The end of the regular season in the men’s Liga A promises to be highly exciting. As previously reported, the top four teams will qualify for the BeNe Conference, where they will compete against the four best Dutch teams.

Only Knack Roeselare are already certain of finishing in the top four. For the remaining three places, a fierce battle is expected right up to the final matchday.

Making an accurate prediction is no easy task. Based on the current standings and the matches still to be played, readers can try to assess the chances of the other four contenders. By mid-February, it will be clear whether those predictions were correct.

The four teams that qualify for the BeNe Conference will play eight matches. The results of these games will be added to the results from their domestic competition. The Belgian teams that finish first and second in this ranking will qualify directly for the semi-finals.

The six teams that do not take part in the BeNe Conference will play each other in ten additional matches. They will then be ranked from fifth to tenth place. The teams finishing fifth and sixth will qualify for the quarter-finals of the Belgian championship. The team ranked sixth will face the third Belgian team from the BeNe Conference, while the fifth-placed team will play against the fourth Belgian team. The quarter-finals are played in a best-of-three format.

In the semi-finals, the number one from the BeNe Conference will face the winner of the match between the teams ranked fourth and fifth, while the number two will play against the winner of the clash between the third- and sixth-ranked teams. The semi-finals are also played as best of three. The winners will then compete for the Belgian title in a best-of-five final.

Belgium is entitled to five European tickets. The two finalists qualify for the Champions League. The two tickets for the CEV Cup and the single ticket for the Challenge Cup go to the next teams in line. The Belgian Cup winner is guaranteed a European ticket in any case. If the cup winner is also a championship finalist, the allocation remains unchanged.
There are no relegations in the current competition.

Current standings (top 5) after 15 matches
Knack Roeselare – 48 points
Decospan Menen – 34
Greenyard Maaseik – 32
Haasrode Leuven – 31
Lindemans Aalst – 30
…
Upcoming matchdays
Matchday 16:
Achel – Menen, Aalst – Ghent, Roeselare – Maaseik, Haasrode – Guibertin.
Matchday 17:
Maaseik – Haasrode, Ghent – Roeselare, Menen – Aalst.
Matchday 18:
Menen – Ghent, Achel – Roeselare, Aalst – Maaseik, Waremme – Haasrode.

Different system in the women’s competition
In the women’s Liga competition, a different system is used. All teams play each other home and away. The top eight teams after the regular season qualify for the play-off quarter-finals: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and 5 vs 4. The winners then advance to the semi-finals, played in a best-of-three format, followed by the finals.

As some teams have already played 14 matches and others only 12, it is still far too early to make predictions about the quarter-final line-up.

Current standings – women
Darta Bevo Roeselare – 34 points (14 matches)
Asterix Avo Beveren – 29 (12)
Charleroi – 29 (14)
Antwerp – 28 (13)
Tchalou – 24 (13)
Oudegem – 21 (12)
Noorderkempen – 17 (13)
Michelbeke – 10 (12)
Amigos Zoersel – 10 (13)
Geel – 6 (12)
Ghent – 0 (12)
Text: FW

Photo: CEV