Royal Antwerp FC

Royal Antwerp Football Club, commonly referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Antwerp. The club competes in the Belgian Pro League, the top flight of Belgian football. Founded in 1880, Royal Antwerp is considered the oldest football club in Belgium.

Royal Antwerp has won the Belgian league title five times and the Belgian Cup four times, including a domestic double in the 2022–23 season. In European competitions, the club reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1992–93 and qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in 2023.

Their home colours are red and white. Since 1923, the club has played their home games at the Bosuilstadion in the Deurne district of Antwerp.

History

Early history (1880–1999)

The Antwerp Football and Cricket Club was founded in 1880 by British workers based in Antwerp, 15 years before the creation of the Royal Belgian Football Association. Initially focused on cricket and general athletic activities, the club did not establish organized football until 1887, when the football division was founded with its own board and named Antwerp Football Club. As the oldest active club at the time, it was the first to register with the Association in 1895. Consequently, when matricule numbers were introduced in 1926, the club received matricule number one.

In 1900, many of the players left Royal Antwerp for the new club of Beerschot A.C. based in the Kiel neighborhood, igniting the start of a long rivalry between both clubs. Royal Antwerp became the most recent Belgian team to reach a European final when it advanced to the 1993 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final. Facing Parma at London’s Wembley Stadium on 12 May 1993, striker Francis Severeyns equalized early, but Antwerp ultimately lost 3–1.

Royal Antwerp had a long-term partnership with English club Manchester United from 1998 to 2015, taking their young players on loan to give them first-team experience. Players who required European work permits also benefited from Belgium's more relaxed regulations. An example of the latter was Chinese international Dong Fangzhuo, who was unable to play for United immediately due to work permit issues and was loaned to Antwerp to gain first team experience.

Decline, revival, and 5th national championship (2001–present)

Despite being one of Belgium's best-supported clubs, Antwerp spent several seasons in the lower divisions during the early 21st century. The club earned promotion back to the top flight in 2000, only to suffer relegation again in 2004. After 13 years in the second tier, Antwerp returned to the First Division A in 2017, securing a 5–2 aggregate victory over Roeselare in the promotion playoff.

After achieving promotion back to the top flight, the club appointed experienced Romanian manager László Bölöni, and demoted his predecessor Wim De Decker to assistant. In his second season, 2018–19, the club qualified for the UEFA Europa League, its first European competition in 25 years. Antwerp won 3–2 in the playoff final against Charleroi, who had led 2–0 after 12 minutes. Their European campaign began with a win over Viktoria Plzeň on the away goals rule in the third qualifying round, followed by a 5–2 loss to AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands in the playoff.

In May 2020 Bölöni left at the end of his contract. Four months later, under coach Ivan Leko, Antwerp captured their first major trophy in nearly 30 years by defeating Club Brugge 1–0 in the 2020 Belgian Cup final. Israel's Lior Refaelov, a former Brugge player, scored the decisive goal. Ivan Leko led the team through the Europa League group stage in second place, with four wins including one over José Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur. He left for Shanghai Port at the end of 2020.

Former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel was appointed manager in May 2022. He brought in several compatriots, including Vincent Janssen, who scored the first goal of a 2–0 win over neighbours Mechelen in the 2023 Belgian Cup final.

A major milestone in the club's resurgence occurred on 4 June 2023, when captain Toby Alderweireld scored a 94th-minute equalizer in a 2–2 draw at Genk. The goal secured Antwerp's first national championship in 66 years, ending a title drought since 1957.

Antwerp qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time on 30 August 2023. They sealed the achievement by overcoming AEK Athens 3–1 on aggregate in the playoff round, with Michel-Ange Balikwisha scoring late in Athens to send the club into the competition proper.

Antwerp's first UEFA Champions League group stage campaign, in 2023–24, ended with a 3–2 victory over Barcelona at the Bosuilstadion, their first-ever win in the competition. They finished bottom of Group H that season. On the domestic front, they placed 6th in the Pro League and were beaten finalists in the Belgian Cup, losing 1–0 to Union Saint‑Gilloise in May 2024.

Stadium

Royal Antwerp have played their home matches at the Bosuilstadion since 1923.

Rivalries

Royal Antwerp share a fierce rivalry with city neighbours Beerschot A.C. (now known as K Beerschot VA). Although in the 2000s and 2010s the two clubs met sparingly, their encounters often involved fan violence. Royal Antwerp are often seen as a culture club with a diverse, cross-class support across the city while Beerschot have either heavily working class or upper class support, locally based in South Antwerp. Beerschot supporters often refer to RAFC fans as "joden" or "Jews" as the RAFC fans must pass through the Jewish district to arrive at Antwerp's stadium, while Great Old supporters refer to Beerschot followers as "the rats".[citation needed]

RAFC also have developed a long-standing rivalry with Club Brugge. They also have a local rivalry with KV Mechelen, although there is mutual respect due to a shared hatred of Beerschot.

Meuse/Scheldt Cup

The best football players of Antwerp and Rotterdam contested a yearly match between 1909 and 1959 for the Meuse- and Scheldt Cup (Maas- en Schelde Beker). It was agreed to play the game at Antwerp's stadium De Bosuil in Belgium and at Sparta Rotterdam's Het Kasteel stadium in the Netherlands. The cup was provided in 1909 by P. Havenith from Antwerp and Kees van Hasselt from Rotterdam.

Honours

Continental

• Challenge International du Nord Winners (2): 1902, 1906
• European Cup Winners' Cup Runners-up: 1992–93

Players

Current squad

As of 29 August 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Young Reds Antwerp

As of 11 February 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Technical staff

Former players

Manchester United Players loan partnership

This is a list of former players acquired on-loan via Manchester United's partnership with Royal Antwerp from 1998 to 2013.

• Cayman Islands Jamie Wood
• China Dong Fangzhuo
• Qatar Hussein Yasser
• England Fraizer Campbell
• England Luke Chadwick
• England John Cofie
• England Jimmy Davis
• England Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
• England Adam Eckersley
• England David Fox
• England Luke Giverin
• England Colin Heath
• England Tom Heaton
• England Kirk Hilton
• England Eddie Johnson
• England Ritchie Jones
• England Michael Lea
• England Lee Martin
• England Paul Rachubka
• England Ryan Shawcross
• England Danny Simpson
• England Alan Tate
• England Ronnie Wallwork
• England Neil Wood
• The Gambia Arthur Gómez
• Gibraltar Danny Higginbotham
• Republic of Ireland Darron Gibson
• Republic of Ireland John O'Shea
• Netherlands Gyliano van Velzen
• Northern Ireland Craig Cathcart
• Northern Ireland Jonny Evans
• Scotland Phil Bardsley
• Scotland David Gray
• Togo Souleymane Mamam

See also

• Club of Pioneers
• Royal Antwerp F.C. in European football

External links

• (in Dutch)
• Media related toRoyal Antwerp FCat Wikimedia Commons