Football rivalries in Belgium explained

This is a list of the main association football rivalries in Belgium.

National rivalries

• The 'Classico': Anderlecht vs. Standard Liège^[1]
• The Topper: R.S.C. Anderlecht–Club Brugge KV rivalry: Anderlecht vs. Club Brugge.
• The Battle of Flanders: Club Brugge vs. Gent. Named after the Battle of Flanders, a name given to several historic actual battles fought in the region, during World War I.^[2]
• The Walloon derby: Standard Liège vs. Charleroi^{[3] [4] [5]} Note that despite being called a derby, these cities are over 80km apart and Charleroi is for instance much closer to Brussels than to Liège. With Charleroi and Liège being two of the most important cities in Wallonia however, this rivalry has received a specific name as The Walloon derby.

City derbies

• Antwerp derby, match to determine the Ploeg van 't Stad: mainly between Antwerp and Beerschot.^[6] Berchem Sport also has a rich history and featured a lot in the Antwerp derby, but is currently playing in the lower divisions.
• Bruges derby: Club Brugge vs. Cercle Brugge .
• Brussels derby: RWDM Brussels vs. Anderlecht vs. Union SG.^{[7] [8] [9]} The derby between RWDM and Union SG is called the "Zwanze derby".
• Charleroi derby: Olympic Charleroi vs. Sporting Charleroi.
• Ghent derby: KAA Gent vs. Racing Gent.
• Liège derby: RFC Liège vs. Standard Liège^{[10] [11]}
• Lier derby: Lierse vs. Lyra^[12]
• Mechelen derby: KV Mechelen vs. Racing Mechelen^[13]

Regional derbies

• Wallonia derby: Standard de Liege vs. Royal Charleroi
• Liège Province derby: Standard de Liège vs. Seraing
• Limburg derby: Genk vs. Sint-Truiden^[14]
• East Flanders Derbies:
  • Gent vs. Sporting Lokeren^[15] After the bankruptcy of Sporting Lokeren in 2020 there is no derby anymore.^[16]
  • Waasland Derby

a derby between KSK Beveren vs. Sporting Lokeren.^{[17] [18] [19]} KSK Beveren temporarily stopped playing with a men's team between 2010 and 2022. Since 2022, it has returned to playing with a men's team in the lower divisions of Belgium.. Lokeren defaulted in 2020 and merged with Temse into Lokeren-Temse.^[20]

• South West Flanders derby: Zulte-Waregem vs. Kortrijk.^[21] Used to include Roeselare as well, until it defaulted in 2020. While not in West Flanders but just over the border to Hainaut, Mouscron could also be included due to its very close proximity, especially towards Kortrijk (15 km).
• Antwerp Province derby: Lierse Kempenzonen vs. KV Mechelen^{[22] [23] [24]}
• Denderstreek derby: Dender vs. Eendracht Aalst^[25]
• East of Flemish Brabant derby: OH Leuven vs. Tienen.
• The Dijle Derby: between OH Leuven and KV Mechelen, named as such due to both cities located on the Dijle river.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Welcome to FIFA.com News – The Classic: Standard Liege-RSC Anderlecht – FIFA. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526060118/https://www.fifa.com/news/the-classic-standard-liege-rsc-anderlecht-107186. dead. May 26, 2021. FIFA.com. FIFA.
2. News: 6 November 2022 . Une Gantoise séduisante remporte la "Bataille des Flandres" contre un Club Bruges décevant . . 2 February 2023.
3. Web site: Derby wallon: le Standard condamne les incidents d'après-match de ses supporters. 11 September 2017. sudinfo.be.
4. Web site: Bonne nouvelle pour le Standard avant le derby face à Charleroi. R. T. L.. Newmedia. RTL sport. 13 February 2018.
5. Web site: Charleroi seul en tête après un derby sans but face au Standard. 10 September 2017. RTBF Sport.
6. Web site: Royal Antwerp Football Club – History. Royal Antwerp. 4 September 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20130115065119/http://www.rafc.be/eng/index2.html?/eng/historiek/clubhist.html&middle. 15 January 2013.
7. Web site: RWDM-Anderlecht, un derby rempli de nostalgie. 21 June 2018. Édition digitale de Bruxelles.
8. Web site: Football : le derby de la zwanze boycotté par les supporters du RWDM. 30 December 2017.
9. Web site: https://www.hln.be/sport/voetbal/belgisch-voetbal/5-000-fans-verbroederen-voor-mythische-brusselse-derby-met-verrassende-score~a4fdf401/.
10. Web site: RFC LIÈGE : LE GÉANT ENDORMI . 2 July 2017 . SOFOOT.com.
11. Web site: Le grand retour du derby Liège-Standard. 28 March 2017. Édition digitale de Liège.
12. Web site: Morgen weer stadsderby: Lyra tegen Lierse. Leo van der. Linden. Het Nieuwsblad. 30 July 2009 .
13. Web site: https://www.hln.be/regio/mechelen/derby-tussen-kvm-en-racing-is-decor-voor-nieuwe-film~a229cfcc/.
14. Web site: Big win for Anderlecht, victory for Club Brugge and a draw in the Limburg derby. Flanders. News. 6 August 2018. vrtnws.be.
15. Web site: https://www.hln.be/sport/voetbal/belgisch-voetbal/jupiler-pro-league/aa-gent-maatje-te-groot-voor-lokeren-in-oost-vlaamse-derby-3-0~a77379b6/.
16. Web site: Sporting Lokeren goes bust. sporza.be. 20 April 2020 .
17. Web site: Lokeren heeft revanche op Waasland-Beveren beet na spectaculaire ommekeer op de Freethiel. 26 December 2015. Voetbalkrant.com.
18. Web site: Lokeren gaat erop en erover in derby . 2016-04-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160416121330/http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/matchcenter/mc_voetbal/jupilerleague_1516/JPL_Speeldag21/1.2530009 . 16 April 2016.
19. Web site: Privacy settings. Hln.be.
20. Web site: Sporting Lokeren goes bust. sporza.be. 20 April 2020 .
21. Web site: Kortrijk – Zulte-Waregem 05.03.2016. Ultras-tifo.net.
22. Web site: Streekderby tussen Lierse en KV Mechelen eindigt op scoreloze draw. KuGu. Gazet van Antwerpen. 29 April 2017 .
23. Web site: KV Mechelen raakt pas in het slot voorbij Lierse in derby. jtp. Het Nieuwsblad.
24. Web site: "Match van het seizoen"? Sfeervolle derby tussen Lierse en Mechelen brengt alles, behalve .... 29 April 2017. Voetbalkrant.com.
25. Web site: Privacy settings. Hln.be.