The following article is a summary of the 2015–16 football season in Belgium, which is the 113th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2015 until June 2016.
Promotion and relegation
Pre-season LeaguePromoted to leagueRelegated from leaguePro League Sint-Truiden OH Leuven Cercle Brugge LierseSecond Division Koksijde Union SG Deinze Mons RC Mechelen Woluwe-Zaventem Eendracht AalstThird Division Sparta Petegem Tempo Overijse Beerschot Wilrijk RFC Liège Sint-Niklaas Hamoir Deux-Acren Ath Visé Zele Verviers Tournai Turnhout
National teams
Belgium national football team
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
UEFA Euro 2016
Friendlies
Belgium women's national football team
2017 UEFA Women's European Championship qualification
Group 7
Algarve Cup
Friendly
League competitions
Belgian First Division
Regular season
Championship play-offs
Belgian Second Division
Due to a reform in the Belgian football league, the Belgian Second Division ceases to exist and is replaced by the Belgian First Division B from the 2016–17 season which will only contain 8 teams instead of the current 17. As a result, the bottom nine teams in the league are set to relegate to the newly created league at the third level of the Belgian football pyramid, the Belgian First Amateur Division. Due to the fact that WS Brussels did not receive a licence, they were relegated instead of Roeselare.
Belgian Third Division
Due to a reform in the Belgian football league, the Belgian Third Division ceases to exist and is replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division from the 2016–17 season, now at the fourth level of Belgian football. A newly created league, the Belgian First Amateur Division is formed at the third level, effectively pushing the teams in this division one level down the pyramid. Only the top two teams in each division and the two promotion playoff winners are "promoted" to the new league, meaning they will remain at the third level, while most of the teams effectively drop to the fourth level. The two teams finishing in last position in each group are relegated to the Belgian Third Amateur Division, which in fact means a drop from level 3 to level 5 of the pyramid.
Group A
Group B
Promotion play-offs The eight teams taking part in the promotion play-offs are playing to win one of the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. The final match between the winners of Round 2, Sprimont-Comblain and FCV Dender EH, was not played as both teams already achieved promotion by winning Round 2. Hasselt beat La Louvière Centre in the third place match and took the final promotion spot. The five losing teams will play in the 2016-17 Belgian Second Amateur Division, effectively one level lower than in the 2015–16 season.
Transfers
European Club results Champions Gent qualified directly for the group stage of the Champions League, while runners-up Club Brugge started in the qualifying rounds. As third-place finisher, Anderlecht qualified directly for the group stage of the Europa League, while Standard Liège and Charleroi started in the qualifying rounds.
DateTeamCompetitionRoundLegOpponentLocationScoreBelgian Team Goalscorers16 July 2015CharleroiEuropa LeagueQual. Round 2Leg 1, Home Beitar JerusalemStade du Pays de Charleroi, CharleroiPollet (2), Kebano (2), Stevance23 July 2015CharleroiEuropa LeagueQual. Round 2Leg 2, Away Beitar JerusalemTeddy Stadium, JerusalemKebano, Sağlık, Ndongala, Stevance28 July 2015Club BruggeChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, Away PanathinaikosLeoforos Alexandras Stadium, AthensBolingoli-Mbombo30 July 2015CharleroiEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, Home Zorya LuhanskStade du Pays de Charleroi, Charleroi30 July 2015Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, Home ŽeljezničarStade Maurice Dufrasne, LiègeKosorić (o.g.), Knockaert5 August 2015Club BruggeChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, Home PanathinaikosJan Breydel Stadium, BrugesCools, Vázquez, Oularé6 August 2015CharleroiEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, Away Zorya LuhanskValeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, Kyiv6 August 2015Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, Away ŽeljezničarAsim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, SarajevoVan Damme18 August 2015Club BruggeChampions LeaguePlay-off roundLeg 1, Away Manchester UnitedOld Trafford, ManchesterCarrick (o.g.)20 August 2015Standard LiègeEuropa LeaguePlay-off roundLeg 1, Away MoldeAker Stadion, Molde26 August 2015Club BruggeChampions LeaguePlay-off roundLeg 2, Home Manchester UnitedJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges27 August 2015Standard LiègeEuropa LeaguePlay-off roundLeg 2, Home MoldeStade Maurice Dufrasne, LiègeKnockaert, Santini, Trebel16 September 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, Home LyonGhelamco Arena, Ghent1-1Milićević17 September 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, Home MonacoConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht1-1Gillet17 September 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, Away NapoliStadio San Paolo, Naples29 September 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, Away Zenit Saint PetersburgPetrovsky Stadium, Saint PetersburgMatton1 October 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, Away QarabağTofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku1 October 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, Home MidtjyllandJan Breydel Stadium, BrugesMeunier20 October 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, Away ValenciaMestalla Stadium, ValenciaFoket22 October 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, Home Tottenham HotspurConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, AnderlechtGillet, Okaka22 October 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, Away Legia WarsawPolish Army Stadium, Warsaw1-1De fauw4 November 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, Home ValenciaGhelamco Arena, GhentKums 5 November 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, Away Tottenham HotspurWhite Hart Lane, TottenhamEzekiel5 November 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, Home Legia WarsawJan Breydel Stadium, BrugesMeunier24 November 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, Away LyonStade de Gerland, LyonMilićević, Coulibaly26 November 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, Away MonacoStade Louis II, MonacoGillet, Acheampong26 November 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, Home NapoliJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges9 December 2015GentChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, Home Zenit Saint PetersburgGhelamco Arena, GhentDepoitre, Milićević10 December 2015AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, Home QarabağConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, AnderlechtNajar, Okaka10 December 2015Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, Away MidtjyllandMCH Arena, Herning1-1Vossen17 February 2016GentChampions LeagueRound of 16Leg 1, Home WolfsburgGhelamco Arena, GhentKums, Coulibaly18 February 2016AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 1, Home OlympiacosConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, AnderlechtMbodji25 February 2016AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 2, Away OlympiacosKaraiskakis Stadium, PiraeusAcheampong (2)8 March 2016GentChampions LeagueRound of 16Leg 2, Away WolfsburgVolkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg10 March 2016AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 16Leg 1, Away Shakhtar DonetskArena Lviv, LvivAcheampong17 March 2016AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 16Leg 2, Home Shakhtar DonetskConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht
Other honours CompetitionWinnerCupStandard LiègeSupercupGentThird division AHammeThird division BBeerschot WilrijkPromotion AKnokkePromotion BOlympic CharleroiPromotion CHadesPromotion DMeux
European qualification for 2016–17 summary CompetitionQualifiersReason for QualificationUEFA Champions League Group StageClub Brugge1st in Jupiler Pro LeagueUEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round for Non-ChampionsAnderlecht2nd in Jupiler Pro LeagueUEFA Europa League Group StageStandard LiègeCup winnerUEFA Europa League Third Qualifying RoundGent3rd in Jupiler Pro LeagueUEFA Europa League Second Qualifying RoundGenkEuropa League Playoff winner
See also 2015–16 Belgian Pro League 2015–16 Belgian Cup 2015 Belgian Super Cup Belgian Second Division Belgian Third Division: divisions A and B Belgian Promotion: divisions A, B, C and D
References