2023–24 Belgian Pro League

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

Number of teams by provinces

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

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 amount of matches due to the play-offs, goals during the play-offs did count in determining the top scorer.

Top goalscorers

Clean sheets

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

Attendances

Club Brugge drew the highest average home attendance in the 2023-24 edition of the Belgian Pro League.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belgian First Division A 2023-24
2023-24
2023–24 in European association football leagues
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