Valladar Liga-3
 | |
| Founded | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Country | Valladares |
| Confederation | CRF |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Liga-2 |
| Relegation to | State Champions League |
| Domestic cup(s) | King's Shield |
| International cup(s) | IFCF Challengers Cup Cup Winners' Cup (both through King’s Shield) |
| Current champions | FC Townsville (70) |
| TV partners | GOL |
| Website | www.lfv.vd/liga3 |
| Current: Valladar Liga-3 71 | |
The Valladar Liga-3 (League-3 in English and Ligue-3 in French), is Valladares’s third division of association football. Run by the Liga Federal de Valladares, an entity affiliated to the Valladar Football Association, it contains twenty clubs from across the country, and maintains a system of promotion and relegation of three or four clubs a year between it and the Valladar Liga-2 and the State Champions League, Valladares’s second and fourth divisions, respectively. It is the lowest tier of the Liga Federal setup.
The season runs from February to November, during which time 38 matches are played per team, totalling 380 matches overall. The majority of matches are played on Saturdays, with four featured matches per round played on Sundays and one matchday during Independence Day on October 8th. It is broadcast by GOL, who own rights to the league's featured matches every week.
The Liga-3 was set up in 1985 by the Valladar Football Association under the name Tercera Liga de Valladares, and has served as the third division of Valladar football ever since. For its 31st season, in 2008, it was also taken over by the Liga Federal de Valladares and rebranded as the Liga-3. The current champions of the league are AS Lausanne, who will be returning to the second tier for Season 67.
Competition format
There are 20 clubs in Liga-3. During the course of a season, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head record, goal difference, goals scored, number of wins, and fair play points. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion and promoted to Liga-2 along with the runner-up. The clubs that end between the third and the tenth position go on to play the final play-off series with its winner earning the last direct promotion spot, with a potential fourth promotion to be decided in a play-off between the final play-off runner-up and the Liga-2's seventeenth-placed club. As for relegation, the four lowest placed clubs are relegated to the State Champions League, losing their LFV membership in the process. The top four teams from the State Champions League are promoted in their place, provided they meet the LFV's licensing criteria.
Clubs for Season 71
The following 20 clubs will be competing in the 71st Liga-3 season.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 de Octubre FC | City of Junín | Estadio Camilo Mazuera López | 21,200 |
| AC Tallin | Carloburgo, Mountbatten | Parken Road Stadium | 13,500 |
| AS Vaud | Gatineau, Foix | Stade Omnisports Gatineau | 17,500 |
| Bretford Royals | Bretford, Westlands | Municipal Park | 10,500 |
| CA Lierravus | Lierravus, Alto Danubio | Estadio 8 de Octubre | 26,104 |
| Carloburgo Phoenix | Carloburgo, Mountbatten | Olympic Stadium | 38,755 |
| Defensores de Villafuerte | Villafuerte, Antioquia | Estadio Municipal Capitán Rincón | 13,000 |
| EC Comercial | Campo Grande, Chiquito | Estádio Menor | 15,000 |
| FC Columbus | City of Columbus | Estadio Parque Armenia | 35,250 |
| FC Westporte 984 | Westporte, Canalave | Riverside Stadium | 23,000 |
| Gatineau UC 98 | Gatineau, Foix | Stade Omnisports Gatineau | 17,500 |
| Hamanos Athletic Club | Hamanos, Antioquia | Estadio Municipal | 18,243 |
| Minault United | Minault, Mountbatten | Municipal Stadium | 10,300 |
| Real Guadír | City of Junín | Estadio Camilo Mazuera López | 21,200 |
| Real Pradera | Pradera, Antioquia | Estadio Gobernador Villa | 25,272 |
| Santacruz FC | Santa Cruz, Westlands | Municipal Park[a] | 10,500 |
| Sporting Florencia | Florencia, Antioquia | Estadio Isidro Cabrales | 10,500 |
| Stanford United | Stanford, Mountbatten | Stanford Community Stadium | 17,250 |
| Valencia FC | Valencia, Antioquia | Estadio Tricentenario | 30,244 |
| Western Suburbs FC | Vincent, Angostura | Vincent Stadium | 20,500 |
- ↑ Playing its home matches at Municipal Park in Bretford instead of their regular stadium Estadio Municipal in Santa Cruz which did not meet LFV requirements for Liga-3 matches.