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2023–24 Challenger Pro League

Football league season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Quick Facts Season, Champions ...
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Team changes

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

Incoming

Outgoing

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Format changes

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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.
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Team information

Stadiums and locations

More information Matricule, Club ...

Regular season

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League table

More information Pos, Team ...
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.[6]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
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. On 20 December 2023, Oostende were deducted 3 points for outstanding debts and not adhering to the Belgian FA regulations.[1] One day later, another 6 points were deducted for missing a second deadline for repayment of debts.[2] Oostende appealed this decision and the verdict on 25 January 2024 reduced the points deduction back to 6 points. They were still not allowed to have incoming transfers.[3] On 14 May 2024, one month after completion of the season, Oostende announced it had not found an investor to take over the club and due to financial debts would not be able to meet the criteria for playing in the Challenger Pro League or even the Belgian National Division 1. As a result, the club will at least relegate two levels to the Belgian Division 2 and be penalized with -3 points.[4] On 3 June 2024, the club officially filed for bankruptcy and is in talks with neighboring clubs to form a merger and restart at the level of that club. If no club is found willing to merge with KV Oostende, the club can only restart the at the bottom of the Belgian football pyramid, the fourth West-Flanders provincial league (level 9).[5]
  3. Seraing would have been relegated but due to Oostende not receiving a license one month after completion of the season, the team was spared.

    Positions by round

    The table lists the positions of teams after the completion of each round, with postponed matches and points deductions only included when occurring. Teams that have played fewer matches are shown with their position underlined:

    • The match between SL16 FC and Beerschot of matchday 3 was postponed due to being prohibited by the mayor of Liège, it was rescheduled to be played between matchdays 14 and 15 and hence its effects will only appear in the table below at the end of matchday 15.
    • The match between Dender EH and Francs Borains on matchday 14 was postponed due to snow. It was played a few days later between matchdays 14 and 15 and hence its effects will only appear in the table below at the end of matchday 15.
    • On 20 December 2023, between matchdays 16 and 17, Oostende was deducted 9 points (3+6) for outstanding debts and breach of Belgian FA regulations.
    • The matches Lommel-Beerschot, Dender EH-Seraing, Francs Borains-Oostende, and RSCA Futures-RFC Liege of matchday 18 were all postponed due to snow. All matches will be played on 7 February, between matchdays 20 and 21, except for Francs Borains-Oostende which was rescheduled to 14 February, between matchdays 21 and 22.
    • On 25 January 2024, between matchdays 18 and 19, the points deduction of Oostende was reduced from 9 to 6 points.

    Colored 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 playoffs, and the coloring is adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, if one of the mother clubs of these four teams is 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.

    More information Team ╲ Round, Beerschot ...
    1. ineligible for promotion and playoffs

    Results

    More information Home \ Away, BEE ...
    Source: Flashscore
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
    Notes:
    1. After the match between SL16 FC and Beerschot had been prohibited by the mayor of Liège in August citing a lack of available police officers, the match of matchday 3 was rescheduled from 26 August to 5 December, in between matchdays 14 and 15. As a result, the calendar commission also decided to switch the places on the calendar of the matches Seraing-Lommel (from 10 to 8 December) and Beerschot-Deinze (from 8 to 10 December).[9]
    2. The match between Dender EH and Francs Borains of matchday 14 (3 December) was postponed for two days due to snow.
    3. Four matches of matchday 18 were postponed due to snow. Lommel-Beerschot, Dender EH-Seraing, and RSCA Futures-RFC Liège were rescheduled to 7 February, between matchdays 20 and 21. Francs Borains-Oostende will be played one week later on 14 February, between matchdays 21 and 22. To allow all teams sufficient time in between matches (at least 48 hours), the calendar of matchday 21 was altered strongly: the matches Deinze-Patro Eisden Maasmechelen (10 Feb to 9 Feb), Francs Borains-Club NXT (11 Feb to 9 Feb) and Beveren-SL16 FC (11 Feb to 10 Feb) were moved ahead, while Zulte Waregem-Lommel (9 Feb to 10 Feb), Jong Genk-Dender EH (9 Feb to 11 Feb) and Oostende-RFC Liège (10 Feb to 11 Feb) were shifted backward.[7]
    4. Some matches of matchdays 19 were moved due to the 2024 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in particular, Jong Genk-RSCA Futures moved from 26 January to 27 January, Francs Borains-Beveren moved from 27 January to 26 January.[8]
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    Promotion play-offs

    Promotion/relegation play-offs

    The promotion/relegation play-offs were contested by the teams finishing in positions 3 to 6 in the 2023–24 Challenger Pro League, who met in a knockout tournament with both quarter-finals and semi-finals over two legs, and the highest season finisher always having home advantage in the return leg. The winner of the semi-finals played the 14th place finisher of the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League over two legs. The Belgian Pro League team had home advantage in the return leg; the winner of the final would play in the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League, with the loser playing in the 2024–25 Challenger Pro League.

    Bracket

    Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinals
    5Zulte Waregem101
    14Kortrijk (a.e.t.)145
    4Lommel112
    4Lommel1234Lommel022
    3Deinze112
    6Patro Eisden Maasmechelen011
    3Deinze426

    Quarter-finals

    More information Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, 0–4 ...
    Patrostadion, Maasmechelen
    Referee: Wim Smet
    More information Deinze, 2–1 ...
    Dakota Arena, Deinze
    Referee: Jan Boterberg

    Deinze won 6–1 on aggregate.


    More information Zulte Waregem, 1–1 ...
    Referee: Michiel Allaerts
    More information Lommel, 1–0 ...
    Soevereinstadion, Lommel
    Referee: Wesli De Cremer

    Lommel won 2–1 on aggregate.

    Semi-finals

    More information Lommel, 1–1 ...
    Soevereinstadion, Lommel
    Referee: Lothar D'Hondt
    More information Deinze, 1–2 ...
    Dakota Arena, Deinze
    Referee: Wesli De Cremer

    Lommel won 3–2 on aggregate.

    Finals

    More information Lommel, 0–1 ...
    Soevereinstadion, Lommel
    Referee: Lawrence Visser
    More information Kortrijk, 4–2 (a.e.t.) ...
    Referee: Bert Put

    Kortrijk won 5–2 on aggregate.

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    Season statistics

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    Top scorers

    Note: goals during the playoffs are not included.[10]

    8 goals (1 player)
    1 goal (86 players)
    4 own goals (1 player)
    3 own goals (1 player)
    2 own goals (1 player)
    1 own goal (21 players)

    Team of the season

    Upon completion of the regular season a team of the season award was compiled, based upon the results of the team of the week results, constructed based on nominations from managers, assistant managers, journalists, and analysts. The results were announced on 13 May 2024.[11]

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    Number of teams by provinces

    Notes

      References

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