Gent is a historic Belgian football club from Ghent, carrying a blue-and-white identity and the enduring Buffalo nickname. Founded as a football section in 1900, the club combines deep local roots with a modern home at Planet Group Arena, opened in 2013. Its profile reflects the character of East Flanders: a long sporting tradition, a distinctive visual culture and an outward-looking place in Belgian football. The page brings these strands together in a concise portrait of Gent’s identity and evolution.
Gent Upcoming matches by league
Jupiler Pro League
-
- Regular Season - 7
Gent
Standard Liege
Planet Group Arena -
- Regular Season - 8
Zulte WaregemNo H2HGent
Elindus Arena -
- Regular Season - 9
GentNo H2HAnderlecht
Planet Group Arena -
- Regular Season - 10
Lommel UnitedNo H2HGent
UEFA Europa Conference League
-
- League Stage - 1
GentNo H2HAarhus
-
- League Stage - 2
SC BragaNo H2HGent
-
- League Stage - 3
KuPSNo H2HGent
Gent Last matches by league
Jupiler Pro League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Friendlies Clubs
Cup
Gent Team Roster
Gent’s squad list contains 33 players: nine attackers, 11 defenders, three goalkeepers and 10 midfielders. The attacking group includes Kyrell Wilson, M. Diop and J. Y. Vergara Ortega. Defensive options include C. Burgess, M. Paskotši, Tiago Araújo and S. Van der Heyden, while B. Evers, D. Roef and K. Peersman form the goalkeeper unit. Midfield names include L. Bénes, Leonardo Lopes, A. Omgba and M. Sonko. The numbered squad also spans a broad set of profiles across every department, giving the list a balanced positional spread.
position Goalkeeper
position Defender
Maksim Paskotši
Mouhamed El Bachir Ngom
Christian Albert Elliot Burgess
L. Cooman
Gilles De Meyer
Abdul Rachid Ayindé
Siebe Van der Heyden
Hannes Vernemmen
Mamadou Aliou Diallo
position Midfielder
László Bénes
Aimé Ntsama Omgba
Mathias Delorge-Knieper
Tiago Filipe Alves Araújo
Leonardo Adelino da Silva Lopes
Tibe De Vlieger
Mohammed Jamel El Âdfaoui
Abdelkahar Kadri
Matties Volckaert
position Attacker
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Momodou Lamin Sonko
Kyrell Wilson
Moctar Diop
Max Jimmy Dean
Bi Christ Hyllarion Goore
El Hadji Seck
Abubakar Idris Abdullahi
I. Cisse
D. J. Wisdom
Last Gent Coachs
The most recent recorded appointment is Ivan Leko, who began at Gent on 1 July 2025. The coaching chronology does not establish a current holder, so Leko is presented by appointment date rather than as the current coach. Danijel Miličević is also recorded from 1 January 2025, followed in the chronology by Wouter Vrancken, who served from July 2024 to January 2025. Hein Vanhaezebrouck led the club from December 2020 to June 2024, after Wim De Decker’s shorter spell earlier in the 2020 calendar year.
Ivan Leko
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Leko | Croatia | 1 July 2025 | |
| Danijel Miličević | Switzerland | 1 January 2025 | |
| Wouter Vrancken | Belgium | 1 July 2024 | 1 January 2025 |
| Hein Vanhaezebrouck | Belgium | 1 December 2020 | 1 June 2024 |
| 1 September 2020 | 1 December 2020 | ||
| Ladislau Iosif Bölöni | Romania | 1 August 2020 | 1 September 2020 |
| Jess Christian Thorup | Denmark | 1 October 2018 | 1 August 2020 |
| Yves Vanderhaeghe | Belgium | 1 October 2017 | 1 October 2018 |
| Hein Vanhaezebrouck | Belgium | 1 June 2014 | 1 September 2017 |
| Mircea Rednic | Romania | 1 October 2013 | 1 April 2014 |
| Victor Fernández Braulio | Spain | 1 January 2013 | 1 September 2013 |
| Robert Peeters | Belgium | 1 November 2012 | 1 January 2013 |
| Trond Johan Sollied | Norway | 1 July 2011 | 1 October 2012 |
| Francky Dury | Belgium | 1 July 2010 | 1 June 2011 |
| Michel Preud'homme | Belgium | 1 May 2008 | 1 June 2010 |
| Trond Johan Sollied | Norway | 1 July 2007 | 1 June 2008 |
| Georges Leekens | Belgium | 1 May 2004 | 1 June 2007 |
Gent Transfers
Recorded arrivals show several movement types. Kyrell Wilson joined from Swansea in a transfer on 4 August, while D. J. Wisdom arrived from FK Spartak Zdrepceva KRV on loan in July. M. Ngom, L. Cooman, L. Bénes and J. Y. Vergara Ortega are listed in transfer entries, and C. Burgess arrived as a free agent from Union St. Gilloise. The same period includes loan returns for Núrio Fortuna, S. Kotto, H. Gambor, D. Yokota, P. Gerkens and D. Vanzeir. These are selected recorded movements, not a complete transfer register.
Latest player transfers from
| Player | Team from | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
Malmo FF
|
Loan | 2 September 2026 | |
| M. Balikwisha |
Celtic
|
Loan | 28 August 2026 |
| Kyrell Wilson |
Swansea
|
Transfer | 4 August 2026 |
| D. J. Wisdom |
FK Spartak Zdrepceva KRV
|
Loan | 16 July 2026 |
| M. Ngom |
Grasshoppers
|
Transfer | 12 July 2026 |
| M. Ngom |
Grasshoppers
|
Transfer | 11 July 2026 |
| C. Burgess |
Union St. Gilloise
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| J. Y. Vergara Ortega |
Auda
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| L. Bénes |
Union Berlin
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| L. Cooman |
Knokke
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| D. Vanzeir |
Cercle Brugge
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| P. Gerkens |
Cercle Brugge
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| D. Yokota |
Hannover 96
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| H. Gambor |
Estac Troyes
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| S. Kotto |
Reims
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
Recorded departures include M. Skóraś, who moved to Lens in a transfer on 13 July, and H. Essaoubi, who joined Volos NFC on loan at the end of June. S. Kotto and D. Yokota are listed as transfers to Reims and Hannover 96, while Núrio Fortuna left as a free agent for Petro de Luanda. Several entries are returns from loan, including Eric Simpore, J. Duverne, D. Hashioka and Hong Hyun-Seok. Other recorded transfers include Mohamed Soumah to Sirius and O. Gandelman to Lecce. The selection is not exhaustive.
Latest player transfers to
| Player | Team to | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Gambor |
Academico Viseu
|
Transfer | 3 September 2026 |
| A. Ito |
Bolton
|
Transfer | 27 August 2026 |
| W. Kanga |
Al-Fateh
|
Transfer | 12 August 2026 |
| W. Kanga |
Al-Fateh
|
Transfer | 11 August 2026 |
| M. Skóraś |
Lens
|
Transfer | 13 July 2026 |
| Núrio Fortuna |
Petro de Luanda
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| D. Yokota |
Hannover 96
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| S. Kotto |
Reims
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| H. Essaoubi |
Volos NFC
|
Loan | 30 June 2026 |
| R. Vanden Borre |
Zelzate
|
Free agent | 29 June 2026 |
| Hong Hyun-Seok |
FSV Mainz 05
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| D. Hashioka |
Slavia Praha
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| J. Duverne |
Nantes
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
SOA
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 | |
| Mohamed Soumah |
Sirius
|
Transfer | 3 February 2026 |
Transfers Synthesis
Across the recorded movements from August 2025 to August 2026, Gent used a mix of entry and exit mechanisms rather than a single pattern. Arrivals include direct transfer entries, a loan for D. J. Wisdom, a free-agent arrival in C. Burgess’s case and several players returning from loans. Departures likewise combine transfers, loans, free-agent exits and returns to previous clubs after temporary spells. The latest activity includes Wilson’s arrival from Swansea, Skóraś’s move to Lens and late-June departures and arrivals involving several loan-related cases. The listed movements are selections rather than a complete seasonal total. No fee figures accompany these entries, so the movement cannot be compared through fees or net spending. The clearest supported conclusion is structural: Gent’s player circulation in this period involved transfer moves, temporary placements, free-agent changes and loan reversals.
Leagues Gent has participated in
Gent has recent recorded participation in the Jupiler Pro League, the Cup and Friendlies Clubs, with each of those competitions listed through 2025. The UEFA Europa Conference League is recorded through 2024 and is historical in this profile, while the UEFA Europa League runs through 2022. Earlier competition entries include the Super Cup through 2021 and the UEFA Champions League through 2020. The competition record therefore combines recent domestic coverage with a documented European history spanning several UEFA formats.
More about Gent
Gent is the common name of Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent, a Belgian football club from Ghent in East Flanders. The football section was founded in 1900, while the wider association traces its sporting roots to 1864. Gent is also known as KAA Gent and De Buffalo’s, a nickname reflected in its badge, chants and matchday culture. The club’s traditional colors are blue and white.
Since 2013, Gent has played at Planet Group Arena, a modern glass-fronted stadium south of Ghent’s historic center near the E17 and E40 junction. The venue replaced Jules Ottenstadion, the club’s home for most of the twentieth century and the opening years of the twenty-first. This move marked a visible shift from a long-established local ground to a contemporary arena while retaining the club’s connection with the city.
The Buffalo identity is linked to the visit of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show to Ghent in the early twentieth century. A Native American chief in profile became the central image of the club badge, creating a distinctive visual tradition that remains closely associated with Gent. The symbolism has also attracted public debate, making the badge part of the club’s wider cultural conversation rather than a simple decorative mark.
Gent’s recorded football ecosystem combines sustained Belgian top-flight involvement with European participation. Its competition history includes the Jupiler Pro League, the Cup and Super Cup, plus UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League participation. The club’s European history includes a quarter-final run in the UEFA Cup in 1991-92.
In governance, the club moved to private ownership in 2023 under Belgian entrepreneur Sam Baro, whose Planet Group holds the majority stake. The result is a club with an old sporting foundation, a modern commercial home and an unmistakable Ghent identity.
Last matches statistics for Gent
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IFK Goteborg
0 - 1
Gent
|
5 / 0 |
|
0% | 14 | 2 | |
|
Gent
2 - 0
KV Mechelen
|
8 / 15 |
|
85 | 11 | - | 2 |
|
Gent
1 - 1
IFK Goteborg
|
4 / 0 |
|
0% | 9 | 1 | |
|
RAAL La Louvière
1 - 2
Gent
|
3 / 8 |
|
86 | 5 | - | 4 |
|
Gent
0 - 0
Hibernian
|
3 / 0 |
|
0% | 10 | 1 | |
|
Hibernian
2 - 3
Gent
|
5 / 13 |
|
90 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
|
Gent
2 - 1
Club Brugge KV
|
8 / 13 |
|
85 | 14 | 3 1 | 2 |
|
Gent
1 - 0
OH Leuven
|
1 / 15 |
|
0% | 10 | 1 | 1 |
|
Cercle Brugge
0 - 3
Gent
|
3 / 9 |
|
85 | 12 | - | 1 |
|
Genk
1 - 1
Gent
|
5 / 16 |
|
0% | 10 | 5 | 5 |
Detailed statistics Gent
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).
shots Gent
Warnings Gent
Passes Gent
Goalkeeper saves Gent
Latest start lineups Gent (XI)
Genk vs Gent
Jupiler Pro League 2026 - 1558632
Cercle Brugge vs Gent
Jupiler Pro League 2026 - 1558622
Gent vs OH Leuven
Jupiler Pro League 2026 - 1558603
Gent vs Club Brugge KV
Jupiler Pro League 2026 - 1558613
Hibernian vs Gent
UEFA Europa Conference League 2026 - 1623416
Gent vs Hibernian
UEFA Europa Conference League 2026 - 1623390
2025-2026
1st shirt
2023-2024
1st shirt
2023-2024
2nd shirt
2023-2024
3rd shirt
2022-2023
1st shirt
2022-2023
2nd shirt
2022-2023
3rd shirt