Pieter Nieuwenhuis, the Belgian football executive who co-created the Jupiler Pro League’s play-off system, says the abolition of the format will weaken Belgian football’s position in Europe. Speaking to multiple Belgian outlets ahead of the final season of the current play-off structure, Nieuwenhuis expressed concern that the shift to a flat 18-team league will harm competitiveness and reduce meaningful matches.
“Ik denk dat jullie in België weer tot jullie zinnen zullen komen,” Nieuwenhuis told Het Nieuwsblad, using a Dutch phrase meaning he believes Belgian fans and officials will eventually regret the decision. His warning comes as the Jupiler Pro League prepares to scrap the play-off system after the 2025-26 season, replacing it with a traditional double round-robin format featuring all 18 teams.
Nieuwenhuis, who developed the play-off concept through his company Hypercube, acknowledged that the current system needs evolution but argued the proposed flat league is a step in the wrong direction. “Ik ben het eens dat het met dit systeem niet verder kan, maar het kon ook op een andere manier,” he said, translating to “I agree that the current system cannot continue, but it could have been done another way.”
The Belgian football executive pointed to the growing congestion in the global football calendar as the primary driver for reform. “Door de recente uitbreiding van de Europese clubtoernooien en nieuwe toernooien van de FIFA groeit het aantal speelmomenten, waardoor je als binnenlandse competitie moet inbinden qua wedstrijdvolume,” Nieuwenhuis explained, noting that the expansion of UEFA and FIFA tournaments increases the total number of matches clubs must play, requiring domestic leagues to adjust their schedules.
However, he insisted alternatives existed that would have preserved competitive integrity even as reducing fixture load. Nieuwenhuis specifically advocated for adopting a “League Phase” model similar to the one used in the UEFA Champions League, where teams play a set number of matches against varied opponents before advancing to knockout stages. “Een systeem met een League Phase zoals de Europese competities had voor wat minder wedstrijden kunnen zorgen in het eerste deel van de competitie,” he stated.
He also referenced a prior suggestion of cross-border competitions as a viable alternative. “Een jaar geleden had hij nog een andere optie: ‘Het enige logische antwoord is cross-border voetbal,'” reported Voetbalkrant, referencing his belief that integrating Belgian clubs into multinational leagues could have balanced competitiveness with fixture reduction.
Nieuwenhuis warned that the flat 18-team format risks creating scenarios where the league champion is decided well before season’s end, leaving many clubs with nothing to play for during critical periods. “Wat is erger? Een seizoen met slechts één Brugse derby of een seizoen waarin de kampioen in maart al gekend is en waar met Kerstmis voor het merendeel van de ploegen al niets meer op het spel staat?” he asked in an interview with Het Belang van Limburg, questioning whether reducing local derbies or having a season decided by March is worse for fan engagement and competitive balance.
He predicted that under the fresh format, most teams would have no meaningful objectives by Christmas, diminishing the competitive relevance of the second half of the season. This concern aligns with his broader argument that Belgian football will “ontegensprekelijk een stapje terug moeten zetten” — undoubtedly take a step backward — in its European standing due to the reform.
The Belgian Pro League’s decision to eliminate play-offs follows years of debate over fixture congestion and competitive fairness. The current system, which Nieuwenhuis helped design, splits the league into regular season and play-off phases, with points reset and teams competing in mini-leagues for European qualification and the title. Critics have argued it complicates the standings and creates uneven schedules, while supporters contend it maintains excitement and rewards consistency over the full season.
As the 2025-26 Jupiler Pro League season reaches its conclusion, the play-offs will determine the final European qualifiers and champion under the existing format. Starting in 2026-27, all 18 teams will play each other twice in a standard league format, with the top teams qualifying for European competitions based solely on regular-season performance.
Nieuwenhuis remains skeptical that the change will strengthen Belgian football internationally. “Het Belgische voetbal doet zich met deze evolutie tekort en zal ontegensprekelijk een stapje terug moeten zetten,” he reiterated, echoing his sentiment that the reform represents a concession that will diminish the league’s ability to develop competitive clubs capable of succeeding in European tournaments.
His critique reflects a broader tension in European football between adapting to an increasingly crowded global calendar and preserving the competitive integrity and excitement of domestic leagues. While leagues across the continent grapple with similar challenges, Nieuwenhuis believes Belgium chose a path that sacrifices long-term competitiveness for short-term scheduling relief.
The upcoming season will be the last to feature the play-off system that has defined Belgian top-flight football for over a decade. As clubs prepare for the transition, voices like Nieuwenhuis’s serve as a reminder that structural changes in sports often involve trade-offs that extend beyond immediate logistical concerns.
The Belgian Pro League has not yet announced detailed plans for how the flat 18-team format will handle tiebreakers, European qualification slots, or potential revisions to the calendar to accommodate the increased number of matches per team. For now, the focus remains on completing the final play-off campaign before the format disappears.
As Belgian football stands at this crossroads, the perspective of one of the architects of the system being replaced offers a cautionary note about the risks of prioritizing fixture reduction over competitive depth. Whether his predictions come to pass will depend on how the new format influences team performance, fan engagement, and European results in the seasons to come.
The end of the play-offs marks a significant shift in Belgian football philosophy. For Nieuwenhuis, it represents not just a change in format, but a potential decline in the league’s ambition and effectiveness on the continental stage.
Follow developments in the Jupiler Pro League as it transitions to its new structure, and share your thoughts on what the future holds for Belgian football.
