Liga 3 (Peru)
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 2025. The Liga 3 is contested by 37 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; the 25 departamental champions would participate in the first edition of Liga 3 in 2021. However, the FPF decided to cancel the 2020 edition of the Copa Perú during the District Stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2022, the FPF, 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 Liga 1 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 FPF, taking into account CONMEBOL's observations, then decided 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.
Competition format and sponsorship
36 teams take part in the Liga 3. The tournament is split into three stages, the Regional Stage, Second Stage, and the Play-offs. In the Regional Stage, the 36 teams are split into four groups of nine based on geographical location. The top four of each group will advance to the Second Stage while the bottom team in each group will be relegated to the Copa Perú. 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 Play-offs will be promoted to the Liga 2.The top three teams in the National Stage of the Copa Perú, along with the champions of the Torneo Juvenil Sub-18 will be promoted to the Liga 3. However, reserve teams will be unable to play in the same division as their first teams, being restricted promotion and always being kept one division separate from their first team. Two teams from the Liga 3 also be invited to the Copa LFP - FPF, based on historic popularity.