The Belgian Pro League is entering uncharted territory. After 17 seasons of playoffs determining the champion, the 2026/27 campaign marks the return to a pure league format — 18 teams, 34 matchdays, no second chances. It is the biggest structural change in Belgian football in nearly two decades, and it could reshape the power dynamics of the entire division.
A New Era: 18 Teams, No Playoffs
The decision to scrap the playoff system was narrowly approved at the Pro League General Assembly with 34 votes — just one above the required minimum of 33 out of 49. The change expands the top flight from 16 to 18 clubs and introduces a classic double round-robin format: every team plays every other team home and away, and the team that finishes first lifts the trophy.
It is a format that arguably punishes inconsistency far more than the old system, where a strong run of form in the playoffs could overturn months of regular-season mediocrity. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the Challenger Pro League, while European spots are allocated to the top four finishers plus the Belgian Cup winners.
Three promoted sides join the competition: Beveren (Challenger Pro League champions), KV Kortrijk (runners-up), and Lommel SK (via the promotion playoff). All three face a steep challenge to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
How 2025/26 Unfolded
The 2025/26 season told a tale of two competitions. Union Saint-Gilloise dominated the regular season, topping the table with 66 points from 30 matches — 19 wins, 9 draws, and just 2 defeats, conceding a league-low 17 goals. But the playoff system struck again: Club Brugge, who finished second with 63 points, overturned the deficit in the championship playoffs to clinch their 20th title.
| 2025/26 Regular Season (Top 6) | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Union SG | 30 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 50 | 17 | 66 |
| 2. Club Brugge (C) | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 59 | 36 | 63 |
| 3. Sint-Truiden | 30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 47 | 35 | 57 |
| 4. Gent | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 49 | 43 | 45 |
| 5. Mechelen | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 39 | 37 | 45 |
| 6. Anderlecht | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 43 | 39 | 44 |
Nicolò Tresoldi finished as the league's top scorer with 19 goals, and his future remains a talking point — several clubs across Europe have been linked with the Club Brugge striker this summer.
Union SG: The Favourites
No team stands to benefit more from the abolition of playoffs than Union Saint-Gilloise. Over the past four seasons, Union have been Belgium's most consistent regular-season side, only for the playoff system to deny them the rewards of that dominance. In 2024/25, they won the title for the first time since 1935. In 2025/26, they topped the regular season by three points but watched Club Brugge overtake them in the playoffs.
Under the new format, that consistency becomes an unambiguous advantage. Union's miserly defence — just 17 goals conceded in 30 matches last season — is the kind of foundation that wins leagues decided over 34 games. They enter 2026/27 as the bookmakers' favourites, and it is easy to see why.
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Club Brugge: Rebuilding While Defending
Club Brugge are the defending champions, but their summer has been one of significant upheaval. The biggest headline is the departure of Jesse Bisiwu, the 18-year-old Belgian-Ghanaian winger who joined Barcelona for around €8.5 million. Though Bisiwu never made a first-team appearance — excelling instead at Club NXT — his sale underlines Brugge's reputation as one of Europe's finest talent factories. Midfielder Onyedika has also departed for Eintracht Frankfurt, while Ardon Jashari moved to AC Milan.
In response, Brugge have recruited shrewdly: Aleksandar Stankovic arrives from Inter Milan, Carlos Forbs from Ajax, Ludovit Reis from Hamburg, and Félix Lemaréchal from Strasbourg. Whether these additions can offset the loss of key players remains to be seen, but Brugge's opening-day 3–0 victory suggests they remain a force.
Anderlecht: Still Searching for Former Glories
Anderlecht remain Belgium's most successful club with 34 league titles, but they have not been champions since 2016/17. A sixth-place finish in the 2025/26 regular season — 22 points behind Union SG — was another reminder of how far they have fallen from the summit.
The summer has brought further pain. Nathan De Cat, the 17-year-old defensive midfielder dubbed "the Belgian Busquets", was the breakout star of last season — three goals and five assists in 46 appearances earned him both the Jupiler Pro League Young Player of the Year and Anderlecht's Player of the Year awards. He has since joined TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
Anderlecht have moved to replace him with signings including Mathys Angely (from Wolfsburg), Moussa Diarra (from Alavés), and Danylo Sikan (from Trabzonspor). The squad has quality, but a title challenge feels a season or two away.
The Dark Horses
Sint-Truiden were the surprise package of 2025/26, finishing third with 57 points and earning Europa League football. Racing Genk, perennial contenders with an outstanding youth development system, will be keen to bounce back from a disappointing seventh-place finish. And Standard Liège, with the largest stadium capacity in the division (30,023 at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne), carry the weight of a proud fanbase desperate for a return to the top.
Belgium's Talent Pipeline
The Belgian Pro League's greatest asset is its ability to develop and export world-class talent. This summer alone, Jesse Bisiwu left for Barcelona, Nathan De Cat for Hoffenheim, and Kaye Furo for Brentford. Defender Joaquin Seys, still at Club Brugge, was one of only three Belgian World Cup squad members playing in the domestic league — a stat that says everything about the division's role as a launchpad rather than a destination.
The next generation is already emerging. Keep an eye on the academies of Anderlecht, Club Brugge, and Genk — historically Belgium's three biggest talent producers — for the next wave of names you will be hearing about across Europe's top five leagues.
The Verdict
Union Saint-Gilloise are the team to beat. The new format rewards exactly what they do best: relentless consistency over 34 matchdays. Club Brugge will push them hard, but the turnover in their squad introduces uncertainty. Anderlecht are rebuilding, Sint-Truiden will try to consolidate, and Genk have a point to prove.
Our prediction: Union SG will win their second Belgian Pro League title in three seasons, with Club Brugge finishing as runners-up. Anderlecht will improve but fall short of the top three, finishing fourth behind a resilient Sint-Truiden. The three promoted sides will find life tough — expect at least one of Beveren, Kortrijk, or Lommel to go straight back down.
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Sources
This post was researched using the following sources:
- 2026–27 Belgian Pro League — Wikipedia
- 2025–26 Belgian Pro League — Wikipedia
- Belgian Pro League announces new format for 2026/27 — Tribuna.com
- Belgian Football Association abolishes playoffs — Inside World Football
- Belgian Pro League 2026/27 Preview: Anderlecht — Get Belgian Football News
- Pro League Jupiler 2026/27 Season Guide — 22Bet News
- Barcelona sign Jesse Bisiwu from Club Brugge — ESPN
- Nathan De Cat: Who is Hoffenheim's new Belgian talent? — Bundesliga.com
- Club Brugge transfers 2026/27 — Transfermarkt
- Five players to watch in 2026 — Prospect Belgium
Cover image: Constant Vanden Stock Stadium during Anderlecht vs Dynamo Zagreb, KSKB1935 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.