Championnat National

	Championnat National
Country	France
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1993
Number of teams	18
Promotion to	Ligue 2
Relegation to	Championnat de France amateur
Levels on pyramid	3
Domestic cup(s)	Coupe de France; Coupe de la Ligue (select clubs)
UEFA cup(s)	Europa League (via domestic cups)
Current champions	Créteil (2012–13)
Website	Official website
	2013–14 Championnat National

The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 20 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2 and the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 games each totalling 380 games in the season. Most games are played on Fridays and Saturdays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.

National was founded in 1993 by the French Football Federation and serves as a base league for clubs on the brink of becoming professional or falling to the amateur levels. The league is annually composed of professional, semi-professional, and amateur football clubs. The current champions are Créteil. The matches in the league attract on average between 2,500 and 6,000 spectators per match.

Competition format

There are 20 clubs in the Championnat National. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, 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 goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion and promoted to Ligue 2. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship or for relegation, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The second and third-place finisher are also promoted to the second division, while the four lowest placed teams are relegated to the Championnat de France amateur and the four winners of the four groups from the Championnat de France amateur are promoted in their place.

Clubs

Members for 2013–14

The following 18 clubs will compete in the Championnat National during the 2013–14 season.

Club	Position in 2012–13	Founded	First season of current spell in National
Amiens	0049th	1901	2012–13
Boulogne	00413th	1898	2012–13
Bourg-Péronnas	00415th	1942	2012-13
Carquefou	0046th	1942	2012–13
Colmar	YYY11th	1920	2010–11
Colomiers	YYYCFA Group C: 1st	1932	2013–14
Dunkerque	004CFA Group A: 1st	1919	2013–14
Fréjus	0044th	2009	2009–10
Gazélec Ajaccio	004Ligue 2: 20th	1910	2013–14
Vendée Poiré-sur-Vie	0047th	1954	2011–12
Luzenac	01012th	1936	2009–10
Orléans	0108th	1920	2010–11
Paris	01017th	1969	2006-07
Red Star	00414th	1897	2011–12
Strasbourg	010CFA Group B: 1st	1906	2013–14
Uzès Pont du Gard	01016th	2005	2012-13
Vannes	01010th	1998	2011–12
Vendée Luçon	010CFA Group D: 1st	1924	2013–14

Honours