FC Meshakhte Tkibuli

Meshakhte
Full nameMeshakhte Tkibuli
Founded1938 (1938)
GroundVladimer Bochorishvili Stadium
Tkibuli, Georgia
Capacity6,000
ChairmanLevan Japaridze
ManagerLado Burduli
LeagueErovnuli Liga
20253rd of 10 (promoted)

FC Meshakhte (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი მეშახტე) is a Georgian professional football club based in Tkibuli. Following the 2025 season, they were promoted to the Erovnuli Liga, the top tier of Georgian football.

They are the two-time league champions and two-time cup winners of the Soviet period.

History

Meshakhte participated in the Georgian Soviet league and twice, in 1980 and 1981, became champions. In 1964 and 1976 they also won the domestic Cup.

The club spent 13 seasons in the Soviet third division with the following combined results:[1]

M W D L GF–GA
303 127 60 116 414-399

The success of the club was attributed to the large coal mine industry based in Tkibuli which financed the local football as well.

First years after Georgian national league was formed, the club played in the second division. Between 1991 and 1996 they three times finished third and once, in 1997, came 2nd. Starting from 2005, Meshakhte spent thirteen consecutive seasons in Pirveli Liga.

The team had a third-place finish in 2016, which was their highest position during this period.[2] But the next season turned out troublesome. The team produced a seventeen-game unwinning run.[3] Three points earned in the last round saved the club from automatic relegation, although a home-and-away play-off tie ended unfavorably.[4]

After two years in Liga 3 Meshakhte, struggling the whole season, finished at the bottom in 2020.[5] However, they avoided another relegation due to some changes, introduced in late January 2021, which increased the number of clubs in this league.[6]

In 2022, Meshakhte took part in a long survival battle, but they lost a crucial game and ended up in the drop zone. Nevertheless, this time due to disqualification of another club, the Miners retained their place in this division.[7]

In June 2024, 70% of the club's share was put up for auction.[8] As a result, Okriba Meshakhte Ltd took over the management with the rest of the share remaining in municipal property.[9]

Meshakhte significantly improved in 2024, joining a title race from the very outset. They finished 2nd and sealed automatic promotion back to Erovnuli Liga 2 after a seven-year break. [10]

The team continued its successful run in the 2nd division as well. After a narrow away win over the crowned league champions Rustavi in a final match of the season, Meshakhte sealed a play-off spot for the first time in their history. They went on to win a penalty shoot-out against Telavi to complete a back-to-back promotion to the top tier.[11]

Seasons

Year League Pos P W D L GF GA Pts
2005/06 Pirveli Liga 13/18 34 11 9 14 38 40 42
2006/07 9/18 34 15 6 13 53 40 51
2007/08 2/10 27 14 2 11 39 41 44
2008/09 11/11 30 4 4 22 20 61 16
2009/10 12/15 28 6 7 15 36 68 25
2010/11 10/17 32 10 5 17 32 48 35
2011/12 Pirveli Liga 10/10 18 2 4 12 16 33 10
B Group 4/8 20 9 3 8 35 32 30
2012/13 Pirveli Liga Group A 5/12 33 13 6 14 42 66 45
2013/14 Pirveli Liga Group A 7/13 24 8 8 8 37 38 32
2014/15 Pirveli Liga Group B 7/10 36 14 5 17 57 55 47
2015/16 Pirveli Liga 11/18 34 10 12 12 28 31 42
2016 Pirveli Liga Group White 3/9 16 9 2 5 25 12 29
2017 Erovnuli Liga 2 9/10↓ 36 7 6 23 33 75 27
2018 Liga 3 8/20 38 17 6 15 59 54 57
2019 8/10 36 11 6 19 43 55 39
2020 10/10 18 1 3 14 10 45 6
2021 10/14 26 8 6 12 31 45 30
2022 14/16 30 10 5 15 35 39 35
2023 5/16 30 15 10 5 49 24 55
2024 2/16↑ 30 18 6 6 54 22 60
2025 Erovnuli Liga 2 3/10↑ 30 13 13 10 34 25 52

Players

As of 11 March, 2026[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  GEO Levan Tkeshelashvili
4 DF  GEO Mate Tereladze
5 MF  GEO Nikoloz Abuladze
6 MF  GEO Giorgi Papuashvili
7 MF  GEO Temur Shonia
8 MF  GEO Giorgi Jamarauli
9 FW  GEO Irakli Sikharulidze
10 MF  GEO Dimitri Ghurtskaia
11 FW  GEO Mate Kvirkvia
13 DF  GEO Giorgi Burduli
14 MF  GEO Mirian Jikia
15 FW  GEO Iusib Mekhtievi
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF  GEO Giorgi Gegia
18 MF  GEO Tsotne Patsatsia
20 DF  GEO Levan Kurdadze
22 MF  BIH Tarik Šikalo
23 MF  GEO Beka Shubitidze
26 MF  GEO Beka Gabiskiria
29 GK  GEO Levan Shovnadze
30 FW  UKR Maksim Pirogov
31 MF  BRA Eric Pimentel (on loan from Torpedo Kutaisi)
36 FW  GEO Lekso Kvelaidze
37 FW  BRA Rafael Lima (on loan from Torpedo Kutaisi)
40 DF  GEO Lasha Ugrekhelidze

Stadium

When the central stadium was opened in 1968, initially it was 17,000-seater[13] in a city with almost 23,000 residents. It is currently able to hold 6,000 spectators.

Honours

Soviet competitions

Georgian Soviet Championship

  • Champion: 1980, 1981

Georgian Soviet Cup

  • Champion: 1964, 1976

Georgian competitions

Pirveli Liga / Erovnuli Liga 2

  • Runners-up: 2008
  • Bronze Medal winner: 1991, 1994, 1995, 2025

Liga 3

  • Runners-up: 2024

Name

In 1991, the club took part in the second division as Okriba only to regain the current name the next season.

Meshakhte literally means a miner. The name comes from shakhta which can be translated as a shaft in coal mine industry.

References

  1. ^ "Meshakhte in the Second League". wildstat.com.
  2. ^ "Pirveli Liga, 2016". soccerway.com.
  3. ^ "ეროვნული ლიგა 2 - ტყიბულის მეშახტემ 17-მატჩიანი მოუგებელი სერია შეწყვიტა". mysports.ge (in Georgian), 28 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Norchi Dinamo vs Meshakhte". eliga.ge (in Georgian), 3 December 2017.
  5. ^ "2020 in Liga 3". gff.ge (in Georgian).
  6. ^ "ცვლილებები ეროვნულ ლიგაში". primesport.ge (in Georgian), 25 January 2021.
  7. ^ "მეშახტე", "ზესტაფონი", "ჩიხურა": იმერული სამაია ლიგა 3-ში რჩება!". fczestafoni.ge (in Georgian). 17 January 2023.
  8. ^ "საფეხბურთო კლუბ "ტყიბულის მეშახტეს" 70%-იანი წილი ნახევარ ფასად იყიდება". commersant.ge (in Georgian). 18 June 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ^ "ამონაწერი მეწარმეთა და არასამეწარმეო (არაკომერციული) იურიდიული პირების რეესტრიდან" (PDF). companyinfo.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  10. ^ "გილოცავთ ისტორიულ გამარჯვებას!" (in Georgian). FC Meshakhte. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Telavi vs Meshakhte match report". eliga.ge (in Georgian). 14 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  12. ^ "Squad". Erovnuli Liga. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  13. ^ "მეშახტის სტადიონი" კოლორიტებს მასპინძლობს". kvirispalitra.ge (in Georgian). 26 May 2014.
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