Football in Belgium
A comprehensive and 'concise' guide to the nation's most popular sport!
Clubs
A Guide to Common Abbreviations
AA – Athletics Association
AC – Athletics Club
AS – Athletics Society
FC – Football Club
RC – Racing Club
SA – Sporting Association
SC – Sporting Club
SS – Spoting Society
SU – Sporting Union
UW – United Workers' Club
Key
1886 - Winner
1886 - Runner Up
Antwerpen Royal Naval FC
Matricule Number: 1
Founding Member (Disaffiliated: 1910)
Challenge Cup:
1886,
1894,
1898
First Division:
1893,
1898,
1901
Military Shield:
1874,
1876,
1878,
1879,
1882,
1884,
1887,
1888
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1901)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 1 (1910)
De Haan Gemeente FC
Matricule Number: 2
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1886,
1900
First Division:
1895,
1900
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1900)
Worst League Performance: 13th - Division 1 (1891)
Liège United FC
Matricule Number: 3
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1894,
1910
Second Division:
1898,
1910
Best League Performance: 4th - Division 1 (1891)
Worst League Performance: 2nd - Division 2 (1898)
FC Kruibeke
Matricule Number: 4
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1893,
1895
Best League Performance: 4th - Division 1 (1892)
Worst League Performance: 10th - Division 2 (1908)
Mechelen AA
Matricule Number: 5
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1890,
1899
Second Division:
1899
Best League Performance: 3rd - Division 1 (1894, 1908)
Worst League Performance: 1st - Division 2 (1899)
Bruxelles Royal Army FC
Matricule Number: 6 (Disaffiliated: 1910)
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1889,
1891,
1896
First Division:
1893,
1897
Second Division:
1902
Military Shield:
1875,
1877,
1880,
1881,
1885,
1886
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1893, 1897)
Worst League Performance: 15th - Division 2 (1910)
Ghent FC
Matricule Number: 7
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1888,
1899
First Division:
1898
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1898)
Worst League Performance: 14th - Division 1 (1910)
SU Bruxelloise
Matricule Number: 8
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1889,
1892
First Division:
1891,
1894,
1896,
1897,
1899,
1900,
1902,
1908,
1909
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1894, 1896, 1902, 1908)
Worst League Performance: 11th - Division 1 (1892)
UW Sint-Gillis-Waas
Matricule Number: 9
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1908
Second Division:
1909
Best League Performance: 11th - Division 1 (1893, 1897, 1898)
Worst League Performance: 10th - Division 2 (1901)
SC Charleroi
Matricule Number: 10
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1910
First Division:
1894
Best League Performance: 2nd - Division 1 (1894)
Worst League Performance: 12th - Division 1 (1906)
Westerlo FC
Matricule Number: 11
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1888,
1890,
1900,
1901
First Division:
1892,
1896,
1899,
1902,
1910
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1899)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 1 (1895)
FC Leuven
Matricule Number: 12
Founding Member
First Division:
1891
Second Division:
1897
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1891)
Worst League Performance: 2nd - Division 2 (1897)
SS Namur
Matricule Number: 13
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1893
Second Division:
1910
Best League Performance: 4th - Division 1 (1892)
Worst League Performance: 5th - Division 2 (1908)
FC Mons
Matricule Number: 14
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1897,
1902,
1909
Second Division:
1898
Best League Performance: 6th - Division 1 (1891, 1893)
Worst League Performance: 1st - Division 2 (1898)
AC Tournai
Matricule Number: 15
Founding Member
Challenge Cup:
1891,
1892,
1901,
1908,
1910
First Division:
1895,
1910
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1895, 1910)
Worst League Performance: 11th - Division 1 (1891, 1894)
Arlon English FC
Matricule Number: 16
Founding Member
First Division:
1892
Second Division:
1900
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1892)
Worst League Performance: 13th - Division 2 (1898)
Daring Club de Luxembourg
Matricule Number: 17
Affiliated: 1896
Challenge Cup:
1898
Second Division:
1896
Best League Performance: 3rd - Division 1 (1910)
Worst League Performance: 1st - Division 2 (1896)
SA Bruges
Matricule Number: 18
Affiliated: 1896
Best League Performance: 5th - Division 2 (1897, 1909)
Worst League Performance: 15th - Division 2 (1901, 1908)
Ypres Athletics Society FC
Matricule Number: 19
Affiliated: 1896
Best League Performance: 5th - Division 2 (1910)
Worst League Performance: 15th - Division 2 (1898)
Antwerp-Zurenborg FC
Matricule Number: 20
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1900,
1908
Best League Performance: 3rd - Division 1 (1909)
Worst League Performance: 13th - Division 2 (1897, 1899)
FC Spirmont
Matricule Number: 21
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1896
Best League Performance: 14th - Division 1 (1897, 1898)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1900,1908)
Genk AC
Matricule Number: 22
Affiliated: 1896
Challenge Cup:
1897
Best League Performance: 3rd - Division 2 (1899)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1902, 1910)
Nivelles St. Gertrude
Matricule Number: 23
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1902
Best League Performance: 16th - Division 1 (1908)
Worst League Performance: 14th - Division 2 (1896)
Ardennes Forest FC
Matricule Number: 24
Affiliated: 1896
Best League Performance: 6th - Division 2 (1898)
Worst League Performance: 15th - Division 2 (1899, 1902)
SC Brecht 92
Matricule Number: 25
Affiliated: 1896
Best League Performance: 3rd - Division 2 (1898)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1896, 1899)
Brussels-Schaerbeek AA
Matricule Number: 26
Affiliated: 1896
Challenge Cup:
1896
First Division:
1909
Second Division:
1908
Best League Performance: 1st - Division 1 (1909)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1898)
SC Kortrijk
Matricule Number: 27
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1899
Best League Performance: 13th - Division 1 (1900, 1901)
Worst League Performance: 13th - Division 2 (1908)
Boussu-Bois FC
Matricule Number: 28
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1901
Best League Performance: 15th - Division 1 (1902)
Worst League Performance: 15th - Division 2 (1897)
RC Lommel
Matricule Number: 29
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1897
Best League Performance: 16th - Division 1 (1898)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1901)
FC Walcourt
Matricule Number: 30
Affiliated: 1896
Challenge Cup:
1902,
1908
Division 2:
1909
Best League Performance: 12th - Division 1 (1910)
Worst League Performance: 12th - Division 2 (1901)
RC Colmar-Berg
Matricule Number: 31
Affiliated: 1896
Best League Performance: 5th - Division 2 (1898, 1900)
Worst League Performance: 16th - Division 2 (1897)
SC Bastogne
Matricule Number: 32
Affiliated: 1896
Second Division:
1901
Best League Performance: 9th - Division 1 (1902)
Worst League Performance: 13th - Division 2 (1900)
Calais FC
Matricule Number: 33
Affiliated: 1910
US Lille
Matricule Number: 34
Affiliated: 1910
Competitions
Military Shield:
Contested each year by the football clubs of our military's two branches – Antwerpen Royal Navy and Bruxelles Royal Army – the Military Shield is Belgium's oldest competition, first played in 1874. Matches are often closely fought and very competitive, with each side looking to win bragging rights over the other.
Challenge Cup:
Founded in 1886 by Jacques Dieric, Jean-Luc Poisson, 2nd Duke of Benin and Sir Jean-Camille Van der Wyngaert, 12th Viscount of Sint-Niklaas, the Challenge Cup is contested on a yearly basis by all member clubs of the FA.
Duke of Benin Cup:
Awarded to the highest scoring player in that season's Challenge Cup.
Chairman's Cup
Awarded to a player for exceptional sporting conduct throughout the Challenge Cup.
Football League
Inspired by the English Football League founded in 1888, the Belgian Football League was founded in 1890. An initial group of 16 teams compete (those who had played in that season's Challenge Cup,) playing a total of 30 matches across the season. A second division was added in 1896.
Britano-Belgian Cup
Set up in 1891 in an effort to further the development of international football, the Britano-Belgian Cup is a biennial round robin tournament that sees the Belgian national team face the British Home Nations' respective teams – i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The first competition was held in Britain in 1892.
Results
Military Shield:
1874: Antwerpen RNFC
1875: Bruxelles RAFC
1876: Antwerpen RNFC
1877: Bruxelles RAFC
1878: Antwerpen RNFC
1879: Antwerpen RNFC
1880: Bruxelles RAFC
1881: Bruxelles RAFC
1882: Antwerpen RNFC
1883: Bruxelles RAFC
1884: Antwerpen RNFC
1885: Bruxelles RAFC
1886: Bruxelles RAFC
1887: Antwerpen RNFC
1888: Antwerpen RNFC
Competition disaffiliated from the FA in 1989
Challenge Cup:
1886: De Haan GFC
1887 (No competition due to the Belgian-Dutch War)
1888: Ghent FC
1889: SU Bruxelloise
1890: Westerlo FC
1891: AC Tournai
1892: SU Bruxelloise
1893: SS Namur
1894: Antwerpen RNFC
1895: FC Kruibeke
1896: Bruxelles RAFC
1897: Genk AC
1898: Antwerpen RNFC
1899: Mechelen AA
1900: Westerlo FC
1901: Westerlo FC
1902: FC Mons
1903 (No competition due to the Great War)
1904 (No competition due to the Great War)
1905 (No competition due to the Great War)
1906 (No competition due to the Great War)
1907 (No competition due to the Great War)
1908: FC Walcourt
1909: FC Mons
1910: Liège United FC
Football League First Division:
1891: FC Leuven
1892: Arlon English FC
1893: Bruxelles RAFC
1894: SU Bruxelloise
1895: Tournai AC
1896: SU Bruxelloise
1897: Bruxelles RAFC
1898: Ghent FC
1899: Westerlo FC
1900: De Haan GFC
1901: Antwerpen RNFC
1902: SU Bruxelloise
1903 (No competition due to the Great War)
1904 (No competition due to the Great War)
1905 (No competition due to the Great War)
1906 (No competition due to the Great War)
1907 (No competition due to the Great War)
1908: SU Bruxelloise
1909: Antwerp-Zurenborg FC
1910: AC Tournai
Football League Second Division:
1896: Daring Club de Luxembourg
1897: RC Lommel
1898: FC Mons
1899: Mechelen AA
1900: Antwerp-Zurenborg FC
1901: Boussu-Bois FC
1902: Bruxelles RNFC
1903 (No competition due to the Great War)
1904 (No competition due to the Great War)
1905 (No competition due to the Great War)
1906 (No competition due to the Great War)
1907 (No competition due to the Great War)
1908: Antwerp-Zurenborg FC
1909: UW Sint-Gillis-Waas
1910: SS Namur
Britano-Belgian Cup:
1892: Scotland
1894: Belgium
1896: TBA
1898: TBA
1900: TBA
1902: TBA
1904 (No competition due to the Great War)
1906 (No competition due to the Great War)
1908: TBA
1910: TBA