Georgia sack manager Willy Sagnol after 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland and hire Ramaz Svanadze

Managerial dismissal after opening defeat

The Georgian Football Federation announced the dismissal of head coach Willy Sagnol on Saturday, 26 September 2026. The decision followed an opening 1-0 home defeat against Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League in Tbilisi. Sagnol, a 49-year-old former France international and Bayern Munich defender, concludes a five-year tenure as national team manager after being appointed in February 2021. Over the course of his managerial spell, the French coach took charge of 57 matches for the senior national side. Georgian football authorities moved quickly to replace him, naming 45-year-old coach Ramaz Svanadze as the new manager under a contract that runs through the end of 2028.

Stoppage-time loss in Tbilisi

The managerial change was triggered by the events of Friday's opening League B Group B2 fixture at the national stadium in Tbilisi. Paris Saint-Germain forward and Georgia star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had an opportunity to put the home team ahead, but his penalty attempt was saved by Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pierce Charles. The match remained tied at 0-0 until deep into second-half stoppage time. In the 99th minute of play (90+9), Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles, the older brother of goalkeeper Pierce Charles, scored the decisive goal to seal the 1-0 away win. The defeat left Georgia with an opening loss in Group B2 and prompted the federation's immediate decision to change team leadership.

Euro 2024 run and qualifying struggles

Sagnol's five-year tenure included Georgia's first qualification for a European Championship tournament. At Euro 2024 in Germany, Georgia secured a 2-0 group-stage victory against Portugal to advance to the knockout stage for the first time in their football history, before being eliminated in the round of 16 in a 4-1 loss to eventual tournament winners Spain. However, the national team struggled in subsequent competitions, failing to reach the World Cup after suffering five defeats in six qualifying group matches.

Following the decision on Saturday, the Georgian Football Federation expressed gratitude to Sagnol in an official statement:

“Thank you, Willy Sagnol, for every minute spent in the Georgian national team and for the emotions we went through together on this historic path.”

Svanadze takes charge ahead of Ukraine fixture

Svanadze steps into the senior role after spending the past five years as head coach of Georgia's under-21 national squad. During his time overseeing the youth setup, the 45-year-old Georgian specialist guided the under-21 team to two consecutive tournament appearances in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals. The federation confirmed that Svanadze will take charge of the senior squad immediately for the remainder of the Nations League campaign.

“The Georgian national football team will be coached by Georgian specialist Ramaz Svanadze until the end of 2028.”

Svanadze will oversee his first senior international match on Monday, 28 September 2026, when Georgia host Ukraine in Tbilisi for their second Group B2 fixture.