Antwerp Belgian Pro League 2025/2026 Preview | OneFootball

Overview:

The 2025/26 campaign arrives with Antwerp at a bit of a crossroads. Following their European playoff defeat to Charleroi, ‘The Great Old’ now look ahead to a second consecutive campaign without continental football and usher in another season sliding further away from 2022/23’s title exploits.

Furthermore, leading a period of immense change, hometown hero Toby Alderweireld has hung up his boots after three seasons as captain, while goal threats Tjaronn Chery and Jacob Ondrejka (in January) have moved on to brighter prospects with NEC Nijmegen and Parma, respectively. New manager Stef Wils joined at the start of July after Andries Ulderink’s departure and looks to mould the club to his image, with the view of cementing European competition high on this season’s agenda.

Transfers in: Thibo Somers (Cercle Brugge), Taishi Brandon Nozawa (FC Tokyo), Mukhammadali Urinboev (Pakhtakor), Daam Foulon (KV Mechelen), Geoffry Hairemans (KV Mechelen), Gabriel Jesus David (PSF Academy).

Transfers out: Tjaronn Chery (NEC Nijmegen), Milan Smits (De Graafschap), Jelle Bataille (Maccabi Haifa), Toby Alderweireld (Retired), Jaïro Riedewald (without club), Denis Odoi (without club).

Key player: Vincent Janssen

As previously mentioned, cult star Tjaronn Chery is adding another NEC stint to his lengthy CV after notching 18 goals from midfield last season in all competitions. That means that the offensive onus is no doubt going to return in full effect to Vincent Janssen.

The 30-year-old Dutch forward had a fine campaign, registering 13 goals in the league and cup. Yet, he will perhaps find some added pressure with his veteran returning to Nijmegen, and have to share the brunt of scoring responsibility with Gyrano Kerk and Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The latter returns after an intermittent season that was blighted by a torn thigh muscle and other muscle injuries. He is another who may be key, granted Antwerp manage to keep him around amidst interest from Celtic (among others).

Young player to watch: Mahamadou Doumbia

After 2023/24’s steady introduction, Doumbia certainly turned heads with last season’s full Pro League campaign. A dominant midfielder with a raw attacking engine, the Malian showed great capability in going forward from deep – registering three goals and two assists in 31 league games.

A confident dribbler, Doumbia has a knack for negotiating space and time for himself at this level, while also demonstrating a penchant for pinging devastating shots from range. The 21-year-old has proved decisive in transition too, with many of his highlight reel moments arriving as his team moves out over the halfway line. He shifts his weight effortlessly, while consistently showing fine footwork and vision to enable pinpoint passes out to either flank.

Not only could he prove valuable to Antwerp’s league and cup campaign, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he brought in a substantial fee before his contract ends in the summer of 2027. According to Transfermarkt, the midfielder’s value has skyrocketed in just one season, going from €1 million to €9 million between June 2024 and July 2025.

Transfer window needs:

Although winger Thibo Somers comes in as a valuable addition from Cercle Brugge, Antwerp may want to add another striker to their books following Mohamed Bayo’s unsuccessful loan spell from Lille. Another addition to central defence could also be a solid suggestion to provide cover and competition for Zeno Van Den Bosch. It could also help, given Alderweireld’s departure, Rosen Bozhinov’s steady development, and Bjorn Engels’ Achilles issues.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield