2023–24 Championnat National 3 Explained

Competition:	Championnat National 3
Season:	2023–24
Dates:	27 August 2023 to 19 May 2024
Biggest Home Win:	Rennes (res) 9–0 Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny Group E, Game week 2, 2 September 2023 Vannes 10–1 Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny Group E, Game week 15, 3 February 2024
Highest Scoring:	Reims (res) 9–2 Belfort Group I, Game week 2, 2 September 2023 Vannes 10–1 Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny Group E, Game week 15, 3 February 2024
Prevseason:	2022–23
Nextseason:	2024–25
Updated:	22:36, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

The 2023-24 Championnat National 3 is the seventh season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. For this season only, the competition is contested by 154 clubs split geographically across 11 groups of 14 teams. The teams include amateur clubs (although a few are semi-professional) and the reserve teams of professional clubs. The competition starts on 27 August 2023 and is scheduled to end on 19 May 2024.^[1]

Teams

On 13 July 2023, the FFF ratified the constitution of the competition, and published the groups, although there were still some issues to be resolved at the time of publishing.^[2]

Changes from the 2022–23 season were as follows:

Teams joining the division:

• Évreux, Rennes (res), Vannes, SM Caen (res), Chartres, Reims (res), Sainte-Geneviève, Metz (res), Belfort, Saint-Maur, Sète, Saint-Priest, Lyon (res), Canet Roussillon, Louhans-Cuiseaux, Vierzon, Moulins Yzeure, Stade Bordelais and Nantes (res) finished in relegation positions in 2022–23 Championnat National 2
• Lyon La Duchère were administratively relegated by the DNCG from 2022–23 Championnat National 2.^[3]
• 36 teams gained promotion from the various Régional 1 leagues.^[4]

Teams promoted to Championnat National 3!Region!!Team!!Method of qualification

Nouvelle-Aquitaine	Chauray	Champion, R1 Group A
	Panazol	Champion, R1 Group B
	Saint-Paul-lès-Dax	Champion, R1 Group C
Pays de la Loire	Les Sables-d'Olonne	Champion, R1 Group A
	La Châtaigneraie	Champion, R1 Group B
	Château-Gontier	Best runner-up
Centre-Val de Loire	Mainvilliers	Champion, R1
	Moulon Bourges	Second, R1
	Vineuil	Third, R1
Corse	SC Bastia (res)	Champion, R1 Corse
Méditerranée	Cagnes-sur-Mer	Champion, R1 Méditerranée
	Fos-sur-Mer	Second, R1 Méditerranée
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	ASPTT Dijon	Champion, R1 Group A
	La Chapelle-de-Guinchay	Champion, R1 Group B
	Vesoul	Champion, R1 Group C
Grand Est	FC Métropole Troyenne	Champion, R1 Group A.
	Thionville	Champion, R1 Group B.
	Strasbourg Koenigshoffen	Champion, R1 Group C.
Occitanie	Montferrier-sur-Lez	Champion, R1 Group A
	Saint-Estève	Champion, R1 Group B
	Blagnac	Champion, R1 Group C
Hauts-de-France	Pays du Valois	Champion, R1 Group A
	Saint-Amand-les-Eaux	Champion, R1 Group B
	Pays de Cassel	Champion, R1 Group C
Normandy	Flers	Champion, R1 Group A
	Houlgate	Champion, R1 Group B
	ASPTT Caen	Best Runner-up
Brittany	Ergué-Gabéric	Champion, R1 Group A
	Stade Pontivyen	Champion, R1 Group B
	Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny	Champion, R1 Group C
Paris Île-de-France	Chatou	Champion, R1 Group A
	Neuilly-sur-Marne	Champion, R1 Group B
	Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône	Best Runner-up
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	Espaly-Saint-Marcel	Champion, R1 Group A
	Olympique de Valence	Champion, R1 Group B
	Chassieu	Champion, R1 Group C

Teams leaving the division:

• Libourne, La Roche, Avoine Chinon, Cannes, Mâcon, Biesheim, Feignies Aulnoye, Vire, Dinan Léhon, Aubervilliers and Bourgoin-Jallieu were champions of each group, and were promoted to 2023–24 Championnat National 2. Béziers finished top of their group, but were denied promotion by the DNCG, and failed to appeal successfully.^{[5] [6]} Toulouse (res) were promoted as runners-up.
• Mont-de-Marsan, Guéret, Neuville, Portes Entre-Deux-Mers, Pouzauges, Changé, Beaucouzé, La Roche-sur-Yon,Le Mans (res), Montargis, Dreux, Chartres (res), Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, Marignane GCB (res), Nice (res), Carnoux, Quetigny, Montceau, Saint-Apollinaire, Grandvillars, Morteau-Montlebon, Jarville, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Champigneulles, Épernay, Schiltigheim, Bagnols Pont, Union Saint-Jean, Balma, Rodez (res), Aigues-Mortes, Longueau, Lambres-lez-Douai, AC Amiens, Amiens SC (res), Maubeuge, Mont-Gaillard, Grand-Quevilly, Avranches (res), Gonfreville, US Montagnarde, Dol-de-Bretagne, Brest (res), Cesson, Le Mée, Blanc-Mesnil, Paris Saint-Germain (res), Paris FC (res) and Les Ulis, Montluçon, Lyon La Duchère (res), Aix-les-Bains and Domérat finished in the relegation zones and were relegated to Régional 1 for the 2023–24 season.
• Cherbourg were excluded from National competitions by the Ligue de Normandie, and will be relegated to Régional 1.^[7]
• Gazélec Ajaccio were placed into liquidation in January 2023, which resulted in their removal from the league and annulment of all their results.^{[8] [9]}

AS Béziers

Having been denied promotion, Béziers were placed in Group A when the groups were announced. Subsequently, on 20 July 2023, the DNCG announced Béziers would be downgraded to Régional 1 for financial irregularities.^[10] An appeal followed, which was confirmed as unsuccessful on 31 July 2023.^[11] Because the decision came after the constitution of the competition was ratified, no team will be reprieved and Group A will take place with 13 teams.

Stade Pontivyen and Redon

Although declared as part of the division as champions of their Régional 1 group, Redon were eventually denied their promotion on 25 August 2023, one day before the start of the season, after a protracted legal battle, with Stade Pontivyen being promoted in their place.^[12]

Promotion and relegation

If eligible, the top team in each group is 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 is promoted.

This season a total of 37 teams will be relegated to Régional 1, as a result of the restructuring of the French leagues.^[13] This will result in teams finishing in the bottom three places being relegated, along with the four worst eleventh-placed clubs, calculated from results against the teams placed 5th to 10th in their group.^[14]

Reserve teams whose training centres are categorised as category 2B or lower cannot be promoted to Championnat National 2 by the rules of the competition.

League tables

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Group I

Group J

Group K

Notes and References

1. News: N1, N2, N3, Coupe de France : découvrez le calendrier 2023-2024 . 8 July 2022 . Foot Amateur . 23 January 2023 . fr.
2. Web site: National 3. Les groupes pour la saison 2023-2024. Foot Amateur. fr. 13 July 2023.
3. Web site: DNCG. Lyon La Duchère rétrogradé en National 3 !. Foot Amateur. fr. 13 June 2023.
4. Web site: On connaît les 36 clubs promus de Régional 1 en National 3. Foot Amateur. fr. 11 June 2023.
5. Web site: DNCG. Nancy relégué en N3, Béziers interdit d’accession. Foot Amateur. fr. 27 June 2023.
6. Web site: Appel DNCG. Sochaux en National, Nancy en National 2. Foot Amateur. fr. 11 July 2023.
7. Web site: L’AS Cherbourg exclue des championnat nationaux !. Foot Amateur. fr. 20 June 2023.
8. Web site: En liquidation judiciaire, le Gazelec Ajaccio ne finira pas la saison. footamateur.fr. fr. 23 January 2023.
9. Web site: Placé en liquidation judiciaire, c’est fini pour le Gazelec Ajaccio !. footamateur.fr. fr. 30 January 2023.
10. Web site: DNCG. L’AS Béziers est rétrogradé en Régional 1 !. Foot Amateur. fr. 20 July 2023.
11. Web site: DNCG. La rétrogradation de l’AS Béziers confirmée en appel. Foot Amateur. fr. 31 July 2023.
12. Web site: Football : Le Stade Pontivyen jouera cette saison en National 3, au grand dam du FCAV de Redon. francetvinfo.fr. fr. 25 August 2023.
13. Web site: National 3. Montées, descentes : la réforme du championnat en détail. footamateur.fr. fr. 10 May 2022.
14. Web site: National 3. Le point sur les descentes de la saison 2023-2024. Foot Amateur. fr. 20 June 2023.