The 2017–18 Championnat National 3 is the first season of the fifth tier in the French football league system in its current format. The competition is contested by 171 clubs split geographically across 12 groups of 14 teams, 1 group of 15 teams and 1 group of 16 teams. The teams include amateur clubs (although a few are semi-professional) and the reserve teams of professional clubs.