Back to sixteen teams
After three seasons with eighteen teams, the Jupiler Pro League will return to Amsterdam from next season sixteen teams. Seraing, Zulte Waregem and KV Oostende disappear to the Challenger Pro League, RWDM is the only one to join.
Champions’ and Europe play-offs with six
After the regular season, all teams still play games. Done with the insanely long holiday for ‘the little ones’. The numbers one to six of the regular competition play Champions’ Play-offs, the numbers seven to twelve Europe Play-offs. Before the start of the play-offs, the points are halved. The number four of the Champions’ Play-offs will play for the last European ticket against the winner of the Europe Play-offs. That means that the twelfth of the regular competition can in principle enter Europe.
Relegation play-offs
The numbers 13 to 16 play Relegation Play-offs among themselves. Here the points are not halved. Only those who win this jump-off are sure to keep it. The last two drop anyway and the third last plays jump-off matches (back and forth) against the third of the Challenger Pro League.
Also Challenger Pro League with sixteen (and play-offs)
From next season, the Challenger Pro League will also be played with sixteen clubs, including four U21 teams. The two clubs that are at the top after the regular season are rising anyway. The numbers three to six still play play-offs in a knock-out system, in other words a semi-final and a final. The number three will play against the number six in the semi-finals, four against five. The winner of this will compete against the third last of the Jupiler Pro League for a place at the highest level. U23 teams cannot promote or participate in the play-offs.
The relegation battle here is simpler. The last two clubs of the regular season in the Challenger Pro League are relegated directly to amateur football. And so there are also just two clubs from the first national.
Bring your agenda
Belgian football has not stood still for very long. The Supercup will be played on the weekend of 21 July. The following weekend, on Friday 28 july the competition starts. The Challenger Pro League starts two weeks after the Jupiler Pro League and at the latest 26 mei 2024 the national champion and all risers and fallers will be known.
The regular season lasts 30 match days, with a longer winter break in between 28 december in January 18, 2024and knows its apotheosis on the weekend of March 15, 2024. Two weeks later, op 29 Marchthe playoffs begin.
In the Challenger Pro League, the regular season runs from Friday 11 augustus through Sunday 21 april 2024. In the winter months, the 16 participating teams will have a rest from December 18 to January 11, 2024. The play-offs in the Challenger Pro League will take place between April 26 and 26 mei 2024. The final of the Croky Cup continues on Ascension Day on Thursday 9 mei 2024.
