For Georgia, victory over Greece in the Euro 2024 play-off final had been almost four years in the making. Back in November 2020, the country was just one game away from qualifying for Euro 2020 – all they had to do was beat North Macedonia in the play-offs on home soil in Tbilisi. On that occasion, however, it was their opponents who made history, with North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev striking a famous winner to break Georgian hearts.
But rather than sulking in defeat, that setback only spurred Georgia to become stronger. During the 2022-23 Nations League campaign they earned promotion to League B for the first time, beating their old foes North Macedonia home and away, including 2-0 back in Tbilisi, to finish nine points above them in the group. This secured Georgia a second consecutive play-off spot – which proved particularly valuable after they finished fourth in their Euro qualifying group behind Spain,
