Football: Georgia will host prestigious U-19 tournaments

Georgia will host the two most prestigious European tournaments for under-19 football teams in 2015.

All three matches of the elite round of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Under-19 Championship 2015 will be held in Tbilisi on May 29, 31 and June 3. 

Young Georgian football players will compete against Spain, Portugal and Turkey in pool play. The winner will then progress to play in the final tournament in Greece.

Meanwhile, Tbilisi will also host the qualifying round of the UEFA Under-19 Championship 2016. The matches will be held on November 12, 14 and 16, 2015 in the Georgian capital. Georgia will compete against Austria, Albania and Wales in their group.

The Georgian Football Federation said this was "a great success” and "a sign that UEFA trusts Georgia”.

The UEFA European Under-19 Championship consists of three distinct stages: the qualifying round, the elite round and the final tournament.

The qualifying round, played in autumn, is made up of 13 groups of four teams playing in one-venue mini-tournaments. The top two from each pool will progress alongside the third-placed team with the best record against the top pair in their group.

In the elite round, played in the spring, the 27 qualifiers will join the top seed in seven mini-tournament groups of four. The group winners then join the hosts in the finals.

The seven qualifiers plus the hosts are split into two groups of four who play each other once, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals. The winners of those will compete in the final.