| Season | 1943–44 | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
The 1943–44 season was the 42nd season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their 3rd Premier Division title. [1] The Belgium national football team did not play any official match during the season.
| Season | 1943–44 | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
The 1943–44 season was the 42nd season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their 3rd Premier Division title. [1] The Belgium national football team did not play any official match during the season.
At the end of the season, TSV Lyra and R Tilleur FC were relegated to Division I, while Sint-Niklaas SK (Division I A winner) and RFC Liégeois (Division I B winner) were promoted to the Premier Division. However, due to the latter stages of World War II, 4 clubs did not take part to the next Premier Division season: R Antwerp FC, R Beerschot AC, K Liersche SK and R Berchem Sport. [2]
ASV Oostende KM, K Tubantia FC, R Uccle Sport and R Fléron FC were relegated from Division I to Promotion, to be replaced by RCS Hallois, RC Lokeren, UR Namur and Beringen FC.
| Competition | Winner |
|---|---|
| Premier Division | R Antwerp FC |
| Division I | Sint-Niklaas SK and RFC Liégeois |
| Promotion | RCS Hallois, RC Lokeren, UR Namur and Beringen FC |
The Belgian Pro League, officially the Jupiler Pro League for sponsor Jupiler, is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023–24 season onwards, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Challenger Pro League.
The 1928–29 season was the 29th season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their first Premier Division title, after a test match they won 2–0 to rival Beerschot AC. The test match was played because both teams ended up the season with the same number of points at the top of the Premier Division.
The 1930–31 season was the 31st season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their second Premier Division title.
From the next season on, Division I was expanded from one division to two, and Promotion was extended from three divisions to four. Therefore, many clubs from Promotion promoted to Division I.
The 1931–32 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in Belgium. The second and third level of Belgian football were just changed prior to the beginning of the season, with now 2 leagues of 14 clubs in Division I and 4 leagues of 14 clubs in Promotion. R Liersche SK won their first Premier Division title.
The 1938–39 season was the 39th season of competitive football in Belgium. R Beerschot AC won their 7th and last Premier Division title. The next season of Belgian football was interrupted due to World War II. Official competitions resumed in the 1941-42 season.
The 1942–43 season was the 41st season of competitive football in Belgium. RFC Malinois won their first Premier Division title. The Belgium national football team did not play any official match during the season.
The national football competitions in Belgium were stopped during the 1944–45 season due to World War II. RSC Anderlechtois was the leader of the Premier Division when it was stopped however not all teams had played the same number of matches Also, 4 clubs did not participate to that season: the title holders R Antwerp FC, R Beerschot AC, K Liersche SK and R Berchem Sport. The Belgium national football team played their first official match since 1940 on the 1944 Christmas Eve.
The 1946–47 season was the 44th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their first Premier Division title. At the end of the season, several teams were relegated at all levels in order to decrease the number of teams in all divisions to 16. The Belgium national football team played 4 friendly games and had only one win, against Scotland.
The 1947–48 season was the 45th season of competitive football in Belgium. RFC Malinois won their 3rd Premier Division title. The Belgium national football team played 6 friendly games of which they won only one, against France.
The 1950–51 season was the 48th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 4th and 3rd consecutive Premier Division title
The Belgium national football team played 6 friendly games, with 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses.
The 1952–53 season was the 50th season of competitive football in Belgium. RFC Liégeois won their 5th Division I title. This was the first season since the 1952 reform of the national competitions. A new level of football was introduced at the top of the league system. The divisions were also renamed, with the top level being named Division I, the second level Division II, the 3rd level Division III and the lowest level remaining the Promotion. The Belgium national football team played 6 friendly games and then started their 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with 2 away wins in Finland and Sweden.
The 1956–57 season was the 54th season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their 4th Division I title. RSC Anderlechtois also entered the 1956–57 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder. The Belgium national football team started their 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, losing to France and winning against Iceland.
The 1957–58 season was the 55th season of competitive football in Belgium. Standard Liège won their first Division I title. R Antwerp FC entered the 1957–58 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder. The Belgium national football team finished their 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in the second place of Group 2, 2 points behind France, and thus did not qualify for the World Cup finals in Sweden.
The 1959–60 season was the 57th season of competitive football in Belgium. K Lierse SK won their 3rd Division I title. RSC Anderlechtois entered the 1959–60 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder and RU Saint-Gilloise lost the semifinals of the running 1958–60 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The Belgium national football team played 6 friendly games.
The 1965–66 season was the 63rd season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 12th Division I title and became the club with the most championship wins in Belgium. They also entered the 1965–66 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder. As RSC Anderlechtois was also the Cup holder, the losing finalist Standard Liège entered the 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup. RFC Liégeois, R Daring Club de Bruxelles and R Antwerp FC all played the 1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Standard Liège won the Belgian Cup final against rivals RSC Anderlechtois (1-0). The Belgium national football team ended their 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with pain, and a defeat to Bulgaria in a play-off game for the World Cup finals qualification.
The 1966–67 season was the 64th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 13th and 4th consecutive Division I title. They also entered the 1966–67 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder. Standard Liège entered the 1966–67 European Cup Winners' Cup as the Cup holder and reacher the semifinals. RFC Liégeois, ARA La Gantoise and R Antwerp FC all played the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Standard Liège won the Belgian Cup final against RFC Malinois. The Belgium national football team started their 1968 UEFA Euro qualification campaign with 2 wins and 1 loss.
The 1967–68 season was the 65th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 14th and 5th consecutive Division I title. For the first time ever, a club would win 5 consecutive Belgian championships. RSC Anderlechtois entered the 1967–68 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder and Standard Liège the 1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup as the Cup holder. RFC Brugeois (2nd), RFC Liégeois (3rd) and R Antwerp FC (5th) all played the 1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. RFC Brugeois won the Belgian Cup final against R Beerschot AC. The Belgium national football team ended their 1968 UEFA Euro qualification campaign at the 2nd place of Group 7 behind France and thus did not qualify for the second round. They also started their 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with a win against Finland.
The 1971–72 season was the 69th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 15th Division I title and made the double by beating Standard Club Liégeois in the Belgian Cup final (1-0). Standard Club Liégeois reached the quarter-finals of the 1971–72 European Champion Clubs' Cup and K Lierse SK the quarter-finals of the first ever UEFA Cup. The Belgium national football team qualified for the first time for the European Championship finals, by finishing first of their group and by beating Italy in the second qualifying round. Belgium was subsequently chosen to host the finals, of which they finished 3rd. For the first time, a Belgian Women's First Division championship was played, won by Astrio Begijnendijk.
The 1974–75 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in Belgium. R White Daring Molenbeek won their first Division I title. RSC Anderlechtois won the Belgian Cup against R Antwerp FC (1-0) and they reached the quarter-finals of the 1974–75 European Champion Clubs' Cup. The Belgium national football team started their UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying campaign with wins over Iceland and France and a draw against East Germany. The Belgian Women's First Division was won by Astrio Begijnendijk for the 3rd time. Paul Van Himst won his 4th Belgian Golden Shoe award, which is the current record.
The 1975–76 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in Belgium. Club Brugge KV won their third Division I title. RSC Anderlechtois won the Belgian Cup against K Lierse SK (4-0) and they won the 1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup, while Club Brugge KV reached the final of the 1975–76 UEFA Cup. The Belgium national football team ended their UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying campaign with a defeat against Netherlands in the second round, after they finished first of their group in the first round. The Belgian Women's First Division was won by Standard Fémina de Liège for the second time. For the first time, the Belgian Golden Shoe was awarded to a stranger, Dutch international player Johan Boskamp.