Sunday marks the matchday of the 22/23 season. It allows us to take a closer look at the league reform of season 23/24. Oostende, Zulte-Waregem & Seraing have been relegated whereas RWDM will join the topflight. Three departures and only one arrival, that means the league is once again downsizing to 16 teams, as it was before the corona pandemic.
With the addition of RWDM, there are four Brussels derbies on our calendar. Furthermore, there are at least ten top games against Antwerp, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent and Standard.
The Champions playoffs will be decided with 6 teams over 10 games, as will the Europe playoffs. For both play-offs the points of the regular season will be split, for the play-downs the points are retained. The 4th of the Champions Play-offs will play a barrage against the winner of the Europe Play-offs for the last European ticket.
The last 4 teams (places 13-16) play 6 games in the play-downs. Only the winner is certain to stay up. The 2nd will compete in a play-off against the winner of the Challenger Pro League play-offs (read below).
As a season ticket holder, you have access to all home games of the Jupiler Pro League, in the regular league and playoffs.
The Challenger Pro League will also feature 16 teams. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, FC Liège and Francs Borains move up to the second division, Excelsior Virton drops to national league 1. KV Oostende, Zulte-Waregem and Seraing are relegated from the Jupiler Pro League. The RSCA Futures begin their second season in the Challenger Pro League.
The system is similar to the English second division (EFL Championship), with the first two teams promoting and numbers 3 to 6 playing playoffs. The 16 teams also play each other twice, but here the champion is known after 30 games. That one rises to the Jupiler Pro League along with the runner-up. Numbers 3 to 6 play play-offs according to a knockout system with return games. The 3rd in the standings takes on the 6th, the 4th against the 5th. The winners of those match-ups will face each to other to decide who wins the Challenger Pro League play-offs. This team will play play for the final JPL ticket against the 2nd from playoff 3 of the Jupiler Pro League. The RSCA Futures (and other U23 teams) can become champion or get relegated but neither promote to the Jupiler Pro League nor participate in the playoffs. If they finish in the top six, they will be replaced by the next non-U23 team in the standings.
