III liga (original) (raw)

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4th tier in the Polish football league

This article is about the fourth tier of Polish football. For the current third tier which was previously known as III liga, see II liga.

Football league

III liga
Founded 19 February 2000(new formula)2008(as III liga)
Country Poland
Confederation UEFA
Number of clubs 72 (in 2024–25)
Level on pyramid 4
Promotion to II liga
Relegation to IV liga
Domestic cup(s) Polish Cup
Current champions Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki (Group I) Świt Szczecin (Group II) Rekord Bielsko-Biała (Group III) Wieczysta Kraków (Group IV) (2023–24 III liga)
Sponsor(s) Betclic
Current: 2024–25 III liga

III liga (Trzecia liga), currently named Betclic III liga due to its sponsorship by Betclic,[1] is a Polish football league that sits in the fourth tier of the Polish football league system. Until the end of the 2007–08 season, III liga referred to a league at the third tier (now called II liga) but this was changed with the formation of the Ekstraklasa as the top level league in Poland.

Groups of III liga are divided based on administrative division of Poland. Top teams of III liga are promoted to II liga and bottom teams are relegated to IV liga.

The current fourth tier of the Polish national league system was established on 19 February 2000, under the name IV liga. Previously, the fourth tier of competition was held under many different names depending on the region, including macro-regional league, macro-regional class, inter-voivodeship league, district league, among others.

In August 2000, the first official season of new fourth tier commenced with teams spread across 21 territorial groups. In five voivodeships (Lower Silesia, Lesser Poland, Masovia, Silesia and Greater Poland), the competition was divided into two groups, the winners of which met in a two-legged play-off for the championship and promotion to the third tier. In the remaining 11 voivodeships, only one group was held, the winner of which automatically earning promoted to a higher division. In subsequent editions, the number of groups was gradually reduced and the number of teams in each of them was limited. In 2001, both Lower Silesian groups were merged, in 2002 - the Masovian ones, and in 2006, the Lesser Poland groups. In 2007, the fourth tier consisted of 18 regional groups. In 14 voivodeships, the games were played with a single-group system, and in two voivodeships, with a two-group system.

Starting from the 2008–09 season, the league was renamed to III liga, and reduced to 8 groups. The winners of each group (in the case of voivodeships with two groups, the winners of the play-offs between the winners of both groups) formed four play-off pairs, winners of which were promoted to the II liga.

The latest restructure came in effect ahead of the 2016–17 season, with the numbers of teams reduced to 72 across four groups.

For the 2024–25 season, seventy-two clubs participate. The clubs are split into four parallel groups of 18 with their group affiliation being based on the regional location. The competition is played in a round-robin format, with each team facing others in their respective group twice, at home and away. The champions of each group achieve automatic promotion to the II liga, while the second-placed teams first face each other in a play-off, the winners of which qualify for a promotion/relegation play-off against 14th and 15th-placed II liga teams. The bottom four teams in each group are relegated to the IV liga, though the number of relegated teams may increase depending on territorial affiliation of the teams demoted from the II liga.[2]

Geographical criteria since the 2016–17 season.

The following 72 clubs are competing in the III liga for the 2024–25 season.

Group I Group II Group III Group IV
Broń Radom GKS Bełchatów GKS Wikielec Jagiellonia Białystok II Lechia Tomaszów Mazowiecki Legia Warsaw II ŁKS Łomża Mławianka Mława Pelikan Łowicz Polonia Lidzbark Warmiński Sokół Aleksandrów Łódzki Stomil Olsztyn Świt Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki Unia Skierniewice Warta Sieradz Victoria Sulejówek Wigry Suwałki Wisła Płock II Błękitni Stargard Cartusia Kartuzy Elana Toruń Flota Świnoujście Gedania Gdańsk Gryf Słupsk Kotwica Kórnik Lech Poznań II Noteć Czarnków Pogoń Nowe Skalmierzyce Pogoń Szczecin II Polonia Środa Wielkopolska Sokół Kleczew Unia Swarzędz Vineta Wolin Wda Świecie Wybrzeże Rewalskie Rewal Zawisza Bydgoszcz Carina Gubin Górnik Zabrze II Górnik Polkowice Karkonosze Jelenia Góra Lechia Zielona Góra LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój Miedź Legnica II MKS Kluczbork Odra Bytom Odrzański Podlesianka Katowice Polonia Słubice Pniówek Pawłowice Śląskie Stal Brzeg Stilon Gorzów Wielkopolski Śląsk Wrocław II Ślęza Wrocław Unia Turza Śląska Warta Gorzów Wielkopolski Avia Świdnik Chełmianka Chełm Czarni Połaniec Korona Kielce II KS Wiązownica KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski Lewart Lubartów Podhale Nowy Targ Podlasie Biała Podlaska Pogoń-Sokół Lubaczów Sandecja Nowy Sącz Siarka Tarnobrzeg Star Starachowice Świdniczanka Świdnik Unia Tarnów Wisła Kraków II Wisłoka Dębica Wiślanie Skawina

Champions of the Polish fourth level

[edit]

Season Group Io Group II Group III Group IV
2016–17 Drwęca Nowe Miasto Lubawskie Gwardia Koszalin GKS Jastrzębie Garbarnia Kraków
2017–18 Widzew Łódź Elana Toruń Skra Częstochowa Resovia
2018–19 Legionovia Legionowo Lech Poznań II Górnik Polkowice Stal Rzeszów
2019–20 Sokół Ostróda KKS 1925 Kalisz Śląsk Wrocław II Motor Lublin
2020–21 Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radunia Stężyca Ruch Chorzów Wisła Puławy
2021–22 Polonia Warsaw Kotwica Kołobrzeg Zagłębie Lubin II Siarka Tarnobrzeg
2022–23 ŁKS Łódź II Olimpia Grudziądz Polonia Bytom Stal Stalowa Wola
2023–24 Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki Świt Szczecin Rekord Bielsko-Biała Wieczysta Kraków
  1. ^ "Betclic Sponsorem Tytularnym 1. Ligi do końca sezonu 2027/2028". I liga. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Nowe zasady spadków klubów 2. Ligi, awansów I spadków klubów 3. Ligi I awansów klubów 4. Ligi od sezonu 2024/2025 (cała uchwała pzpn z 7 czerwca 2024 roku)". prawopilkarskie.pl (in Polish). 7 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  3. ^ Groups
  4. ^ Groups