| Founded | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country | Belgium |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 54 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | Belgian National Division 1 |
| Relegation to | Belgian Division 3 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Belgian Cup |
| Current champions | Eendracht Aalst (A), Belisia Bilzen (B) and Mons (C) (2023–24) |
| Current: 2024–25 Belgian Division 2 | |
The Belgian Division 2, commonly referred to as simply Tweede Afdeling (in Dutch) or Division 2 (in French) is the fourth-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian National Division 1. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, replacing the Belgian Third Division and named Belgian Second Amateur Division until the 2019–20 before it was renamed due to the negative connotation of the word amateur. The division consists of three separate leagues with 16 teams each, two of these leagues consist of teams playing with a license from the Voetbalfederatie Vlaanderen (VFV, the Dutch speaking wing of the RBFA) and one with teams with a license from the Association des Clubs Francophones de Football (ACFF, the French-speaking wing of the RBFA).
The Belgian Second Amateur Division was created in 2016 as successor of the Belgian Third Division following an overhaul of the Belgian football league system which saw the number of professional clubs reduced to 24. As a result, from the third level and below only amateur clubs remain. [1] The two remaining levels above the Belgian Provincial leagues were reformed into three amateur levels, namely the Belgian First Amateur Division, Belgian Second Amateur Division and Belgian Third Amateur Division. As a result, the Belgian Provincial leagues dropped to the sixth level of the league system. In 2020 the levels three to five were renamed to Belgian National Division 1, Belgian Division 2 and Belgian Division 3 respectively.
In each of the three separate leagues, the season is a regular round-robin tournament with 16 teams. The winners of each league are directly promoted to the Belgian National Division 1. Besides these three promoting teams, one additional promotion is possible: for this twelve other teams are in contention as four teams in each league qualify for the end of season playoffs. The eight teams from the VFV side are grouped together to compete in a VFV playoff for two spots in the playoff final, the four teams from ACFF side playoff for one spot. The two VFV winners and the ACFF winner are joined by the 13th placed team from the Belgian National Division 1 in the playoff final, with the winner of those four taking the final promotion spot (in case the team from the Belgian National Division 1 wins, this team remains at that level and no extra team from the Belgian Second Amateur Division is promoted besides the three league winners).
Regarding relegation, on ACFF side the bottom three teams are relegated to the Belgian Division 3, while on VFV side only the bottom two teams from each league are relegated. Additionally, based on the language group of the directly relegating teams from the Belgian National Division 1 each season, it is possible that there will be up to three extra relegations on each side. On ACFF side this just means that any additional required relegations will happen from bottom upwards, starting with the 13th finisher, then 12th finisher and so on. On VFV side, a relegation playoff is organised each season between the two teams finishing 14th, with the losing team first in line to drop in case needed, followed by the winner. If an additional relegation would be necessary, the 13th placed teams would need to playoff as well. [2]
| Season | Division A winner (VFV) | Division B winner (VFV) | Division C winner (ACFF) | Promotion play-off winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Knokke | Berchem Sport | Châtelet | Aalst |
| 2017–18 | Rupel Boom | Tessenderlo | RWDM47 | RFC Liège |
| 2018–19 | Sint-Eloois-Winkel | Patro Eisden Maasmechelen | La Louvière Centre | Visé |
| 2019–20 | Knokke | Tienen | Francs Borains | not held due to coronavirus pandemic |
| 2020–21 | season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic [3] | |||
| 2021–22 | Petegem [nb 1] | Hoogstraten | RAAL La Louvière | Mandel United [nb 2] |
| 2022–23 | Lokeren-Temse | Cappellen | Warnant [nb 3] | Young Reds Antwerp [nb 4] |
| 2023–24 | Eendracht Aalst [nb 5] | Belisia Bilzen | Mons | Binche, Jong Cercle, Hasselt, Lyra-Lierse, Merelbeke, Rochefort, Tournai and Tubize-Braine [nb 6] |
| 2024–25 | ||||
The Belgian National Division 1, commonly referred to as simply Eerste Nationale in Dutch or Nationale 1 in French, is a semi-professional and the third-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Challenger Pro League. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, coming in at the third level and pushing all divisions one level down. Until the 2019–20 season, it was known as the Belgian First Amateur Division, but was renamed due to the negative connotation of the word amateur.
The Belgian Division 3, commonly referred to as simply Derde Afdeling or Division 3 is the fifth-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Division 2. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016 as a new layer at the fifth level of the league system, at that time named Belgian Third Amateur Division. From the 2020–21 season on it was renamed to Belgian Division 3, due to the negative connotation of the word amateur. The division consists of four separate leagues with 16 teams each, two of these leagues consist of teams playing with a license from the Voetbalfederatie Vlaanderen and two with teams with a license from the Association des Clubs Francophones de Football.
The 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division is the inaugural season of the division in its current format, as it replaces the former Belgian Third Division and is now placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2017–18 Belgian Third Amateur Division is the second season of the division in its current format, replacing the former Belgian Fourth Division.
The 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division was the inaugural season of the division in its current format, replacing the former Belgian Fourth Division and now placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2017–18 Belgian Second Amateur Division is the second season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2018–19 Belgian Second Amateur Division is the third season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2018–19 Belgian Third Amateur Division is the third season of the division in its current format, replacing the former Belgian Fourth Division.
The 2019–20 Belgian Second Amateur Division was the fourth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium. Mid-March all matches were temporarily postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, only to be canceled permanently two weeks later, with the standing as of March 12 counting as final. As a result, Knokke, Tienen and Francs Borains were crowned champions in their respective league and were each promoted to the 2020–
The 2019–20 Belgian Third Amateur Division was the fourth season of the division in its current format. Mid-March all matches were temporarily postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, only to be canceled permanently two weeks later, with the standing as of March 12 counting as final. As a result, Knokke, Tienen and Francs Borains were crowned champions in their respective league and were each promoted to the 2020–21 Belgian Second Amateur Division.
The 2020–21 Belgian Division 2 was the fifth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium and the first under this name, after being renamed (Belgian) Division 2 from (Belgian) Second Amateur Division. The season was cancelled in January 2021 with just a few matches played, as measures taken by the Belgian government against the spread of COVID-19 prohibited amateur football.
The 2020–21 Belgian Division 3 was the fifth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium and the first under this name, after being renamed (Belgian) Division 3 from (Belgian) Third Amateur Division. The season was cancelled in January 2021 with just a few matches played, as measures taken by the Belgian government against the spread of COVID-19 prohibited amateur football.
The 2021–22 Belgian Division 2 is the sixth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium. As the previous season was cancelled in January 2021 due to governmental measures against COVID-19 prohibiting amateur football, the division features nearly exactly teams.
The 2021–22 Belgian Division 3 was the sixth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium. As the previous season was cancelled in January 2021 due to governmental measures against COVID-19 prohibiting amateur football, the division features nearly exactly the same teams.
The 2022–23 Belgian Division 3 is the seventh season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2022–23 Belgian Division 2 is the seventh season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2023–24 Belgian National Division 1 was the eighth season of the third-tier football league. The league began on 30 August 2023 and ended on 12 May 2024. This was the final season in the league's current format and from the following season, it split into a Flemish (VV) and Francophone (ACFF) division.
The 2023–24 Belgian Division 2 was the eighth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2023–24 Belgian Division 3 is the eighth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium.
The 2024–25 Belgian Division 3 is scheduled to be the ninth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth tier of football in Belgium.