The 2018–19 Championnat National 3 is the second season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is due to be contested by 168 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams. The teams include amateur clubs (although a few are semi-professional) and the reserve teams of professional clubs.
Teams On 13 July, the French Football Federation ratified the constitution of the competition, and published the groups as follows:
123 teams that were not relegated or promoted from the 2017–18 Championnat National 3 groups. 9 teams relegated from 2017–18 Championnat National 2 after any reprieves and additional administrative relegations to the Regional Leagues (Raon-l'Étape, Fontenay, Rennes (res), Tarbes, Montceau, St-Louis Neuweg, Limoges, Beauvais and AC Amiens) 36 teams promoted from Regional Division d'Honneur (as shown in the table below). Teams promoted to Championnat National 3RegionTeamMethod of QualificationNouvelle-AquitaineCestasChampion, R1 Pool BMontmorillonChampion, R1 Pool AChauvignyRunner-up, R1 Pool APays de la LoireLe Mans (res)Champion, R1 Group ASaint-NazaireChampion, R1 Group BSaumurPlayoff winnerCentre-Val de LoireMontlouis-sur-LoireChampion, R1AmillyRunner-up, R1Saint-Jean-le-Blanc4th place, R1Méditerranée-CorsicaCôte BleueChampion, R1 MéditerranéeBastelicacciaChampion R1 CorsicaIstresRunner-up R1 MéditerranéeBourgogne-Franche-ComtéLa CharitéChampion, R1 Pool AGrandvillarsChampion, R1 Pool B Morteau-MontlebonRunner-up, R1 Pool BGrand EstTroyesChampion, R1 Champagne-ArdenneThaonChampion, R1 LorraineASPV StrasbourgChampion, R1 AlsaceOccitanieStade BeaucairoisChampion, R1 Languedoc-Roussillon MuretChampion, R1 Midi-PyrenéesRodez (res)Best Runner-upHauts-de-FranceLe TouquetChampion, R1 Nord-Pas de CalaisChantilly (res)Runner-up, R1 PicardieOlympique MarcquoisRunner-up, R1 Nord-Pas de CalaisNormandyASPTT CaenChampion, R1 Pool ADéville-MarommeChampion, R1 Pool BCherbourgRunner-up, R1 Pool ABrittanyPlouzanéChampion, R1 Pool AFougèresRunner-up, R1 Pool B Stade PontivyenRunner-up, R1 Pool AParis Île-de-FranceLe MéeChampion, R1Meaux AcademyRunner-up, R1Brétigny3rd place, R1Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMoulinsChampion, R1 OuestRumilly-VallièresChampion, R1 EstLyon-Duchère (res)Runner-up, R1 Est
Promotion and relegation If eligible, the top team in each group will be promoted to Championnat National 2. If a team finishing top of the group is ineligible, or declines promotion, the next eligible team in that group will be promoted.
Generally, three teams will be relegated from each group to their respective top regional league, subject to reprieves. Extra teams will be relegated from a group if more than one team is relegated to that group from Championnat National 2. In the case that no teams are relegated to a group from Championnat National 2, one less team will be relegated from that group to the regional league.
Reserve teams whose training centre is categorised as category 2B or lower cannot be promoted to Championnat National 2 by the rules of the competition. It was announced in September 2018 that the following reserve teams would be ineligible for promotion following the categorisation of their training centres: AC Ajaccio, Amiens SC, Brest, Clermont, Dijon and Paris FC.
League tables
Group A: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Group B: Pays de la Loire
Group C: Centre-Val de Loire
Group D: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur-Corsica
Group E: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Group F: Grand Est
Group H: Occitanie
Group I: Hauts-de-France
Group J: Normandy
Group K: Brittany
Group L: Île-de-France
Group M: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Season outcomes Promotion Angoulême, Angers (res), Bourges Foot, SC Bastia, Louhans-Cuiseaux, Mulhouse, Montpellier (res), Saint-Quentin, Rouen, Guingamp (res), Gobelins and Chamalières finished in the promotion places, and were promoted to 2019–20 Championnat National 2, subject to ratification by the FFF.
On 12 June 2019, the financial regulator of the FFF, the DNCG denied Mulhouse promotion, subject to appeal. The decision was successfully appealed, and Mulhouse were promoted.
Champions The title of Champion of Championnat National 3 is awarded to the team with the best record in games against the teams that finished in 2nd to 6th place in their group, with goal difference to separate ties.
Team1Saint-Quentin22152Montpellier (res)22133SC Bastia21164Rouen2095Angoulême2056Mulhouse1857Angers (res)1778Bourges Foot1769Dijon (res)17610Chamalières17311Gobelins16712Guingamp (res)155
Saint-Quentin are Champions of 2018–19 Championnat National 3.
Relegation Pau (res), Cestas, Montmorillon, Chauray, Laval (res), La Suze, Amilly, Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, Cannet, Le Pontet, ÉF Bastia, AS Saint-Rémy, La Charité, Avallon, Grandvillars, Sarreguemines, Nancy (res), Épernay, Agde, Lozère, Tarbes, Senlis, Dunkerque (res), Tourcoing, Chantilly, ASPTT Caen, Bayeux, Déville-Maromme, Montagnarde, Atlantique Vilaine, Brétigny, Le Mée, Meaux Academy, Noisy-le-Sec, Moulins and Ytrac finished in the relegation places and were relegated to the top division of their respective regional leagues, subject to any reprieves detailed in the next section.
Reprieves In Group D, Bastelicaccia were reprieved due to the reprieve of Monaco (res) in 2018–19 Championnat National 2, caused by the decision of Paris Saint-Germain (res) not to participate next season. Subsequently, on 11 July 2019, they were re-relegated as a result of the relegation of Athlético Marseille from 2018–Championnat National 2.
In Group H, Agde were reprieved due to the reprieve of Nîmes (res) in Championnat National 2, caused by the administrative relegation of Tours FC to Championnat National 3 (where they will take the place of their reserve team).
In Group F, Sarreguemines were reprieved due to the reprieve of Haguenau in Championnat National 2, caused by the administrative relegation of Athlético Marseille.
In Group B, Laval (res) were reprieved due to the administrative relegation of Saint-Nazaire.
In Group A, Pau (res) were reprieved due to the administrative relegation of Limoges.
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Ibrahima KeitaBourges Foot272 Anthony JaneszkoGrande-Synthe223 Omar KontéÉvreux214 Anthony VermetDinan-Léhon19 Souleymane AnneAurillac6 Carnejy AntoineSaint-Jean-le-Blanc18 Quissumgo Maconda M'ButaMontluçon Jony RamosGobelins Alexis EbrardSaint-Colomban Locminé Ivann BotellaRC Strasbourg (res)
References