Samtskhe Akhaltsikhe

Samtskhe's football in Akhaltsikhe is played at the Mikheil Iadze Stadium, and the club is tied to the town more closely than most. It was built in 2019 on the Akhaltsikhe Sport School, so its first players came from the town's own youth system. The short name "Samtskhe" comes from the region, Samtskhe-Javakheti.

For its first seasons the club was the town's second side. In 2020 it entered the Regionuli Liga, the third tier, alongside FC Meskheti Akhaltsikhe. The two met once. Samtskhe won that city derby 1-0 on 23 September 2020. Meskheti ceased activity in early 2021, so the fixture was never played again and Samtskhe became the only club in town.

The results came slowly. The club's first cup run of note was in 2021, when it knocked out Sulori of Liga 4 in the David Kipiani Cup. The league title came after the 2025 season. Samtskhe won Group B of the Regionuli Liga and earned promotion to Liga 4 for 2026, the club's only honour so far.

The step up has brought a first taste of the level above. In the 2026 cup Samtskhe lost 1-2 to Gagra but beat Didube 2014 4-1. The squad is a young one, 24 players with an average age of about 25, and few of them have played above regional football.

Iadze Stadium is where Akhaltsikhe now sees its football, and for the first time in years there is one home side.