Early history (1880–1999)
The Antwerp Football and Cricket Club was founded in 1880 by British workers based in Antwerp, [2] 15 years before the creation of the Royal Belgian Football Association; Antwerp is regarded as the oldest club in Belgium. [3] Initially focused on cricket and general athletic activities, the club did not establish organized football until 1887 when the football division was founded with its own board, named Antwerp Football Club. Being the oldest active club at the time, it was the first club to register to the Association in 1895. Consequently, when matricule numbers were introduced in 1926, the club received matricule number one. [4] [5]
In 1900, most of the players left the club for the new neighbouring club of Beerschot A.C., becoming the start of a long rivalry between both clubs. Royal Antwerp made history by becoming the most recent Belgian team to reach a European final when they advanced to the 1993 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final. Facing Parma at London’s Wembley Stadium on 12 May 1993, Antwerp's striker Francis Severeyns equalized early, but the Belgians ultimately succumbed to a 3–1 defeat. [6] [7] [8]
Royal Antwerp had a long-term partnership with the English club Manchester United, taking their young players on loan so that their development can be aided with first team football, and young players who require European work-permits can benefit from Belgium's more relaxed laws. [9] An example of the latter was China international Dong Fangzhuo, who was unable to play for United immediately due to work permit problems and was loaned to allow him to gain first team experience. [10]
Decline, revival, and 5th national championship (2001–Present)
Despite being one of Belgium's best-supported clubs, Antwerp had been under-achievers during the early 21st century. They earned promotion to the top flight in 2000, only to suffer relegation again in 2004. After 13 years in the second tier, they returned to the First Division A in 2017, securing a 5–2 aggregate victory over Roeselare in the promotion playoff. [11] [12] [13]
After achieving promotion back to the top flight, the club appointed experienced Romanian manager László Bölöni, and demoted his predecessor Wim De Decker to assistant. [14] In his second season, 2018–19, the club qualified for the UEFA Europa League, their first European competition for the first time in 25 years. They won 3–2 in the playoff final against Charleroi, who had led 2–0 after 12 minutes. [15] Their European campaign began with a win over Viktoria Plzeň on the away goals rule in the third qualifying round, followed by a 5–2 loss to AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands in the playoff. [16]
In May 2020, Bölöni left at the end of his contract. [17] Four months later, under coach Ivan Leko, Antwerp captured their first major trophy in nearly 30 years by defeating Club Brugge 1–0 in the 2020 Belgian Cup final. Israel's Lior Refaelov, a former Brugge player, scored the decisive goal. [18] Ivan Leko led the team through the Europa League group stage in second place with four wins including one over José Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur; [19] he left for Shanghai Port at the end of 2020. [13] [20] [21]
Former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel was appointed manager in May 2022. [22] [23] He brought in several compatriots, including Vincent Janssen, who scored the first goal of a 2–0 win over neighbours Mechelen in the 2023 Belgian Cup final. [24]
The crowning moment of the revival came on 4 June 2023, when captain Toby Alderweireld scored a 94th-minute equalizer in a 2–2 draw at Genk. The dramatic goal secured Antwerp’s first national championship in 66 years; ending a title drought since 1957. [25] [26] [27]
Antwerp entered new territory on 30 August 2023, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time ever. They sealed the achievement by overcoming AEK Athens 3–1 on aggregate in the playoff round, with Michel‑Ange Balikwisha scoring late in Athens to send the club into the competition proper. [28] [29] [30]
Antwerp’s maiden UEFA Champions League group stage in 2023–24 ended a dry campaign with a historic 3–2 victory over Barcelona at the Bosuilstadion, marking their first-ever win in the competition. [31] [32] They finished bottom of Group H that season. On the domestic front, they placed 6th in the Pro League and were beaten finalists in the Belgian Cup, losing 1–0 to Union Saint‑Gilloise in May 2024. [33]
