Primera C (Argentina) 2026/27

The Primera C Metropolitana operates as the fourth tier of the Argentine football league system, governed by the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA). It sits below the Primera División, Primera Nacional, and Primera B Metropolitana. The league was founded in 1900 as the Tercera División by the AFA. It has undergone several name changes: it was known as Primera Amateur from 1944 to 1962, when it was renamed Primera C. Historically, it has fluctuated between the third and fourth tiers due to league restructuring, particularly in 1911, 1933, and 1985.

The league currently features 28 teams divided into two zones (Zona A and Zona B) of 14 teams each. The season format involves a double round-robin within each zone, plus inter-zone matches. Promotion to the Primera B Metropolitana is determined by a playoff system: the winners of each zone face each other in a two-legged final to decide the champion and the first direct promotion spot. A second promotion spot is awarded to the winner of the Torneo Reducido, a knockout tournament involving teams finishing between 2nd and 7th place in the aggregate standings.

Relegation involves the last-placed team in each zone playing a relegation match; the loser faces the winner of the Torneo Promocional Amateur (formerly Primera D) in a survival playoff, while the winner of the relegation match is disaffiliated from the AFA. The most successful club in the league's history is Club Atlético Colegiales, with 7 titles. Other notable champions include Villa Dálmine (5 titles), and Estudiantes (BA), Sportivo Alsina, Defensores de Belgrano, and San Telmo (4 titles each). The current champion (as of the 2025 season) is Deportivo Camioneros. The league is distinct from other Argentine competitions by its specific amateur/semi-professional status, its unique two-zone structure with inter-zone play, and its complex promotion/relegation mechanics involving disaffiliation rather than simple relegation to a fifth tier.