A Georgia Euro 2024 squad would have seemed fanciful not so long ago, but it's very much going to be a reality at the tournament in Germany this summer.
The former Soviet republic secured qualification for their first-ever major tournament in March, when they overcame Luxembourg and Greece - the latter on penalties - in the play-offs to book their spot at Euro 2024. Naturally, the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi witnessed an almight pitch invasion, with players mobbed for creating history.
But it's not like the Georgia Euro 2024 squad is lacking in any talent: Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the side's leading light, with the winger possessing the ability to turn a game on its head with a moment of magic. The rest of the team has a good mix of experience and youth, all brought together by Frenchman and manager Willy Sagnol.
It's a huge achievement by the country from the Caucasus with a population of less than three million in even reaching Euro 2024, but they're not going to just make up the numbers. While some Euro 2024 groups are especially tough, Georgia could fancy their chances at causing a few upsets.
Drawn alongside Turkey, the Czech Republic and Euro 2016 winners Portugal in Group F, they have every chance of reaching the knockout stages.
A very familiar name from his decorated playing career with the likes of Monaco and Bayern Munich on top of 58 caps for France (including starting the 2006 World Cup final), Willy Sagnol took on the role of Georgia boss in 2021. He's been a revelation for the national side, too, qualifying them for their first-ever international tournament and achieving a hugely impressive 16 wins and five draws from his 33 games in charge.
He's not inexperienced, either, having previously managed the France U21 side, Bordeaux and acted as assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern.
Already established as one of Georgia's key players, Kvaratskhelia emerged at Dinamo Tbilisi aged just 16 in 2017 but soon moved to nearby Rustavi after a falling-out with his hometown club.
His continued ascent quickly attracted interest from the Russian Premier League in the form of a loan spell at Lokomotiv Moscow and then a permanent move to Rubin Kazan. Kvaratskhelia briefly returned home to Georgia in early 2022 with Dinamo Batumi following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, before making his biggest move yet, joining Napoli that summer.
His form for the Italian side has been little short of sensational, helping them to win Serie A at a canter last season, while his numbers in 2023/24 have been largely consistent, too. On course to become Georgia's best-ever player, Kvaradona - nicknamed after Diego - has a hugely impressive 15 goals in 29 international caps. Talk about a talisman.
FAQs
How many players are Georgia allowed to take to Euro 2024?
UEFA announced in May that teams will be allowed 26 players in their squads for Euro 2024, backtracking on initial plans to reduce team sizes to 23. That means Willy Sagnol has been given an easier task in selecting his Georgia Euro 2024 squad.
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Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
