Pro League Belgium is the top tournament of Belgian football, organized annually by the Belgian Football Federation (KBVB). With the participation of top teams and a long history, this tournament has become one of the pinnacle playgrounds of European football. In this article, SEAGames PH 2019 will learn about the Pro League Belgium football tournament, from its history to the latest information about this tournament.
What is Pro League Belgium?
Pro League Belgium is the top tournament of Belgian football, organized annually by the Belgian Football Federation (KBVB). The name “Pro League” is taken from the Dutch language and means “Professional League”. This tournament includes 18 participating teams and takes place from July to May of the following year.
The Pro League Belgium football tournament was established in 1895 and is the tournament with the longest history in Belgium. However, in 1974, this tournament was officially renamed “Pro League”. Previously, this tournament had many different names such as “Division of Honor” or “First Division”.
History of formation and development of Pro League Belgium football tournament
As mentioned, the Pro League Belgium football tournament was established in 1895 with the original name “Division of Honor”. However, it was not until 1908 that this tournament was officially held annually and included the participation of the top teams in Belgium.
During its development, the Pro League Belgium football tournament has undergone many changes in organization and competition format. From 1926 to 1952, this tournament was divided into two regions, “Division I” and “Division II”. Then, in 1952, the league was divided into three divisions, “Division I”, “Division II”, and “Division III”.
By 1974, this tournament was officially renamed “Pro League” and there were only two regions left: “First Division” and “Second Division”. Since 1995, the tournament has been divided into three regions with new names: “Jupiler League”, “Tweede Klasse” and “Derde Klasse”. By 2016, this tournament returned to its current two regions.
Form of participation in the Pro League Belgium football tournament
The Pro League Belgium football tournament has a fairly simple competition format. The 18 participating teams will compete in a round-robin tournament during the season. Each team will face each other two times, one match at home and one match away. Scores will be calculated based on a system of 3 points for each win, 1 point for each draw and zero points for each loss.
After the end of the round robin, the last two teams will be relegated and replaced by the top two teams of the “First Amateur Division”. In addition, the champion team will participate in the Champions League and the second-placed team will participate in the Europa League.
Latest schedule of Pro League Belgium football tournament
The 2023-2024 season of Pro League Belgium will kick off at the end of July 2023 and is expected to end in early May 2024.
Currently, this tournament is in the round-robin phase and is expected to end in May 2024. After that, teams will compete in the play-off phase to decide the final position on the table. ratings. In May 2024, the tournament will officially end and the champion team will be crowned.
Latest rankings of Pro League Belgium football tournament
Currently, after 16 rounds, the rankings of the Belgian Pro League football tournament have had notable changes. Anderlecht took the top spot in the table with 40 points, only 1 point ahead of second place Club Brugge.
In third and fourth place are Genk and Antwerp, respectively, with equivalent points of 33 and 32. Meanwhile, teams like Standard Liege, Gent or Charleroi are all having difficulties this season and are struggling. Ranked lower than initial expectations.
Teams participating in the Pro League Belgium football tournament
The current Pro League Belgium football tournament has the participation of 18 top teams in Belgium. Below is a list of these teams:
- Anderlecht
- Antwerp
- Beerschot VA
- Cercle Brugge
- Charleroi
- Club Bruges
- Eupen
- Genk
- Gent
- KV Kortrijk
- KV Mechelen
- Moeskroen
- Oostende
- Oud-Heverlee Leuven
- Royal Excel Mouscron
- Sint-Truiden
- Standard Liege
- Waasland-Beveren
Achievements of the Pro League Belgium football tournament
Throughout its history, the Pro League Belgium football tournament has witnessed impressive achievements of participating teams. However, there are some teams that are considered “big men” of this tournament with outstanding achievements.
The Anderlecht team is the team with the most titles in the history of this tournament with 34 championships and 9 runner-up finishes. Meanwhile, Club Brugge is also a formidable opponent with 16 champions and 11 runner-up finishes.
In addition, teams such as Standard Liege, Genk or Gent have also had notable achievements during their participation in the Belgian Pro League football tournament.
Pro League Belgium football title
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The Jupiler Pro League football tournament is not only a playground for teams to compete but also a place for players to prove their mettle and win individual titles. Throughout the history of this tournament, there have been many outstanding players honored.
The title of “Best Player” of the Pro League Belgium football tournament belongs to many big stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Thorgan Hazard or Kevin De Bruyne. In addition, the “Golden Boot” title for the player who scores the most goals of the season is also one of the most sought after titles.
Pro League Belgium on the world stage
Pro League Belgium is not only an important playground for Belgian football but is also considered one of the top tournaments in Europe. With the participation of top teams and talented players, this tournament always attracts the attention of big clubs around the world.
Many players from Belgian Pro League have had great success when moving to play for clubs in top tournaments such as the Premier League or La Liga. The most typical is Eden Hazard, who played for Lille in this tournament before moving to Chelsea and currently Real Madrid.
Conclude
Above is basic information about the Pro League Belgium football tournament – the pinnacle of Belgian football. From the history of formation to the latest information about this tournament, we can see the development and prestige of this tournament in the European and world football community.
Hopefully through this article, you will gain new knowledge and better understand the Pro League Belgium football tournament. Thank you for reading the article.