2026–27 Belgian Pro League
124th season of top-tier football in Belgium
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The 2026–27 Belgian Pro League (officially known as the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons) will be the 124th season of top-tier football in Belgium.
| Season | 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7 August 2026 – 23 May 2027 |
← 2025–26 2027–28 → | |
Format change
The Belgian Pro League is set to return to a competition without playoffs, after 17 seasons of using the play-off system (in various forms, and with the exception of the 2019–20 season when the playoffs could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Disputes and legal procedures against this decision have been running until mid-June 2026, mainly due to the fact that as part of the reform, a rule was introducted that at least four U23-teams would always remain in the Challenger Pro League. This rule was cancelled two seasons later as it was judged to be illegal and would result in a yearly fine of 12 Million Euros to the Pro League.[1] While this rule was abolished, the reform to 18 teams ultimately remained intact, to the dismay of some teams. Furthermore, in a debate held in June 2026 between the largest six clubs (Anderlecht, Antwerp, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, and Union SG), with the exception of Club Brugge, all club leaders acknowledged that a league with 18 teams is far from the best format for Belgium, as it is less interesting for the rights holders, has fewer clashes between big teams, and reduces fan interest throughout the season. Long-term they are aiming to reduce the number of teams in the highest division to 14 or fewer, and reduce the number of professional teams in Belgian football altogether.[2] In the end, the league will expand to 18 teams and be run as a round-robin tournament without playoffs. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the 2027–28 Challenger Pro League.[3]
Teams
Beveren was promoted as champions of the 2025–26 Challenger Pro League already in March 2026, returning to the top level after five seasons.[4] One month later, Kortrijk took the runners-up spot without playing, as third-placed Beerschot dropped points away to Eupen, making it mathematically certain Kortrijk was also promoted, returning to the top level after just one season.[5] On 23 May 2026, Lommel gained promotion for the first time under its current name and 23 years after predecessor KFC Lommel SK, following a 3–2 victory on aggregate in the promotion/relegation play-off final against Dender.[6]
Stadiums and locations
| Matricule | Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Anderlecht | Anderlecht, Brussels | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium | 21,500 |
| 1 | Antwerp | Antwerp | Bosuilstadion | 21,000 |
| 4068 | Beveren | Beveren | Freethiel Stadion | 8,190 |
| 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 |
| 322 | Genk | Genk | Cegeka Arena | 24,956 |
| 7 | Gent | Ghent | Planet Group Arena | 20,000 |
| 19 | Kortrijk | Kortrijk | Guldensporen Stadion | 9,399 |
| 94 | La Louvière | La Louvière | Easi Arena | 8,050 |
| 1986 | Lommel SK | Lommel | Soevereinstadion | 8,000 |
| 25 | Mechelen | Mechelen | AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne | 16,700 |
| 18 | OH Leuven | Leuven | Den Dreef | 10,000 |
| 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 |
| 5381 | Zulte Waregem | Waregem | Regenboogstadion | 12,500 |
Number of teams by area
| # | Province or region | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 |  West Flanders | Cercle Brugge, Club Brugge, Kortrijk, and Zulte Waregem |
| 3 |  Antwerp | Antwerp, Mechelen and Westerlo |
 Limburg | Genk, Lommel and Sint-Truiden | |
| 2 |  Brussels | Anderlecht and Union SG |
 East Flanders | Beveren and Gent | |
 Hainaut | Charleroi and La Louvière | |
| 1 |  Flemish Brabant | OH Leuven |
 Liège | Standard Liège | |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zulte Waregem |  Steve Colpaert[7] |
Moved to assistant role | 19 May 2026 | Pre-season |  Michael Beale[8] |
19 May 2026 |
| Anderlecht |  Jérémy Taravel |
End of caretaker spell | 24 May 2026 |  Vítor Bruno[9] |
23 June 2026 | |
| Antwerp | Faris Haroun[10] |
|||||
| Beveren |  Marink Reedijk[11] |
End of contract | Tim Bakens[12] |
18 June 2026 | ||
| OH Leuven | Felice Mazzù[13] |
Sacked | 27 May 2026 | Timmy Simons[14] |
23 June 2026 | |
| La Louvière | Frédéric Taquin[15] |
End of contract | 30 June 2026 | Edward Still[16] |
1 July 2026 | |
| Sint-Truiden | Wouter Vrancken[17] |
Frédéric De Meyer[18] | ||||
| Genk | Nicky Hayen[19] |
Signed by Burnley | 10 July 2026 |  Jess Thorup[20] |
14 July 2026 | |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderlecht | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Champions League league phase |
| 2 | Antwerp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Beveren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Cercle Brugge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Charleroi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Club Brugge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Genk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Gent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Kortrijk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | La Louvière | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Lommel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Mechelen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | OH Leuven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Sint-Truiden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Standard Liège | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Union SG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Westerlo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to Challenger Pro League |
| 18 | Zulte Waregem | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.[21]