The Copa Rommel Fernández is the third level of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

's national club championship. It was founded in 1996 and it is a seasonal tournament that lasts 2 months in which the champion is promoted to

Liga Nacional de Ascenso Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

. The tournament is named after Panamanian football legend

Rommel Fernández Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez (15 January 1966 – 6 May 1993) was a Panamanian footballer who played as a striker. The second Panamanian to play in Europe, he spent almost his entire professional career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 104 ...

. The tournament is presided by Lucas Fernández and managed by

Panamanian Football Federation The Panamanian Football Federation (), known as FEPAFUT, is the official governing body of football in Panama and is in charge of the Panama national football team. FEPAFUT was a founding member of CONCACAF in 1961. Association staff See a ...

. Since the championship is seasonal only, at the end of each competition each of the teams (except the champions) are relegated to their respective district leagues where they compete to earn a spot for the following season. Additionally, the team relegated from the

automatically holds a spot to compete in the Copa Rommel Fernández after the end of the second division championship.

Format

The tournament is divided into three zones which include the qualified teams from each respective provincial tournaments (see below) plus previous season Liga Nacional de Ascenso relegated team. Each

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

is represented by two teams except Chiriquí which is represented by four teams and

Panamá Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

with ten teams. Each team plays a single game against the other teams from their same zone, the two teams with most points in their respective zones will qualify to the final round. The eight qualified teams play a knock out stage which starts with rounds of 16 and finishes with a two team final. The champion gains promotion to the

held that same year.

Qualification

In order to gain the right to play in this tournament each team has to first participate in their respective district leagues. The winners of each district league will later move on a provincial tournament. The champion and the runner-up of the provincial tournaments obtain the right to represent their province in the Copa Rommel Fernández held the following year.

Format

Qualification

Teams by Seasons

Past Champions & Runners-up

References