Since the 2020-2021 season, the D1A has gone back from 16 to 18 clubs due to the premature end of the 2019-2020 season following the coronavirus. Waasland-Beveren was then kept in the top flight and Beerschot and Oud-Heverlee, the two D1B finalists, were promoted. An 18-club format which was to last until the end of this season but which has been extended until 2022-2023.
From the 2023-2024 season, the D1A should again have 16 clubs but the idea does not pass with the K11 clubs. To go from 18 to 16 clubs, there would therefore be three descendants next season and the small clubs fear a financial pit, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. Last season, the integration of U23 teams in D1B and in the amateur series had already been used as a bargaining chip to extend the current format for one season.
During this meeting, the format proposed by the consultancy firm Twenty First Group could be put back on the table. The English firm had presented a format with 12 teams in D1A and 12 or 14 teams in D1B with playoffs. According to Twenty First Group, this format would allow the Pro League to become the sixth best European league thanks to higher TV rights, linked to the greater number of matches at stake.
