Championnat National facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Championnat National

Organising body	FFF
Founded	1993; 32 years ago (1993) 2026; 1 year's time (2026) (as Ligue 3)
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
Current champions	Nancy (1st title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Red Star (3 titles)
TV partners	Canal+ Sport
Website	Official site: http://national.fff.fr

The Championnat National is a super exciting football league in France! It's often called just National or Division 3. Think of it as the third main level of French football, right after Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.

There are 18 clubs that play in this league. They all compete to move up to a higher league or avoid falling to a lower one. This is called promotion and relegation.

The football season usually starts in August and finishes in May. Each team plays 34 games, which means there are 306 games in total! Most matches happen on Fridays and Saturdays. There's a short break around Christmas, and then games start again in January.

History of the Championnat National

The French Football Federation started the National league in 1993. It was created to be a "base league" for clubs. These clubs were either trying to become professional or were close to becoming amateur teams.

The league has both professional and semi-professional clubs. Some amateur clubs also play here. Many fans come to watch the games. On average, between 2,500 and 6,000 people attend each match.

A big change was announced on January 16, 2025. Philippe Diallo, a football official, said that the league will become a professional Ligue 3. This new professional league will start in the 2026–27 season.

How the Competition Works

There are 18 football clubs in the Championnat National. The season usually runs from August to May. Each club plays every other club twice. They play one game at their home stadium and one game at their opponent's stadium. This means each team plays a total of 34 games.

Scoring Points and Ranking Teams

• Teams get three points for winning a game.
• They get one point for a draw (a tie).
• No points are given for losing a game.

Teams are ranked based on their total points. If teams have the same number of points, other rules decide who is ranked higher. First, they look at the points from games played between those specific teams. Then, they check the goal difference (how many goals they scored minus how many they let in). After that, they look at the total goals scored. If teams are still tied, they are considered to be in the same position. If there's a tie for the championship or for relegation, a special play-off game is played.

Promotion and Relegation

At the end of each season, the club with the most points wins the championship. This champion team gets to move up to Ligue 2. The second and third place teams also get promoted to Ligue 2.

The three teams at the very bottom of the league table move down to the Championnat National 2. In their place, three new teams come up from the Championnat National 2. These are the winners of the three groups in that league.

Current Clubs (2025–26 Season)

Stadiums and Locations

Championnat National Winners

This table shows the teams that have won the Championnat National over the years.

See also

In Spanish: Championnat National para niños