| Challenger Pro League | |
| |
| Country |  Belgium
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Promotion to | Belgian Pro League |
| Relegation to | Belgian National Division 1 |
| Levels on pyramid | 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Belgian Cup |
| UEFA cup(s) | UEFA Europa League (via Belgian Cup) |
| Current champions | RWD Molenbeek (2022–23) |
| TV | Eleven Sports |
| Website | Official website |
 2023–24
| |
The Challenger Pro League (previously known as 1B Pro League) is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, replacing the Belgian Second Division. From the season 2016–17 until 2019–20, the competition was named Proximus League, after the main sponsor Proximus.
History[]
The Belgian First Division B was created in 2016 as the successor of the Belgian Second Division following an overhaul of the Belgian football league system which saw the number of professional clubs reduced to 24 and the number of teams at the second level of the football pyramid to 8.
During Belgian Second Division era from 1973 to 2016, the second division winner and the play-off winner promote to the first division. From 2016 on, the second division winner is no longer guaranteed promotion. The league is divided in two periods of 15 games. The winners of a period compete each other in a final. If a team wins both periods, no final is played and it automatically rises to the highest level. In 2017, Lierse became champion of the league, but no promotion was allowed because they did not win a period. Antwerp and SV Roeselare played the final.
Clubs[]
Members for 2023–24[]
| Club name | City | Last season position |
First season of current spell in top division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beerschot | Antwerp | 4th | 2022–23 |
| Beveren | Beveren | 2nd | 2021–22 |
| Club NXT | Bruges | 3rd | 2022–23 |
| Deinze | Deinze | 8th | 2020–21 |
| Dender EH | Denderleeuw | 9th | 2022–23 |
| Francs Borains | Boussu | 3rd (ND1) | 2023–24 |
| Jong Genk | Genk | 11th | 2022–23 |
| Lierse Kempenzonen | Lier | 5th | 2020–21 |
| Lommel SK | Lommel | 7th | 2018–19 |
| Oostende | Oostende | 16th (JPL) | 2023–24 |
| Patro Eisden | Maasmechelen | 1st (ND1) | 2023–24 |
| RFC Liège | Liège | 2nd (ND1) | 2023–24 |
| RSCA Futures | Anderlecht, Brussels | 6th | 2022–23 |
| SL16 FC | Liège | 10th | 2022–23 |
| Seraing | Seraing | 18th (JPL) | 2023–24 |
| Zulte Waregem | Waregem] | 17th (JPL) | 2023–24 |
| Challenger Pro League 2023–24 |
| Beerschot · Beveren · Club NXT · Deinze · Dender · Francs Borains · Jong Genk · Lierse Kempenzonen · Lommel · Oostende · Patro Eisden Maasmechelen · Liège · Futures · Seraing · SL16 FC · Zulte Waregem |
| Challenger Pro League seasons |
| Second level football leagues of Europe (UEFA) |
|
Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation and Republika Srpska) · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · England · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Republic of Ireland · Israel · Italy · Kazakhstan · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Rep. of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · Northern Ireland · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino (defunct) · Scotland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · Wales (North and South) |
| Football in Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Belgium
|
