Association football is the most popular sport in Belgium, which has been played since the end of the 19th century. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport. The first match of the Belgium national team was played on 1 May 1904, a 3–3 draw against France.
Traditionally, the clubs Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liège are the three most dominant domestic teams, all of them also having played and/or won one or more European Cup final(s).
League system[]
- Main article:Belgian football league system
As of the 2016–17 season, the Belgian football league pyramid has nine levels. The FA dramatically overhauled the league system after the 2015–16 season, reducing the number of professional teams to 24 and introducing a nationwide amateur league for the first time.
Nationwide leagues:
- First Division A (renamed from "Pro League" after the 2015–16 season)
- First Division B – replaced the former Second Division for 2016–17
- National Division 1 – introduced for 2016–17
Regional leagues:
- Division 2 (three leagues, two for Flemish clubs and one for Francophone clubs, with Flemish teams assigned loosely on geographic location)
- Division 3 (four leagues, two each for Flemish clubs and Francophone clubs, with all teams assigned loosely on geographic location)
Provincial leagues:
- Provincial Division 1
- Provincial Division 2
- Provincial Division 3
- Provincial Division 4 (except in Luxembourg and the Francophone Brabant league, where this level does not exist)
Each provincial subdivision of the FA runs its own 4-division league. Only teams that are geographically located in a certain province are allowed to compete in the corresponding provincial league. To include as well teams from the capital region of Brussels (which is not a province by itself and also does not belong to a province), teams from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant are split into two similar leagues based on their language. As a result there are two "provincial" leagues corresponding to the former Province of Brabant: one Brabant "provincial" league for Flemish clubs (including all Flemish clubs from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant) and a Brabant "provincial" league for Francophone clubs (including all Francophone clubs from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant). The majority of the clubs from the Brussels capital region are Francophone, de facto resulting in two provincial leagues roughly corresponding to Flemish Brabant on one hand; and Walloon Brabant and Brussels on the other hand.
External links[]
- RSSSF archive – Belgian clubs history
- League321.com – Belgian Football League Tables, Records & Statistics Database.
- Belgian Soccer Database – Extensive database about players, clubs, results and other historical statistics
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