Hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup together with Armenia is a major achievement, said on Wednesday Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that the tournament would help enhance Georgia’s international prestige, including strengthening the country’s sporting image on the global stage.

“Georgia pays great attention to the development of sports. One clear reflection of this is that our country is increasingly hosting highly prestigious international tournaments. Just recently, we hosted the European Weightlifting Championships, and now we are preparing to host the European Judo Championships. Before that, we hosted the Fencing World Championships. We have also hosted a number of prestigious winter sports tournaments, and it is a special achievement that Georgia, together with Armenia, will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup”, he said.

The prime minister highlighted that co-hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup with Armenia would contribute not only to the country’s prestige and sports image internationally, but also to the development of sports domestically.

He further emphasised that hosting the tournament would give Georgia’s youth national team the opportunity to compete in the World Cup, describing it as important for the country in every respect.

Kobakhidze thanked everyone involved in securing the tournament, including the Ministry of Sports, the sports minister, the Georgian Football Federation and its President Levan Kobiashvili, saying the result would not have been possible without their efforts.