Belgian football league system

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The Belgian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Belgium.

Contents

Men's system

The league system underwent restructuring which was approved by the Royal Belgian Football Association. One important step was the introduction of a national fifth level for the first time. Its implementation took effect as of the 2016–17 season. [1] Changes since 2016:

LevelLeague(s)/Division(s)
Professional Leagues
1

Belgian Pro League
16 clubs
2 relegations + 1 relegation play-off

2

Challenger Pro League
16 clubs
2 promotions + 1 promotion play-off
2 relegations

Semi-/Non-Professional Leagues
3

Flemish Division 1 VV
16 clubs
1 promotion, 1 relegation

Walloon Division 1 ACFF
12 clubs
1 promotion, 1 relegation

4

Belgian Division 2 VV
36 clubs divided in 2 series of 18
1 promotion, 4 relegations

Belgian Division 2 ACFF
18 clubs
1 promotion, 2 relegations

5

Belgian Division 3 VV
32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
4 promotions, 3 relegations

Belgian Division 3 ACFF
32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
2 promotions, 3 relegations

Amateur Leagues
6

(All divisions run in parallel)
Belgian Provincial Leagues , First Level
Eerste Provinciale Antwerpen – 16 clubs
Eerste Provinciale Brabant (Flemish) – 16 clubs
Première Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 16 clubs
Première Provinciale Hainaut – 16 clubs
Première Provinciale Liège – 18 clubs
Eerste Provinciale Limburg – 16 clubs
Première Provinciale Luxembourg – 14 clubs
Première Provinciale Namur – 16 clubs
Eerste Provinciale Oost-Vlaanderen – 16 clubs
Eerste Provinciale West-Vlaanderen – 16 clubs

7

(All divisions run in parallel)
Belgian Provincial Leagues , Second Level
Tweede Provinciale Antwerpen – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Tweede Provinciale Brabant (Flemish) – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Deuxième Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Deuxième Provinciale Hainaut – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Deuxième Provinciale Liège – 46 clubs divided in 3 series; 2 of 15 teams and 1 of 16 teams
Tweede Provinciale Limburg – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Deuxième Provinciale Luxembourg – 42 clubs divided in 3 series of 14
Deuxième Provinciale Namur – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Tweede Provinciale Oost-Vlaanderen – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Tweede Provinciale West-Vlaanderen – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16

8

(All divisions run in parallel)
Belgian Provincial Leagues , Third Level
Derde Provinciale Antwerpen – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Derde Provinciale Brabant (Flemish) – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Hainaut – 64 clubs divided in 4 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Liège – 64 clubs divided in 4 series of 16
Derde Provinciale Limburg – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Luxembourg – 72 clubs divided in 6 series; 4 of 14 teams and 2 of 13 teams
Troisième Provinciale Namur – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Derde Provinciale Oost-Vlaanderen – 80 clubs divided in 5 series of 16
Derde Provinciale West-Vlaanderen – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16

9

(All divisions run in parallel)
Belgian Provincial Leagues , Fourth Level
Vierde Provinciale Antwerpen – 82 clubs divided in 5 series; 3 of 16 teams and 2 of 17 teams
Vierde Provinciale Brabant (Flemish) – 96 clubs divided in 6 series of 16
Quatrième Provinciale Hainaut – 115 clubs divided in 8 series; 5 of 14 teams and 3 of 15 teams
Quatrième Provinciale Liège – 112 clubs divided in 8 series; 3 of 13 teams, 2 of 14 teams and 3 of 15 teams
Vierde Provinciale Limburg – 52 clubs divided in 8 series; 2 of 17 teams and 1 of 18 teams
Quatrième Provinciale Namur – 78 clubs divided in 6 series of 13
Vierde Provinciale Oost-Vlaanderen – 72 clubs divided in 5 series; 3 of 16 teams and 2 of 17 teams
Vierde Provinciale West-Vlaanderen – 52 clubs divided in 3 series; 1 of 16 teams and 2 of 18 teams

Men's league historical timeline

The timeline below lists the evolution of the men's tiers and leagues related to the Belgian FA since 1895. The provincial leagues often span multiple tiers.

Belgian football league system

Women's system

From 2012/13 to 2014/15 the top teams played in the BeNe League, a joint league with clubs from the Netherlands. The Super League was created in 2015. [2]

LevelLeague(s)/Division(s)
1

Super League
8 clubs

2

First Division
14 clubs

3

Second Division
(Nationwide league)
14 clubs

4

Third division
(Nationwide league)
28 clubs divided in 2 series of 14

5+

Provincial leagues

Related Research Articles

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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 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 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 is the seventh season of the third-tier football league in Belgium and the first one in which U23 teams are admitted into the league, due to the last minute bankruptcy of Roeselare. It is the third season under its new name after being renamed from First Amateur Division. The league began in 18 August 2022 and is scheduled to end in 21 May 2023.

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 1 is the first season of the third-tier football league in which the division is split into two independent leagues VV and ACFF.

The 2024–25 Belgian Division 2 is scheduled to be the ninth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-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.

References

  1. "LA RÉFORME DU FOOT BELGE À PARTIR DE LA SAISON 2016-2017 APPROUVÉE: VOICI À QUOI VA RESSEMBLER LE PAYSAGE FOOTBALLISTIQUE BELGE". sudinfo.be (in French). 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. "Vrouwenvoetbal.be". www.vrouwenteam.be. Archived from the original on 2015-04-18.