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

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] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Belgian First Division A has expanded temporarily from 16 to 18 teams, with the intention to return to 16 from 2023 to 2024.

Level League(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

Belgian National Division 1
18 clubs
2 promotions

4

Belgian Division 2 VFV
36 clubs divided in 2 series of 18
2 promotions, 4 relegations

Belgian Division 2 ACFF
18 clubs
1 promotion, 2 relegations

5

Belgian Division 3 VFV
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) – 14 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 Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 14 clubs
Deuxième Provinciale Provinciale Hainaut – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Deuxième Provinciale 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 Provinciale Luxembourg – 42 clubs divided in 3 series of 14
Deuxième Provinciale 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 Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 32 clubs divided in 2 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Provinciale Hainaut – 64 clubs divided in 4 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Provinciale Liège – 64 clubs divided in 4 series of 16
Derde Provinciale Limburg – 48 clubs divided in 3 series of 16
Troisième Provinciale Provinciale Luxembourg – 72 clubs divided in 6 series; 4 of 14 teams and 2 of 13 teams
Troisième Provinciale 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 Provinciale Brabant (Francophone) – 46 clubs divided in 3 series; 2 of 15 teams and 1 of 16 teams
Quatrième Provinciale Provinciale Hainaut – 115 clubs divided in 8 series; 5 of 14 teams and 3 of 15 teams
Quatrième Provinciale 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 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

Pre-2016 structure

Until the end of the 2015–16 season, the structure was as follows. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name (which often differs radically from its official name) and number of clubs is given. The winner(s) of each division promoted to the division(s) directly above them and relegated to the division(s) that lie directly below them.

Level League(s)/Division(s)
1

Belgian First Division
(Jupiler Pro League)
16 clubs

2

Belgian Second Division
(Belgacom League)
18 clubs

3

Belgian Third Division
(Nationwide league)
36 clubs divided in 2 series of 18

4

Belgian Fourth Division
(Nationwide league)
64 clubs divided in 4 series of 16

5

West Flanders 1 Provinciaal 16 clubs
East Flanders 1 Provinciaal 16 clubs
Antwerp Eerste Provinciale 16 clubs
Limburg Eerste Provinciale 16 clubs
Brabant Eerste Provinciale 16 clubs
Hainaut 1 Provinciale 16 clubs
Namur 1 Provinciale 16 clubs
Luxembourg 1 Provinciale 16 clubs
Liège I Provinciale 16 clubs
(All divisions run in parallel)

6

West Flanders 2 Provinciaal (2 parallel divisions)
East Flanders 2 Provinciaal (2 parallel divisions)
Antwerp Tweede Provinciale (2 parallel divisions)
Limburg Tweede Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Brabant Tweede Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Hainaut 2 Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Namur 2 Provinciale (2 parallel divisions)
Luxembourg 2 Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Liège II Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)

7

West Flanders 3 Provinciaal (3 parallel divisions)
East Flanders 3 Provinciaal (5 parallel divisions)
Antwerp Derde Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Limburg Derde Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Brabant Derde Provinciale (6 parallel divisions)
Hainaut 3 Provinciale (5 parallel divisions)
Namur 3 Provinciale (3 parallel divisions)
Luxembourg 3 Provinciale (5 parallel divisions) (Lowest in Luxembourg)
Liège III Provinciale (5 parallel divisions)

8

West Flanders 4 Provinciaal (3 parallel divisions)
East Flanders 4 Provinciaal (5 parallel divisions)
Antwerp Vierde Provinciale (5 parallel divisions)
Limburg Vierde Provinciale (4 parallel divisions)
Brabant Vierde Provinciale (9 parallel divisions)
Hainaut 4 Provinciale (8 parallel divisions)
Namur 4 Provinciale (4 parallel divisions)
Liège IV Provinciale (6 parallel divisions)

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.

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]

Level League(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

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.
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