The following article is a summary of the 2015–16 football season in Belgium, which is the 113th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2015 until June 2016.
The friendly against Spain was canceled the night before it was planned to take place, due to the terror threat following the November 2015 Paris attacks.[7]
The friendly against Portugal on 27 March in Brussels was almost cancelled as well following the 2016 Brussels bombings on 22 March, however it was instead moved to Leiria, Portugal.
Due to a reform in the Belgian football league, the Belgian Second Division ceases to exist and is replaced by the Belgian First Division B from the 2016–17 season which will only contain 8 teams instead of the current 17. As a result, the bottom nine teams in the league are set to relegate to the newly created league at the third level of the Belgian football pyramid, the Belgian First Amateur Division. Due to the fact that WS Brussels did not receive a licence, they were relegated instead of Roeselare.
Source:[citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
^ Jump up to: abWS Brussels was refused a Belgian professional football license and is thus not allowed to play in the 2016-17 Belgian First Division A or Division B and is instead relegated to the 2016–17 Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, runner-up Eupen was promoted instead and ninth placed Roeselare avoided relegation. [1]
Due to a reform in the Belgian football league, the Belgian Third Division ceases to exist and is replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division from the 2016–17 season, now at the fourth level of Belgian football. A newly created league, the Belgian First Amateur Division is formed at the third level, effectively pushing the teams in this division one level down the pyramid. Only the top two teams in each division and the two promotion playoff winners are "promoted" to the new league, meaning they will remain at the third level, while most of the teams effectively drop to the fourth level. The two teams finishing in last position in each group are relegated to the Belgian Third Amateur Division, which in fact means a drop from level 3 to level 5 of the pyramid.
Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2016. Source: Group A at Soccerway Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champion; (P) Promoted Notes:
^ Jump up to: abSint-Eloois-Winkel did not apply for a Belgian remunerated football license and is thus not allowed to play in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, third placed Oudenaarde was promoted instead.
^ Jump up to: abcdeNormally, the teams finishing in positions 3 to 6 were set to participate in the promotion playoffs (together with the teams finishing in the same positions in Group B) for the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. Due to the fact that Sint-Eloois-Winkel, Sparta Petegem and Temse did not apply for a license and Oudenaarde was promoted, the playoff was contested by the four teams finishing highest in the league that did receive a licence, allowing Eendracht Aalst and La Louvière Centre to take part as well.
Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2016. Source: Group B at Soccerway Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champion; (P) Promoted Notes:
^ Jump up to: abCiney did not apply for a Belgian remunerated football license and is thus not allowed to play in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, seventh placed Liège was allowed to participate in the promotion playoffs for the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division.
Promotion play-offs[]
The eight teams taking part in the promotion play-offs are playing to win one of the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. The final match between the winners of Round 2, Sprimont-Comblain and FCV Dender EH, was not played as both teams already achieved promotion by winning Round 2. Hasselt beat La Louvière Centre in the third place match and took the final promotion spot. The five losing teams will play in the 2016-17 Belgian Second Amateur Division, effectively one level lower than in the 2015–16 season.
Champions Gent qualified directly for the group stage of the Champions League, while runners-up Club Brugge started in the qualifying rounds. As third-place finisher, Anderlecht qualified directly for the group stage of the Europa League, while Standard Liège and Charleroi started in the qualifying rounds.
Shakhtar Donetsk played their home match at Arena Lviv, Lviv instead of their regular stadium, Donbass Arena, Donetsk, due to the war conditions in Eastern Ukraine.