1996–97 Umaglesi Liga
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| Relegated | Samtredia Kakheti Telavi Iveria Khashuri |
| Champions League | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| UEFA Cup | Kolkheti Poti |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Dinamo Batumi |
| Intertoto Cup | Merani-91 Tbilisi |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 648 (2.7 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Giorgi Demetradze David Ujmajuridze (26) |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
The 1996–97 Umaglesi Liga was the eighth season of top-tier football in Georgia. It began on 1 August 1996 and ended on 30 May 1997. Dinamo Tbilisi were the defending champions.
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinamo Tbilisi (C) | 30 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 101 | 23 | +78 | 81 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Kolkheti-1913 Poti | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 75 | 28 | +47 | 64 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dinamo Batumi | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 62 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 4 | Merani-91 Tbilisi | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 53 | 28 | +25 | 60 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup group stage |
| 5 | Torpedo Kutaisi | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 70 | 58 | +12 | 46 | |
| 6 | Odishi Zugdidi | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 40 | |
| 7 | Margveti Zestafoni | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 44 | 66 | −22 | 38 | |
| 8 | Dila Gori | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 37 | |
| 9 | Sioni Bolnisi | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 36 | |
| 10 | Metalurgi Rustavi | 30 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 35 | |
| 11 | Samgurali Tskhaltubo | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 35 | |
| 12 | TSU Tbilisi | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 34 | |
| 13 | Guria Lanchkhuti | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 33 | |
| 14 | Samtredia[a] (R) | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 31 | 57 | −26 | 26 | Relegated to Pirveli Liga |
| 15 | Kakheti Telavi[a] (R) | 30 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 29 | 66 | −37 | 26 | |
| 16 | Iveria Khashuri (R) | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 24 | 61 | −37 | 21 |