The Challenger Pro League is a men’s league competition in Belgium. Follow live scores, fixtures, results, standings, and player and team statistics across seasons recorded on the page. Use the page to check upcoming action, review completed games, track league positions, and compare player and team performance over time in one place across all seasons.
Upcoming matches, Challenger Pro League
Regular Season - 6
-
- Regular Season - 6
Club Brugge II
KAA Gent II
-
- Regular Season - 6
Francs Borains
RSC Anderlecht II
Stade Robert Urbain -
- Regular Season - 6
KRC Genk II
Seraing United
Cegeka Arena -
- Regular Season - 6
Sporting Hasselt
Beerschot Wilrijk
-
- Regular Season - 6
AS Eupen
Liège
Kehrwegstadion -
- Regular Season - 6
Lokeren-Temse
Excelsior Virton
Daknamstadion -
- Regular Season - 6
Dender
Patro Eisden
DENDER Football Complex
Regular Season - 7
-
- Regular Season - 7
Dender
Club Brugge II
DENDER Football Complex
-
- Regular Season - 7
RSC Anderlecht II
AS Eupen
-
- Regular Season - 7
Lierse Kempenzonen
Francs Borains
Herman Vanderpoortenstadion
Latest played matches, Challenger Pro League
Regular Season - 5
Regular Season - 4
Challenger Pro League Standings
Second Division
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Beerschot Wilrijk | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | WWWLW |
| 2 |
|
Dender | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 12 | WWWWL |
| 3 |
|
Excelsior Virton | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 | WLWW |
| 4 |
|
AS Eupen | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 | WWLW |
| 5 |
|
Francs Borains | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 | WWLW |
| 6 |
|
Lokeren-Temse | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 9 | WLLWW |
| 7 |
|
Sporting Hasselt | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 9 | WLLWW |
| 8 |
|
Club Brugge II | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 7 | DLWW |
| 9 |
|
KRC Genk II | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 6 | LWWLL |
| 10 |
|
Liège | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 5 | DDLWL |
| 11 |
|
Lierse Kempenzonen | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 5 | LDDWL |
| 12 |
|
KAA Gent II | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 | LDWL |
| 13 |
|
Patro Eisden | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 3 | LLLLW |
| 14 |
|
Seraing United | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 1 | LLDLL |
| 15 |
|
RSC Anderlecht II | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 1 | LDLLL |
Challenger Pro League Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
M. Bastian
Francs Borains |
2 |
| 2 |
K. Achahbar
KRC Genk II |
2 |
| 3 |
J. Van Britsom
Club Brugge II |
2 |
| 4 |
M. Robberechts
Club Brugge II |
2 |
| 5 |
M. Viltard
Dender |
2 |
| 6 |
K. Ruiz-Atil
Liège |
2 |
| 7 |
P. N'Dao
RSC Anderlecht II |
1 |
| 8 |
N. Engwanda
RSC Anderlecht II |
1 |
| 9 |
E. Sternal
RSC Anderlecht II |
1 |
| 10 |
E. Mballa Amougou
Dender |
1 |
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
K. Koton
Dender |
2 |
| 2 |
E. Sternal
RSC Anderlecht II |
2 |
| 3 |
M. Lloci
Lokeren-Temse |
2 |
| 4 |
T. Lake
Beerschot Wilrijk |
2 |
| 5 |
D. Ndongala
Francs Borains |
2 |
| 6 |
A. Namri
Seraing United |
1 |
| 7 |
K. Achahbar
KRC Genk II |
1 |
| 8 |
A. Hachem
Excelsior Virton |
1 |
| 9 |
V. Swinnen
Francs Borains |
1 |
| 10 |
A. De Corte
Club Brugge II |
1 |
Challenger Pro League teams participation since 2016
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Lommel United | 9 |
| Beerschot Wilrijk | 6 |
| Lierse Kempenzonen | 6 |
| KVC Westerlo | 5 |
| SK Beveren | 5 |
| Union St. Gilloise | 5 |
| Deinze | 5 |
| RWDM | 5 |
| Club Brugge II | 5 |
| OH Leuven | 4 |
| Roeselare | 4 |
| Seraing United | 4 |
| KRC Genk II | 4 |
| RSC Anderlecht II | 4 |
| Tubize | 3 |
| Excelsior Virton | 3 |
| Francs Borains | 3 |
| Liège | 3 |
| Patro Eisden | 3 |
| Zulte Waregem | 2 |
| AS Eupen | 2 |
| Cercle Brugge | 2 |
| Lierse | 2 |
| Dender | 2 |
| Lokeren-Temse | 2 |
| Standard Liège II | 2 |
| KV Mechelen | 1 |
| Oostende | 1 |
| Kortrijk | 1 |
| Lokeren | 1 |
| Antwerp | 1 |
| Royal Excel Mouscron | 1 |
| RAAL La Louvière | 1 |
| Olympic Charleroi | 1 |
| KAA Gent II | 1 |
Challenger Pro League top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beerschot Wilrijk | 8 | 49 |
|
| Lokeren-Temse | 6 | 27 |
|
| Club Brugge II | 6 | 17 |
|
| Dender | 5 | 44 |
|
| Liège | 5 | 43 |
|
| RSC Anderlecht II | 4 | 43 |
|
| Patro Eisden | 4 | 27 |
|
| Francs Borains | 3 | 13 |
|
| KRC Genk II | 3 | 17 |
|
| AS Eupen | 3 | 15 |
|
| Excelsior Virton | 3 | 21 |
|
| Sporting Hasselt | 2 | 34 |
|
| KAA Gent II | 2 | 17 |
|
| Lierse Kempenzonen | 1 | 30 |
|
| Seraing United | 1 | 23 |
|
Challenger Pro League About
Challenger Pro League is Belgium’s second tier of men’s professional football, positioned directly below the Belgian Pro League and above National Division 1. It is a national league designed to combine the competitive demands of senior football with a development pathway for ambitious clubs and young players.
Identity and role
The competition forms an important bridge in the Belgian football pyramid. Clubs compete for access to the top flight while also seeking to establish themselves professionally through stronger sporting, financial and infrastructural standards than those generally associated with the divisions below. Its position makes the league both a destination for established professional teams and a proving ground for players progressing towards elite football.
The league also includes selected U23 or “Futures” teams affiliated with Belgian Pro League clubs. These reserve sides provide a high-level environment for developing players, but they are not eligible for promotion to the top tier. Their participation adds a distinctive element to the competition: the table combines independent clubs pursuing promotion with development teams whose primary objective is player progression and competitive preparation.
History and governance
The competition was established in 2016 as First Division B, professionalising the second level of Belgian football. It was rebranded as the Challenger Pro League in 2022, reflecting its role as a demanding route for clubs and players seeking to reach or return to the highest level. Xtra-Stats records season coverage from 2016 through 2025, spanning the competition’s development under both names.
The Pro League manages the professional competition, while the Royal Belgian Football Association is responsible for important regulatory matters, including professional licensing. Clubs must satisfy licensing requirements relating to financial stability and stadium infrastructure before they can participate at this level. A club’s sporting position therefore operates alongside formal eligibility requirements: promotion or survival is not determined by results alone if the required licence is not secured.
Access and eligibility
Teams generally reach the Challenger Pro League through one of two sporting routes: relegation from the Belgian Pro League or promotion from National Division 1. The exact composition of each season depends on the previous campaign’s results, licensing decisions and the eligibility of participating U23 sides.
Since the 2022–23 expansion, four U23 teams from Pro League clubs have been included in the competition. These teams cannot be promoted, and they must remain below their parent club in the national pyramid. If a parent club’s position creates a conflict with that requirement, the U23 side’s status is affected regardless of its final league placing. This restriction preserves the league’s competitive pathway without allowing a reserve team to reach the same division as its senior side.
Competition format
The recent structure begins with a regular season played as a double round-robin. Teams meet each opponent at home and away, earning points across the league table. The standard scoring system is straightforward:
– Three points are awarded for a win.
– One point is awarded for a draw.
– No points are awarded for a defeat.
The regular season is followed by promotion and relegation decisions. In the format described for recent editions, the leading eligible teams receive the clearest route to the Belgian Pro League, with the highest finishers able to secure direct promotion. Teams placed in the next promotion positions enter a separate promotion play-off, commonly involving the sides ranked from third to sixth. The winner can then face a team from the top division in a promotion-relegation barrage for an additional place in the elite tier.
U23 teams remain ineligible for promotion even when their league position would otherwise qualify them for the play-offs or a direct promotion place. At the other end of the table, the bottom two teams in the recent structure are relegated to National Division 1, subject to the applicable competition and licensing regulations.
Standings and match rules
League positions are primarily determined by points. When teams finish level, the published order gives priority to the number of matches won, followed by goal difference and goals scored. These criteria reward both consistent winning and attacking output while separating teams that have accumulated the same number of points.
Promotion play-offs and promotion-relegation ties introduce a different type of pressure from the long league season. Where a knockout tie remains level after the scheduled legs, extra time may be played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if necessary. The precise application of post-season rules can depend on the regulations for the relevant edition, so the play-off phase should be read separately from the regular-season table.
Season calendar and sporting stakes
The league season generally runs from August to April, with promotion and other post-season play-offs extending into May. This creates two distinct competitive challenges: teams must maintain form over a long home-and-away campaign, then handle the additional intensity of decisive matches in the closing weeks.
Promotion is the central prize. Reaching the Belgian Pro League offers greater visibility, stronger commercial opportunities and the chance to compete at Belgium’s highest domestic level. For clubs recently relegated from the top flight, the competition represents a route back; for ambitious sides from below, it provides the decisive step towards establishing themselves among the country’s elite. The title also carries lasting prestige, but the league’s defining feature is the combination of development, promotion pressure and professional survival.