The Big Three (Dutch: De Grote Drie, French: Les Trois Grands) is the nickname of the three most successful sports clubs in Belgium. The football teams of R.S.C. Anderlecht, Club Brugge KV and Standard Liège have a great rivalry, and are usually the main contenders for the title. Combined they share a total of 57 out of 113 Belgian Football Championships ever played and generally end up sharing the top three positions. None of them have been relegated from the First Division A either, since promotion to the top flight. In recent years however, the domination of the Big Three has become less severe, as Anderlecht and Standard have had some difficult seasons. Anderlecht has not won a title since 2017 and Standard not win since 2009. Next to that, some other clubs like Union SG, Antwerp, Genk and Gent have become major contenders for prizes.
Several other clubs outside the big three have won the Belgian league, with Union SG having the third most national titles behind Anderlecht and Club Brugge in Belgium with 12 in total; two titles more than Standard Liège. Today, the chief competitors of the three are Gent, Union SG, Antwerp and Racing Genk.[1][2][3][4]
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edit- ↑ "CLUBNIEUWS. Afdankertjes bij Anderlecht, Standard én Club Brugge". Nieuwsblad.be. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ↑ "'Grote Drie' die samen nog eens winnen dat was al heel lang geleden". HLN.be. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ↑ "Grote Drie pas voor de tweede keer samen aan het feest in de Jupiler Pro League". Voetbalkrant.com. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ↑ "Grote drie moeten Europese eer verdedigen" (in Dutch). Manoeuvre.be. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.