League III Season 2026 — Group B Round 8 Recap

    

Round 8 of League III Season 2026 delivered another busy slate of 13 matches, with all 26 Group B clubs in action. With 50 rounds in the season, there is still a long way to go, but the promotion and cup races are already beginning to take shape.

The battle at the top is especially important: 1st place earns automatic promotion to League II, while 2nd through 9th enter the promotion playoffs. Teams finishing 10th qualify for the Friendly Cup, while 11th and 12th qualify for the King's Cup. There is no relegation from the bottom positions.

⚽ Round 8 Results

• Royal Charleroi SC 3–2 RC Celta de Vigo — A dramatic win for Charleroi, who came into the match ranked 16th, against 2nd-place Celta. The result is a major boost for Charleroi and a damaging setback for one of the leading promotion contenders.
• Royal Antwerp FC 2–3 Rayo Vallecano — Rayo, sitting 11th, picked up an important away victory over 17th-place Antwerp. The win could strengthen Rayo's push toward the King's Cup places and potentially higher.
• SK Super Nova 1–3 Villarreal CF — Villarreal continued their excellent campaign with a convincing away victory. The 7th-ranked Spanish side takes another step toward maintaining a playoff position.
• Rézeknes FA 3–2 SL Benfica — One of the biggest surprises of the round. Rézeknes, ranked 20th, defeated 9th-place Benfica in a five-goal thriller, denying Benfica valuable points in the promotion-playoff race.
• Africa Sports FC 4–2 BFC Daugavpils — Africa Sports produced one of the round's strongest attacking displays, beating Daugavpils 4–2. The 15th-ranked side gets a valuable three points against 21st.
• Monaco FC 2–1 KAA Gent — Monaco, ranked 8th, held off 26th-place Gent to collect three points. The result keeps Monaco firmly inside the promotion-playoff positions.
• Águilas Doradas 2–2 FC Helsingør — A hard-fought draw between two sides in the lower half of the standings. 18th-place Águilas and 24th-place Helsingør each take a point.
• Deportes Concepción 2–2 AC Horsens — Another evenly matched contest ended all square. Concepción, ranked 12th, missed an opportunity to strengthen its position around the King's Cup line.
• Internacional de Bogotá 3–1 Hvidovre IF — A strong home performance from 3rd-place Internacional. The Colombian club took care of 19th-place Hvidovre and remains firmly involved in the automatic-promotion conversation.
• Independiente Medellín 2–3 FC Dinamo București — Dinamo produced a major away result, overcoming 14th-place Medellín. The Romanian side, ranked 5th, strengthens its position in the promotion-playoff race.
• Cúcuta Deportivo 3–2 AFC Unirea Slobozia — Cúcuta delivered another important result, defeating 23rd-place Unirea. Sitting 10th, Cúcuta is right on the edge of the playoff places and will be targeting a move into the top nine.
• Once Caldas 4–2 FC Gloria Buzău — The round's highest-scoring victory. Once Caldas, ranked 1st, continued its excellent campaign by defeating 22nd-place Gloria Buzău 4–2 and protecting its position at the summit.
• Canadian FC 3–2 Violette Athletic Club — Canadian FC secured a narrow victory over 4th-place Violette. The result is particularly significant for the promotion race, as Violette drops valuable points despite entering the match among the leading contenders.

🏆 Promotion Race

Once Caldas remains the team to beat. The league leaders backed up their position with a 4–2 victory and continue to set the pace for automatic promotion to League II.

Behind them, Internacional de Bogotá enjoyed one of the strongest rounds among the leading clubs, defeating Hvidovre 3–1. FC Dinamo București, RC Celta de Vigo, Violette Athletic Club, Villarreal, and Monaco were all among the teams positioned for the promotion playoffs entering the round.

However, Round 8 showed just how unpredictable this league can be. Celta lost to 16th-place Charleroi, Benfica fell to 20th-place Rézeknes, and Violette suffered defeat against Canadian FC. Those results could prove costly when the playoff race becomes tighter later in the season.

🔥 The Playoff Battle

The 2nd–9th positions remain the key target for clubs chasing promotion through the playoffs. Monaco's victory was particularly valuable because the 8th-place side protected its position inside the playoff zone.

Meanwhile, Cúcuta Deportivo's 3–2 victory puts even more pressure on the teams immediately ahead of them. Cúcuta entered Round 8 in 10th, just outside the playoff positions, meaning the club is already within striking distance of the top nine.

Deportes Concepción, sitting 12th, will be disappointed with its draw against Horsens. The point keeps them around the King's Cup qualification area, but they will need more victories if they want to climb into the playoff picture.

🏅 Cup Picture

The 10th-place Friendly Cup position is becoming an important target for teams unable to break into the promotion playoff places. Cúcuta currently occupies that territory and will be looking upward rather than settling for it.

The 11th and 12th positions qualify for the King's Cup, making the battle around those places equally important. Rayo Vallecano's 3–2 win over Antwerp is a particularly valuable result for the 11th-ranked club, while Concepción's draw leaves them sitting in the 12th-place zone.

📊 Round 8 Takeaways

Biggest winner: 🟢 Once Caldas — The league leaders scored four and maintained their charge toward automatic promotion.

Biggest upset: 🔥 Rézeknes FA 3–2 SL Benfica — A 20th-place team defeating a 9th-place playoff contender is exactly the kind of result that can shake up the table.

Best promotion result: ⭐ Internacional de Bogotá 3–1 Hvidovre IF — A professional performance from one of the leading contenders.

Most damaging defeat: 🔴 RC Celta de Vigo 2–3 Royal Charleroi — Celta's loss to a team ranked 16th could prove costly in the race for the top nine.

Most important battle: ⚔️ Cúcuta Deportivo 3–2 Unirea Slobozia — Cúcuta remains just outside the playoff places and cannot afford to lose ground.

With 42 rounds still to play, nothing is decided, but Round 8 reinforced one major theme of League III: there is very little separation between the promotion contenders and the teams capable of upsetting them.