Belgian Pro League facts for kids

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Belgian Pro League
Founded	1895; 130 years ago (1895)
Country	Belgium
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	16
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Challenger Pro League
Domestic cup(s)	Belgian Cup Belgian Super Cup
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League
Current champions	Club Brugge (19th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Anderlecht (34 titles)
Most appearances	Jan Ceulemans (517)
Top goalscorer	Albert De Cleyn (377)
TV partners	List of broadcasters

The Belgian Pro League, also known as the Jupiler Pro League because of its sponsor Jupiler, is the top football league in Belgium. It's where the best football clubs in Belgium compete to be champions!

Since the 2023–24 season, 16 teams play in this league. Teams can move up to the Pro League from the Challenger Pro League (a lower league) or move down to it. This system is called promotion and relegation.

The football season usually starts in early August and ends in late March. Each team plays 30 matches during the regular season. After that, the top teams go into special "Play-offs" to decide the champion or which teams get to play in European competitions.

The Belgian Pro League was started way back in 1895 by the Royal Belgian Football Association. The first team to win was FC Liégeois. Out of 74 clubs that have played in the top league, 16 have won the championship. The most successful club is Anderlecht, with an amazing 34 titles! Other top clubs include Club Brugge (19 titles), Union Saint-Gilloise (11 titles), and Standard Liège (10 titles).

The league is currently ranked 8th in Europe by UEFA. This ranking shows how well Belgian clubs have done in European competitions over the last five years. Back in 1979 and 1980, the Belgian league was even ranked 3rd in Europe, which was its best ever!

How did the Belgian Pro League start?

Early Years (1895–1914)

The very first Belgian football league happened in 1895–96. Seven teams played in a round-robin tournament, where everyone played everyone else. FC Liégeois became the first ever champion of Belgium. For the first eight years, only FC Liégeois or RC de Bruxelles won the title.

In the beginning, there wasn't a system where teams moved up or down. But from the 1906 season onwards, a system of promotion and relegation was introduced. This meant the winner of the second division would replace the last-placed team in the first division.

Before World War I, Union Saint-Gilloise and Daring Club de Bruxelles were very strong. Union Saint-Gilloise won four titles in a row!

After World War I (1919–1945)

Football stopped during World War I. It started again in 1919–20, and FC Brugeois won their first title. In the 1920s and 1930s, teams from the province of Antwerp were very successful. Clubs like Beerschot AC, Antwerp FC, and Liersche SK won many championships.

A famous moment was when Union Saint-Gilloise had an amazing 60-game unbeaten streak from 1932 to 1935! They won three titles in a row during this time. The league was stopped again during World War II.

After World War II (1945–1980)

The league restarted in 1945–46. This is when the "top scorer" award was introduced for the player who scored the most goals. RSC Anderlechtois became very dominant, winning their first championship in 1946–47 and six more titles over the next nine years!

In 1954, the Belgian Golden Shoe award was created. This award goes to the best player in the league each year. In the 1960s, Anderlecht, led by star player Paul Van Himst, won six titles, including a record five in a row!

Belgian clubs also started doing well in European competitions in the 1970s. Anderlecht won the 1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup twice, and Club Brugge reached the final of the European Cup.

Recent Years (1980–Present)

Belgian clubs continued to shine in Europe in the 1980s. Anderlecht won the 1982–83 UEFA Cup, and KV Mechelen won the 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup. At home, Anderlecht won their 20th title in 1986–87.

In the 1990s, Anderlecht and Club Brugge continued to be the main contenders, each winning four titles. The 2000s saw Anderlecht win five more titles.

A big change happened at the end of the 2000s: a play-off round was added after the regular season. Anderlecht won the first championship in this new format in 2009-10, which was their 30th title! More recently, KAA Gent surprised everyone by winning in 2015, and Club Brugge has won the league five times in the last seven years. Union Saint-Gilloise almost won in 2021–22 after returning to the top flight for the first time in 48 years!

How the Competition Works

Regular Season

In the regular season, each of the 16 teams plays every other team twice. This means each team plays a total of 30 matches between August and April.

A win gives a team three points.
A draw (tie) gives one point.
Teams are ranked by their total points. If points are tied, other factors like total wins or goal difference are used.

Championship Play-off

After the regular season, the top six teams enter the Championship Play-off. This is where the Belgian champion is decided!

Teams start with half the points they earned in the regular season (rounded up).
Each team plays every other team in the play-off twice.
The team with the most points at the end of the play-off wins the championship!

Top Teams in the Championship Play-off (Since 2009)

This table shows how well teams have done in the Championship Play-off since it started in 2009.

Rank	Club	Seasons	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Points	Avg. Points per Match	GF	GA	GD	Titles	Last participation
1	Club Brugge	13	118	56	25	37	193	1.64	197	147	+50	4	2022–23
2	Anderlecht	12	112	50	27	35	177	1.58	171	137	+34	5	2021–22
3	Genk	9	82	39	17	26	134	1.63	133	112	+21	2	2022–23
4	Standard Liège	7	70	33	15	22	114	1.63	115	92	+23		2018–19
5	Gent	8	80	28	20	23	104	1.3	107	111	-4	1	2018–19
6	Zulte Waregem	5	50	12	11	27	47	0.94	66	102	−36		2016–17
7	Antwerp	4	28	9	7	12	34	1.21	31	45	−14	1	2022–23
8	Charleroi	3	30	7	8	15	29	0.97	32	50	−18		2017–18
9	Kortrijk	3	30	8	5	17	29	0.97	36	55	−19		2014–15
10	Oostende	2	20	6	5	9	23	1.15	28	36	−8		2016–17
11	Lokeren	3	30	4	7	19	19	0.63	38	66	−28		2013–14
12	Union SG	2	12	4	3	5	15	1.25	13	13	0		2022–23
13	Sint-Truiden	1	10	3	4	3	13	1.3	9	10	−1		2009–10

Team Results by Season

This table shows how teams have performed in the Championship Play-off over the years.

Legend

1st — Champions
2nd — Runners-up
3rd — Third place
• — Did not qualify
NH — Not held due to COVID-19
× — Playing in a lower division
D — Defunct

Team	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19	2019–20	2020–21	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25
Anderlecht	1st	3rd	1st	1st	1st	3rd	2nd	1st	3rd	6th	NH	4th	3rd	•	3rd
Antwerp	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	•	4th		3rd	4th	1st	6th
Cercle Brugge	•	•	•	•	•	•	×	×	×	•		•	•	•	4th
Charleroi	•	•	×	•	•	5th	•	5th	6th	•		•	•	•	•
Club Brugge	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd	3rd	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	2nd		1st	1st	4th	1st
Genk	•	1st	3rd	5th	6th	•	4th	•	5th	1st		2nd	•	2nd	5th
Gent	2nd	5th	4th	•	•	1st	3rd	3rd	4th	5th		•	•	•	•
Kortrijk	5th	•	6th	•	•	6th	•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•
Lokeren	•	6th	•	6th	5th	•	•	•	•	•	×	D	D	D	D	D
Oostende	×	×	×	×	•	•	5th	4th	•	•	NH	•	•	•	×	× / D ?
Sint-Truiden	4th	•	•	×	×	×	•	•	•	•		•	•	•	•
Standard Liège	•	2nd	5th	4th	2nd	4th	•	•	2nd	3rd		•	•	•	•
Union SG	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	2nd	3rd	2nd
Zulte Waregem	6th	•	•	2nd	4th	•	6th	6th	•	•	NH	•	•	•	×	×

Europa League Playoff

Teams ranked 7th to 16th after the regular season, along with six teams from the Belgian First Division B, play in the Europa League Playoff. They are divided into groups. The winners of these groups play each other to decide who gets a chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

Relegation Playoff

Since 2023, teams ranked 13th to 16th after the regular season play in a special relegation play-off.

Two teams are directly moved down to the Challenger Pro League.
One team plays against the 3rd place team from the Challenger Pro League to try and avoid being relegated.

How Teams Qualify for European Competitions

The Belgian champion and the runner-up usually get to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.
The winner of the Belgian Cup (or the Cup finalist if the winner is already in Champions League) qualifies for the UEFA Europa League.
Other top teams from the Championship Play-off and the Europa League Playoff also get spots in the Europa League or UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds.

What is the League Called?

The name of the league has changed over the years:

1895–1904: Championship Cup
1904–1926: First Division
1926–1952: Division of Honour
1952–2016: First Division
2016–2022: First Division A
2022–present: Belgian Pro League

Watching the Games

The rights to show Belgian Pro League games on TV are sold every few years. Currently, Eleven Sports has the exclusive rights to broadcast all matches until the 2024–25 season. Public broadcasters like VRT (Dutch) and RTBF (French) also show highlights of the games.

Teams in the League

Champions Over Time

This table shows which clubs have won the most Belgian championships.

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning Years
RSC Anderlecht	34	21	1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17
Club Brugge KV	19	23	1919–20, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
R Union Saint-Gilloise	11	10	1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1912–13, 1922–23, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
Standard Liège	10	13	1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 1982–83, 2007–08, 2008–09
K Beerschot VAC	7	7	1921–22, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1937–38, 1938–39
Racing de Bruxelles	6	4	1896–97, 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1907–08
R Antwerp FC	5	11	1928–29, 1930–31, 1943–44, 1956–57, 2022–23
RFC Liège	5	3	1895–96, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1951–52, 1952–53
Daring de Bruxelles	5	4	1911–12, 1913–14, 1920–21, 1935–36, 1936–37
KV Mechelen	4	5	1942–43, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1988–89
KRC Genk	4	4	1998–99, 2001–02, 2010–11, 2018–19
K Lierse SK	4	2	1931–32, 1941–42, 1959–60, 1996–97
Cercle Brugge KSV	3	0	1910–11, 1926–27, 1929–30
KSK Beveren	2	0	1978–79, 1983–84
KAA Gent	1	3	2014–15
RWD Molenbeek	1	0	1974–75
K Berchem Sport	0	3
R Charleroi SC	0	1
KSC Lokeren	0	1
SV Zulte Waregem	0	1
K Sint-Truiden VV	0	1
R Léopold Club	0	1
ROC de Charleroi	0	1
KRC Mechelen	0	1
K Beringen FC	0	1

bold clubs play in top flight
italic clubs dissolved or merged

Most Seasons in the Top Division

Here are the clubs that have played more than 50 seasons in the Belgian top division:

Matriculate	Club	№ of seasons: (119 total)	Period
16	Standard Liège	103	1909–1914, 1921–
1	Antwerp FC	101	1895–1900, 1901–1968, 1970–1998, 2000–2004, 2017–
3	Club Brugge KV	100	1895–1896, 1898–1928, 1929–1933, 1935–1939, 1946–1947, 1949–1951, 1959–
35	RSC Anderlecht	91	1921–1923, 1924–1926, 1927–1928, 1929–1931, 1935–
7	KAA Gent	83	1913–1929, 1936–1967, 1968–1971, 1980–1988, 1989–
12	Cercle Brugge	83	1899–1936, 1938–1946, 1961–1966, 1971–1978, 1979–1997, 2003–2015, 2018–
13	Beerschot VAC	81	1900–1906, 1907–1981, 1982–1991
30	K Lierse SK	74	1927–1948, 1953–1986, 1988–2007, 2010–2015
25	KV Mechelen	71	1921–1922, 1924–1925, 1926–1927, 1928–1956, 1963–1964, 1965–1969, 1971–1977, 1981–1982, 1983–1997, 1999–2001, 2002–2003, 2007–2018, 2019–
4	RFC Liège	67	1895–1910, 1912–1913, 1923–1924, 1945–1995
10	Union SG	59	1901–1949, 1951–1963, 1964–1965, 1968–1973, 2021–
22	Charleroi SC	57	1947–1957, 1966–1971, 1974–1980, 1985–2011, 2012–

bold clubs play in First Division
italic clubs dissolved or merged

Teams for 2024–25 Season

Club name	City	Last season position	First season of current spell in top division	Result 22–23	Result 21–22	Result 20–21	Result 19–20	Result 18–19
Anderlecht	Brussels (Anderlecht)	0033rd	1935–36	01111th	0033rd	0044th	0088th	0066th
Antwerp	Antwerp	0066th	2017–18	0011st	0044th	0033rd	0044th	0044th
Beerschot	Antwerp	2011st (CPL)	2024–25	2033rd (CPL)	01818th	0099th	2055th (D1B)	2022nd (D1B)
Cercle Brugge	Bruges	0044th	2018–19	0066th	01010th	01616th	01414th	01313th
Charleroi	Charleroi	01313th	2012–13	0099th	0077th	01313th	0033rd	0099th
Club Brugge	Bruges	0011st	1959–60	0044th	0011st	0011st	0011st	0022nd
Dender EH	Denderleeuw	2022nd (CPL)	2024–25	2099th (CPL)	3011st (NatD1)	30013th (NatD1)	3077th (1Am)	3099th (1Am)
Genk	Genk	0055th	1996–97	0022nd	0066th	0022nd	0077th	0011st
Gent	Ghent	0077th	1989–90	0055th	0055th	0055th	0022nd	0055th
Kortrijk	Kortrijk	01414th	2008–09	01414th	01313th	01414th	01111th	0088th
Mechelen	Mechelen	0088th	2019–20	01313th	0088th	0066th	0066th	2011st (D1B)
OH Leuven	Leuven	01010th	2020–21	01010th	01111th	01111th	2033rd (D1B)	2055th (D1B)
Sint-Truiden	Sint-Truiden	0099th	2015–16	01212th	0099th	01515th	01212th	0077th
Standard Liège	Liège	012TBD (11th or 12th)	1921–22	0077th	01414th	0088th	0055th	0033rd
Union SG	Brussels (Saint-Gilles)	0022nd	2021–22	0033rd	0022nd	2011st (D1B)	2044th (D1B)	2033rd (D1B)
Westerlo	Westerlo	011TBD (11th or 12th)	2022–23	0088th	2011st (D1B)	2044th (D1B)	2011st (D1B)	2044th (D1B)

Star Players

Players in the Belgian Pro League can come from any country. Clubs can sign as many foreign players as they want! Each year, players can win awards like the Belgian Golden Shoe for the best player, or the Belgian Ebony Shoe for players of African descent. Players also compete to be the top scorer of the season.

All-Time Top Scorers

All-time top scorers in the Belgian First Division
Rank	Player	Goals
1	Albert De Cleyn	377
2	Joseph Mermans	339
3	Bernard Voorhoof	281
4	Arthur Ceuleers	280
5	Rik Coppens	258
6	Erwin Vandenbergh	252
7	Paul Van Himst	237
8	Jan Ceulemans	230
As of 16 July 2000 (2000 -07-16)^[update]

Erwin Vandenbergh is a legendary player who was the top scorer four times in a row! He also won the top scorer title six times in his career with different clubs. Victor Wegria and Josip Weber also won the title three times in a row.

The player who has scored the most goals in the history of the Belgian First Division is Albert De Cleyn, with an incredible 350 goals! Other top scorers include Joseph Mermans (339 goals) and Bernard Voorhoof (281 goals).

The first foreign player to be the top scorer was Jan Mulder from the Netherlands in 1966–67. Since then, many international players have achieved this honor.