Belgium has officially embraced a new league format. Starting from the 2026/27 season, the Jupiler Pro League will expand from sixteen to eighteen clubs. This will have drastic consequences for the current play-offs.
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Belgium is currently still playing a league with sixteen clubs, a structure that has been in place for several years.
Under the current system, the top six teams from the regular season qualify for the Championship Play-Offs, where they compete for the league title with their points halved. This format was designed to keep the competition exciting until the very end, ensuring that the title race remains open and competitive. Meanwhile, the teams that finish below the top six enter a different play-off system that determines the final European qualification spot, while those in the lower positions fight to avoid relegation.
However, after much debate and discussion, the Belgian Pro League has now officially decided to abandon this system in favor of a new league format. The change, which had been rumored for some time, has now been confirmed following a vote among all professional football clubs in Belgium. According to Nieuwsblad, the majority of clubs supported this drastic shift, which will see the top division expand from sixteen to eighteen clubs starting from the 2026/27 season. This means that the controversial play-off structure, which has often been a topic of discussion in Belgian and Dutch football, will be discontinued.
The decision marks a significant shift in the Belgian football landscape, as the play-off system has been a defining feature of the league for years. Many have argued that it added excitement to the end of the season, keeping more teams engaged in meaningful matches, while others felt it was an unfair system that devalued the efforts of teams that performed well throughout the regular season. With this change, the Jupiler Pro League will now follow a more traditional format, where all teams play each other twice in a straightforward league table, with the top team at the end of the season being crowned champion.
For Dirk Kuijt, this structural change in Belgian football could have been a game-changer. The former Dutch international, now the head coach of Beerschot, is currently leading his team in a desperate battle for survival. Beerschot is struggling at the bottom of the table, and under the current system, relegation seems like a very real possibility. However, with the new league format set to expand the number of teams from sixteen to eighteen, it initially appeared that this could work in Beerschot’s favor. The assumption was that the additional spots in the league would mean that the 15th-placed team would automatically be safe from relegation, allowing Kuijt and his side a lifeline in their fight for survival.
For a brief moment, it seemed as if Beerschot’s fortunes might take a turn for the better, with the expansion potentially offering them an unexpected escape route. If the changes had taken immediate effect, Kuijt's team could have been spared the threat of relegation, allowing them another season in the top flight without the pressure of a relegation battle. However, their hopes were quickly dashed when it was confirmed that the new rules will not come into play until the 2026/27 season. This means that Beerschot will have to fight for their survival under the current system, with no immediate relief from the new restructuring of the league.
This leaves Kuijt in an extremely difficult position. Beerschot currently sits at the bottom of the table, five points behind their nearest competitor, making their chances of survival increasingly slim. With the season nearing its conclusion, every match becomes a must-win scenario, and Kuijt will need to find a way to inspire his squad to turn things around quickly. The pressure is mounting, and with the club’s future at stake, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Beerschot can defy the odds or if they will be relegated before the league’s new format takes effect.
While the structural changes will bring long-term stability and clarity to Belgian football, in the short term, they do nothing to help clubs like Beerschot that are currently fighting for their place in the top division. For Kuijt, this means that he must navigate the remainder of the season without any safety net, knowing that his team’s fate rests solely on their ability to pick up points in the final matches. If Beerschot fails to close the gap, they will face the harsh reality of relegation, despite the fact that, had the rule changes been implemented earlier, they might have had a much easier path to staying up.
The decision to expand the league and eliminate the play-offs has been met with mixed reactions across Belgian football. While many clubs and fans welcome the shift to a more traditional format, others lament the loss of the play-offs, which added an extra layer of excitement to the league’s conclusion. Regardless of the differing opinions, one thing is certain the Jupiler Pro League will undergo a major transformation in the coming years. For now, though, teams like Beerschot must focus on the present, and for Dirk Kuijt, that means fighting for every point in the battle for survival, knowing that the league’s new structure will come too late to offer him any relief.
Updated: 11:45, 27 Feb 2025
