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. Antwerp is regarded as the oldest club in Belgium. 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, most of the players left the club for the new neighbouring club of
Beerschot A.C., becoming 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 defeat. Royal Antwerp had a long-term partnership with
English club
Manchester United, taking their young players on loan to aid their development through first team football; players requiring European work permits also benefited from Belgium's more relaxed laws. An example of the latter was
China 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 had been under-achievers during the early 21st century. It earned promotion to the top flight in 2000, only to suffer relegation again in 2004. After 13 years in the second tier, it 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 for the first time in 25 years. It 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. The crowning moment of the revival came on 4 June 2023, when captain
Toby Alderweireld scored a 94th-minute equalizer in a 2–2 draw at
Genk. The dramatic goal secured Antwerp’s first national championship in 66 years; ending a title drought since 1957. Antwerp entered new territory on 30 August 2023, qualifying for the
UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time ever. 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 maiden
UEFA Champions League group stage in 2023–24 ended a dry campaign with a historic 3–2 victory over
Barcelona at the
Bosuilstadion, marking 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==