FIFA International Friendly | Friday, 5 June 2026 Mikheil Meskhi Stadioni, Tbilisi, Georgia | Attendance: 27,000
The first half was goalless. Georgia had the ball, Georgia created, and nothing went in. Then the second half came and within 25 minutes it was done.
Luka Lochoshvili got the first one in the 52nd minute. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got the second from the penalty spot in the 77th. Georgia won 2-0. Clean sheet. Job done. Meskhi Stadium happy.
Nothing complicated about that. Bahrain were organised and tried to make life difficult in the opening 45 minutes. They had a moment through Omar Sayed Abdulrahman in the 18th minute that caused brief alarm. Beriashvili responded for Georgia at the other end a few minutes later. Back and forth, a little bit of early life in the game, but nothing decisive before the break.
Georgia came out in the second half and took control quickly. The Lochoshvili goal was the moment the game changed. He arrived into the box at the right moment, got his head or his foot to the ball — the kind of goal a defender scores when a team has been throwing numbers forward — and it went in. 1-0. The home crowd finally had something to celebrate.
From that point Bahrain had to come forward more and Georgia had more space to exploit. Kvaratskhelia was causing trouble throughout. He has been the standout figure for this national team for two years now — the Napoli and now PSG winger who has more ability in his left foot than most players have in both combined. The crowd came alive every time he got the ball.
The penalty in the 77th minute capped it. Bahrain gave away the foul — Hasan, Al-Khulasi and Rabeea were all involved in a frantic moment around the 75th to 77th minute mark — and Kvaratskhelia stepped up and put it away. Calm. Bottom corner. No drama. 2-0.
That was the game.
Georgia are going to the World Cup. That sentence still feels slightly unreal if you followed their journey. They qualified through the UEFA play-offs as one of the last nations in. They have Kvaratskhelia. They have Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal — one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe after his season at Valencia and then Monaco. And they have genuine belief that they can cause problems in their group, which includes Spain, Ecuador and South Korea.
Bahrain are not at the World Cup. They never have been. But they qualified from Asia as one of the continent’s better sides and their preparations have a different shape — the Asian Cup in 2027 is the target for them, not this summer. The friendly against Georgia was exposure against a European team going to the tournament, and in the second half they showed gaps that better sides will exploit.
The YouTube highlights were titled “Kvaratskhelia SHOW” and that is not wrong. He was the best player on the pitch. His movement, his dribbling, the way he demands the ball in tight spaces and gets out of trouble — it draws the eye constantly. He set up situations for others and when the penalty arrived he converted it like he had done it a thousand times.
Lochoshvili was the other standout. The centre back who scored the opener — playing for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga this season after a good three years building his reputation — has become a reliable figure at both ends for Willy Sagnol’s side. He defends with authority and the goal on Friday showed he contributes going forward too.
Georgia’s preparation for the World Cup is almost complete. One more friendly, perhaps, before the squad flies to North America. The nation is ready. After decades of near misses and heartbreak in qualifying, they are going. Kvaratskhelia is going. On Friday in Tbilisi, against Bahrain, they showed exactly the kind of quality they intend to bring with them.
For live international scores and World Cup coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full squads, group tables and fixtures at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Georgia 2-0 Bahrain FIFA International Friendly | Friday, 5 June 2026 Mikheil Meskhi Stadioni, Tbilisi | Attendance: 27,000
Goals: Luka Lochoshvili 52′ (Georgia), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 77′ pen (Georgia)
Events: O.S. Abdulrahman 18′ (Bahrain), I. Beriashvili 25′ (Georgia), S. Saeed sub, Lochoshvili goal 52′, M.A. Hasan 75′, A. Al-Khulasi 76′, A.K. Rabeea 77′, Kvaratskhelia pen 77′
Georgia (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Lochoshvili, Kverkvelia, Tsitaishvili; Chakvetadze, Mekvabishvili, Davitashvili; Mikautadze, Zivzivadze, Kvaratskhelia
Half-time: 0-0
