FC Matchakhela () is a Georgian football club based in the town of Khelvachauri, Adjara. Following the 2025 season, they were relegated to Regionuli Liga, the fifth tier of Georgian football.
History Matchakhela were founded оn the basis of Khelvachauri's Sport School on 15 June 2011. After the first season under manager Nugzar Kokoladze, the team mostly consisting of local amateur footballers took 4th place in Meore Liga. The next head coach, Amiran Gogitidze, guided the club to the top of the league, which they won with automatic promotion in 2013.
On 28 February 2014, the sport school club changed its status into Football Club Matchakhela Ltd.
During most of the 2013–14 season, Matchakhela were engaged in inter-Adjarian rivalry with Dinamo Batumi for a second promotion place to Umaglesi Liga, in which eventually the latter prevailed. Overall, the 3rd place taken in 2014 in Liga 2 has been the club's highest point reached in Georgian leagues.
The team finished the 2014–15 season comfortably in mid-table, but a year later entered a period of instability. Struggling the whole season, they eventually lost a battle for survival.
The 2016 season was transitional in all Georgian football leagues into Spring-Autumn system with a sharp reduction of clubs in each division. Matchakhela failed to remain in the third tier and thus suffered double relegation in successive seasons. Although they managed to climb back to Liga 3 the next year, in 2018 the team finished bottom of the league.
Matchakhela spent two seasons in Regionuli Liga before they won promotion to recently formed Liga 4 for 2021. After two more years, they successfully concluded their league campaign under Avtandil Kunchulia and moved back into the third tier. In 2023, the team ended up in the drop zone, but due to the demotion of another club to Liga 4, Matchakhela managed to retain their place in the third division.
Following the next two seasons, the club once again changed divisions after suffering back-to-back relegations.
Seasons + SeasonLeague Pos MP W D L GF–GA Pts 2012–13 Meore Liga West 1st of 13 24 20 2 2 74-11 62 2013–14 Pirveli Liga Group B 3rd of 14 26 16 6 4 44-21 54 2014–15 Pirveli Liga Group A 6th of 10 36 14 3 19 48-66 45 2015–16 Pirveli Liga 16th of 18 34 8 13 13 30-43 37 2016 Liga 3 Group B 5th of 8 14 7 1 6 25-23 22 2017 Regionuli Liga West A 2nd of 15 28 95 4 63-23 62 2018 Liga 3 20th of 20 38 5 13 20 35-63 28 2019 Regionuli Liga West 8th of 10 18 6 2 10 30-40 20 2020 Regionuli Liga West B 2nd of 6 10 8 0 2 28-16 24 2021 Liga 4 White Group 7th of 10 18 6 1 11 35-41 19 Relegation Round 5th of 1018 93 6 45-24 30 2022 Liga 4 3rd of 16 30204660-26642023 Liga 3 14th of 1630822038-8126 2024 Liga 3 15th of 1630661930-8624 2025 Liga 4 16th of 163001298-1681
Squad As of 13 March 2024
(C)
Honours • Pirveli Liga (level 2)
Third place (1): 2013–14, Group B
• Meore Liga (level 3)
Winners (1): 2012–13
• Liga 4 (level 4)
Third place (1): 2022
• Regionuli Liga (level 5)*
Runners-up (2): 2017, 2020 (West)
Note: Regionuli Liga was fourth tier up until 2018
Stadium Matchakhela play their home matches at Akhalsopeli Central stadium, which has the capacity of 1,000 seats.
Name The name derives from Machakheli, a geographical area near the border between Georgia and Turkey.
References
External links On Soccerway
FC Matchakhela Khelvachauri Results on Flashscore
Page on Facebook