2023–24 Belgian Pro League
The 2023–24 Belgian Pro League (officially known as the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons) is the 121st season of top-tier football in Belgium.
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 July 2023 – 26 May 2024 |
| Matches played | 192 |
| Goals scored | 544 (2.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Kévin Denkey (25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Antwerp 6–0 Kortrijk (11 August 2023) Club Brugge 7–1 RWDM (20 August 2023) Antwerp 6–0 Standard Liège (11 November 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Eupen 0–5 Club Brugge (13 August 2023) RWD Molenbeek 1-6 Club Brugge (22 December 2023) |
| Highest scoring | Club Brugge 7–1 RWD Molenbeek (20 August 2023) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches Union SG |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Union SG |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches RWDM |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Westerlo Eupen |
| Highest attendance | 26.864 Standard Liège 3–2 Anderlecht (22 October 2023) |
| Lowest attendance | 1.844 KAS Eupen 1-1 KV Kortrijk (2 December 2023) |
| Total attendance | 1,907,108 (145 matches) |
| Average attendance | 10,365 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → All statistics correct as of 4 February 2024. | |
Format change
After 3 seasons, Belgian Pro League returns to the "old" format featuring the number of teams reduced from 18 to 16 and with similar playoffs as it was pre-COVID-19. After the regular season the top six teams qualify for the Champions' Play-offs (commonly called "Play-offs I"), teams from 7th to 12th place will qualify for the Europe Play-offs (commonly called "Play-offs II"), but most importantly the number of teams relegating increases from one to either two or three, as the bottom four teams (13th through 16th) will play relegation playoffs after completion of which the two last teams will be relegated directly, with the team finishing 14th overall to play the 3rd-place finisher of the Challenger Pro League for the final spot in the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League.
Teams
Due to the league format change which reduced the number of teams back from 18 to 16, the bottom three teams had been relegated to the Challenger Pro League: Oostende (after ten seasons), Seraing (after two seasons) and Zulte Waregem (after 18 seasons). They were replaced by RWD Molenbeek, the winner of the 2022–23 Challenger Pro League. Officially, this club will play their first-ever season in the top flight, but the club sees itself as the successor of the former RWD Molenbeek, one-time Belgian champion, which last played at the highest level in 2002. Another distinct successor team with similar name RWDM Brussels also played four seasons at the highest level from 2004 to 2008.
Stadiums and locations
| Matricule | Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Anderlecht | Anderlecht, Brussels | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium | 21,500 |
| 1 | Antwerp | Antwerp | Bosuilstadion | 16,144 |
| 12 | Cercle Brugge | Bruges | Jan Breydel Stadium | 29,042 |
| 22 | Charleroi | Charleroi | Stade du Pays de Charleroi | 14,000 |
| 3 | Club Brugge | Bruges | Jan Breydel Stadium | 29,042 |
| 4276 | Eupen | Eupen | Kehrwegstadion | 8,363 |
| 322 | Genk | Genk | Cegeka Arena | 24,956 |
| 7 | Gent | Ghent | Ghelamco Arena | 20,000 |
| 19 | Kortrijk | Kortrijk | Guldensporen Stadion | 9,399 |
| 25 | Mechelen | Mechelen | AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne | 16,700 |
| 18 | OH Leuven | Leuven | Den Dreef | 10,000 |
| 5479 | RWD Molenbeek | Molenbeek, Brussels | Edmond Machtens Stadium | 12,266 |
| 373 | Sint-Truiden | Sint-Truiden | Stayen | 14,600 |
| 16 | Standard Liège | Liège | Stade Maurice Dufrasne | 30,023 |
| 10 | Union SG | Forest, Brussels | Stade Joseph Marien | 9,400 |
| 2024 | Westerlo | Westerlo | Het Kuipje | 8,035 |
Number of teams by provinces
| Number of teams | Province or region | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 |  Antwerp | Antwerp, Mechelen and Westerlo |
 Brussels | Anderlecht, RWD Molenbeek and Union SG | |
 West Flanders | Cercle Brugge, Club Brugge and Kortrijk | |
| 2 |  Limburg | Genk and Sint-Truiden |
 Liège | Eupen and Standard Liège | |
| 1 |  East Flanders | Gent |
 Flemish Brabant | Oud-Heverlee Leuven | |
 Hainaut | Charleroi |
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt sponsors (front) | Shirt sponsors (back) | Shirt sponsors (sleeve) | Shorts sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderlecht |  Brian Riemer | Joma | DVV Insurance (H)/Candriam (A) | None | Napoleon Games | None |
| Antwerp |  Mark van Bommel | Jako | betFIRST | Heylen Vastgoed, Ghelamco | None | None |
| Cercle Brugge |  Miron Muslic | Kappa | Golden Palace Casino Sports | Liantis, Callant Insurance | Volvo Automobilia, Brugge | Autoverhuur Meerschaert, Callant Insurance |
| Charleroi |  Rik De Mil | Kipsta | Unibet, R-Aqua, Cairox | QNT Sport | None | UMons |
| Club Brugge | Nicky Hayen | Macron | Unibet | Allianz | BWT | None |
| Eupen | Kristoffer Andersen &  Raphaël Fèvre | Adidas | Aspire Academy, Ostbelgien | None | Johnen Automobile | None |
| Genk | Wouter Vrancken | Nike | Beobank, EAZER | CEO's 4 Climate, Carglass | Aqua-Step HDM | Cegeka, Carglass |
| Gent | Hein Vanhaezebrouck | Craft | Bâloise | Circus Belgium, Vdk bank | Hyundai | APF Autoparts, Vdk bank |
| Kortrijk |  Freyr Alexandersson | Erreà | AGO Jobs & HR, Unibet | Brustor, Earth Belgium, Caps Fuel Card | NOVA | Unibet, Caps Fuel Card |
| Mechelen |  Besnik Hasi | Erreà | Telenet, Groep Verelst, Play Sports, AFAS Software | AFAS Software | None | Arco Information, Golden Palace Casino Sports |
| OH Leuven |  Óscar García | Stanno | Star Casino | Tegel Concept | Banqup | None |
| RWD Molenbeek | Yannick Ferrera | Kipsta | Golden Palace Casino Sports | M&G Cleaning | None | Liften De Weghe, Tadal |
| Sint-Truiden |  Thorsten Fink | Macron | Nishitan Clinic, DMM.com, City Creation, Maruhan | Sint Truiden | Asahi Kasei, Maruhan | Pauli Beton, Star Casino |
| Standard Liège |  Ivan Leko | Adidas | VOO | Circus Belgium | Cainiao | None |
| Union SG | Alexander Blessin | Nike | Loterie Nationale/Hey! Telecom (in UEFA matches) | Hey! Telecom | None | None |
| Westerlo | Bart Goor | Nike | Soudal | Casino777, Arma Global | Keukens Vanlommel, Voetbalshop.be | Soloya |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Brugge | Rik De Mil | Caretaker replaced | End of 2022–23 season | Pre-season |  Ronny Deila | 5 June 2023 |
| Eupen | Edward Still | Mutual consent | Florian Kohfeldt | 8 June 2023 | ||
| Kortrijk | Bernd Storck | Edward Still | 2 July 2023 | |||
| Sint-Truiden | Bernd Hollerbach | Thorsten Fink | 16 May 2023 | |||
| Standard Liège | Geoffrey Valenne | Caretaker replaced | Carl Hoefkens | 16 June 2023 | ||
| Union SG | Karel Geraerts | No extension agreement found | 21 June 2023 | Alexander Blessin | 3 July 2023 | |
| RWD Molenbeek | Vincent Euvrard | Sacked | 24 July 2023 |  Caçapa | 25 July 2023 | |
| Kortrijk | Edward Still | 25 September 2023 | 16th |  Joseph Akpala (caretaker) | 25 September 2023 | |
| Joseph Akpala (caretaker) | Caretaker replaced | 2 October 2023 | 16th | Glen De Boeck | 2 October 2023 | |
| OH Leuven | Marc Brys | Sacked | 13 October 2023 | 14th | Eddy Vanhemel (caretaker) | 13 October 2023 |
| Mechelen | Steven Defour | 2 November 2023 | 13th | Frederik Vanderbiest (caretaker) | 2 November 2023 | |
| OH Leuven | Eddy Vanhemel | Caretaker replaced | 5 November 2023 | 13th | Óscar García | 5 November 2023 |
| Mechelen | Frederik Vanderbiest | 8 November 2023 | 14th | Besnik Hasi | 8 November 2023 | |
| Westerlo | Jonas De Roeck | Sacked | 2 December 2023 | 15th | Bart Goor (caretaker) | 2 December 2023 |
| Kortrijk | Glen De Boeck | 6 December 2023 | 16th | Joseph Akpala (caretaker) | 6 December 2023 | |
| Westerlo | Bart Goor (caretaker) | Caretaker replaced | 12 December 2023 | 14th | Rik De Mil | 12 December 2023 |
| Standard Liège | Carl Hoefkens | Sacked | 31 December 2023 | 9th | Ivan Leko | 4 January 2024 |
| Kortrijk | Joseph Akpala (caretaker) | Caretaker replaced | 5 January 2024 | 16th | Freyr Alexandersson | 5 January 2024 |
| RWD Molenbeek | Caçapa | Sacked | 11 February 2024 | 14th | Bruno Irles | 14 February 2024 |
| Eupen | Florian Kohfeldt | Resigned | 16 March 2024 | 14th | Kristoffer Andersen & Raphaël Fèvre | 25 March 2024 |
| Club Brugge | Ronny Deila | Sacked | 18 March 2024 | 4th | Nicky Hayen (caretaker) | 18 March 2024 |
| Westerlo | Rik De Mil | 19 March 2024 | 11th | Bart Goor (caretaker) | 19 March 2024 | |
| Charleroi | Felice Mazzù | 20 March 2024 | 13th | Rik De Mil | 22 March 2024 | |
| RWD Molenbeek | Bruno Irles | 23 March 2024 | 16th | Yannick Ferrera | 23 March 2024 |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union SG | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 63 | 31 | +32 | 70 | Qualification for the Europa League and Champions' play-offs |
| 2 | Anderlecht | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 58 | 30 | +28 | 63 | Qualification for the Champions' play-offs |
| 3 | Antwerp | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 55 | 27 | +28 | 52 | |
| 4 | Club Brugge | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 62 | 29 | +33 | 51 | |
| 5 | Cercle Brugge | 30 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 34 | +10 | 47 | |
| 6 | Genk | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 47 | |
| 7 | Gent | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 53 | 38 | +15 | 47 | Qualification for the Europe play-offs |
| 8 | Mechelen | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 45 | |
| 9 | Sint-Truiden | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 40 | |
| 10 | Standard Liège | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 34 | |
| 11 | Westerlo | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 30 | |
| 12 | OH Leuven | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 34 | 47 | −13 | 29 | |
| 13 | Charleroi | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 26 | 48 | −22 | 29 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 14 | Eupen | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 24 | 58 | −34 | 24 | |
| 15 | Kortrijk | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 22 | 57 | −35 | 24 | |
| 16 | RWD Molenbeek | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 31 | 67 | −36 | 23 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away matches won; 6) Away goal difference; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Play-off.
Notes:
Results
Play-offs
Champions' Play-offs
The Champions' Play-offs will decide the overall league champion. The top six teams of the Regular season qualify and play a round-robin tournament, with each team starting with half the points obtained during the regular season. The starting points are rounded up, in case of ties in standings at the end of the Champions' Play-offs, any half points gained are deducted first.
The points of Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Cercle Brugge and Genk were rounded up, and thus in the event of a tie on points, Union SG and Antwerp will always be ranked ahead of those four teams.
The teams finishing in the top three positions after conclusion of the Champions' Play-offs qualify for European football, with the team in position four facing the winner of the Europe Play-offs for the final ticket.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | AND | CLU | USG | GNK | CER | ANT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderlecht | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 42 | Qualification for the Champions League league stage | — | 19 May | 2–1 | 11 May | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Club Brugge | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 42 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round | 3–1 | — | 13 May | 4–0 | 26 May | 3–0 | |
| 3 | Union SG (K) | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 41 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round | 5 May | 1–2 | — | 26 May | 2–3 | 4–1 | |
| 4 | Genk | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 34 | Qualification for the European competition play-off | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 20 May | |
| 5 | Cercle Brugge | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 30 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 19 May | 4 May | — | 0–1 | ||
| 6 | Antwerp | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 29 | 26 May | 5 May | 0–3 | 0–1 | 12 May | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points without (possible) half points added due to rounding; 3) Regular season finishing position.
(K) Regular season winner
Notes:
