Liga 3 (Portugal)
| 200px | |
| Country | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Number of teams | 20 (since 2023–24) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Liga Portugal 2 |
| Relegation to | Campeonato de Portugal |
| Domestic cup(s) | Taça de Portugal |
| Current champions | União de Leiria (1st title) (2022–23) |
| Most championships | Torreense União de Leiria (1 title) |
 2023–24 Liga 3 |
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The Liga 3 is the third-level football league in the Portuguese football league system, starting in 2021–22. It is a professional national league organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
The creation of this league is part of a restructuring of the Portuguese third tier, with Campeonato de Portugal, which saw the number of teams reduced, being relegated to fourth tier and the top teams competing there advancing to this new competition. In its first season, a total of 24 teams competed in the Liga 3, 2 of which were relegated from 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2 and 22 others which were promoted from 2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal. This number is set to be reduced to 20 teams from the 2023–24 season.[1][2][3]
Contents
Format
This competition consists of a first stage with all the teams then proceed to a promotion or relegation series depending on their performance.[4]
First Stage
In the first stage, the 20 clubs are divided in two series (Serie A and B) of 10 teams, according to geographic criteria. In each series, teams play against each other in a home-and-away double round-robin system. The four best-placed teams of the two series will advance to the promotion series and bottom six teams will proceed to the relegation series.
Promotion Stage
The eight qualified teams are divided in two series of 4 teams, playing against each other in a home-and-away double round-robin system. The winners of each series will be automatically promoted to Liga Portugal 2 and will face each other in a neutral venue to determine the champion. The second best placed teams will face each other in a playoff, whose winner will face the 16th placed of Liga Portugal 2 for the last spot in Liga Portugal 2. On this stage teams will be divided as follows.
| Serie 1 | Serie 2 |
|---|---|
| 1st A | 1st B |
| 2nd B | 2nd A |
| 3rd B | 3rd A |
| 4th A | 4th B |
Relegation Stage
The bottom 12 teams are divided in two series of 6 teams, playing against each other in a home-and-away double round-robin system. To account for their performance in the first stage, teams will start with bonification points, with 5th placed teams starting with 8 points and 10th placed teams starting with 1. The bottom two teams of each series will be relegated to Campeonato de Portugal.
| Serie 1 | Serie 2 |
|---|---|
| 5th A | 5th B |
| 6th B | 6th A |
| 7th B | 7th A |
| 8th A | 8th B |
| 9th A | 9th B |
| 10th B | 10th A |
Seasons - league tables
| Decade | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s: | — | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | ||||||
List of champions
| Season | Championship Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | Final venue | |
| 2021–22 | Torreense | 1–1 (a.e.t.), (5–4 p) | Oliveirense | Estádio Nacional, Jamor |
| 2022–23 | União de Leiria | 1–0 | Belenenses | |
| 2023–24 | ||||
Performance by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runner-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torreense | 1 | 0 | 2021–22 | – |
| União de Leiria | 1 | 0 | 2022–23 | – |
| Oliveirense | 0 | 1 | – | 2021–22 |
| Belenenses | 0 | 1 | – | 2022–23 |
See also
- Portuguese Third Division, third tier of Portuguese football between 1948 and 1990
- Portuguese Second Division, third tier of Portuguese football between 1990 and 2013
References
External links
- FPF official webpage Script error: No such module "In lang".
- Próxima Jornada Script error: No such module "In lang".
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