2022–23 Challenger Pro League

The 2022–23 season of the Challenger Pro League began in August 2022 and ended in May 2023. It was the first season under its new name after being renamed from First Division B.

Challenger Pro League
Season2022–23
ChampionsRWD Molenbeek
PromotedRWD Molenbeek
RelegatedVirton

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 is promoted as three teams are 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 did not play its home matches at the same venue as the A-squad of Club Brugge (the Jan Breydel Stadium) but rather they moved to Roeselare to play in the Schiervelde Stadion.

Regular season

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 RWD Molenbeek 22 14 4 4 41 21 +20 46 Qualification for Promotion play-offs
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 for Relegation play-offs
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: Challengr Pro League
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
    RWD Molenbeek6477476643222233332111
    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
    RWD Molenbeek 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 was split into two halves. The top 6 teams take part in the promotion play-off, where the top team became champions and promote to the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, unless this team was an U23 team in which case the highest finishing non-U23 team would be promoted instead. The bottom 6 teams took 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 were kept in full at the start of the play-offs.

    Promotion play-off

    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion RWD BEV NXT BEE LIE AND
    1 RWD Molenbeek (C, P) 10 7 2 1 24 8 +16 69 Promoted to Pro League — 1–1 3–2 4–0 3–1 1–0
    2 Beveren 10 8 1 1 24 9 +15 68 2–1 — 4–1 3–0 2–0 4–1
    3 Club NXT[lower-alpha 1] 10 4 1 5 13 18 −5 49 1–3 3–0 — 2–1 0–1 0–0
    4 Beerschot 10 3 2 5 10 13 −3 49 1–1 0–1 4–0 — 1–2 0–0
    5 Lierse Kempenzonen 10 3 1 6 11 17 −6 46 0–3 2–3 1–2 0–1 — 2–0
    6 RSCA Futures[lower-alpha 1] 10 0 3 7 4 21 −17 37 0–4 0–4 1–2 0–2 2–2 —
    Source: Challenger Pro League
    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]
    (C) Champion; (P) Promoted
    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.

    Team ╲ Round12345678910
    RWD Molenbeek1111111111
    Beveren2222222222
    Beerschot4444444443
    Club NXT3333333334
    Lierse Kempenzonen5555555555
    RSCA Futures6666666666
    Updated to match(es) played on 13 May 2023. Source: worldfootball.net

    Relegation play-off

    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation LOM DEI DEN STA GNK VIR
    1 Lommel 10 6 1 3 20 10 +10 51 — 4–1 1–0 6–1 2–0 1–2
    2 Deinze 10 6 1 3 20 14 +6 49 1–1 — 3–2 5–0 1–3 3–1
    3 Dender EH 10 6 2 2 14 7 +7 39 2–1 1–0 — 0–0 1–0 2–1
    4 SL16 FC 10 1 5 4 6 17 −11 27 1–0 1–2 1–1 — 0–0 1–1
    5 Jong Genk 10 1 3 6 8 18 −10 26 2–3 0–2 0–4 1–1 — 1–1
    6 Virton (R) 10 3 2 5 11 13 −2 25 Relegated to National Division 1 0–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 3–1 —
    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]
    (R) Relegated

    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.

    Team ╲ Round12345678910
    Lommel1111111111
    Deinze2222222222
    Dender EH4533333333
    Jong Genk3344444455
    SL16 FC5455555544
    Virton6666666666
    Updated to match(es) played on 12 May 2023. Source: worldfootball.net

    Season statistics

    Top scorers
    As of 26 April 2023[12]
    Rank Player Club Goals
    1 France Thierno Barry Beveren 18
    2 Martinique Mickaël Biron RWD Molenbeek 15
    Belgium Lucas Stassin RSCA Futures
    4 Belgium Thibo Baeten Beerschot 13
    Belgium Thibaut Van Acker Lierse Kempenzonen
    6 Democratic Republic of the Congo Dieumerci Mbokani Beveren 12
    Portugal Leandro Rocha Lierse Kempenzonen
    8 Brazil Lucas Ribeiro Costa Beveren 10
    9 Belgium Romeo Vermant Club NXT 9
    10 Mauritania Souleymane Anne Virton 8
    Costa Rica Alonso Martínez Lommel
    7 goals (5 players)
    6 goals (8 players)
    5 goals (11 players)
    4 goals (9 players)
    3 goals (24 players)
    2 goals (42 players)
    1 goal (63 players)
    1 own goal (11 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 RWD Molenbeek
     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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