Tercera Federación, previously known as Tercera RFEF, is the fifth tier of the Spanish football league system. It is below the La Liga, Segunda División, and its fellow semi-professional divisions Primera Federación and Segunda Federación.[1] It was founded in 1929 as the third tier, and dropped down to the fourth and fifth tiers in 1977 and 2021, respectively.
 | |
| Organising body | RFEF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 6 May 2020 |
| First season | 2021–22 |
| Country | Spain |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 320 (2021–22) 288 (2022–23) 324 (2023–24) 325 (2024–25) |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Promotion to | Segunda Federación |
| Relegation to | Divisiones Regionales |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa del Rey Copa Federación |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Europa League (via winning Copa del Rey) |
| TV partners | tvG2, laOtra, PTV Córdoba |
| Current: 2024–25 Tercera Federación | |
History
editOn 6 May 2020, the RFEF announced the creation of a new, two-group, 40-team third division called Primera División RFEF, which made the former third and fourth divisions, Segunda División B and Tercera División, respectively, to drop down a level and change into Segunda División RFEF and Tercera División RFEF; the changes were made effective for the 2021–22 campaign.[2][3]
In July 2022, the division was renamed Tercera Federación.[4]
Current format
editThe Tercera Federación features 18 regional groups (like the former fourth tier Tercera División), corresponding to the autonomous communities of Spain (due to its size, Andalusia is divided into two groups, East and West; Ceuta is allocated to West Andalusia, while Melilla is allocated to the East), where each group is administered by a regional football federation. At the end of the season the first four teams in each group qualify for promotion play-offs to decide which teams are promoted to Segunda Federación. At least the three teams finishing bottom of each group may be relegated to the Divisiones Regionales de Fútbol. However the number of teams relegated can vary. The eighteen group champions also qualify for the following season's Copa del Rey. However reserve teams are ineligible. Along with teams from Segunda Federación, the remaining teams from the division compete in the Copa Federación.
Teams
editThe member clubs of the Tercera Federación for the 2024–25 season are listed below.
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | |
| Group 2 | |
| Group 3 | |
| Group 4 | |
| Group 5 | |
| Group 6 | |
| Group 7 | |
| Group 8 | |
| Group 9 | |
| Group 10 | |
| Group 11 | |
| Group 12 | |
| Group 13 | |
| Group 14 | |
| Group 15 | |
| Group 16 | |
| Group 17 | |
| Group 18 |
Winners and promotions
editAll group champions are promoted to Segunda Federación. Administrative promotions not included in this table.
References
edit- ^ "La R.F.E.F. comunica las novedosas bases de competición para la próxima temporada en Tercera División" [The RFEF communicates the new competition rules for the next season in the Third Division]. VTV (in Spanish). 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Comunicado de la RFEF en relación con las competiciones no profesionales del fútbol español" (in Spanish). RFEF. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "La Federación desvela el misterio: La nueva Segunda B se denominará Primera División RFEF". ABC (in Spanish). 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ "Resolución inscripción de equipos en Competiciones oficiales de ámbito estatal y carácter no profesional de la RFEF" (PDF) (in Spanish). RFEF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.