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Latvian Third League

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Football league
Dali Dali 3.līga
Founded2020
Country Latvia
Number of clubs~40 (varies by season)
Level on pyramid4
Promotion toAltero.lv LIIGA
Domestic cup(s)Latvian Cup
WebsiteLatvian Football Federation

The Latvian Third League (Latvian: 3. līga), currently known for sponsorship reasons as Dali Dali 3.līga, is the fourth tier of football in Latvia and is organised by the Latvian Football Federation.

History

In 2019, the Latvian Football Federation changed the Latvian football league system by expanding it to a fourth tier, the Third League. The aim was to greatly reduce the number of teams in the Second League and increase the prestige of the higher levels of the league system. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, the inaugural 2020 season did not fully proceed as planned. The first edition of the Third League, held in accordance with the newly established format, took place in 2021.

Competition format

Regional stage

There are four regional divisions (West, Center, North, and East) in the Third League, each containing an approximated 10 teams (though the exact number in each division varies by season), which must play home and away games against their regional opponents. From each region, two teams advance to the promotion round, whereas the other teams do not continue the season. This stage of the league is typically contested from April to September.

As this is the lowest level of Latvian football, no relegation takes place within the league.

Promotion stage

The promotion round involves additional matches between the top two teams of each regional division, allowing four of the best teams to be promoted to the Second League at the conclusion of the season. This takes place in a knockout format, starting from the quarterfinals. Semi-finalists are automatically promoted to the Second League for next season, and contest additional matches in order to determine the exact placement of each team and the league winners.

Past Third League winners

Season Winner Runner-up
2021 SK Babīte FK Jūrnieks
2022 JDFS Alberts-2 Ogre United

References

  1. "RĪGAS ČEMPIONĀTA BRONZAS GODALGAS IZCĪNA FK "BEITAR"". lff.lv. 25 October 2021.
  2. "JDFS ALBERTS-2 UZVAR 3. LĪGAS FINĀLĀ". 3liga.lv. 13 November 2022.

External links

Latvia Football in Latvia
Latvian Football Federation (LFF)
National Teams
League System
men
women
Domestic cups
men
women
Fourth-level football leagues of Europe (UEFA)
Current
Former
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