Season 3 of Top 100 Regen is over — and three seasons in, this Game World has well and truly developed a history of its own.

Bayern München ended Real Madrid’s two-year hold on Division 1. Manchester City somehow managed to win three cups without winning the league. Liverpool bounced straight back from relegation. Real Sociedad completed an extraordinary three-season climb from Division 4 to Division 1. Al Nassr won a second consecutive divisional championship.

And Bayern weren’t finished there: their youngsters also won the Top 100 Youth Cup.

Here’s how S3 finished.

Bayern break the Madrid monopoly

The Division 1 title went all the way to the final night.

Bayern München and Real Madrid entered the last round level on 79 points, with Manchester City just two points behind. When it was over:

Andrew Kelly’s Bayern München are the S3 champions, ending James Mckenzie’s run of consecutive titles with Real Madrid.

For Kelly it is a particularly impressive achievement: he won Division 2 with Villarreal in S1 and has now won Division 1 with Bayern.

At the bottom, Atalanta, Athletic Club, Brighton & Hove Albion and Lille OSC were relegated.

Atalanta and Brighton have already become genuine yo-yo clubs: both went D1 → D2 → D1 → D2 across the first three seasons.

Liverpool bounce straight back

Liverpool’s first ever relegation in S2 proved brief.

They dominated Division 2, finishing champions on 88 points, with Manchester United second on 77.

But perhaps the story of the whole Game World sits immediately behind them.

Real Sociedad’s third place completed a remarkable sequence:

S1: Division 4 champions
S2: Division 3 runners-up
S3: Division 2 third place

Three seasons. Three promotions.

A club originally placed in Division 4 by the Opta rankings will begin S4 in Division 1.

Aston Villa joined the promoted trio after beating Porto 1–0 in the play-off semi-final and Fiorentina 3–2 in the final.

Union Saint-Gilloise, Lazio, AC Milan and Slavia Praha were relegated.

Girona keep climbing

Division 3 produced another of Regen’s great journeys.

Bologna bounced straight back from relegation by winning the division on 84 points, just one ahead of Ajax. Galatasaray took the third automatic promotion place.

Ajax themselves have now climbed from their original D4 allocation into D2.

But Girona went one better.

They began the Game World in Division 5, won promotion in S1, climbed again in S2 and reached the S3 play-offs from fourth place.

A penalty shoot-out victory over Lyon put them into the final, where goals from Roberto Firmino and İlkay Gündoğan gave them a 2–1 win over Benfica.

So Girona’s journey now reads:

D5 → D4 → D3 → D2

Like Real Sociedad, they have been promoted in every season the Game World has existed.

Leeds United, Osasuna, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Mainz were relegated from D3.

Back-to-back titles for Al Nassr

Division 4 belonged to two clubs which started life in Division 5.

Al Nassr won the league with 89 points, following their S2 Division 5 title with another championship.

Jimmy Gouldie’s side have therefore gone:

S1: 10th in D5
S2: D5 champions
S3: D4 champions

Behind them, Mamelodi Sundowns finished second with 84 points and 94 goals, while Strasbourg claimed the third automatic promotion place.

Sundowns' own journey has been dramatic: 11th in D5 → 3rd in D5 → 2nd in D4. They will start S4 in Division 3.

The final promotion place went to Flamengo. They beat Maccabi Haifa in the semi-final before defeating Salzburg 2–1 in the final.

Fenerbahçe, Stade Rennais, Club Brugge and Olympiacos were relegated.

Derby finally escape Division 5

Las Palmas ran away with Division 5, finishing champions on 87 points.

Wolfsburg took second and Derby County third.

Derby’s promotion is significant for another reason. They began S1 with a 76-rated squad and have since built one rated 88 — the biggest rating increase anywhere in the Game World.

For two seasons that squad-building hadn’t resulted in promotion. This time it did.

Royal Antwerp took the fourth promotion place after two nerve-shredding shoot-outs: first beating Getafe 2–0 on penalties, then drawing 1–1 with Como before winning the final shoot-out 4–1.

Antwerp also started with a 76-rated squad. They too will finally leave D5 behind.

Manchester City’s cup treble

Bayern won the league.

But if S3 had a cup king, there is no contest.

Paul Rimmer’s Manchester City won:

• 🏆 Top 100 Regen Cup
• 🏆 SMFA Champions Cup
• 🏆 SMFA Super Cup

The Champions Cup final provided an appropriate finale to the season.

City faced the newly crowned D1 champions Bayern München in Luzhniki. Savinho put City ahead after 51 minutes before Baena equalised for Bayern on 62.

It finished 1–1.

In the shoot-out, Moraes saved Harry Kane’s opening penalty and Musiala later missed. City converted all four of theirs, Savinho scoring the decisive kick.

Manchester City 1–1 Bayern München
City win 4–1 on penalties.

Remarkably, it is City’s third consecutive SMFA Champions Cup. Paul Rimmer has won the competition in S1, S2 and S3.

City still haven’t won Division 1.

Football, eh?

Bournemouth take the SMFA Shield

The other international final produced five goals at Wembley.

Tottenham took the lead through Brennan Johnson, but Bournemouth responded through Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert before Timothy Weah made it 3–1.

Vušković pulled one back late on, but Bournemouth held on.

AFC Bournemouth 3–2 Tottenham Hotspur

Simon Thomas therefore adds the SMFA Shield to Bournemouth’s Regen Shield triumph from S2.

Arsenal won this season’s Top 100 Regen Shield, while Internazionale took the Charity Shield.

Bayern’s youngsters do it too

Bayern’s senior side weren’t the club’s only S3 champions.

Pane Trifunov’s Youth Cup competition culminated with Bayern beating Arsenal 3–1 in the semi-final, while Liverpool defeated Internazionale 4–1 in the other semi.

The final was another five-goal game:

Bayern München 3–2 Liverpool

So Bayern finish S3 as both Division 1 champions and Youth Cup winners.

The full S3 honours

A new hierarchy

When Top 100 Regen began, the five divisions were essentially an Opta ranking converted into a Game World.

Three seasons later, that description doesn’t really work any more.

Real Sociedad have travelled from D4 to D1. Girona have gone from D5 to D2. New England Revolution have risen from D5 to D3. Al Nassr have won consecutive divisions. Mamelodi Sundowns are heading from D5 into D3. Ajax have climbed from D4 to D2.

Meanwhile Liverpool have been relegated and returned. Atalanta and Brighton have gone down, up and down again. Club Brugge have fallen from D2 to D5.

The original hierarchy hasn’t disappeared.

But it has been thoroughly messed with.

Which was rather the point.