2022–23 Challenger Pro League

The 2022–23 season of the Challenger Pro League began in August 2022 and is scheduled to end in April 2023. It is the first season under its new name after being renamed from First Division B.

Challenger Pro League
Season2022–23

Team changes

In

Out

Name change

Format changes

Four U23 teams were added to the league as part of a two-season trial, expanding the league from 8 to 12 teams. These twelve teams will play each other twice in a regular competition, after which the league is split, with the top and bottom six teams playing in separate leagues, continuing with the points gained. At the top end, only the champion will be promoted as three teams will be relegated from the 2022–23 Belgian First Division A to reduce the size back from 18 to 16 teams. At the bottom end, the team finishing last will be relegated. U23 teams cannot be promoted to the Belgian First Division A, but can suffer relegation, furthermore they always have to play at least one level below their A team counterparts, hence could be relegated despite not finishing last.

Team information

Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2022–23 Belgian First Division B teams
Matricule Club City First season of
current spell at
second level		 Coming from 2021-22 result Stadium Capacity
35 RSCA Futures Anderlecht, Brussels 2022–23 U23 competition 2nd U23 competition King Baudouin Stadium 38,000
13 K Beerschot VA Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian First Division A 18th (D1A) Olympic Stadium 12,771
4068 S.K. Beveren Beveren 2021–22 Belgian First Division B 3rd (D1B) Freethiel Stadion 8,190
3 Club NXT Bruges[lower-alpha 1] 2022–23 U23 competition 3rd U23 competition Schiervelde Stadion 8,340
818 K.M.S.K. Deinze Deinze 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division 4th (D1B) Burgemeester Van de Wiele Stadion 7,515
3900 F.C.V. Dender E.H. Denderleeuw 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 1st (NatD1) Van Roystadion 6,429
322 Jong Genk Genk 2022–23 U23 competition 1st U23 competition Luminus Arena 24,956
3970 Lierse Kempenzonen Lier 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division 5th (D1B) Herman Vanderpoortenstadion 14,538
2554 Lommel SK Lommel 2018–19 Belgian First Amateur Division 6th (D1B) Soevereinstadion 8,000
5479 RWD Molenbeek Molenbeek, Brussels 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division 2nd (D1B) Edmond Machtens Stadium 12,266
16 SL16 FC Liège 2022–23 U23 competition 4th U23 competition Stade Maurice Dufrasne 30,023
200 R.E. Virton Virton 2021–22 Belgian Division 2 8th (D1B) Stade Yvan Georges 4,015

Personnel and kits
Club Manager Kit Manufacturer Sponsors
Beerschot Austria Andreas Wieland Erreà Yelo
Beveren Belgium Wim De Decker Uhlsport Star Casino
Club NXT Belgium Nicky Hayen Macron Alheembouw
Deinze Spain Antonio Calderón [n 1] Jako PlaysiaTV
Dender EH Belgium Regi Van Acker Nike Drankendiscount Stravbier
Jong Genk Belgium Hans Somers Nike Beobank
Lierse Kempenzonen Belgium Tom Van Imschoot Jako Keukens Van Lommel
Lommel England Steve Bould Masita Bingoal
RSCA Futures Netherlands Robin Veldman Joma DVV Insurance (home)
Candriam (away)
RWD Molenbeek Belgium Vincent Euvrard Joma Facebank
SL16 FC Germany Joseph Laumann Adidas VOO
Virton France Christian Bracconi Kipsta Leopard Natural

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position Replaced by Date of appointment
Deinze Belgium Wim De Decker Mutual consent [1] End of 2021–22 season Pre-season Japan Takahisa Shiraishi 19 May 2022 [2]
Beerschot Belgium Greg Vanderidt Replaced [3] Austria Andreas Wieland 23 May 2022 [3]
Lommel England Brian Eastick End of contract [4] England Steve Bould 3 June 2022 [4]
Beveren Spain Jordi Condom End of contract [5] Belgium Wim De Decker 5 June 2022 [5]
Club NXT Belgium Rik De Mil Promoted to Club Brugge as assistant [6] Belgium Nicky Hayen 15 June 2022 [5]
Virton Uruguay Pablo Correa End of contract [7] France Christian Bracconi 9 July 2022 [7]
SL16 FC Belgium Geoffrey Valenne Replaced [8] Germany Joseph Laumann 11 July 2022 [8]
Deinze Japan Takahisa Shiraishi Resigned [9] 29 September 2022 12th Spain Antonio Calderón (caretaker) 30 September 2022 [10]

  1. Club NXT is not playing its home matches at the same venue as the A-squad of Club Brugge (the Jan Breydel Stadium) but rather they will move to Roeselare to play in the Schiervelde Stadion.

Regular season

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 RWDM 22 14 4 4 41 21 +20 46 Qualification to Promotion play-off
2 Beveren 22 12 7 3 51 24 +27 43
3 Beerschot 22 12 2 8 33 28 +5 38
4 Lierse Kempenzonen 22 11 3 8 42 42 0 36
5 Club NXT[lower-alpha 1] 22 10 6 6 38 30 +8 36
6 RSCA Futures[lower-alpha 1] 22 9 7 6 41 34 +7 34
7 Lommel 22 10 2 10 33 36 −3 32 Qualification to Relegation play-off
8 Deinze 22 9 3 10 29 33 −4 30
9 Jong Genk[lower-alpha 1] 22 5 5 12 27 39 −12 20
10 Dender EH 22 5 4 13 27 40 −13 19
11 SL16 FC[lower-alpha 1] 22 4 7 11 25 43 −18 19
12 Virton 22 2 8 12 21 38 −17 14
Source: Belgian First Division B
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[11]
Notes:
  1. ineligible for promotion.

    Positions by round

    The table lists the positions of teams after the completion of each matchday, even if due to postponed matches this means the teams have an unequal number of games played. For instance, after completion of the final matchday, one match was still to be played, which could still change the final finishing order.

    Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
    RWDM6477476643222233332111
    Beveren1010116355312111122221222
    Beerschot3262521454553311113333
    Lierse Kempenzonen11721114221335544455554
    Club NXT5118109910766666987666745
    RSCA Futures9134632135444455777676
    Lommel1613243577777666544467
    Deinze8358101112911121089878888888
    Jong Genk259911101112101112121111111111111211119
    Dender EH1212121212129111298987999999910
    SL16 FC484586788891010101010101010101011
    Virton79101178810910111112121212121211121212
    Source: worldfootball.net

    Results
    Home \ Away RWD BEV BEE LIE NXT AND LOM DEI GNK DEN STA VIR
    RWDM 3–1 2–0 3–0 0–2 2–2 5–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 3–1 3–1
    Beveren 1–1 2–0 5–0 1–0 4–1 2–3 2–1 3–0 5–2 2–1 2–2
    Beerschot 0–1 1–0 2–3 1–0 1–2 0–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–0 3–0
    Lierse Kempenzonen 1–2 1–5 1–0 3–1 2–3 3–1 4–1 4–2 2–1 2–0 2–2
    Club NXT 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–0 2–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 4–1 2–2 1–0
    RSCA Futures 1–2 2–2 1–2 3–3 1–1 2–2 0–0 2–0 0–2 3–0 3–1
    Lommel 2–1 0–2 1–3 0–2 3–4 0–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 0–1 3–1
    Deinze 1–2 1–4 3–2 2–1 2–1 2–3 3–0 3–2 0–2 4–1 1–1
    Jong Genk 2–0 2–2 1–2 4–1 1–2 3–2 0–3 0–0 0–2 2–2 0–1
    Dender EH 0–1 0–3 2–3 2–3 3–2 2–1 1–4 0–1 0–1 0–1 3–4
    SL16 FC 1–4 2–2 2–2 2–4 0–0 1–3 0–3 1–2 2–2 1–1 2–1
    Virton 1–1 0–0 1–2 0–0 3–3 1–3 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–2
    Source: Flashscore
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

    Play-offs

    Following the regular season, the league is split in to two halves. The top 6 teams take part in the promotion play-off, where the top team will become champions and promote to the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, unless this team is an U23 team in which case the highest finishing non-U23 team will get promoted instead. The bottom 6 teams take part in the relegation play-off, with the bottom team relegated to the 2023–24 Belgian National Division 1. For both play-offs, all points obtained during the regular season will be kept in full at the start of the play-offs.

    Promotion play-off
    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts RWD BEV NXT BEE LIE AND
    1 RWDM 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1 49 Promoted to Pro League — 16 Apr 12 Mar 9 Apr 3–1 13 May
    2 Beveren 2 1 0 1 2 4 −2 46 2–1 — 13 May 22 Apr 17 Mar 8 Apr
    3 Club NXT[lower-alpha 1] 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 42 6 May 3–0 — 19 Mar 8 Apr 21 Apr
    4 Beerschot 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 42 2 Apr 10 Mar 14 Apr — 13 May 0–0
    5 Lierse Kempenzonen 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 36 22 Apr 7 May 1 Apr 0–1 — 11 Mar
    6 RSCA Futures[lower-alpha 1] 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 35 18 Mar 31 Mar 1–2 5 May 15 Apr —
    Updated to match(es) played on 4 March 2023. Source: Belgian First Division B
    Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[11]
    Notes:
    1. Ineligible for promotion

    Relegation play-off
    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts LOM DEI GNK STA DEN VIR
    1 Lommel 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 35 — 14 Apr 12 Mar 12 May 1–0 12 Apr
    2 Deinze 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 33 18 Mar — 1–3 1 Apr 12 May 22 Apr
    3 Jong Genk 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2 24 21 Apr 6 May — 1–1 7 Apr 17 Mar
    4 SL16 FC 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 23 1–0 7 Apr 15 Apr — 19 Mar 5 May
    5 Dender EH 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 22 6 May 10 Mar 31 Mar 21 Apr — 2–1
    6 Virton 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 14 Relegated to National Division 1 9 Apr 1–2 12 May 11 Mar 16 Apr —
    Updated to match(es) played on 4 March 2023. Source: Belgian First Division B
    Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[11]

    Season statistics

    Top scorers
    As of 7 March 2023[12]
    Rank Player Club Goals
    1 France Thierno Barry Beveren 14
    Belgium Lucas Stassin RSCA Futures
    3 Belgium Thibo Baeten Beerschot 12
    Martinique Mickaël Biron RWDM
    Portugal Leandro Rocha Lierse Kempenzonen
    6 Belgium Thibaut Van Acker Lierse Kempenzonen 11
    7 Democratic Republic of the Congo Dieumerci Mbokani Beveren 8
    8 Belgium Mika Godts Jong Genk 7
    France Kévin Hoggas Beveren
    Costa Rica Alonso Martínez Lommel
    Brazil Lucas Ribeiro Costa Beveren
    Belgium Romeo Vermant Club NXT
    6 goals (6 players)
    5 goals (8 players)
    4 goals (10 players)
    3 goals (17 players)
    2 goals (40 players)
    1 goal (61 players)
    1 own goal (7 players)

    Number of teams by provinces
    Number of teams Province or region Team(s)
    3  East FlandersDeinze, Dender EH and Beveren
    2  AntwerpBeerschot and Lierse Kempenzonen
     BrusselsRSCA Futures and RWDM
     LimburgJong Genk and Lommel
    1  LiègeSL16 FC
     LuxembourgVirton
     West FlandersClub NXT

    Notes
    1. Japan Takahisa Shiraishi was the manager for matchdays 1 through 6.

    References
    1. "De wegen van Wim De Decker en Deinze scheiden na dit seizoen" [Ways of Wim De Decker and Deinze part after this season]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-04-18.
    2. "Deinze maakt opmerkelijke trainerskeuze: onbekende Japanner hoofdcoach, volledig buitenlandse staf" [Deinze makes remarcable choice: unknown Japanese manager, entirely foreign staff]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-05-19.
    3. "Oostenrijkse coach Andreas Wieland moet Beerschot weer naar 1A stuwen" [Austrian manager Andreas Wieland to push Beerschot back to 1A]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-06-03.
    4. "SK Lommel trekt Steve Bould (ex-Arsenal) aan als nieuwe hoofdtrainer" [SK Lommel hires Steve Bould (ex-Arsenal) as new manager]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-06-03.
    5. "Waasland-Beveren rekent op Wim De Decker om club naar 1A te loodsen" [Waasland-Beveren count on Wim De Decker to guide the club back to 1A]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-06-05.
    6. "Club NXT haalt Nicky Hayen (41) terug uit Wales, hij volgt Rik De Mil op" [Club NXT brings back Nicky Hayen (41) from Wales, to succeed Rik De Mil]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-06-15.
    7. "Welgaume back Christian !" [Welcome back Christian!] (in French). R.E. Virton. 2022-07-09.
    8. "Joseph Laumann, nouveau coach des U23 au Standard" [Joseph Laumann, new manager of Standard U23]. DH/Les Sports+ (in French). 2022-07-11.
    9. "Japanse coach van Deinze houdt het voor bekeken na slecht seizoensbegin" [Japanse manager of Deinze resigns after poor start of season]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2022-09-29.
    10. "Voorbeschouwing Beerschot – KMSK Deinze: Nieuw begin na de 'interlandbreak'" [Preview Beerschot – KMSK Deinze: New start after 'international break'] (in Dutch). KMSK Deinze. 2022-09-30.
    11. "General terms Belgian competition" (PDF). kbvb.be. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
    12. "Spelersstatistieken". Retrieved 14 August 2021.
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