| Founded | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2016 |
| Country | Belgium |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Divisions | Belgian Third Division A Belgian Third Division B |
| Number of teams | 36 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Belgian Second Division |
| Relegation to | Belgian Fourth Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Belgian Cup |
| Last champions | Beerschot Wilrijk and Hamme (2015–16) |
The Belgian Third Division (Dutch : Derde klasse, French : Division III) was the third highest level in Belgian football. It had two leagues of 18 teams each (A and B) at the same level. This competition, originally known as the Belgian Promotion (Dutch : Bevordering) was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952 on, only two leagues remained and the competition was named the Third Division. Originally set to 16 clubs, the number of clubs in each division was increased in 2009 to 18 clubs. At the end of the regular season, both league winners promoted to the second division and a play-off was played to determine a possible third club to promote. The champion of the third division was determined after a two-legged match between the winners of the two leagues. If those matches ended in a draw, a third match was played on a neutral ground. However, in recent years this final game was not organised anymore due to lack of interest. In 2016, the Belgian Third Division was replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division.
The competition consisted of the regular season (two leagues of 18 teams, 34 matchdays each) followed by the third division play-off (7 teams, 3 matchdays). Each team played 34 matches during the regular season (from August till May). The regular season was divided in 3 periods with the first period consisting of the first 10 match days, the second period consisting of the next 12 match days and the third period consisting of the final 12 match days. For each period in each league, a ranking was computed in the same way as the overall league rankings (three points for a win, one point for a draw and no point for a loss). In each league, the winner of the regular season promoted to the second division and the two worst-placed teams (17th and 18th) were relegated to the Belgian Fourth Division. The 16th placed teams had to play the Promotion play-off with teams from Promotion (see Fourth Division playoff).
The three period winners in each league qualified for the third division play-off along with the 16th-placed team in the second division. If the league winner also won one or more periods or that a period winner won more than one period, finished in the last three places or had not received a second division license, the best-placed teams in the league overall ranking qualified for the play-off so that 3 teams in each league qualified. The playoff was played in three rounds. In the first round, the 6 qualifiers from the third division ware drawn in three matches played in two legs. The winners of the first round and the 16th-placed team from the second division entered the second round (2 matches played in two legs). The final round was also played in two legs. The winner qualified for the second division. In each round, the away goals rule was used to declare the winner in case of aggregate tie score. If each team had scored the same number of away goals, the teams played extra time of two 15-minutes periods. If there was still a tie, the away goals rule was applied once again. Finally, the matches went to penalties.
As a part of changes in the Belgian league system that were implemented in 2016, when the third division was rebranded as Second Amateur Division, the 2015–16 season had 37 teams (one division has 19 and the other, 18) and the division contracted to 16 teams. The three-period rankings and promotion playoff between third and fourth tier teams were scrapped. The 7th to 17th (or 18th) placers in each group remained in the division, which is called Belgian Second Amateur Division and now lies at the fourth level of the Belgian football pyramid, while the last placers relegated to the new fifth level called Belgian Third Amateur Division . [1] [2]
From the 2016–17 season onwards, the Belgian First Amateur Division is made up of nine teams relegated from the 2015–16 Belgian Second Division, the 2015–16 champion and runner-up of each Third Division group, and three winners of a qualifying playoff contested by 3rd to 6th ranked teams. These teams must meet technical and administrative criteria. [3]
The final games of the third division play-off are listed here:
The Belgian Second Division play-offs were a series of playoff matches to decide promotion to the Belgian Pro League, organised between 1974 and 2015. Following a large reform of the Belgian football league system at the end of the 2015–16 season, the play-offs were no longer held. In the earlier years these play-offs were contested by teams of the Belgian Second Division but since 2009 also a team from the Belgian Pro League took part. Four teams normally played these play-offs, with the winner being promoted to the Belgian Pro League.
The Belgian Third Division A was one of the two leagues at the third level of the Belgian football league system, the other one being the Belgian Third Division B. This division existed from the 1952–53 to 2015–16 seasons and was played every year with 18 clubs from 2009. Prior to this, the third level in the Belgian football league system was called Promotion and was divided into four leagues of 16 clubs each and prior to the 1931–32 season, the Promotion was divided into three leagues. Due to restructuring, the Third Division was replaced by Belgian Second Amateur Division which plays as three leagues of 16 clubs each from the 2016–17 season.
The Belgian Third Division B was one of the two leagues at the third level of the Belgian football league system, the other one being the Belgian Third Division A. This division existed from the 1952–53 until 2015–16 seasons and was played every year with 18 clubs from 2009. Prior to this, the third level in the Belgian football league system was called Promotion and was divided into four leagues of 16 clubs each and prior to the 1931–32 season, the Promotion was divided into three leagues. Due to restructuring, the Third Division was replaced by Belgian Second Amateur Division which plays as three leagues of 16 clubs each from the 2016–17 season.
This article gives a summary of results for the Belgian Second Division play-offs from 2001 to 2010.
Elimane Coulibaly is a Senegalese retired professional footballer who played as a forward and current manager of KRC Gent.
The 1973–74 season was the 71st season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 16th Division I title. KSV Waregem won the Belgian Cup against second division club KSK Tongeren (4-1). The Belgium national football team finished their 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign at the second place of their group behind the Netherlands, with the same number of points but a smaller goal difference. They thus did not qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup finals in West Germany. The Belgian Women's First Division was won by R Saint-Nicolas FC Liège.
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.
The 2014–15 season of the Belgian Pro League is the 112th season of top-tier football in Belgium. It started on 27 July 2014 and finished in May 2015. K.A.A. Gent won the league, making it the first championship title in their 115-year history.
The 2015–16 season of the Belgian Pro League was the 113th season of top-tier football in Belgium. It started in the last week of July 2015 and finished in May 2016. Gent were the defending champions.
The 2015–16 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 61st season of Belgian's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 24 July 2015 and ended with the final in March 2016. The winners of the competition will qualify for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League Group Stage. Club Brugge were the defending champions.
The following article is a summary of the 2016–17 football season in Belgium, which is the 114th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2016 until June 2017.
The 2016–17 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 62nd season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 30 July 2016 and is scheduled to end with the final in March 2017. The winners of the competition will qualify for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League Group Stage. Standard Liège were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the 6th round by ASV Geel.
The following article is a summary of the 2017–18 football season in Belgium, which is the 1145th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2017 until June 2018.
The 2018–19 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 64th season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 29 July 2018 and ended with the final in May 2019. The winners of the competition qualify for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League Group Stage. Standard Liège were the defending champions.
The 2019–20 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 65th season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 26 July 2019 and ended with the final on 1 August 2020. The winners of the competition qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League Group Stage. KV Mechelen were the defending champions, but were unable to defend their title as the club got banned from the competition for one season after being found guilty of match-fixing as part of the 2017–19 Belgian football fraud scandal.
The following article is a summary of the 2018–19 football season in Belgium, which is the 116th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2018 until June 2019.
The 2020–21 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 66th season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 2 August 2020 and ended with the final on 25 April 2021. The winners of the competition qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
The following article is a summary of the 2022–23 football season in Belgium, which is the 120th season of competitive football in the country and will run from July 2022 until June 2023.
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