A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 July 2022 – 4 June 2023 |
| Champions | Royal Antwerp |
| Relegated | Oostende Zulte Waregem Seraing |
| Champions League | Royal Antwerp Genk |
| Europa League | Union SG |
| Europa Conference League | Club Brugge Gent |
| Matches played | 330 |
| Goals scored | 1,011 (3.06 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Hugo Cuypers (27 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Club Brugge 7–0 Eupen (23 April 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Oostende 1–6 Union SG (16 October 2022) |
| Highest scoring | Zulte Waregem 5–5 Eupen (12 November 2022) |
| Longest winning run | 10 (Genk) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 17 (Union SG) |
| Longest winless run | 11 (Oostende) |
| Longest losing run | 7 (Seraing) |
| Highest attendance | 26,271 (Standard - Anderlecht) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 (Anderlecht - Zulte Waregem, behind closed doors) |
| Total attendance | 3,154,698 |
| Average attendance | 9,560 |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → | |
The 2022–23 Belgian Pro League (officially known as the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 120th season of top-tier football in Belgium. Royal Antwerp were crowned league champions for the first time in 66 years after pipping Genk and Union St-Gilloise on the final day,[1][2] the first occasion since 1999 that three clubs were still contending the title going in the final match. All three Championship chasers were in the virtual lead in the table at different stages across the final five minutes before Toby Alderweireld's title-clinching goal.[3]
Genk's title-challenge was helped by a record-breaking 24 assists from Mike Trésor while Hugo Cuypers of Gent became the first Belgian winner of the Golden Bull for top scorer since Romelu Lukaku in 2009–10.[4][5][6]
Zulte Waregem, pipped for the title on the final day ten years earlier and subsequent Cup winners in 2017, were one of three sides relegated.
Format change
At the end of the 2019–20 Belgian First Division A, it was decided to exceptionally cancel any relegations as a result of the league being stopped early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused the league to temporarily expand to 18 as promotions from a lower league did occur as originally planned. It was decided at that point that the goal was to eventually return to 16 teams, and at the end of the 2021–22 Belgian First Division A, the clubs agreed that the 2022–23 season will reduce the number of clubs at the highest level again to 16, as this season only three teams will face direct relegation instead of just one. Furthermore, a new format was also decided from 2023–24 onwards (with 16 teams), returning to a slightly altered version of the playoff structure used prior to the 2019–20 season, but most importantly also increasing the teams relegating each season from 1 to 2 direct plus an additional optional third team through a playoff.[7] A minor change was the renaming of the top two leagues, with the First Division A and First Division B now renamed Jupiler Pro League and Challenger Pro League respectively.
Teams
Eighteen teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and 2021–22 Belgian First Division B champions Westerlo who returned after spending five seasons at the second tier following their relegation at the end of the 2016–17 season. They replaced Beerschot who had finished last by a very large margin and were relegated after two seasons at the highest level. No other changes happened as Seraing (who finished 17th) won the Relegation play-off against RWDM, and thus stayed in the top division.
Relegations
With three clubs being relegated, there was a major turnover in coaches with most clubs changing coach during the season. Out of the 18 Pro League sides, only seven kept the same coach from the opening day to the last. Seraing became the first club to be relegated, following a 2–0 away loss to Club Brugge on 7 April 2023. One week later, on 15 April 2023, Oostende also dropped as they went down 0–4 at home to OH Leuven. Yet another week later, on the final matchday of the regular season, Zulte Waregem became the third and final team relegated following a 2–3 home loss to Cercle Brugge.
Stadiums and locations
| Matricule | Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Anderlecht | Anderlecht, Brussels | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium | 21,500 |
| 1 | Antwerp | Antwerp | Bosuilstadion | 16,144 |
| 12 | Cercle Brugge | Bruges | Jan Breydel Stadium | 29,042 |
| 22 | Charleroi | Charleroi | Stade du Pays de Charleroi | 14,000 |
| 3 | Club Brugge | Bruges | Jan Breydel Stadium | 29,042 |
| 4276 | Eupen | Eupen | Kehrwegstadion | 8,363 |
| 322 | Genk | Genk | Cegeka Arena | 24,956 |
| 7 | Gent | Ghent | Ghelamco Arena | 20,000 |
| 19 | Kortrijk | Kortrijk | Guldensporen Stadion | 9,399 |
| 25 | Mechelen | Mechelen | AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne | 16,700 |
| 31 | Oostende | Ostend | Versluys Arena | 8,432 |
| 18 | OH Leuven | Leuven | Den Dreef | 10,000 |
| 167 | Seraing | Seraing | Stade du Pairay | 8,207 |
| 373 | Sint-Truiden | Sint-Truiden | Stayen | 14,600 |
| 16 | Standard Liège | Liège | Stade Maurice Dufrasne | 30,023 |
| 10 | Union SG | Saint-Gilles, Brussels | Stade Joseph Marien | 8,000 |
| 2024 | Westerlo | Westerlo | Het Kuipje | 8,035 |
| 5381 | Zulte Waregem | Waregem | Regenboogstadion | 12,500 |
Number of teams by provinces
| Number of teams | Province or region | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 |  West Flanders |
Cercle Brugge, Club Brugge, Kortrijk, Oostende and Zulte Waregem |
| 3 |  Antwerp |
|
 Liège |
Eupen, Seraing and Standard Liège | |
| 2 |  Brussels |
Anderlecht and Union SG |
 Limburg |
Genk and Sint-Truiden | |
| 1 |  East Flanders |
Gent |
 Flemish Brabant |
Oud-Heverlee Leuven | |
 Hainaut |
Charleroi |
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Kit Manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderlecht |  Brian Riemer [n 1]
|
Joma | DVV Insurance (home) Candriam (away) |
| Antwerp |  Mark van Bommel
|
Jako | betFIRST |
| Cercle Brugge |  Miron Muslic [n 2]
|
Kappa | Napoleon Games |
| Charleroi |  Felice Mazzù [n 3]
|
Kappa | Lotto |
| Club Brugge | Rik De Mil (caretaker) [n 4]
|
Macron | Unibet |
| Eupen | Edward Still [n 5]
|
Adidas | Qatar Airways |
| Genk | Wouter Vrancken
|
Nike | Beobank |
| Gent | Hein Vanhaezebrouck
|
Craft | VDK Bank |
| Kortrijk |  Bernd Storck [n 6]
|
Jako | AGO Jobs & HR |
| Mechelen | Steven Defour [n 7]
|
Erreà | Telenet |
| OH Leuven | Marc Brys
|
Stanno | Star Casino |
| Oostende | Dominik Thalhammer [n 8]
|
Kipsta | Star Casino |
| Seraing | Jean-Sébastien Legros [n 9]
|
Kappa | Star Casino |
| Sint-Truiden | Bernd Hollerbach
|
Macron | DMM.com |
| Standard Liège | Geoffrey Valenne (caretaker) [n 10]
|
Adidas | VOO |
| Union SG | Karel Geraerts
|
Union Soixante | Lotto |
| Westerlo | Jonas De Roeck
|
Saller | Soudal |
| Zulte-Waregem | Frederik D’Hollander & Davy De fauw [n 11]
|
Patrick | Napoleon Games |
