The Regular Season in Belgium Has Ended. After three play-off series, we will know by the end of May who claims this year’s title, who qualifies for European competitions, and who gets relegated to 1B. Read all about it in this article.
Champions’ Play-offs
The championship round is played by the six teams that collected the most points throughout the JPL season. These points are halved, and then the teams must earn more points in both home and away matches. On the final matchday, May 25, we will know the title winner for this season. The champion also secures a spot in the group stage of the Champions League. The teams finishing in 2nd and 3rd place will qualify for the Champions League and Europa League, respectively.
On the first day, Antwerp visits Union. However, there will be no fans from The Great Old in attendance, as the entire supporters’ group is serving a sanction due to misconduct in previous matches. This puts Antwerp at a slight disadvantage at the start of the play-offs. With a win, Union can immediately overtake Club Brugge and strengthen their title hopes.
A day later, Club Brugge hosts Anderlecht. The Bruges side begins the final stretch towards the title with a four-point deficit behind league leader Genk. Anderlecht could make things even more difficult for them by snatching some points early on. This match is also crucial for the cup, as the same two teams will face each other in the final.
That same Sunday, KRC Genk and AA Gent go head-to-head. As mentioned earlier, Genk holds a four-point lead over Club Brugge, but that does not guarantee the title just yet. If they win against Gent this week, they can at least maintain or even extend their lead. Gent, meanwhile, knows what they must do, especially since the Buffaloes currently sit at the bottom of the play-off standings.
Europe Play-offs
The teams that finished between 7th and 12th place in the regular season will battle over ten matchdays for the final European ticket. Just like in the Champions’ Play-offs, the accumulated points are halved, and the Europe Play-offs will conclude on May 26. Both home and away matches will be played over ten matchdays.
OHL and Charleroi will kick off these play-offs at the King Power at Den Dreef Stadium. The team from Leuven has fond memories of facing the Zebras, as they secured their first three points against them back in October. Both teams currently have 19 points and can immediately gain an advantage. However, their chances of winning the play-offs as a whole seem rather slim.
Standard starts the play-offs with just a one-point lead. That is certainly not enough to feel secure, meaning the Rouches still have a lot of work to do. On the first matchday, they host Mechelen, which, like OHL, Charleroi, and Westerlo, also has 19 points. Mechelen currently boasts the best recent form: Malinwa finished the regular season with six points out of six, whereas Standard failed to score in their last three games.
Westerlo and Dender will also be in action this week. The Kemphanen secured a crucial victory against Beerschot in the final stretch, and now they see that everything is still up for grabs in this group. The race for the European ticket remains exciting, although for Dender, the main challenge will be keeping up with the competition. They are currently three points behind the rest.
Relegation Play-offs
The relegation round also begins this week, featuring the four teams that finished at the bottom of the table. Unlike the other play-offs, the points from the Jupiler Pro League are not halved here. The winner of these play-offs remains in the JPL, while the second-placed team will play a relegation play-off against the winner of the Challenger Pro League’s promotion play-offs. The bottom two teams will be relegated.
Cercle Brugge could not avoid the play-downs and now has to fight for survival. However, the club is expected to be strong enough to at least finish in the top two. To do so, they must first win against Kortrijk on the opening matchday, followed by matches against Beerschot and STVV. Kortrijk currently sits in 3rd place, with an eight-point lead over Beerschot and a five-point deficit behind STVV.
Those two teams will face each other on the first matchday. The Mannekes from ’t Kiel urgently need to gather points, but that may prove to be a tough challenge in this group. Their opponent this week is STVV, which also failed to secure a top-12 finish. However, with just one point less than Cercle, the Canaries have a bit more breathing room.
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