Today, FC Locomotive Tbilisi turns 89!

Football Club Locomotive Tbilisi was founded on August 14, 1936. The club was part of the All-Union Voluntary Sports Society of Railway Transport Workers.

It united industry workers, engineering and technical personnel, employees of railway production enterprises, transport construction, and the metropolitan.

It also included students and pupils from higher and secondary educational institutions under the Ministry of Railways.

Locomotive competed in the USSR Championship’s top league (1938 and 1940), first league (1939, 1947–1948, and 1957–1970), second league (1936–1937, 1981–1982, 1984–1986, and 1988–1989), and in the first group of the Georgian SSR Championship (1937, 1943, 1945, 1955–1956, 1971–1975, and 1983).

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Locomotive changed its name several times. In 1988–1989, our team played under the name OMTS Locomotive. From 1990–1993, the club was called Merani, and from 1993–1995 it was known as Merani-Bacho.

Since 1990, our team has participated in the Georgian National Championships in the top league (1997), the first league (1991–1995 and 1996–1997), and the second league (1990–1991).

After Georgia’s independence, Locomotive achieved its first success in 1997, when the team won the title of Georgian First League champion. In 2001 and 2002, the club became the country’s vice-champion two years in a row.

Locomotive is a three-time winner of the David Kipiani Cup (Georgian Cup). Our team won the national cup in 2000, 2002, and 2005. In 2001, the club lost in the final to Torpedo Kutaisi in a penalty shootout. In 2022, Locomotive-2 played in the Georgian Cup final.

From recent history, a standout moment was our participation in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers in 2020. Locomotive first defeated Romanian side Universitatea Craiova 2–1, and then, at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, beat Dynamo Moscow 2–1 — becoming the creators of one of the greatest victories in the history of independent Georgian club football.

Locomotive has its own academy, which operates in four locations in Tbilisi and brings together around 600 young footballers.