[2024 European Cup Georgia] From Unlikely Contenders to Euro Stage Debut！

Not long ago, Georgia's participation in the Euro 2024 seemed somewhat far-fetched, but this will soon become a reality during this summer's tournament in Germany. In March of this year, Georgia advanced through two rounds in the Euro qualifiers playoffs, defeating Luxembourg and Greece successively, thus securing their place in the Euro 2024. This country, with a population of less than three million in the Caucasus region, will welcome its first major international competition.

While Georgia ranks only 75th in FIFA's latest rankings, it doesn't mean their Euro 2024 squad lacks talent: Napoli star Kwara'tskheliya leads the team, possessing the ability to change the course of a game in an instant. The rest of the team strikes a good balance between experience and youth, all under the guidance of French coach Willy Sagnol.

Georgia's head coach, Willy Sagnol, had a certain reputation during his playing days, enjoying a brilliant career with clubs like Monaco and Bayern, and earning 58 caps for the French national team (including starting in the 2006 World Cup final). In 2021, he took over as the head coach of the Georgian national team. He has brought about change for the national team, leading them to their first qualification for a major international tournament and achieving an impressive record of 16 wins and 5 draws in his tenure of 33 matches. He is no stranger to coaching, having previously managed the French U21 national team, Bordeaux, and served as an assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern.

As one of Georgia's key players, Kwara'tskheliya emerged at the age of just 16 with Dinamo Tbilisi but soon transferred to nearby Rustavi after falling out with his hometown club. His upward trajectory quickly attracted attention from the Russian Premier League, where he was initially loaned to Lokomotiv Moscow before moving to Rubin Kazan. Kwara'tskheliya briefly returned to Georgia to join Batumi Dinamo in early 2022 before making his biggest move yet that summer, joining Napoli. His performance at the Italian club has been remarkable, helping them secure the Serie A title easily last season, with consistent performances in the 2023/24 season as well. On his path to becoming Georgia's best player in history, nicknamed "Kwara'dona" (derived from Diego Maradona), he has scored 15 goals in 29 international matches.

In 2018, Georgia secured promotion in the UEFA Nations League from League D, earning a playoff spot in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. Although their performance in the Euro 2020 qualifiers was not outstanding, with their only two victories coming against minnows Gibraltar, they missed out on their historic opportunity to participate in a major tournament by losing to North Macedonia in the playoff final.

Later, they won the UEFA Nations League C Group D in the 2022/23 season, securing promotion to League B for the next season and earning their second Euro qualifiers playoff spot. This time, they lived up to expectations, defeating Luxembourg 2-0 in the semifinals before eliminating Greece in a penalty shootout 4-0 in the final, securing a spot in the European Championship at the last moment, marking their first appearance in a major international tournament.

For a country with a population of less than three million, Georgia's participation in the Euro 2024 is already a huge achievement, but they won't just be making up the numbers. They are placed in Group F alongside Turkey, Czech Republic, and 2016 Euro champions Portugal. While Portugal and Turkey are clearly the favorites to advance from the group, Georgia is seen as the weakest team in the group, with some distance behind the Czech Republic as well. However, with stars like Kwara'tskheliya leading the frontline, Georgia has the ability to cause some upsets. Don't forget that the third-placed team in the group also has a chance to advance, so Georgia has a real chance of reaching the knockout stages.