Being one of the strongest Georgian teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Guria played in the Soviet Top league, and also won the national Cup.

*Note: Lost promotion play-offs to Uralmash Sverdlovsk Overall results shown by Guria in II League are the following: Guria's remarkable progress was largely attributed to Shalva Kakabadze, who worked as head coach for record twenty years continuously from 1959 until 1980, and local government chairman Evgrapi Shevardnadze, brother of the Soviet Communist Party leader in Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze.

Football fervour around Guria grew so high that in most cases not a single seat was available during their matches and some youngsters would climb up trees around the stadium to watch their favourite team.

[5] Under head coach Begi Sikharulidze some players especially contributed to this huge achievement:[6] Besik Pridonashvili with all 46 games played and 27 goals scored; Teimuraz Chkhaidze - 44 (8); Murman Akopian - 43 (7); Badri Danelia - 43 (1); Levan Melikia - 41; Vakhtang Kopaleishvili - 40 (16); Sergey Shvetsov - 40 (1); Enuki Tevzadze - 39 (5); Tariel Ebanoidze - 37 (1); Gigla Imnadze - 36; Alexander Kondratiev - 36; Merab Tevzadze - 30 (1); Gia Giligashvili - 26; Karlo Mchedlidze - 12; Davit Ugrelidze - 11 (5).

Straight away after the promotion the football ground underwent a significant reconstruction and eventually the capacity of stadium in a town with 9,021 residents as of 1987 reached 22,000.

Guria did not succeed in a new promotion attempt, finishing in the 4th place in 1988, but the team still made headlines with a shock victory over Dinamo Kyiv (2–1) in the Cup 1/16 finals.

[9] The next year the Gurians once again displayed their powerful home run by winning all 21 games held in Lanchkhuti and earned a place in the Soviet Top League as runners-up of the 1989 season.

[13] In contrast, a year later the team mostly stayed inside the drop zone, although due to the points picked up close to the end they barely escaped yet another relegation.