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Peruvian Tercera División

Founded	2025; 1 year's time (2025)
First season	2025
Country	Peru
Confederation	CONMEBOL
Number of clubs	36
Level on pyramid	3
Promotion to	Liga 2
Relegation to	Copa Perú
Current: 2025 season

The Peruvian Third Division, officially known as Liga 3, is the third-highest division in the Peruvian football league system. It is a semi-professional and promotional division organized by the Peruvian Football Federation since its creation in 2025. The Liga 3 is contested by 36 teams, with promotion to the Liga 2 and relegation to the Copa Perú.

History

The idea of a third division was discussed by the Peruvian Football Federation in 2019. The president of the National Amateur Football Commission, Luis Duarte Plata, had planned to replace Copa Perú with the Liga 3 and hold the last edition in 2020; during the Departmental Stage of said tournament, the 25 champions would participate in the first edition of Liga 3 in 2021. However, the Peruvian Football Federation decided to cancel the 2020 edition of the Copa Perú while the District Stage was in development due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the pause of the creation of the Liga 3.

In 2022, the Peruvian Football Federation, through the National Subcommission of Amateur Football, decided to reconsider the idea of a new League that would be the first step towards professionalization for clubs coming from the Copa Perú. This idea was embodied by President Agustín Lozano through the "reforms of Peruvian football", which would have as their first important change the elimination of promotion to the First Division from the Copa Perú.

Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the creation of Liga 3 was a request and requirement established by FIFA. The creation of the third division means that the Copa Perú will be moved down tier. In 2024, the Peruvian Football Federation, taking into account CONMEBOL's observations, then decides that the Copa Perú would be the tournament that decides the participants in a meritorious manner, based on the original idea from years ago: the 25 representatives of each department that are best placed in the final table of the 2024 Copa Perú's National Stage, whether the departmental champion or runner-up and except for those promoted to Liga 2, will be the clubs that will play the first edition of Liga 3 in the year 2025.

Division levels

Competition format

36 teams take part in the Liga 3. The tournament is split into three stages, the Regional Stage, Second Stage, and the Playoffs. In the Regional Stage, the 36 teams would be split into four groups of nine based on geographical location. The top four of each group will advance to the Second Stage. In the Second Stage, the 16 teams will be split into four groups of four. The top two of each group will advance to the Playoffs quarter-finals. The finalists of the Playoffs will be promoted to the Segunda División while the bottom ranked teams will be relegated to the Copa Perú.

Clubs

Initially, it had been planned that 32 teams will participate in the Liga 3. However, after the administrative relegation of Unión Huaral and Juan Aurich, from the 2024 Liga 2 at the beginning of the season, in addition to the increase to eight of the qualifiers since the 2024 Torneo de Promoción y Reserva, this number was expanded to 36.

Stadia and locations

Champions

See also

• Peruvian football league system
• Liga 1
• Liga 2
• Copa Perú
• Ligas Departamentales del Peru
• Ligas Superiores del Peru
• Ligas Distritales del Peru

References

1. ¿Qué es la nueva Liga 3, formato del torneo y cómo se jugará la temporada 2024?
2. Futbolperuano.com, Redacción- (2023-11-17). "Los equipos de la Copa Perú que jugarían la Liga 3 del 2024". Futbolperuano.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-11-12.
3. Azul, Radio Onda (2019-11-22). "¡Adiós copa perú! Liga 3 se empezará a jugar desde el 2021". Radio Onda Azul (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-11-12.
4. "Copa Perú no tendrá ascenso a Primera División y se creará la Liga 3 desde el 2024". infobae (in European Spanish). 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
5. ¿Qué pasará con la Copa Perú con la creación de la Liga 3?
6. Adios Copa Perú, el 2024 se llamará Liga 3 y será torneo de ascenso para la Liga 2
7. REGLAMENTO DE LA COPA PERÜ
8. Ruiz, Por Miguel Solis (2024-12-10). "Novedoso formato de la Liga 3 2025: Alianza Lima y Universitario jugarán el torneo que reemplazará a la histórica Copa Perú". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-12-10.
9. REGLAMENTO Torneo Promoción y Reservas 2024
10. Most stadiums are owned by the Instituto Peruano del Deporte (IPD).
11. "Peru". fussballtempel.net. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-02.

External links

• FPF Official Federation Website

v t e Football in Peru
Federación Peruana de Fútbol
National teams	National team Women's team Under-15 team Under-17 team Under-20 team Olympic (Under-23) team Beach soccer team Futsal team
League system	Current Liga 1 (History) Liga 2 Liga 3 Copa Perú Ligas Departamentales Ligas Provinciales Ligas Distritales Defunct Segunda División (1912–1925) División Intermedia (1926–1940) Ligas Provinciales de Lima y Callao (1926–1975) Liga Regional de Lima y Callao (1941–1950) Liguilla de Ascenso a Segunda División Reclasificatorio Regional (1974) Liga Mayor de Fútbol de Lima Región IX Metropolitana Región Promocional de Lima y Callao División Intermedia (1984–1987) Torneo Zonal (1992) Ligas Superiores Cuadrangular de Ascenso (2018, 2019)
Domestic cups	Current Copa LFP - FPF Defunct Copa Bicentenario Supercopa Peruana Copa Federación (2012) Torneo del Inca Torneo Intermedio (1993) Torneo Plácido Galindo (1989) Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol Copa Presidente de la República (1970) Campeonato de Apertura (ANA) Torneo Interligas (1928) Copa de Campeones del Perú (1919)
Friendly cups	Defunct Torneo Extraoficial (1936) Copa Ciudad de Trujillo Copa El Gráfico-Perú Copa Callao Supercopa Movistar (ADFP)
Youth	Current Liga Sub-18 Defunct Torneo de Promoción y Reserva Copa Generación (2021)
Women's	Current Liga Femenina Liga de Ascenso Femenina Defunct Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol Femenino (2000)
Related articles	Big Three El Clásico Peruano Rivalry with Chile Peruvian football clubs in International Competitions ADFP Estadio Nacional disaster 1936 Peru v Austria football match
Champions Footballers Managers Referees Clubs Venues League System

• Football leagues in Peru
• Third level football leagues of South America