Belgian First Division B

Belgian First Division B

Country	Belgium
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	2016
Number of teams	8
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Belgian First Division A
Relegation to	Belgian First Amateur Division
Domestic cup(s)	Belgian Cup

The Belgian First Division B is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian First Division A. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, replacing the Belgian Second Division.

History

The Belgian First Division B was created in 2016 as successor of the Belgian Second Division following an overhaul of the Belgian football league system which saw the number of professional clubs reduced to 24 and the number of teams at the second level of the football pyramid to 8. ^[1]

Competition format

The season comprises of two separate competitions in which all 8 teams play each other twice. The winners of both competitions face each other in a two legged playoff with the winner promoted to the Belgian First Division A. The top three teams, excluding the promoted team, play together with the teams finishing in the positions 7 through 15 of the Belgian First Division A in a playoff for a ticket into the UEFA Europa League. The remaining four teams play a relegation playoff, with the last team relegating into the Belgian First Amateur Division.

References

1. "La réforme du championnat approuvée: une grande lessive se prépare en D2 (INFOGRAPHIE)" (in French). dh.be. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.