbilisi
2020Torpedo Kutaisi-2 • Merani Martvili-2 • Irao Tbilisi • Dinamo Tbilisi-2
2021Samgurali Tskaltubo-2 • Locomotive Tbilisi-2
2022Kolkheti-2 1913Gardabani • Varketili Tbilisi-2
2023Mertskhali OzurgetiGagra-2 • Didube 2014 Tbilisi

Promoted teams

YearTeams
2017Aragvi DushetiBakhmaro ChokhatauriMatchakhela KhelvachauriSaburtalo Tbilisi-2 • Samgurali Tskaltubo-2 • Varketili Tbilisi
2018Egrisi SenakiGareji SagarejoOdishi 1919Spaeri Tbilisi • Tbilisi City
2019Didube 2014 Tbilisi • Iberia Tbilisi • Merani Tbilisi-2 • Skuri TsalenjikhaSulori VaniWIT Georgia Tbilisi-2 • Zestafoni
2020Dinamo Tbilisi-2 • Irao Tbilisi • Margveti 2006Matchakhela KhelvachauriMerani Martvili-2 • Shturmi SartichalaTbilisiTorpedo Kutaisi-2
2021Locomotive Tbilisi-2 • Samgurali Tskaltubo-2
2022GardabaniGonioKolkheti-2 1913 • Varketili Tbilisi-2
2023Didube 2014 Tbilisi • Gagra-2Mertskhali OzurgetiZana Abasha
Notes: Aragvi Dusheti and Samgurali Tskaltubo-2 beat their upper league rivals in the 2017 play-offs.[6] So did Gareji Sagarejo a year later. All the other clubs were promoted directly. In 2018 and 2019, the second phase of competition was held in Promotion Groups. As a result, in comparison with the initial phase, the final table of these seasons sustained some changes.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: რეგიონული ლიგა: “საბურთალო 2”-მა საწადელი თითქმის აისრულა. worldsport.ge (in Georgian), 27 October 2017.
  2. Web site: ლიგა 3–ში მარგვეთის გავლით. fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 28 November 2017.
  3. Web site: Play-offs in 2018. gff.ge (in Georgian).
  4. Web site: Regionuli Liga West . irff.ge . 29 March 2024 . KA.
  5. Web site: Regional League, Group East. gff.ge.
  6. Web site: ლიგა 3-ს ახალი წევრები ჰყავს. mysports.ge (in Georgian), 29 November 2017.
  7. Web site: 2019 წლის რეგიონლიგა. fczestafoni.ge (in Georgian).