# 1998–99 Belgian First Division

The 1998–99 season of the Jupiler League was held between August 21, 1998, and May 16, 1999. Racing Genk became champions.

## Promoted teams

These teams were promoted from the second division at the start of the season:
* Oostende (second division champions)
* Kortrijk (playoff winner)

## Relegated teams

These teams were relegated to the second division at the end of the season:
* Kortrijk
* Oostende

## Genk's title success

After a deceiving start of the competition Anderlecht managed to come back at the top of the ranking under the management of Jean Dockx and Franky Vercauteren even beating its long-time rival Standard Liège in a memorable 0-6 demonstration. Two matches before the end of the season, the ranking was as such:
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
| 1. | Genk | 32 | 70 |
| 2. | Brugge | 32 | 68 |
| 3. | Anderlecht | 32 | 64 |
Those three teams were thus still able to win the championship. While Club Brugge lost its game to Mouscron 2-0, Anderlecht secured a 2-5 win to Genk. However the Racing did win its last match at Harelbeke and it thus became champion.

## Battle for Europe

With Genk qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, Anderlecht and Brugge entered the UEFA Cup.

## The relegation dog fight

Lommel avoided relegation by winning its last match 2-1 to Charleroi while the newcomer Kortrijk lost to Anderlecht. The other newcomer (Oostende) was already relegated at this moment.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Genk (C) | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 74 | 38 | +36 | 73 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Club Brugge | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 65 | 38 | +27 | 71 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 3 | Anderlecht | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 76 | 39 | +37 | 70 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 4 | Mouscron | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 76 | 47 | +29 | 66 | |
| 5 | Lokeren | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 69 | 61 | +8 | 57 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup second round |
| 6 | Standard Liège | 34 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 55 | 47 | +8 | 54 | |
| 7 | Lierse | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 54 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round |
| 8 | Gent | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 52 | |
| 9 | Sint-Truiden | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 51 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup first round |
| 10 | Germinal Ekeren | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 48 | 46 | +2 | 49 | |
| 11 | Harelbeke | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 41 | |
| 12 | Westerlo | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 40 | |
| 13 | Eendracht Aalst | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 48 | 66 | −18 | 35 | |
| 14 | Charleroi | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 40 | 54 | −14 | 32 | |
| 15 | Beveren | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 33 | 60 | −27 | 30 | |
| 16 | Lommel | 34 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 28 | |
| 17 | Kortrijk (R) | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 49 | 81 | −32 | 25 | Relegation to 1999–2000 Belgian Second Division |
| 18 | Oostende (R) | 34 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 27 | 79 | −52 | 22 | Relegation to 1999–2000 Belgian Second Division |

## Results

| Home \ Away | AAL | AND | BEV | CLU | CHA | EKE | GNK | GNT | HAR | KOR | LIE | LOK | LOM | MOU | OST | STV | STA | WES |
| Eendracht Aalst | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Anderlecht | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 |
| Beveren | 0–2 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 0–6 | 1–0 |
| Club Brugge | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 5–3 |
| Charleroi | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Germinal Ekeren | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | | 0–2 | 8–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| Genk | 2–0 | 2–5 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 6–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Gent | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Harelbeke | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Kortrijk | 3–4 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 3–4 | 0–0 | | 3–2 | 0–6 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–2 |
| Lierse | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 5–1 | | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 3–0 | 5–1 |
| Lokeren | 6–2 | 2–3 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 |
| Lommel | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Mouscron | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 3–5 | 7–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 2–1 |
| Oostende | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–6 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Sint-Truiden | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 5–0 | | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Standard Liège | 3–0 | 0–6 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | | 2–0 |
| Westerlo | 1–1 | 6–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 1–4 | 3–1 | |

## Top scorers

| Scorer | Goals | Team |
| Jan Koller | 24 | Lokeren |
| Branko Strupar | 18 | Genk |
| Souleymane Oularé | 17 | Genk |
| Zoran Ban | 16 | Mouscron |
| Tomasz Radzinski | 15 | Anderlecht |
| Jochen Janssen | 15 | Westerlo |
| Filip Fiers | 15 | Sint-Truidense |
| Eric Van Meir | 14 | Lierse |