# Georgia at UEFA Euro 2024 (June 2024)

URL: https://allhistories.com/georgia/timeline/2024-georgia-at-uefa-euro-2024
Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Themes: Foreign agents, Civil society

Georgia played at its first major football tournament at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. After a 3–1 defeat by Turkey and a 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic, on 26 June 2024 the team beat Portugal 2–0, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring in the second minute and Georges Mikautadze adding a penalty. It finished third in Group F with four points. The team had qualified in March 2024 through the playoffs, beating Greece on penalties in Tbilisi, in a country of under four million people with no previous place in a major finals. Mikautadze, who scored in all three group games, finished among the joint top scorers with three goals. Georgia advanced as one of the best third-placed teams and lost the last-16 match to Spain 4–1 on 30 June. The run brought crowds to the streets and was covered abroad as one of the tournament's stories. It also took place amid political tension over the foreign-influence law. At this point in the timeline (2024), Georgia's head of state was President Salome Zourabichvili (16 December 2018 – 29 December 2024), while Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze (8 February 2024 – present) headed the government.

## Why it matters
It gave a country in political turmoil a rare shared moment of national pride and the greatest result in its football history.

Ruler at the Time: [Salome Zourabichvili](https://allhistories.com/georgia/rulers/salome-zourabichvili)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — UEFA Euro 2024 Group F](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024_Group_F)
- [RFE/RL — Georgia soccer Euro 2024 Portugal](https://rferl.org/amp/georgia-soccer-football-euro-2024-portugal/33011449.html)