Tercera División

This article is about the Spanish football league. For the Mexican football league, see Tercera División de México.
Tercera División
Country  Spain
Confederation UEFA
Founded 1928–29
Number of teams 361
Level on pyramid 4
Promotion to Segunda División B
Relegation to Divisiones Regionales
Domestic cup(s) Copa del Rey
Copa Federación
International cup(s) UEFA Europa League
(via winning Copa del Rey)
Website Official website
2016–17 season
Groups of Tercera División

Tercera División (English: Third Division) is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.

Current format

The Tercera División currently features 360 teams divided into 18 regional groups, corresponding to the Autonomous communities of Spain (due to its huge size, Andalucia is divided into two different groups, East and West; Ceuta is allocated to West Andalusia, while Melilla is allocated to the East). Each Group is administered by a regional football federation. At the end of the season the first four teams in each group qualify for promotion play-offs to decide which teams are promoted to Segunda División B. The three teams finishing bottom of each group may be relegated to the Divisiones Regionales de Fútbol. However the number of teams relegated can vary. The eighteen group champions also qualify for the following season's Copa del Rey. However reserve teams are ineligible. Along with teams from Segunda División B, the remaining teams from the division compete in the Copa Federación.

Since the 2008-09 season, the eighteen group winners have the opportunity to promote directly to the Segunda División B. The 18 group winners are drawn into a two-legged series where the nine winners promote to the Segunda División B. The nine losing clubs enter the playoff round for the last nine promotion spots.

The 18 runners-up are drawn against one of the seventeen fourth-place clubs outside their group and the 18 third-placed clubs are drawn against one another in a two-legged series. The twenty-seven winners advance with the nine losing clubs from the champions' series to determine the 18 teams that enter the last two-legged series for the last nine promotion spots. In all the playoff series, the lower-ranked club plays at home first. Whenever there is a tie in position (like the group winners in the champions' series or the third-placed teams in the first round), a draw determines the club to play at home first.

Group Region Area (km²) Winners (2015–16) Relegation
1. Galicia 29,574 Boiro Preferente de Galicia
2. Asturias 10,604 Caudal Preferente de Asturias
3. Cantabria 5,321 Laredo Preferente de Cantabria
4. Basque Country 7,234 Zamudio Basque lower levels
5. Catalonia 32,114 Prat Primera Catalana
6. Valencian Community 23,255 Atlético Saguntino Preferente Comunidad Valenciana
7. Madrid 8,028 San Sebastián de los Reyes Preferente de Madrid
8. Castile and León 94,223 Zamora Preferente de Castilla y León
9. Eastern Andalusia and Melilla 42,114 Atlético Mancha Real Primera Andaluza
10. Western Andalusia and Ceuta 45,194 Córdoba B Primera Andaluza
11. Balearic Islands 4,992 Mallorca B Preferente
12. Canary Islands 7,447 Villa de Santa Brígida Interinsular Preferente
13. Murcia 11,313 Lorca Preferente de Murcia
14. Extremadura 41,634 Extremadura Preferente de Extremadura
15. Navarre 10,391 Osasuna B Preferente de Navarra
16. La Rioja 5,045 Calahorra Preferente de La Rioja
17. Aragon 47,719 Deportivo Aragón Preferente de Aragón
18. Castile-La Mancha 79,463 Conquense Preferente de Castilla-La Mancha

History

During the inaugural La Liga season of 1928/29 a third level of teams known as Segunda División B was also organised. This division featured 10 teams and at the end of the season Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa were crowned champions. However the 1929/30 season saw the first of many reorganisations of the Spanish football league system and the Tercera Division was born. During its first season the division featured 33 teams divided into eight groups. The eight group winners qualified for a play-off and CD Castellón eventually beat Barakaldo CF 3-2 to be declared champions. The most significant reorganisation came at the start of the 1977/78 season with the revival of Segunda División B which replaced the Tercera División as the third level.

Evolution of the Tercera División

Tier\Years 1928–501950–551955–681968–701970–77 1977–79 1979–80 1980–83 1983–86 1986–87 1987–89 1989–92 1992–04 2004–06 2006–current
3 4 to 10 groups6 groups14 groups8 groups 4 groupsSegunda División B
4 Regional divisions6 groups 8 groups13 groups14 groups16 groups17 groups17 groups
+2 subgroups
17 groups17 groups
+2 subgroups
18 groups

Historical classification

The classification will be updated at the end of each season.

Pos Team Seasons Winners
1. Murcia Imperial 63 1
2. Arenas Getxo 61 3
3. Eldense 55 12
3. Tudelano 55 5
5. Constancia 54 8
6. Atlético Baleares 53 11
7. Racing Santander B 52 5
7. Manacor 52 4
7. Europa 52 2
10. Cacereño 51 10
10. Lemos 51 0
10. Gimnástica Segoviana 51 2
13. Caudal 50 15
13. Don Benito 50 7
13. Mirandés 50 4
Pos Team Seasons Winners
13. Baskonia 50 4
17. Poblense 49 2
17. Arosa 49 1
19. Calahorra 48 7
19. Linense 48 5
19. Reus 48 2
19. Monzón 48 1
19. Coria 48 0
24. Deportivo Coruña B 47 3
24. Salamanca B (†) 47 1
24. Alaior 47 0
24. Turón 47 0
28. Gimnástica Torrelavega 46 10
28. Ponferradina 46 3
28. Siero 46 2
Pos Team Seasons Winners
28. Getxo 46 1
28. Júpiter 46 0
28. Guadalajara 46 0
34. Alicante (†) 45 3
34. Chantrea 45 0
34. Oberena 45 0
37. Laredo 44 4
37. Girona 44 4
37. Acero 44 2
37. Tortosa 44 0
37. Santoña 44 0
42. Gandía 43 3
43. Andorra 42 7
43. Valladolid B 42 7
43. Ejea 42 3

Records

Level 3
Level 4
Tercera División - Play-Offs
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