Belgian Pro League facts for kids

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Belgian Pro League
Belgian Pro League
Founded	1895; 130 years ago (1895)
Country	Belgium
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	16 (18 from 2026–27)
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	Union Saint-Gilloise (12th title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Anderlecht (34 titles)
Most appearances	Raymond Mommens (614)
Top goalscorer	Albert De Cleyn (377)

The Belgian Pro League, also known as the Jupiler Pro League because of its sponsor, is the top professional football league in Belgium. It's the highest level of football in the country. Currently, 16 clubs compete in the league, but this will change to 18 teams from the 2026–27 season. Teams can move up to this league from the Challenger Pro League or be moved down to it.

The football season usually runs from late July to late March. Each team plays 30 matches. After these matches, teams enter special "play-offs" based on their position. The top six teams play in Play-offs I to decide the champion. Teams in 15th and 16th place are directly moved down to a lower league. The team in 14th place plays a special match against a team from the Challenger Pro League to try and stay in the top division.

The league started way back in 1895. The first winner was FC Liégeois. Since then, 16 different clubs have won the Belgian championship. Anderlecht is the most successful club, with an amazing 34 titles! Other strong teams include Club Brugge (19 titles), Union Saint-Gilloise (12 titles), and Standard Liège (10 titles). The Belgian Pro League is currently ranked 8th in Europe based on how well its clubs do in European competitions.

History of Belgian Football

How it All Began (1895–1914)

The very first Belgian football league happened in 1895–96. Seven teams played against each other. FC Liégeois became the first champion. In the early years, there wasn't a system for teams to move up or down. Sometimes, clubs would just leave the league, and new ones would join.

Over time, the league format changed a few times, sometimes having one big league, sometimes two smaller ones with a final game. By 1906, a system was introduced where the best team from the second division would replace the last-placed team in the top division. This made the competition more exciting!

Between 1906 and 1914, Union Saint-Gilloise and RC de Bruxelles were very strong, winning many titles. As World War I got closer, Daring Club de Bruxelles also became a top team.

After the Wars (1919–1980)

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 Antwerp area, like Beerschot AC and Antwerp FC, became very successful. Liersche SK also won a title.

A special time was when Union Saint-Gilloise went unbeaten for 60 games in three seasons, winning titles from 1932–33 to 1934–35. Football was paused again during World War II.

After World War II, the league grew bigger. KV Mechelen won a title, and then RSC Anderlechtois started their amazing run. With star player Jef Mermans, they won six titles in nine years! In 1954, the Belgian Golden Shoe award was created for the best player.

In the 1960s, Anderlecht, led by Paul Van Himst, won six more titles, including a record five in a row! The 1970s saw Belgian clubs do well in European competitions. Anderlecht won the 1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup twice, and Club Brugge reached the final of the European Cup.

Modern Era (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 many titles, reaching their 20th championship in 1986–87.

In the 1990s, Anderlecht and Club Brugge continued to be the main contenders, each winning four titles. New teams like Racing Genk also started winning. The 2000s saw Anderlecht win five more titles.

A big change happened in 2009 when the league introduced "play-offs" after the regular season. This made the end of the season much more exciting! Anderlecht won the first championship under this new format. In recent years, Club Brugge has been very strong, winning the league five times in seven years. Union Saint-Gilloise almost won the league in 2021–22 in their first season back in the top flight after 48 years, but Club Brugge managed to win.

How the Competition Works

The way the Belgian Pro League is played has changed a lot since 2009. The biggest change was adding play-off rounds after the main season. The number of teams also went from 18 down to 16.

Matches are usually played on Saturdays, but some games happen on Fridays, Sundays, or Wednesdays. Clubs need a special "professional football license" to play in the Pro League. This license makes sure clubs are financially stable and have good stadiums.

Regular Season

Each of the 16 teams plays every other team twice, once at home and once away. This means each team plays 30 matches between August and April.

A win gives three points.
A draw gives one point.
Teams are ranked by points, then by wins, then by goal difference (goals scored minus goals against).

Championship Play-off

The top six teams from the regular season go into the Championship Play-off. This is where the Belgian champion is decided!

Teams start with half of the points they earned in the regular season. If a team had an odd number of points, it's rounded up.
Each team plays every other team in this group twice.
The team with the most points at the end of the play-off wins the championship.

Top Teams in Play-offs (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	15	138	70	30	38	240	1.7	239	159	+80	5	2024–25
2	Anderlecht	14	132	57	30	45	201	1.57	195	162	+33	5	2024–25
3	Genk	11	102	47	19	36	160	1.6	155	140	+15	2	2024–25
4	Standard Liège	7	70	33	15	22	114	1.63	115	92	+23		2018–19
5	Gent	9	90	29	20	32	107	1.3	111	143	−32	1	2024–25
6	Union SG	4	32	17	6	9	55	1.23	52	28	+24	1	2024–25
7	Antwerp	6	48	13	10	25	49	1.05	48	81	−33	1	2024–25
8	Zulte Waregem	5	50	12	11	27	47	0.94	66	102	−36		2016–17
9	Charleroi	3	30	7	8	15	29	0.97	32	50	−18		2017–18
10	Kortrijk	3	30	8	5	17	29	0.97	36	55	−19		2014–15
11	Oostende	2	20	6	5	9	23	1.15	28	36	−8		2016–17
12	Lokeren	3	30	4	7	19	19	0.63	38	66	−28		2013–14
13	Cercle Brugge	1	10	3	4	3	13	1.3	13	13	0		2023–24
14	Sint-Truiden	1	10	3	4	3	13	1.3	9	10	−1		2009–10

Team Results by Season

This table shows how different 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	2025–26
Anderlecht	1st	3rd	1st			3rd	2nd	1st	3rd	6th	NH	4th	3rd	•	3rd	4th
Antwerp	×								•	4th		3rd	4th	1st	6th	5th
Cercle Brugge	•						×			•		•			4th	•
Charleroi	•		×	•		5th	•	5th	6th	•		•
Club Brugge	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd		2nd	1st	2nd	1st	2nd		1st		4th	1st	2nd
Genk	•	1st	3rd	5th	6th	•	4th	•	5th	1st		2nd	•	2nd	5th	3rd
Gent	2nd	5th	4th	•		1st	3rd	3rd	4th	5th		•				6th
Kortrijk	5th	•	6th	•		6th	•					•					×
Lokeren	•	6th	•	6th	5th	•						D
Oostende	×				•		5th	4th	•			•			×	D
Sint-Truiden	4th	•		×			•					•
Standard Liège	•	2nd	5th	4th	2nd	4th	•		2nd	3rd		•
Union SG	×											×	2nd	3rd	2nd	1st
Zulte Waregem	6th	•		2nd	4th	•	6th		•			•			×

Europa League Play-off

Teams ranked 7th to 16th after the regular season, along with six teams from the Belgian First Division B, play in the Europa League Play-off. They are divided into groups. The winners of these groups then play a final match. The winner of this play-off gets a chance to play for a spot in the UEFA Europa League, a big European competition.

Relegation Play-off

From 2023, a relegation play-off is played between teams ranked 13th to 16th after the regular season. After these matches, two teams are moved down directly to the Challenger Pro League. One team plays against the 3rd place team from the Challenger Pro League to try and avoid being moved down.

How Teams Qualify for European Competitions

The Belgian champion and the runner-up (second place) usually get to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.
The winner of the Belgian Cup (another important competition) usually qualifies for the UEFA Europa League.
Other top teams from the play-offs can also qualify for the Europa League or the UEFA Conference League.

League Names Over Time

The league has had different names throughout its history:

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

Media Coverage

The rights to show Belgian Pro League matches on TV are sold every few years. Currently, Eleven Sports has the exclusive rights to broadcast all Pro League games until the 2024–25 season. Public broadcasters like Play 4 (Dutch) and RTBF (French) show highlights of the games.

Clubs in the League

Champions of Belgium

Many clubs have won the Belgian championship over the years. Here are the most successful ones:

Club	Number Of Championships	Number Of Runner-ups	Years Of Championships
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	24	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	12	10	1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1912–13, 1922–23, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 2024–25
R 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		3	1895–96, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1951–52, 1952–53
Daring de Bruxelles		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	1998–99, 2001–02, 2010–11, 2018–19
K Lierse SK		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		1
KSC Lokeren
SV Zulte Waregem
K Sint-Truiden VV
R Léopold Club
ROC de Charleroi
KRC Mechelen
K Beringen FC

bold clubs play in top flight
italic clubs dissolved or merged

Most Seasons in the Top Division

Some clubs have played in the top Belgian football division for a very long time. Here are the ones with more than 50 seasons:

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

Clubs Playing in 2025–26 Season

Here are the teams that will be playing in the Belgian Pro League for the 2025–26 season, along with their locations:

Club name	City	Last season position	First season of current spell in top division	Result 23–24	Result 22–23	Result 21–22	Result 20–21	Result 19–20
Anderlecht	Brussels (Anderlecht)	0044th	1935–36	0033rd	01111th	0033rd	0044th	0088th
Antwerp	Antwerp	0055th	2017–18	0066th	0011st	0044th	0033rd	0044th
Cercle Brugge	Bruges	01414th	2018–19	0044th	0066th	01010th	01616th	01414th
Charleroi	Charleroi	0077th	2012–13	01313th	0099th	0077th	01313th	0033rd
Club Brugge	Bruges	0022nd	1959–60	0011st	0044th	0011st	0011st	0011st
Dender EH	Denderleeuw	01010th	2024–25	2022nd (CPL)	2099th (CPL)	3011st (NatD1)	30013th (NatD1)	3077th (1Am)
Genk	Genk	0033rd	1996–97	0055th	0022nd	0066th	0022nd	0077th
Gent	Ghent	0066th	1989–90	0077th	0055th	0055th	0055th	0022nd
La Louvière	La Louvière	2022nd (CPL)	2025–26	3011st (NatD1)	3044th (NatD1)	4011st (D2 ACFF)	4044th (D2 ACFF)	4033rd (2Am ACFF)
Mechelen	Mechelen	0099th	2019–20	0088th	01313th	0088th	0066th	0066th
OH Leuven	Leuven	01212th	2020–21	01010th	01010th	01111th	01111th	2033rd (D1B)
Sint-Truiden	Sint-Truiden	01313th	2015–16	0099th	01212th	0099th	01515th	01212th
Standard Liège	Liège	01111th	1921–22	01212th	0077th	01414th	0088th	0055th
Union SG	Brussels (Forest)	0011st	2021–22	0022nd	0033rd	0022nd	2011st (D1B)	2044th (D1B)
Westerlo	Westerlo	0088th	2022–23	01111th	0088th	2011st (D1B)	2044th (D1B)	2011st (D1B)
Zulte Waregem	Waregem	2011st (CPL)	2025–26	2055th (CPL)	01717th	01616th	01010th	0099th

Players and Awards

Players in the Belgian Pro League can come from any country. Clubs can sign as many foreign players as they want. There are special awards for players each year:

The Belgian Golden Shoe is the highest award for the best player in the league.
The Belgian Ebony Shoe is for players of African descent.
Players also compete to be the top goal scorer each season.

Top Goal Scorers of All Time

Albert De Cleyn has scored the most goals in the history of the Belgian First Division, with 377 goals! Other top scorers include Joseph Mermans and Bernard Voorhoof.

Erwin Vandenbergh is the only player to be the top scorer four times in a row. He also won the top scorer title six times in his career with different clubs. The first foreign player to be the top scorer was Dutchman Jan Mulder in 1966–67.