The Torneo Federal A (in English "Federal A Tournament") is one of the two professional leagues that form the regionalised third level of the Argentine football league system, along with Primera B Metropolitana.[1] The competition was established in 2014 as a result of a change in the structure of the league system, replacing Torneo Argentino A.
Federal A is organised by "Consejo Federal", a division of the Argentine Football Association. Clubs in Federal A have indirect membership in AFA unlike clubs in Primera B, which have direct membership. All teams with indirect membership are from outside the city of Buenos Aires (playing in regional leagues) and its metropolitan area (Greater Buenos Aires), while most of the direct members are from the aforementioned area.
Format (2024 season)
First stage
The thirty eight teams were divided into four zones, two with ten teams and two with nine teams in each zone and it was played in a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams two times. The teams placed 1st to 5th from each zone with ten teams, and the teams placed 1st to 4th from each zone with nine teams qualified for the Championship Stages. The remaining twenty three teams qualify for the Revalida Stage.
Championship stages
Second stage
The eighteen teams were divided into two zones with nine teams each and it was played in a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams one time. The teams placed 1st and 2nd qualified for the Third Stage. The remaining fourteen teams qualified for the Second Phase of the Revalida Stage.
Third stage
The four teams play a Two-legged tie and the winners advance to the fourth stage. The losing teams qualified for the Third Phase of the Revalida Stage.
Fourth stage
Both tie winners will play a final match on neutral ground to decide the champion and first promoted team to Primera Nacional. The losing team qualified for the Third Phase of the Revalida Stage.
Revalida Stages
The Revalida Stage is divided in several phases: First, the twenty teams that did not qualify for the Championship Stages were divided into two zones and it was played in a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams one time. The teams placed 1st to 6th from each zone advance too the second phase.
Second phase
The twelve teams from the first phase of Revalida Stage and the fourteen team from the Second Stage of Championship Stage play a Two-legged tie and the winners advance to the third stage.
Third to Sixth phase
The thirteen teams from the second phase, the losing teams from the Third Stage and the losing team from the Fourth Stage of Championship stages, play a Torneo Reducido, with teams seeded according to their previous results; playing a Two-legged tie over the phases. The winner of the sixth phase played a Promotion playoff against one team from Primera B Metropolitana.
Relegation
After the First Phase of the Revalida Stage a table was drawn up with the points obtained in the First Stage and the First Phase of the Revalida Stage and the bottom two teams of each two zones were relegated to the Torneo Regional Federal Amateur, giving a total of eight teams relegated.
^ abBecause of being a transicional tournament, the competition had the unusual number of seven clubs promoted to Primera B Nacional and no relegations.[2] They are listed as "winners", although no official champion was crowned.[3]
^On 28 April 2020, AFA decided to abandon the competition and declare the season finished due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All official competitions were suspended since 17 March.
