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]
Locations of Regionuli Liga football clubs in 2024
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:
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]