The professionalism extends to the third level of French football. On August 8, the League 3 – officially launched on Tuesday, May 12 by the French Football Federation (FFF) – will replace the current National 1. The head of 3F, Philippe Diallo, described this new professional championship with eighteen clubs as “a concept we are quite pleased with.”
His commitment was to create a “innovative, attractive, sustainable and territorial” product. In other words, it should be popular with a strong connection to the supporters of the teams involved. To contribute to this, “the dedicated budget for League 3 will reach 12.3 million euros (compared to 5.8 million in 2025-26), with 70% directly redistributed to the clubs,” as stated on the Federation’s website.
Among the participating clubs will be SM Caen owned by the Mbappé family, Valenciennes, and Paris 13 Atlético, who played at this level in 2025-26. Additionally, Amiens and likely Bastia, who were last in Ligue 2, as well as potentially Cannes and Bordeaux, hope to return to the professional world following their National 2 season.
As a result of this new name for League 3, the lower leagues will also be renamed: the current National 2 (4th division) will be renamed National 1, and the current National 3 (5th division) will become National 2.
Play-offs at the end of the season
The championship will also change its format: the single pool with two promotions and a play-off against a Ligue 2 team will be replaced. Moving forward, the top two teams will be promoted directly, but play-offs will be introduced for teams ranked 3rd to 6th: the 3rd will face the 6th, while the 5th will challenge the 4th, and then the two winners will play in a final. The survivor then has the opportunity to play against the 16th Ligue 2 team in a home-and-away format. It should be noted that the bottom three teams will be relegated at the end of the season, as is the current practice.
Premium match on Thursdays and a multiplex broadcast on Saturdays
The competition will be entirely broadcast on Ligue 1+, the platform of the Professional Football League (LFP), which already broadcasts elite matches. “A premium leading match will be broadcast on Thursdays at 8:45 PM, with five cameras. It will kick off the Ligue 1+ weekend before a multiplex broadcast on Saturdays at 3 PM for the other eight matches,” explained Strasbourg President Marc Keller, responsible for the redesign of this new-look L3.
A trophy inspired by the Brennus Shield
To highlight this new championship, the FFF has considered a trophy that can bring a new visual identity. Therefore, the Trophy of France, similar to the Brennus Shield in Top 14 rugby, will be awarded to the Ligue 3 champion. This prestigious object has a significant historical value as it was the prize awarded to the winning clubs of the “Trophy of France,” a football tournament organized by the French Federal Interfederal Committee (the predecessor of the FFF) at the beginning of the 20th century. Until now, it was displayed at the Federation’s headquarters.
Introduction of “challenges” for coaches on referee decisions
A “challenge” allowing a coach to request video review of a referee decision will also be implemented. The Football Video Support, a slightly lighter version of VAR for Ligue 3 clubs, will allow each coach to request two challenges per match to review referee decisions on specific actions: goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity,” detailed Marc Keller. Other rules could be modified to enhance the flow of the game, such as quicker substitutions, or increasing the number of players on the match sheets (18 like in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, compared to the current 16). The FFF’s idea is to make this League 3 a “laboratory.”
