The Peruvian Third Division, officially known as Liga 3, is the third-highest division in the

Peruvian football league system The Peruvian football league system is a complex system. Though the general outline includes the Liga 1, Liga 2, Liga 3 and Copa Perú. The Copa Perú is very large involving several stages and leagues within it. In addition, the Copa Perú is p ...

. It is a semi-professional and promotional division organized by the

Peruvian Football Federation The Peruvian Football Federation ( or ) is the body that governs Association football in Peru. It was founded on August 23, 1922, and affiliated with FIFA in 1924. It is a member of CONMEBOL since 1925, and directly oversees the Peru national fo ...

since 2025. The Liga 3 is contested by 36 teams, with promotion to the Liga 2 and relegation to the

Copa Perú The Copa Perú is a association football, football tournament in Peru and the fourth-highest division of the Peruvian football league system. Despite its name, it is not entirely an elimination-cup competition involving all Peruvian clubs, but ra ...

History

The idea of a third division was discussed by the

in 2019. The president of the National Amateur Football Commission, Luis Duarte Plata, had planned to replace

with the Liga 3 and hold the last edition in 2020; the 25 departamental champions would participate in the first edition of Liga 3 in 2021. However, the FPF decided to cancel the 2020 edition of the Copa Perú during the District Stage due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In 2022, the FPF, through the National Subcommission of Amateur Football, decided to reconsider the idea of a new league that would be the first step towards professionalization for clubs coming from the Copa Perú. This idea was embodied by President Agustín Lozano through the "reforms of Peruvian football", which would have as their first important change the elimination of promotion to the Liga 1 from the Copa Perú. Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the creation of Liga 3 was a request and requirement established by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

. The creation of the third division means that the

will be moved down tier. In 2024, the FPF, taking into account

CONMEBOL CONMEBOL ( ) or CSF (; ; ), is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Parag ...

's observations, then decided that the Copa Perú would be the tournament that decides the participants in a meritorious manner, based on the original idea from years ago: the 25 representatives of each department that are best placed in the final table of the 2024 Copa Perú's National Stage, whether the departmental champion or runner-up and except for those promoted to Liga 2, will be the clubs that will play the first edition of Liga 3 in the year 2025.

Division levels

Competition format and sponsorship

36 teams take part in the Liga 3. The tournament is split into three stages, the Regional Stage, Second Stage, and the Play-offs. In the Regional Stage, the 36 teams are split into four groups of nine based on geographical location. The top four of each group will advance to the Second Stage while the bottom team in each group will be relegated to the

. In the Second Stage, the 16 teams will be split into four groups of four. The top two of each group will advance to the Playoffs quarter-finals. The finalists of the Play-offs will be promoted to the Liga 2. The top three teams in the National Stage of the

, along with the champions of the Torneo Juvenil Sub-18 will be promoted to the Liga 3. However, reserve teams will be unable to play in the same division as their first teams, being restricted promotion and always being kept one division separate from their first team. Two teams from the Liga 3 also be invited to the

Copa LFP - FPF The Copa LFP - FPF, also known as the Copa LFP, will be an annual football cup competition in Peru. The tournament will be contested between 36 teams of the Liga 1, Liga 2 and Liga 3. The winners will qualify for the following year's Copa Suda ...

, based on historic popularity.

Sponsorship

The Liga 3 is currently sponsored by the Spanish clothing brand company,

Joma Joma Sport, S.A. is a Spanish sports clothing and shoes brand. History Joma was founded in 1965 by Fructuoso López to produce shoes for general use. The brand name comes from the given name of Fructuoso's first born son (José Manuel). In 196 ...

. Joma acquired naming rights in 2025, with the leagues official sponsorship name being "Liga 3 Joma".

Clubs

Initially, it had been planned that 32 teams will participate in the Liga 3. However, after the administrative relegation of

Unión Huaral Club Sport Unión Huaral, more commonly known as Unión Huaral, is a Peru, Peruvian association football, football club, from the city of Huaral. It was founded in 1947 and currently competes in the Peruvian Tercera División. History The Club Spo ...

and

Juan Aurich Club Juan Aurich S. A., commonly known as Juan Aurich, is a Peru, Peruvian association football, football club based in Chiclayo. The original Juan Aurich club was founded in 1922, this incarnation however was founded in 2005. The club currently ...

, from the 2024 Liga 2 at the beginning of the season, in addition to the increase to eight of the qualifiers since the 2024 Torneo de Promoción y Reserva, this number was expanded to 36.REGLAMENTO Torneo Promoción y Reservas 2024
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Stadia and locations

Champions

Titles by club

References

External links

FPF
Official Federation Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Peruvian Tercera Division 3

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...