Primera B Metropolitana (Argentina)

Primera B Metropolitana (Argentina) (Primera División B) - the third tier of Argentina’s league system for clubs directly affiliated with the Argentine Football Association. Regulations: under the current competition rules the division is contested by 21 clubs and is played as two separate tournaments, Apertura and Clausura, each run as a single round-robin, with the home and away status reversed in the second tournament compared to the first, while the overall season table is the sum of points from both tournaments under a 3-1-0 system. The first promotion to Primera Nacional is decided as follows: if the same club wins both Apertura and Clausura it is crowned champion and is promoted directly, otherwise the two tournament winners play a two-legged final, with the second leg hosted by the club better placed in the overall table, and if points and goal difference are level after the second leg the tie is decided by penalties. A second promotion place is awarded via the Reducido playoff, played over two-legged rounds with the higher seed hosting the second leg, and if points and goal difference are level after the second leg the tie is decided by penalties, with the field being either the top eight in the overall table excluding the directly promoted champion, or six best-placed teams excluding the two tournament winners plus the loser of the first-promotion final. Relegation is the bottom two in the overall table, and any team in relegation positions is barred from promotion pathways and is replaced by the next eligible team from the relevant tournament table. Table tie-breakers are applied in order of goal difference, then goals scored, then a head-to-head mini-table among the tied teams using points, goal difference and goals scored, repeated as required, while ties that decide relegation are resolved by a neutral-venue playoff match or matches, with extra time and penalties if still level.