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Organising body | FFF |
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Founded | 1993 |
Country | France |
Confederation | UEFA |
Number of teams | 18 |
Level on pyramid | 3 |
Promotion to | Ligue 2 |
Relegation to | Championnat National 2 |
Domestic cup(s) | Coupe de France |
League cup(s) | Coupe de la Ligue (selected clubs) |
International cup(s) | Europa League (via cups) |
Current champions | Laval (2021–22) |
Most championships | Clermont Foot, Nîmes, Red Star, Bastia (2 titles each) |
Website | Official site |
Current: 2022–23 Championnat National |
The Championnat de France National (English: French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2 and the Championnat National 2, the fourth division of French football.
Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 34 games each, totalling 306 games in the season. Most games are played on Fridays and Saturdays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.
The National was founded in 1993 by the French Football Federation and served as a base league for clubs on the brink of becoming professional or falling to the amateur levels. The league is annually composed of professional and semi-professional clubs. The matches in the league attract on average between 2,500 and 6,000 spectators per match.
There are 18 clubs in the Championnat National. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion and promoted to Ligue 2. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship or for relegation, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The second and third-place finisher are also promoted to the second division, while the four lowest placed teams are relegated to the Championnat National 2 and the four winners of the four groups from Championnat National 2 are promoted in their place.
For the 2022–23 season.
Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Avranches | Avranches | Stade René Fenouillère | 2,000 |
Borgo | Borgo | Stade Paul-Antoniotti | 1,300 |
Bourg-Péronnas | Bourg-en-Bresse | Stade Marcel-Verchère | 11,400 |
Châteauroux | Châteauroux | Stade Gaston Petit | 17,173 |
Cholet | Cholet | Stade Pierre Blouen | 9,000 |
Concarneau | Concarneau | Stade Guy Piriou | 6,500 |
Dunkerque | Dunkerque | Stade Marcel-Tribut | 4,933 |
Le Mans | Le Mans | MMArena | 25,000 |
Le Puy | Le Puy-en-Velay | Stade Charles Massot | 4,800 |
Martigues | Martigues | Stade Francis Turcan | 8,290 |
Nancy | Nancy | Stade Marcel Picot | 20,087 |
Paris 13 Atletico | Paris (Paris 13) | Stade Sébastien Charléty [lower-alpha 1] | 20,000 |
Orléans | Orléans | Stade de la Source | 7,000 |
Red Star | Paris (Saint-Ouen) | Stade Bauer | 10,000 |
Stade Briochin | Saint-Brieuc | Fred-Aubert Stadium | 10,600 |
Sedan | Sedan | Stade Louis Dugauguez | 23,189 |
Versailles | Paris (Paris 16) | Stade Jean-Bouin [lower-alpha 2] | 20,000 |
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2, and the Championnat National. Contested by 64 clubs, the Championnat National 2 operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National and the Championnat National 3, the fifth division of French football. Seasons run from August to May, with teams in four groups playing 32 games each totalling 1280 games in the season. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.
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Football Club de Versailles 78 also known as FC Versailles or simply Versailles is a French semi-professional association football club based in the commune of Versailles, Île-de-France. The club was formed in 1989 as the result of a merger between Racing Club Versailles and Companion Sports Versailles. Their home stadium is the Stade de Montbauron, which has a capacity of 7,545 people, but play in Stade Jean-Bouin for Championnat National matches.
The 2016–17 Ligue 2 season is the 78th season since its establishment. The fixtures were announced on 6 June 2016.
The 2016–17 Championnat National season was the 19th season since its establishment. The fixtures were announced on 15 July 2016.
The 2018–19 Championnat National 3 is the second season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is due to be contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams. The teams include amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
The following article is a summary of the 2019–20 football season in France, which was the 86th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2019 to June 2020.
The 2019–20 Ligue 2 season was the 81st season since its establishment. The season was suspended indefinitely on 12 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019–20 Championnat National 3 was the third season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition was contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams. The teams included amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs. The season was suspended indefinitely on 12 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020–21 Championnat National 3 is the fourth season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams. The teams include amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
The 2020–21 Championnat National 2 is the 23rd season of the fourth tier in the French football league system in its current format. This season the competition is being contested by 64 clubs split geographically across four groups of 16 teams. The teams included amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
The 2021–22 Championnat National season was the 29th season since the establishment of the Championnat National, and the 23rd in its current format, which serves as the third division of the French football league system.
The 2021–22 Championnat National 2 was the 24th season of the fourth tier in the French football league system in its current format. This season the competition was contested by 64 clubs split geographically across four groups of 16 teams. The teams include amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
The 2021–22 Championnat National 3 was the fifth season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is normally contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams, but this season had 169 clubs due to the administrative relegation of Gazélec Ajaccio. The teams included amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
The 2022–23 Championnat National season is the 30th since the establishment of the Championnat National, and the 24th in its current format, which serves as third division of the French football league system. Two clubs will be promoted to Ligue 2 and six relegated after this season as adjustment for Ligue 1's reduction in size from 20 to 18 next season. As a result, no promotion play-offs are to be held.
The 2022–23 Championnat National 2 is the 25th season of the fourth tier in the French football league system in its current format. This season the competition is contested by 64 clubs split geographically across four groups of 16 teams. The teams include amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs. The competition started on 20 August 2022 and is scheduled to complete on 3 June 2023.
The 2022-23 Championnat National 3 is the sixth season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams. The teams include amateur clubs and the reserve teams of professional clubs. The competition starts on 28 August 2022 and is scheduled to end on 4 June 2023.