The second tier of the national league is entering its final phase, and soon two teams will win promotion to the First Division.
The First National Tournament is winding down. This exciting competition brings together 37 clubs from across the country and will decide two promotions to the top category, culminating in a final and a compact playoff series.
The championship was split into two groups, A and B, with 19 teams in one and 18 in the other, each playing everyone twice. The winner of each group advances to a final to determine the first promoted team. The second promotion will come from a mini-tournament featuring four stages.
FORMAT AND RULES
The playoff for the second promotion is contested by the seven teams ranking from 2nd to 8th in each group. Additionally, the loser of the single final for the first promotion enters the seven-team pool. The first phase is a single match hosted at the stadium of the higher-ranked team. If the match is level after 90 minutes, extra time or penalties may follow as per the schedule. The pairings are as follows:
- 2nd of Zone A vs 8th of Zone B
- 2nd of Zone B vs 8th of Zone A
- 3rd of Zone A vs 7th of Zone B
- 3rd of Zone B vs 7th of Zone A
- 4th of Zone A vs 6th of Zone B
- 4th of Zone B vs 6th of Zone A
- 5th of Zone A vs 5th of Zone B
In the second phase, the loser of the final for the first promotion joins the seven qualifiers. A cross-zone table is then created, using a priority order that respects each team’s zone position first, followed by average points from matches between zones, goal difference, goals scored, and finally a draw. Teams are ranked from first to eighth, with the loser of the single final considered first in the table.
The table is used to determine a home-and-away series, with the higher-seeded team hosting the first leg. If the aggregate is tied, the higher seed advances to the semi-finals.
The quarterfinals matchups are set as follows:
- 1st vs 8th
- 2nd vs 7th
- 3rd vs 6th
- 4th vs 5th
The semi-finals then follow a similar format. Four teams will reach the semi-finals, using a general interzonal table with the same parameters as the previous round. The path to the final mirrors the earlier rounds with a double-match setup hosted by the higher-seeded team, and the tiebreaker again being the interzonal average if needed.
The final changes to a single match on a neutral field, with the venue determined by the federation. If regulation time ends in a draw, extra time is played in two turns of 15 minutes. If the match remains level after extra time, the promotion is decided by a penalty shootout.
CLASSIFIED TEAMS
With less than two days remaining before the end of the First National Tournament, the participants assigned to the playoff for promotion have not yet been confirmed.
DATES, TIMES AND RESULTS
The final for the first promotion, the playoff for the second promotion, and the relegation deciders will take place from late October to early December. The likely schedule includes:
- Final for the first promotion: October 28
- Playoff rounds for the second promotion on November 4, 11, 18 and 25
- Final for the third relegation: December 2
HOW TO WATCH LIVE ONLINE AND ON TV
TyC Sports broadcasts most of the matches in the closing stages and the playoff for the second promotion. These games can also be streamed on TyC Sports Play. The TyC signal is distributed by major cable operators across the country.
Access is available at www.tycsportsplay.com. The platform serves subscribers from cable providers that carry TyC Sports. A user account is tied to each customer number.
(Goal)