The Most Successful Football Clubs In Belgium

Belgian clubs have generally been overmatched in European competition in the 21st century, with their teams unable of competing financially with the big five leagues. That hasn’t always been the case, however, with five different Belgian clubs having made major European finals.

In modern times, the most successful football clubs in Belgium have primarily been developmental homes for the nation’s biggest stars like Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku, Loïs Openda, and various others.

Even when Belgium have been among the football odds favourites for the World Cup and Euros, the Belgian Pro League has been a long way behind Europe’s premier domestic competitions.

Anderlecht

Anderlecht are miles ahead of every Belgian team. Their 34 league titles are 15 ahead of Club Brugge. They are also the only team with other than KV Mechelen to have won a European trophy.

Two-time winners of the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1970s and lifting the UEFA Cup in 1983, Anderlecht have often been a presence on the continental stage.

Since being crowned domestic champions for a first time in the 1940s, the 1970s is the only decade Anderlecht have won fewer than three titles. They are currently on an eight-year title drought, though, and haven’t finished in the top two of the Pro League since 2017.

Club Brugge

Club Brugge had to wait 53 years for their second league title after winning their first in 1920. It was worth the wait, with the club winning five titles between 1972 and 1980, along with final appearances in the European Cup and UEFA Cup.

Success has been consistent since then, aside from an eight-year wait between titles in the 1980s. The Blauw-Zwart have been the team to beat over the last decade, with six of their 19 league titles coming since 2015.

While they may never catch Anderlecht, Brugge have consolidated their position of Belgium’s second-most successful club.

Union Saint-Gilloise

Union Saint-Gilloise didn’t record a top two finish from their last league title 1935 until 2021/22. Eleven-time champions between 1903 and 1935 is enough to secure their place on this list, and the club has returned to prominence in the 2020s with a string of Europa League appearances.

Victor Boniface and Deniz Undav are among the players to make their name in the blue and yellow of Union Saint-Gilloise in the 21st century.

In 2021/22, The Old Lady became the first Belgian team ever to top the regular season table in the first season after promotion. Union Saint-Gilloise ended a 48-season spell outside the topflight in spectacular fashion, and earned Champions League qualification after finishing second in the Championship playoff.

Standard Liege

The third of Belgium’s Big Three, Standard Liege trail a long way behind Anderlecht and Club Brugge. As of January 2025, Standard have 24 fewer league titles than Anderlecht and sit nine behind Brugge.

Boasting the longest uninterrupted run in the topflight (dating back to 1921), Standard have only won two league titles since 1983, but they were runners-up as recently as 2018 and have won several domestic trophies since 2010.

At their pomp, Standard were a consistent threat in major continental competitions. They reached the semis of the European Cup in 1962, along with three other quarter-final appearances. The 1982 season saw them reach the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup, which ended in defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Beerschot

Despite winning the last of their titles in 1939, K Beerschot VAC are the fifth-most successful team in the history of the Belgian Pro League. Seven-time Belgian champions, Beerschot won five titles in the 1920s, followed by back-to-back championships in the 1930s.

Severe financial issues, including unpaid taxes, led to Beerschot being relegated to the Division 3. In 1999, with the club only three months shy of its 100th birthday, Beerschot were dissolved.

The club, which spent 66 consecutive seasons in the topflight in the 20th century, has not featured in sports betting markets in the 21st century.