Belgian First Division football guide - description, format, league map

Full Name: Belgian First Division - Jupiler League
Level: 1
Number of Teams: 16

Official Website: footbel.be

Description:

The league is normally known as the Jupiler League after title sponsor Jupiler, a brand of beer brewed by Inbev. It's not to be confused with the similarly-named Dutch Second Division.

Format:

The 16 clubs play each other twice (home and away) for a total of 30 games. The top 6 teams at the end of the regular season advance to a Championship playoff. All 6 teams play each other once for a total of five games. Points from the regular season carry over to the Championship playoff so the team with the most points after 35 matches are league champions.

Teams finishing 7th to 14th enter another series of playoffs to determine a spot in the next season's Europa League. The 15th placed team enters a promotion/relegation playoff with the 2nd best team from the Belgian Second Division while the last placed team is automatically relegated.

The season runs from August to May with a one month winter break.

Belgian First Division Map: