Championnat National facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Championnat National

Organising body	FFF
Founded	1993; 32 years ago (1993)
Country	France
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	18
Level on pyramid	3
Promotion to	Ligue 2
Relegation to	Championnat National 2
Domestic cup(s)	Coupe de France
International cup(s)	Europa League (via cups)
Current champions	Red Star (3rd title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Red Star (3 titles)
TV partners	Canal+ Sport
Website	Official site: http://national.fff.fr

The Championnat National (which means French National Championship) is a super exciting football league in France! People often just call it National or Division 3. It's the third most important football league in France, right after Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.

Imagine a ladder: Ligue 1 is the top, Ligue 2 is the middle, and Championnat National is the third step. There are 18 clubs that play in this league. Teams can move up to a higher league (this is called promotion) or move down to a lower league (this is called relegation). From the Championnat National, teams can get promoted to Ligue 2 or relegated to the Championnat National 2, which is the fourth division.

The football season usually starts in August and finishes in May. Each team plays 34 games. That's a lot of matches! Most games happen on Fridays and Saturdays, but sometimes they play on weekday evenings too. There's a short break around Christmas for two weeks, and then the games start again in January.

The French Football Federation started the Championnat National in 1993. It was created to help football clubs that were almost professional, or those that were close to becoming amateur. So, you'll find a mix of professional, semi-professional, and amateur clubs playing here. Lots of fans come to watch these games, usually between 2,500 and 6,000 people per match!

How the Competition Works

The Championnat National has 18 clubs. During the season, from August to May, every club plays against every other club twice. One game is at their home stadium, and the other is at their opponent's stadium. This means each team plays a total of 34 games.

Here's how teams earn points:

• If a team wins, they get three points.
• If a game is a draw (meaning no one wins), both teams get one point.
• If a team loses, they get zero points.

Teams are ranked based on their total points. If two teams have the same number of points, the league looks at other things to decide who is higher. First, they check the results of games played between those two specific teams. Then, they look at something called "goal difference" (how many goals a team has scored minus how many they've let in). After that, they look at the total number of goals scored.

At the end of the season, the team with the most points becomes the champion and gets to move up to Ligue 2! The team that finishes second also gets promoted to Ligue 2.

What about teams that don't do so well? The six teams at the bottom of the league table are moved down to the Championnat National 2. In their place, four new teams from the Championnat National 2 get promoted up to the Championnat National. This system keeps the league exciting as teams fight to move up or avoid moving down!

Teams and Their Stadiums

For the 2023–24 season, here are the clubs that played in the Championnat National. This map shows where each team is located in France.

Here is a table showing the clubs, where they are located, their home stadium, and how many people their stadium can hold.

Past Champions

Many different teams have won the Championnat National over the years. Here are the champions and runner-up teams from recent seasons, showing who has been successful in this exciting league!

See also

In Spanish: Championnat National para niños