2023–24 Challenger Pro League

The 2023–24 season of the Challenger Pro League is scheduled to begin in August 2023 and end in May 2024. It will be the second season under its new name after being renamed from First Division B.

Challenger Pro League
Season2023–24
Matches played39
Goals scored111 (2.85 per match)
Top goalscorerAdriano Bertaccini (7 goals)
Biggest home winSeraing 3–0 SL16FC
Biggest away winSeraing 0–5 Zulte Waregem
Highest scoringFrancs Borains 2–5 Jong Genk
Longest winning run4 matches (Lommel)
Longest unbeaten run4 matches (Lommel & Zulte Waregem)
Longest losing run3 matches (Oostende)

Team changes

This season, the league was expanded from 12 to 16 teams.

Incoming

Outgoing

Format changes

As the league expanded from 12 to 16 teams, this also involved a new format: a regular round-robin tournament of 30 matchdays. After this, the champions and runners-up will both be promoted to the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League and similarly, the two bottom finishers will be relegated to the 2024–25 Belgian National Division 1. Play-offs will be organized between the teams finishing in positions 3 through 6, with the winner of these play-offs facing the runner-up of the relegation playoffs in the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League for the final remaining ticket in the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League.

U23 are in theory eligible for promotion and relegation but always have to play at least one level below their mother club. This means that:

  • The four U23 teams in this division are not eligible for promotion. In case one or more of these teams finish in the top six positions, the promotion and play-offs spots will shift along to the next eligible team in the standings.
  • Should one of the mother clubs of the teams in this division be relegated from the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, the corresponding U23 team will be forced to relegate as well from the 2023–24 Challenger Pro League, irrespective of its finishing position.

Team information

Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2023–24 Challenger Pro League teams
Matricule Club City First season of
current spell at
second level		 Coming from 2022-23 result Stadium Capacity
35 RSCA Futures Anderlecht, Brussels 2022–23 U23 competition 6th (CPL) King Baudouin Stadium 38,000
13 K Beerschot VA Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian First Division A 3rd (CPL) Olympic Stadium 12,771
4068 S.K. Beveren Beveren 2021–22 Belgian First Division B 2nd (CPL) Freethiel Stadion 8,190
3 Club NXT Bruges[lower-alpha 1] 2022–23 U23 competition 4th (CPL) Schiervelde Stadion 8,340
818 K.M.S.K. Deinze Deinze 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division 8th (CPL) Burgemeester Van de Wiele Stadion 7,515
3900 F.C.V. Dender E.H. Denderleeuw 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 9th (CPL) Van Roystadion 6,429
5192 Francs Borains Boussu 2023–24 Belgian National Division 1 3rd (NatD1) Stade Robert Urbain 6,000
322 Jong Genk Genk 2022–23 U23 competition 11th (CPL) Luminus Arena 24,956
3970 Lierse Kempenzonen Lier 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division 5th (CPL) Herman Vanderpoortenstadion 14,538
2554 Lommel SK Lommel 2018–19 Belgian First Amateur Division 7th (CPL) Soevereinstadion 8,000
31 Oostende Ostend 2023–24 Belgian Pro League 16th (BPL) Diaz Arena 8,432
3434 Patro Eisden Maasmechelen Maasmechelen 2023–24 Belgian National Division 1 1st (NatD1) Gemeentelijk Sportparkstadion 5,500
4 RFC Liège Liège 2023–24 Belgian National Division 1 2nd (NatD1) Stade de Rocourt 8,000
167 Seraing Seraing 2023–24 Belgian Pro League 18th (BPL) Stade du Pairay 8,207
16 SL16 FC Liège 2022–23 U23 competition 10th (CPL) Stade Maurice Dufrasne 30,023
5381 Zulte Waregem Waregem 2023–24 Belgian Pro League 17th (BPL) Regenboogstadion 12,500

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Zulte Waregem 9 6 1 2 19 9 +10 19 Promoted to Pro League
2 Lommel 9 6 0 3 12 8 +4 18
3 Beerschot 8 5 2 1 14 8 +6 17 Qualification for promotion play-offs
4 Club NXT[lower-alpha 2] 9 5 1 3 15 12 +3 16
5 Deinze 9 5 1 3 11 9 +2 16 Qualification for promotion play-offs
6 RFC Liège 9 5 0 4 13 10 +3 15
7 Patro Eisden Maasmechelen 9 4 3 2 13 10 +3 15
8 Dender EH 9 3 4 2 15 13 +2 13
9 RSCA Futures[lower-alpha 2] 9 3 3 3 15 15 0 12
10 Jong Genk[lower-alpha 2] 9 3 2 4 17 18 −1 11
11 Francs Borains 9 3 1 5 9 14 −5 10
12 Beveren 9 2 3 4 8 9 −1 9
13 Seraing 9 2 3 4 9 13 −4 9
14 Lierse Kempenzonen 9 2 2 5 12 17 −5 8
15 Oostende 9 1 4 4 7 11 −4 7 Relegated to National Division 1
16 SL16 FC[lower-alpha 2] 8 1 0 7 3 16 −13 3
Updated to match(es) played on 22 October 2023. Source: Challenger Pro League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[1]
Notes:
  1. Club NXT did not play its home matches at the same venue as the A-squad of Club Brugge (the Jan Breydel Stadium) but rather they moved to Roeselare to play in the Schiervelde Stadion.
  2. ineligible for promotion and playoffs

    Positions by round

    The table lists the positions of teams after the completion of each matchday, even if due to postponed matches this means the teams have an unequal number of games played. Coloured cells refer to being promoted (green), in promotion play-offs (yellow) or relegation play-offs (red). Note that U23 teams are ineligible for promotion and promotion playoffs and the coloring is adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, if one of the mother clubs of these four teams would be relegated, the U23 would automatically take up one of the relegation spots as U23 teams always have to remain at least one level below their mother club, this is not accounted for in the coloring until after the season.

    Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
    Zulte Waregem15112222321
    Lommel721111112
    Beerschot2410675653
    Club NXT[lower-alpha 1]583384434
    Deinze131213757875
    RFC Liège12151114106546
    Patro Eisden Maasmechelen454433267
    Dender EH6789691088
    RSCA Futures[lower-alpha 1]14101213151414119
    Jong Genk[lower-alpha 1]81559107910
    Francs Borains39684891011
    Beveren101415111112121412
    Seraing139101211111213
    Lierse Kempenzonen967121315151514
    Oostende111616161413131315
    SL16 FC[lower-alpha 1]16131415161616161616
    1. ineligible for promotion and playoffs
    Updated to match(es) played on 22 October 2023. Source: worldfootball.net

    Results
    Home \ Away ZWA LOM BEE NXT DEI RFC PEM DEN AND GNK FRB BEV SER LIE OOS STA
    Zulte Waregem 0–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–3 3 Nov
    Lommel 27 Oct 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–0
    Beerschot 1–2 2–1 29 Oct 2–1 0–0 1–1
    Club NXT 5 Nov 2–2 1–0 0–3 3–2 4–1
    Deinze 3–1 3 Nov 3–2 0–0 1–0 1–0
    RFC Liège 2–1 3–1 0–1 29 Oct 12 Nov 2–0
    Patro Eisden Maasmechelen 12 Nov 3–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 5 Nov
    Dender EH 3–1 10 Nov 2–3 1–3 2–2 1–1
    RSCA Futures 4 Nov 1–3 11 Nov 1–3 1–1 3–3 3–0
    Jong Genk 2–4 1–2 0–3 5 Nov 1–0 28 Oct
    Francs Borains 0–0 1–0 2–5 0–2 2–0 4 Nov
    Beveren 0–3 12 Nov 1–2 29 Oct 1–1 2–0
    Seraing 0–5 11 Nov 28 Oct 1–3 1–1 3–0
    Lierse Kempenzonen 1–2 1–3 0–1 2–1 4 Nov 1–0
    Oostende 0–1 27 Oct 1–2 2–2 11 Nov 1–1
    SL16 FC PPD 28 Oct 2–1 0–1 10 Nov 0–1
    Updated to match(es) played on 22 October 2023. Source: Flashscore
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

    Season statistics

    Top scorers
    As of 22 October 2023[2]
    Rank Player Club Goals
    1 Belgium Adriano Bertaccini RFC Liège 7
    Guinea-Bissau Zinho Gano Zulte Waregem
    3 Nigeria Victory Beniangba Jong Genk 5
    Belgium Bruny Nsimba Dender EH
    Belgium Jelle Vossen Zulte Waregem
    6 Belgium Thibaut Van Acker Lierse Kempenzonen 4
    Belgium Romeo Vermant Club NXT
    8 Ecuador Nilson Angulo RSCA Futures 3
    Spain Víctor Barberà Club NXT
    Belgium Guillaume De Schryver Deinze
    Belgium Lennard Hens Dender EH
    Belgium Konstantinos Karetsas Jong Genk
    Liberia Ayouba Kosiah Beerschot
    France Goduine Koyalipou Beveren
    Belgium Mo Salah Club NXT
    Belgium Elisha Sam Patro Eisden Maasmechelen
    Hungary Zalán Vancsa Lommel
    2 goals (19 players)
    1 goal (77 players)
    1 own goal (9 players)

    Number of teams by provinces
    Number of teams Province or region Team(s)
    3  East FlandersBeveren, Deinze and Dender EH
     LiègeSeraing, SL16 FC and RFC Liège
     LimburgJong Genk, Lommel and Patro Eisden Maasmechelen
     West FlandersClub NXT, Oostende and Zulte Waregem
    2  AntwerpBeerschot and Lierse Kempenzonen
    1  BrusselsRSCA Futures
     HainautFrancs Borains

    Notes

      References
      1. "General terms Belgian competition" (PDF). kbvb.be. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
      2. "Spelersstatistieken". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
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