The 2017–18 Argentine Torneo Federal A was the 5th season of the third tier of the Argentine football league system. The tournament is reserved for teams indirectly affiliated to the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA), while teams affiliated to AFA have to play the Primera B Metropolitana, which is the other third tier competition. The champion was promoted to Primera B Nacional. 39 teams are competing in the league, 31 returning from the 2016–17 season, 4 teams that were relegated from Primera B Nacional and 4 teams promoted from Federal B. The regular season began on September 17, 2017 and ended in May 2018.
Format
First stage The teams were divided into three zones with ten teams and one zone with nine teams (a total of 39 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 1º to 4º from each zone qualified for the Second Stage. The remaining twenty three teams qualify for the Revalida Stage.
Championship stages
Second stage The teams were divided into two zones with eight 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 1º and 2º and the best 3º team from the two zones qualified for the Third Stage or Pentagonal Final. The remaining team placed 3º qualify for the Third Phase of the Revalida Stage. The other ten teams qualify for the Second Phase of the Revalida Stage.
Third stage The five teams that qualified for the third stage or Pentagonal Final play in a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams one time. The winner was declared champion and automatically promoted to the Primera B Nacional. The other four teams qualify for the Fourth Phase of the Revalida Stage.
Revalida Stages The Revalida Stage is divided in several phases: First, the twenty three teams that did not qualify for the Championship Stages were divided into the same four zones of the First Stage and it was played in a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams two times. The team placed 1º of each zone qualified for the Second Phase. The second phase is played between the four teams that qualified from the First Phase and the ten teams that qualified from the Second Stage of the Championship Stage. The seven winners qualify for the Third Phase.
The Third Phase is played between the seven teams that qualified from the Second Phase and the team that qualified from the Second Stage of the Championship Stage. The four winners qualify for the Fourth Phase.
The Fourth Phase is played between the four teams that qualified from the Third Phase and the four teams that qualified from the Third Stage of the Championship Stage. The four winners qualify for the Fifth Phase. The Fifth and Sixth Phase is played between the remaining teams and aims to get the Second promotion to the Primera B Nacional.
Relegation After the First Phase of the Revalida Stage a table was drawn up with the average of points obtained in the First Stage and the First Phase of the Revalida Stage. It is determined by dividing the points by the number of games played and the bottom team of each four zones was relegated to the Torneo Federal B. Also, another table was drawn up with the remaining teams that played the Revalida Stage and the bottom four teams were relegated to the Torneo Federal B. Giving a total of eight teams relegated.
Club information
Zone A Team City Stadium Alvarado Mar del Plata (None) 1 Cipolletti Cipolletti La Visera de Cemento Deportivo Madryn Puerto MadrynColiseo del Golfo Deportivo Roca General RocaLuis Maiolino Ferro Carril Oeste General PicoEl Coloso del Barrio Talleres Independiente NeuquénJosé Rosas y Perito Moreno Rivadavia Lincoln El Coliseo Sansinena General Cerri Luis Molina Villa Mitre Bahía BlancaEl Fortín 1 Play their home games at Estadio José María Minella.
Zone B TeamCityStadium Deportivo Maipú Maipú Higinio Sperdutti Desamparados San Juan El Serpentario Estudiantes Río Cuarto Ciudad de Río Cuarto Gimnasia y Esgrima Mendoza Víctor Antonio Legrotaglie Gutiérrez General Gutiérrez General Gutiérrez Huracán Las HerasLas HerasGeneral San Martín Juventud Unida Universitario San Luis Mario Diez San Lorenzo CatamarcaMalvinas Argentinas Unión Villa Krause12 de Octubre Unión Aconquija AconquijaMunicipal de Aconquija
Zone C Team City Stadium Atlético Paraná Paraná Pedro Mutio Central Córdoba Santiago del Estero Alfredo Terrera Defensores Pronunciamiento Delio Cardozo Defensores de Belgrano Villa Ramallo Salomón Boeseldín Douglas HaigPergamino Miguel Morales Gimnasia y Esgrima Concepción del Uruguay Manuel y Ramón Núñez Libertad Sunchales Hogar de Los Tigres Sportivo Belgrano San Francisco Oscar Boero Sportivo Las Parejas Las Parejas Fortaleza del Lobo Unión Sunchales La Fortaleza
Zone D Team City Stadium Altos Hornos ZaplaPalpaláEmilio Fabrizzi Chaco For EverResistencia Juan Alberto García Crucero del NorteGarupáAndrés Guacurarí Deportivo Mandiyú Corrientes (None) 1 Gimnasia y Tiro Salta Gigante del Norte Guaraní Antonio Franco Posadas Clemente F. de Oliveira Juventud Antoniana Salta Fray Honorato Pistoia San Jorge San Miguel de Tucumán Senador Luis Cruz Sarmiento ResistenciaCentenario Sportivo Patria Formosa Antonio Romero 1 Play their home games at Estadio José Antonio Romero Feris.
First stage
Zone A
Results
Zone B
Results
Zone C
Results
Zone D
Results
Championship stages
Second stage
Zone A
Results
Zone B
Results
Ranking of third-placed teams
Third stage
Results
Reválida Stage
First phase
Zone A
Results
Zone B
Results
Zone C
Results
Zone D
Results
Second phase
Team Goal DifferenceQualification 11Deportivo Madryn 17 8 +1Qualified from First Phase of Reválida Stage 12Huracán Las Heras 19 10 +8 13San Jorge (T) 19 10 +5 14Atlético Paraná 18 10 +6
Third phase
Team Goal DifferenceQualification 8Deportivo Madryn 17 8 +1Qualified from First Phase of Reválida Stage
Fourth to Sixth phase
Team Goal DifferenceQualification 8Deportivo Madryn 17 8 +1Qualified from First Phase of Reválida Stage
Fourth phase
Fifth phase
Sixth phase
Relegation
Zone A Team Relegation 1Deportivo Madryn 16 17 33 24 2Cipolletti 23 7 30 24 3Sansinena 16 14 30 24 4Independiente (N) 19 9 28 24 5Rivadavia (L) 17 8 25 24 Torneo Federal B
Zone B Team Relegation 1Huracán Las Heras 22 19 41 28 2Deportivo Maipú 26 13 39 28 3San Lorenzo 20 13 33 28 4Unión (VK) 17 15 32 28 5Unión Aconquija 13 10 23 28 6Gutiérrez SC 13 8 21 28 Torneo Federal B
Zone C Team Relegation 1Sportivo Las Parejas 23 17 40 28 2Douglas Haig 26 12 38 28 3Defensores (P) 22 13 35 28 4Atlético Paraná 16 18 34 28 5Gimnasia y Esgrima (CdU) 25 9 34 28 6Libertad (S) 14 10 24 28 Torneo Federal B
Zone D Team Relegation 1San Jorge (T) 20 19 39 28 2Juventud Antoniana 24 12 36 28 3Altos Hornos Zapla 24 12 36 28 4Sportivo Patria 16 14 30 28 5Deportivo Mandiyú 15 14 29 28 6Guaraní Antonio Franco 12 8 20 28 Torneo Federal B
General table Team Relegation 1Huracán Las Heras 22 19 41 28 2Sportivo Las Parejas 23 17 40 28 3Deportivo Maipú 26 13 39 28 4San Jorge (T) 20 19 39 28 5Deportivo Madryn 16 17 33 24 6Douglas Haig 26 12 38 28 7Juventud Antoniana 24 12 36 28 8Altos Hornos Zapla 24 12 36 28 9Cipolletti 23 7 30 24 10Sansinena 16 14 30 24 11Defensores (P) 22 13 35 28 12Atlético Paraná 16 18 34 28 13Gimnasia y Esgrima (CdU) 25 9 34 28 14San Lorenzo 20 13 33 28 15Independiente (N) 19 9 28 24 16Unión (VK) 17 15 32 28 Torneo Federal B 17Sportivo Patria 16 14 30 28 18Deportivo Mandiyú 15 14 29 28 19Unión Aconquija 13 10 23 28
Season statistics
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Pablo Palacios AlvarengaGimnasia y Esgrima (M)211 Luis SilbaSarmiento (R)163 Diego JaraCentral Córdoba (SdE)134 Cristian CampozanoSportivo Patria12
See also 2017–18 Primera B Nacional 2017–18 Copa Argentina
References
External links Sitio Oficial de AFA Ascenso del Interior Solo Ascenso Mundo Ascenso Promiedos