The Liga 3 is the third-level

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

league in the

Portuguese football league system The Portuguese football league system consists of several leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. Reserve teams are allowed to compete in the main league system, as is the case with most of Europe. However, they are not ...

, starting in 2021–22. It is a

semiprofessional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a conside ...

national league organized by the

Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation ( , FPF) is the governing body of Association football, football in Portugal. The federation was formed in 1914 as Portuguese Football Union (, UPF) by the three existing regional associations of Lisbon Footbal ...

(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 The 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2, also known as Liga Portugal SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, was the 31st season of Portuguese football's second-tier league, and the first season under the current Liga Portugal 2 title. A total of 18 teams were comp ...

and 22 others which were promoted from

2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal The 2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal was the eighth season of Portuguese football's renovated third-tier league, since the merging of the Segunda Divisão and Terceira Divisão in 2013, and the sixth season under the current Campeonato de Portug ...

. This number is set to be reduced to 20 teams from the 2023–24 season.

History

In the 1990-1991 season, with the creation of the ''Liga de Honra'' (second professional division or D2), the ''Segunda Divisão'' (Second Division) championship, created in 1934, was relegated to the third division (D3). It was then renamed ''Segunda Divisão B'' (Second Division B). From 1990 to 2005, the championship was divided into 3 groups by geographical division: ''Norte'' (North), ''Centro'' (Centre) and ''Sul'' (South). In 2005, the championship was split into 4 groups: Serie A, Serie B, Serie C and Serie D. But in 2009, the 3-group formula was reinstated. In 2013, the championship underwent a major reorganisation, merging with the old Terceira Divisão (Third Division (D4)), and went from 48 to 80 teams. It was renamed the National Senior Championship and took place in eight 10-team series. In the 2021-22 season, the Portuguese Football Federation created the Liga 3 to replace the former iteration of the third tier of Portugal's football league system (D3) which was at the time the Campeonato de Portugal (from then on D4). Both competitions (D3 and D4) remained two events organised by the federation. The Liga 3 was initially contested by 24 clubs in the first two seasons, and in the 2023-2024 season the number of participants was reduced to 20.

Format

This competition consists of a first stage with all the teams then proceed to a promotion or relegation series depending on their performance. 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 A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & ...

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 of each series will playing against each other in a home-and-away double round-robin system. The winners and runner-ups of the series will be automatically promoted to Liga Portugal 2. The third placed team 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. 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.

Seasons - league tables

List of champions

Performance by club

All-time table

The all-time Liga 3 table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Liga 3 since its inception in 2021. Championship/Third place playoff matches are included. Bonification points are not counted. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2024–25 season.

References

External links

FPF official webpage

Próxima Jornada
{{UEFA third leagues 3 Sports leagues established in 2021

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

Professional sports leagues in Portugal 2021 establishments in Portugal