ligue 3

Ligue 3 is the fifth division of the French football league system. It is contested by 154 clubs, divided into 4 groups of 38 clubs each. The season runs from August to May, with each team playing each other twice, once home and once away.

The top two teams in each group are promoted to Championnat National 2, while the bottom two teams in each group are relegated to the regional divisions of the Division d'Honneur.

Ligue 3 was created in 1993 as the Championnat de France Amateur 2, replacing the former Division 4. The league's debut coincided with the creation of the Championnat National, the third division of French football, which is commonly known as National. For the first three years of the competition, an amateur champion was crowned in France regardless of whether the club was amateur or a reserve team. In 1998 the competition was renamed Championnat National 3 as part of a restructuring of Amateur football.