The Belgium Pro League is the most exciting football league in Europe
Don't be surprised if the Premier League adopts the Pro League's playoff structure some day
The Belgium Pro League went down to the final minutes of the season in the last two years to crown its champions.
In 2022-23, three teams, Genk, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Royal Antwerp went into the final day all with the chance to win the Belgian title.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Antwerp’s Toby Alderweireld scored in the 94th minute to give the Reds a 2-2 draw with Genk. Meanwhile, in Brussels, USG conceded three late goals to Club Brugge to prevent them from finishing ahead of Antwerp.
The win gave Royal Antwerp their first Belgian championship in 66 years. Having come third during the regular season, the playoffs enabled Royal Antwerp to overcome their rivals and pip them to the title on the final day.
Last season, the title went down to the wire once more. After finishing fourth in the regular season, 19 points behind USG, Club Brugge had an incredible 10-game run through the playoffs, finishing just one point ahead of Union.
Club’s dramatic nil-nil draw against city rival Cercle Brugge was just enough to lift the title. The match had plenty of drama, including a goal ruled out for Cercle for offsides thanks to VAR.
For the second straight campaign, it was sheer heartbreak for USG. Meanwhile supporters got to see an exciting six-team playoff round out the season.
One of Europe’s most exciting leagues
For years, the Pro League has been one of those European football leagues outside the top five that I desperately wanted to see more of. Although I missed much of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 regular seasons, I was able to see the final day of both campaigns.
At the end of last season, watching Club lift the Pro League title, I made the decision to follow the Pro League week-in, week-out in 2024-25. While the Premier League is my wife, the Pro League is my mistress.
The league kicked off in late July and has already thrown up some surprise. For one, the team I’ve elected to support, Club Brugge, have struggled terribly. After losing the Belgian Super Cup to USG 2-1, they failed to win either of their first two league matches. Of course, this would happen after I sign on to support the Blue and Black.
The opening weeks of the campaign have also seen Westerlo, a minnow of Belgium, take maximum points.
The Pro League playoffs make for an interesting 10-games
One of the aspects of the Pro League that makes it so exciting is the playoffs, which take a little bit to understand. Indeed, the playoffs make the final weeks of the campaign so intense, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Premier League adopt something similar in a few years.
In fact, I have said for awhile that a playoff system is coming to the Premier League in the next 10 years. Why? Because the last couple of seasons have seen the league title go down to the final day, with Liverpool or Arsenal challenging Manchester City for the trophy. The league cannot guarantee this excitement every season, unless they adopt a playoff structure.
Forget the foreign owners taking over Premier League clubs. At the end of the day, Sky Sports and the Premier League itself will realise the financial value of adding a playoff system. Forget playing games in the USA. A playoff system would increase the finances of the Premier League further. Like in Belgium, there could be playoffs for the title, European qualification, and relegation.
I’m not necessarily in favour of a playoff for the Premier League, but it would add to the overall appeal of the competition. Just look at how excited fans get for the Championship’s promotion playoffs or for the Champions League knockout stages.
So, how does the Belgium Pro League playoffs work?
The league has 16 teams, who play each other two times — home and away. At the conclusion of the regular season, the table is split into three parts.
The top six teams play in the Championship Playoffs. Teams seven to 12 compete in the European qualification playoffs, as they battle for a Conference League place. Finally, the bottom four teams — 13 to 16 — play in the relegation playoffs.
On paper, the structure of the league and playoffs give everyone something to play for at the end of the season. But how do the playoffs add excitement you may ask.
Well, at the end of the 30-game season, each team’s points are divided by two and rounded up if a club has a half point. From there, the teams will play further matches.
For example, the Championship Playoffs have six teams, meaning that the top six teams will have their points halved before playing 10 matches — home and away — against their direct rivals for an additional 30 points. The team with the most points at the end of the season becomes champion.
Can you image the Premier League adopting the same playoff structure? The playoffs in Belgium ensure the title rivals battle for the championship trophy. These aren’t just matches between the top team and the bottom team in the table. The first-place club has to play against the second place, third place, fourth place, fifth place, and sixth place teams — all of whom may have taken points off them during the season.
How good is the Belgium Pro League?
The Pro League is ranked eighth, according to UEFA’s rankings. The leagues ahead of them include:
England
Italy
Spain
Germany
France
Netherlands
Portugal
The ranking puts Belgium in an illustrious group. Thanks to the European campaigns of teams like Club Brugge in recent season — they reached the Conference League semifinals last term — the Pro League has a strong ranking among Europe’s football leagues.
The appeal of the Pro League
So, what has drawn me to the Pro League? I’m not quite sure. Perhaps, it is the smaller clubs compared to those in England, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The football is solid, and the league is full of young players.
There are also clubs like Brugge, Anderlecht, and Royal Antwerp with plenty of history. This has added to the appeal of watching the Pro League from start to finish. Indeed, I will be in Bruges in October and plan to see Club Brugge play USG.