FC Iberia 1999 (), formerly known as FC Saburtalo, is a Georgian football club, based in the Saburtalo District of Tbilisi, the capital of the country.
Since the introduction of the Erovnuli Liga in 2017, they have been the most decorated Georgian team with seven top titles.
History Saburtalo was founded on 20 August 1999, in Tbilisi. In 2005, the club was bought by Iberia Business Group and its owner Tariel Khechikashvili, who later became the Minister of Sport & Youth Affairs of Georgia.
Following the 2014–15 season, Saburtalo won their respective Pirveli Liga group with a nineteen-point margin and advanced to the Umaglesi Liga.
In 2018, Saburtalo who had not won any silverware during the previous three seasons in the top-flight, claimed the champion's title for the first time under coach Gia Chiabrishvili.
A year later, they successfully completed their cup campaign after a 3–1 win over Locomotive in the final. In 2020, Saburtalo beat champions Dinamo Tbilisi to lift the Georgian Super Cup.
Next seasons saw the team winning two more cup trophies and two league titles with 2022 being the only year when Saburtalo failed to win any domestic tournament. The team won their second league title under coach Levan Korgalidze in 2024, followed by another triumph a year later.
Iberia 1999 were eliminated from the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League qualifying before reaching the Europa League play-off round, thereby securing a place in the Conference League league phase as the first Georgian club to compete in the competition.
Statistics
By season {|class="wikitable" ! Season ! League ! Pos. ! Pl. ! W ! D ! L ! GF ! GA ! P ! Cup ! Europe ! Manager |- ! colspan="13" |as Saburalo |- |2013–14 |Erovnuli Liga 2 |align=right|8 |align=right|26 ||align=right|9 ||align=right|5 ||align=right|12 |align=right|38 ||align=right|34 ||align=right|32 |DNP | |Temur Shalamberidze |- |2014–15 |Erovnuli Liga 2 |align=right bgcolor=gold|1 |align=right|36 ||align=right|28 ||align=right|3 ||align=right|5 |align=right|92 ||align=right|25 ||align=right|82 |First round | | rowspan="2" |Giorgi Chiabrishvili |- |2015–16 |Umaglesi Liga |align=right|8 |align=right|30 ||align=right|11 ||align=right|6 ||align=right|13 |align=right|47 ||align=right|61 ||align=right|39 |First round
|2016 |Umaglesi Liga |align=right|3 |align=right|12 ||align=right|5 ||align=right|4 ||align=right|3 |align=right|17 ||align=right|12 ||align=right|19 |First round | |Pablo Franco |- |2017 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|4 |align=right|36 ||align=right|18 ||align=right|6 ||align=right|12 |align=right|61 ||align=right|42 ||align=right|60 |Fourth round | | rowspan="3" |Giorgi Chiabrishvili |- |2018 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right bgcolor=gold|1 |align=right|36 ||align=right|24 ||align=right|7 ||align=right|5 |align=right|64 ||align=right|29 ||align=right|79 |Third round
|2019 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|3 |align=right|36 ||align=right|21 ||align=right|7 ||align=right|8 |align=right|67 ||align=right|36 ||align=right|70 |style="background-color:gold;"| Winners |Champions League - 2QREuropa League - 3QR |- |2020 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|5 |align=right|18 ||align=right|7 ||align=right|6 ||align=right|5 |align=right|28 ||align=right|21 ||align=right|27 |Semi-final |Europa League - 1QR |Temur ShalamberidzeLevan Korgalidze |- |2021 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|4 |align=right|36 ||align=right|15 ||align=right|8 ||align=right|13 ||align=right|52 ||align=right|40 || align=right|57 |style="background-color:gold;"| Winners | |Khvicha Shubitidze |- |2022 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|6 |align=right |36 ||align=right |13 ||align=right|8 ||align=right|15 ||align=right|51 ||align=right|49 ||align=right|47 |Semi-final |Conference League - 2QR |Lasha Nozadze |- |2023 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right|6 |align=right|36 ||align=right|14 ||align=right|9 ||align=right|13 ||align=right|58 ||align=right|49 ||align=right|51 |style="background-color:gold;"| Winners | |Omari TetradzeGiorgi Mikadze |- ! colspan="13" |as Iberia 1999 |- |2024 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right bgcolor=gold|1 |align=right|36 ||align=right|23 ||align=right|6 ||align=right|7 ||align=right|74 ||align=right|46 ||align=right|75 |Round of 16 |Conference League - 3QR |Giorgi MikadzeLevan Korgalidze |- |2025 |Erovnuli Liga |align=right bgcolor=gold|1 |align=right|36 ||align=right|24 ||align=right|8 ||align=right|4 ||align=right|60 ||align=right|24 ||align=right|80 | style="background-color:#DDD" | Runners-up |Champions League - 1QR |Levan KorgalidzeGia GeguchadzeGuga Nergadze |- |2026 |Erovnuli Liga | |align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| |Quarterfinals |Champions League - 2QR Conference League LP |Guga NergadzeAndriy Demchenko
European record Saburtalo made their debut in a UEFA competition in 2019 after being paired with Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. They cruised to an away 3–0 victory, although survived an early scare in the return leg after conceding three goals within the opening ten minutes.
The team twice reached the third qualifying round of UEFA competitions before securing their first qualification for the league stage in 2026.
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg. 2019–20 UEFA Champions League 1QR Sheriff Tiraspol 1–3 3–0 4−3 2QR Dinamo Zagreb 0−2 0−3 0−5 UEFA Europa League 3QR Ararat-Armenia 0−2 2−1 2−3 2020–21 UEFA Europa League 1QR Apollon Limassol 1–5 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR Partizani 0–1 1–0 1−1 2QR FCSB 1–0 2–4 3–4 2024–25 UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR Partizani 2–0 0–0 2–0 3QR İstanbul Başakşehir 0–1 0–2 0–3 2025–26 UEFA Champions League 1QR Malmö FF 1–3 1–3 2−6 UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR FCI Levadia 2–2 0–1 2–3 2026–27 UEFA Champions League 1QR Flora 2–2 3–2 5−4 2QR Slovan Bratislava 0–2 1–11−3 UEFA Europa League 3QR Larne 2–1 0–0 2–1 PO Jagiellonia Białystok 1–2 0–4 1–6 UEFA Conference League LP Copenhagen Red Star Belgrade Getafe Sint-Truiden Jablonec Mjällby AIF Notes QR: Qualifying round
Overall record
CompetitionPlayedWonDrewLostGFGAGDWin% Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.
Players
Out on loan
Top goalscorers + Season Div. Player Goals 2013–14 2nd Laurenzo Larky 5 2014–15 2nd Guram Goshteliani 26 2015–16 1st Giorgi Kharaishvili 12 2016 1st Giorgi Kharaishvili 5 2017 1st Giorgi Kharaishvili 13 2018 1st Vagner Gonsalves 20 2019 1st Giorgi Diasamidze 11 2020 1st Beka Kavtaradze 11 2021 1st Iuri Tabatadze Dmitri Mandrîcenco 11 2022 1st Irakli Sikharulidze 12 2023 1st Cheikne Sylla 12 2024 1st Giorgi Kokhreidze 16 2025 1st Iuri Tabatadze 11
Honours +Team honours:TypeCompetitionTitlesSeasonsDomesticErovnuli Liga3 2018, 2024, 2025Erovnuli Liga 21 2014–15Georgian Cup3 2019, 2021, 2023Georgian Super Cup1 2020
Notable players This is the list of footballers who have played for the team and had international caps for their respective countries.
Georgia Sandro Altunashvili Bachana Arabuli Grigol Chabradze Vladimir Dvalishvili Iva Gelashvili Giorgi Gocholeishvili Tornike Gorgiashvili Levan Kakubava Levan Kenia Giorgi Kharaishvili Giorgi Kochorashvili Lazare Kupatadze Giorgi Makaridze Nikoloz Mali Vladimer Mamuchashvili Zurab Menteshashvili Omar Migineishvili Shota Nonikashvili Lasha Parunashvili Giorgi Rekhviashvili Irakli Sikharulidze Davit Skhirtladze David Targamadze Dimitri Tatanashvili Davit Volkovi
Europe Dmitri Mandrîcenco Victor Mudrac Africa Olivier Boumal Alwyn Tera Jardel Nazaré Alec Mudimu South America Dhoraso Klas
Other teams The reserve team currently competes in the 3rd division after a one-year tenure in Erovnuli Liga 2 in 2025.
The U19s won their youth league in 2016 and 2022, while the U17 team secured three titles in the early 2020s.
The club has one of the top football academies in the country. Their youth teams play at the Bendela stadium named after young footballer Zaza Bendeliani who as an Abkhazia war hero was posthumously granted the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order in 1993.
Name Saburtalo is the name of one of Tbilisi's districts where the team academy and stadium Bendela are located, while the term Iberia 1999 refers to the Latin name given to the kingdom of Kartli which existed in Georgia in the period of Classical Antiquity; it has no connection to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar).O'Connor, R. (2020). Blood and Circuses: Football and the Fight for Europe's Rebel Republics. United Kingdom: Biteback Publishing.
On 27 February 2024, the team's name was changed to Iberia 1999.
Stadium The club plays their home matches at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi.
External links
References