The 2023–24 Belgian Pro League (officially known as the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 121st season of top-tier football in Belgium. Club Brugge were crowned champions for the 19th time in their history having come back from fourth at the start of the title play-offs. For the second time in three seasons, Union Saint-Gilloise finished top at the end of the regular season, but did not win the league.
Format change After 3 seasons, the Belgian Pro League returned to the "old" format, featuring the number of teams reduced from 18 to 16, and with similar play-offs as it was pre-COVID-19. After the regular season, the top six teams qualified for the champions' play-offs (commonly called "Play-offs I"), teams from 7th to 12th place qualified for the Europe play-offs (commonly called "Play-offs II"), but most importantly the number of teams relegating increased from one to either two or three, as the bottom four teams (13th through 16th) played relegation play-offs after completion, of which the bottom two teams were relegated directly, with the team finishing 14th overall playing the 3rd-place finisher of the 2023–24 Challenger Pro League for the final spot in the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League.
Teams Due to the league format change which reduced the number of teams back from 18 to 16, the bottom three teams had been relegated to the Challenger Pro League: Oostende (after ten seasons), Seraing (after two seasons) and Zulte Waregem (after 18 seasons). They were replaced by RWD Molenbeek, the winner of the 2022–23 Challenger Pro League. Officially, this RWD Molenbeek played their first-ever season in the top flight, however the club saw itself as the successor of the former RWD Molenbeek, one-time Belgian champion, which last played at the highest level in 2002. Another distinct successor team with similar name RWDM Brussels also played four seasons at the highest level from 2004 to 2008.
Stadiums and locations
Matricule Club Location Venue Capacity 35 Anderlecht, Brussels Constant Vanden Stock Stadium 21,500 1 Antwerp Bosuilstadion 16,144 12 Bruges Jan Breydel Stadium 29,042 22 Charleroi Stade du Pays de Charleroi 14,000 3 Bruges Jan Breydel Stadium 29,042 4276 Eupen Kehrwegstadion 8,363 322 Genk Cegeka Arena 24,956 7 Ghent Ghelamco Arena 20,000 19 Kortrijk Guldensporen Stadion 9,399 25 Mechelen AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne 16,700 18 Leuven Den Dreef 10,0005479 Molenbeek, Brussels Edmond Machtens Stadium 12,266 373 Sint-Truiden Stayen 14,600 16 Liège Stade Maurice Dufrasne 30,023 10 Forest, Brussels Stade Joseph Marien 9,400 2024 Westerlo Het Kuipje 8,035
Number of teams by provinces Number of teams Province or region Team(s)3 , and , and , and 2 and and 1
Personnel and kits
Club Manager Kit Manufacturer Shirt sponsors (front)Shirt sponsors (back)Shirt sponsors (sleeve)Shorts sponsor Anderlecht Brian Riemer Joma DVV Insurance (H)/Candriam (A)NoneNapoleon GamesNone Antwerp Mark van Bommel Jako betFIRSTHeylen Vastgoed, GhelamcoNone Cercle Brugge Miron Muslic Kappa Golden Palace Casino SportsLiantis, Callant InsuranceVolvo Automobilia, BruggeAutoverhuur Meerschaert, Callant Insurance Charleroi Rik De Mil Kipsta Unibet, R-Aqua, CairoxQNT SportNoneUMons Club Brugge Nicky Hayen Macron UnibetAllianzBWTNone Eupen Kristoffer Andersen & Raphaël Fèvre Adidas Aspire Academy, OstbelgienNoneJohnen Automobile Genk Domenico Olivieri, Michel Ribeiro & Eddy Vanhemel (caretakers) Nike Beobank, EAZERCEO's 4 Climate, CarglassAqua-Step HDMCegeka, Carglass Gent Hein Vanhaezebrouck Craft BâloiseCircus Belgium, Vdk bankHyundaiAPF Autoparts, Vdk bank Kortrijk Freyr Alexandersson Erreà AGO Jobs & HR, UnibetBrustor, Earth Belgium, Caps Fuel CardNOVAUnibet, Caps Fuel Card Mechelen Besnik Hasi Telenet, Groep Verelst, Play Sports, AFAS SoftwareAFAS SoftwareNoneArco Information, Golden Palace Casino Sports OH Leuven Óscar García Stanno Star CasinoTegel ConceptBanqupNone RWD Molenbeek Yannick Ferrera Kipsta Golden Palace Casino SportsM&G CleaningNoneLiften De Weghe, Tadal Sint-Truiden Thorsten Fink Macron Nishitan Clinic, DMM.com, City Creation, MaruhanSint TruidenAsahi Kasei, MaruhanPauli Beton, Star Casino Standard Liège Ivan Leko Adidas VOOCircus BelgiumCainiaoNone Union SG Alexander Blessin Nike Loterie Nationale/Hey! Telecom (in UEFA matches)Hey! TelecomNone Westerlo Bart Goor Nike SoudalCasino777, Arma GlobalKeukens Vanlommel, Voetbalshop.be
Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position Replaced by Date of appointment Club Brugge Rik De Mil Caretaker replaced End of 2022–23 season Pre-season Ronny Deila 5 June 2023 Eupen Edward Still Mutual consent Florian Kohfeldt 8 June 2023 Kortrijk Bernd Storck Edward Still 2 July 2023 Sint-Truiden Bernd Hollerbach Thorsten Fink 16 May 2023 Standard Liège Geoffrey Valenne Caretaker replaced Carl Hoefkens 16 June 2023 Union SG Karel Geraerts No extension agreement found 21 June 2023 Alexander Blessin 3 July 2023 RWD Molenbeek Vincent EuvrardSacked 24 July 2023 Caçapa 25 July 2023Kortrijk Edward Still 25 September 2023 16th Joseph Akpala (caretaker) 25 September 2023 Joseph Akpala (caretaker) Caretaker replaced 2 October 2023 16th Glen De Boeck 2 October 2023 OH Leuven Marc BrysSacked 13 October 2023 14th Eddy Vanhemel (caretaker) 13 October 2023 Mechelen Steven Defour 2 November 2023 13th Frederik Vanderbiest (caretaker) 2 November 2023 OH Leuven Eddy VanhemelCaretaker replaced 5 November 2023 Óscar García 5 November 2023 Mechelen Frederik Vanderbiest 8 November 2023 14th Besnik Hasi 8 November 2023 Westerlo Jonas De RoeckSacked 2 December 2023 15th Bart Goor (caretaker) 2 December 2023 Kortrijk Glen De Boeck 6 December 2023 16th Joseph Akpala (caretaker) 6 December 2023 Westerlo Bart Goor (caretaker) Caretaker replaced 12 December 2023 14th Rik De Mil 12 December 2023 Standard Liège Carl Hoefkens Sacked 31 December 2023 9th Ivan Leko 4 January 2024 Kortrijk Joseph Akpala (caretaker) Caretaker replaced 5 January 2024 16th Freyr Alexandersson 5 January 2024 RWD Molenbeek Caçapa Sacked 11 February 2024 14th Bruno Irles 14 February 2024 Eupen Florian Kohfeldt Resigned 16 March 2024 14th Kristoffer Andersen & Raphaël Fèvre 25 March 2024 Club Brugge Ronny DeilaSacked 18 March 2024 4th Nicky Hayen (caretaker) 18 March 2024 Westerlo Rik De Mil 19 March 2024 11th Bart Goor (caretaker) 19 March 2024 Charleroi Felice Mazzù 20 March 2024 13th Rik De Mil 22 March 2024 RWD Molenbeek Bruno Irles 23 March 2024 16th Yannick Ferrera 23 March 2024 Genk Wouter Vrancken Mutual consent 9 May 2024 4th (Champions' play-offs) Domenico Olivieri, Michel Ribeiro & Eddy Vanhemel (caretakers) 9 May 2024
Regular season League table
Results
Play-offs Champions' play-offs The champions' play-offs decided the overall league champion. The top six teams of the Regular season qualified and played a round-robin tournament, with each team starting with half the points obtained during the regular season. The starting points were rounded up, in case of ties in standings at the end of the champions' play-offs, any half points gained were deducted first.
The points of Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Cercle Brugge and Genk were rounded up, and thus in the event of a tie on points, Union SG and Antwerp would always be ranked ahead of those four teams.
The teams finishing in the top four positions after conclusion of the champions' play-offs qualified for European football, with the team in position five facing the winner of the Europe play-offs for the final ticket.
Europe play-offs The Europe play-offs were played by the teams in positions 7 through 12 at the conclusion of the Regular season. Teams played a round-robin tournament, with each team starting with half the points obtained during the regular season. The starting points were rounded up, in case of ties in standings at the end of the Europe play-offs, any half points gained were deducted first.
The points of Gent, Mechelen and OH Leuven were rounded up, and thus in the event of a tie on points, Sint-Truiden, Standard Liège and Westerlo would always be ranked ahead of those three teams.
The winner of the Europe play-offs faced the team finishing fifth in the champions' play-offs to decide which team qualified for European football.
European competition play-off A single match was played between the fifth place finisher of the champions' play-offs and Gent, the winner of the Europe play-offs, with home advantage to the team from the champions' play-offs. The winner qualified for European football.
Normally the fourth team of the champions' play-offs would be facing the winner of the Europe play-offs, but as Union SG won the 2023–24 Belgian Cup on 9 May 2024 and was already guaranteed of finishing in the top four, instead the fifth-placed team of the champions' play-offs, Genk, faced Gent.
Relegation play-offs The bottom four teams after the regular season played the relegation play-offs, a round-robin tournament in which they started with the full points obtained during the regular season. The teams finishing in third and fourth at the conclusion of the relegation play-offs were relegated to the 2024–25 Challenger Pro League, and the team finishing in second place had to play the winner of the promotion play-offs, with the winner of that match playing in the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League.
Charleroi did not lose a single match during the play-offs and was already mathematically certain after four matchdays of not being relegated. Eupen was relegated after five matchdays, following a loss at Kortrijk. On the final matchday on 11 May 2024, to avoid direct relegation, RWD Molenbeek needed to win (at Eupen) and hope Kortrijk would not win (at Charleroi). Kortrijk did lose, but so did RWDM, sending Kortrijk to the promotion/relegation play-offs for an ultimate chance at avoiding relegation, while directly relegating RWD Molenbeek back to the Challenger Pro League.
Season statistics
Despite teams not playing the same number of matches due to the play-offs, goals during the play-offs did count in determining the top scorer.
Top goalscorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Kévin DenkeyCercle Brugge272 Anders DreyerAnderlecht193 Mohamed AmouraUnion SG18 Igor ThiagoClub Brugge5 Gustaf NilssonUnion SG166 Kasper DolbergAnderlecht15 Aboubakary KoïtaSint-Truiden Tarik TissoudaliGent9 Andreas Skov OlsenClub Brugge1410 Nicolas MadsenWesterlo13
Clean sheets RankPlayerClubCleansheets1 Maarten VandevoordtGenk132 Jean ButezAntwerp12 WarlesonCercle Brugge4 Gaëtan CouckeMechelen11 Simon MignoletClub Brugge Anthony MorisUnion SG7 Hervé KoffiCharleroi98 Arnaud BodartStandard Liège7 Tobe LeysenOH Leuven Davy RoefGent Kasper SchmeichelAnderlecht
Discipline Player Most yellow cards: 12 Hannes van der Bruggen (Cercle Brugge) Most red cards: 3 Christopher Bonsu Baah (Genk) Club Most yellow cards: 93 Union SG Fewest yellow cards: 49 Gent Most red cards: 7 Genk Fewest red cards: 1 Mechelen Sint-Truiden Awards Annual awards Annual awards Award Winner Club Jupiler Pro League Player of the Season Cameron Puertas Union Saint-Gilloise Nieuwsblad Talent of the Season Bilal El Khannouss Genk Goal of the Season Ferran Jutglà Club Brugge Securex Coach of the Season Alexander Blessin Union Saint-Gilloise Referee of the Season Jonathan Lardot — Team of the Season Goalkeeper Warleson (Cercle Brugge) Defence Alessio Castro-Montes (Union Saint-Gilloise) Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge) Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht) Koki Machida (Union Saint-Gilloise) Midfield Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge) Bilal El Khannouss (Genk) Cameron Puertas (Union Saint-Gilloise) Thorgan Hazard (Anderlecht) Forwards Kévin Denkey (Cercle Brugge) Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise)
Attendances
Club Brugge drew the highest average home attendance in the 2023-24 edition of the Belgian Pro League.
Notes
References