# 1996–97 Belgian First Division

Lierse won the title of the 1996–97 season.

## Participanting teams

These teams were relegated to the second division at the end of the season:
* KV Mechelen
* Cercle Brugge

## Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Lierse S.K. | 34 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 70 | 38 | +32 | 73 | Qualified for 1997–98 UEFA Champions League |
| 2 | Club Brugge | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 69 | 34 | +35 | 71 | Qualified for 1997–98 UEFA Cup |
| 3 | R.E. Mouscron | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 60 | 38 | +22 | 61 | Qualified for 1997–98 UEFA Cup |
| 4 | R.S.C. Anderlecht | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 58 | Qualified for 1997–98 UEFA Cup |
| 5 | K.F.C. Lommel S.K. | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 57 | Qualified for 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup |
| 6 | R. Antwerp F.C. | 34 | 16 | 5 | 13 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 53 | Qualified for 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup |
| 7 | Standard Liège | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 50 | Qualified for 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup |
| 8 | K.R.C. Genk | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 49 | 43 | +6 | 48 | Qualified for 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup |
| 9 | K.R.C. Zuid-West-Vlaanderen | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 47 | |
| 10 | K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 46 | Qualified for 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup |
| 11 | K. Sint-Truidense V.V. | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 39 | |
| 12 | K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 41 | 57 | −16 | 38 | |
| 13 | R. Charleroi S.C. | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 37 | |
| 14 | K.A.A. Gent | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 36 | |
| 15 | K.S.C. Eendracht Aalst | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 36 | |
| 16 | R.W.D. Molenbeek | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 32 | 43 | −11 | 35 | |
| 17 | Y.R. K.V. Mechelen | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 33 | 55 | −22 | 31 | Relegated to Division II |
| 18 | Cercle Brugge K.S.V. | 34 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 36 | 67 | −31 | 27 | Relegated to Division II |

## Results

| Home \ Away | AAL | AND | ANT | CER | CLU | CHA | EKE | GNK | GNT | HAR | LIE | LOK | LOM | MEC | MOL | MOU | STV | STA |
| Eendracht Aalst | | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 |
| Anderlecht | 3–0 | | 2–3 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 6–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 6–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Antwerp | 1–0 | 0–2 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Cercle Brugge | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–6 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 |
| Club Brugge | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 8–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | 3–0 |
| Charleroi | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Germinal Ekeren | 6–1 | 4–1 | 6–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 |
| Genk | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 3–1 | | 4–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Gent | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 1–4 | 4–5 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Harelbeke | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Lierse | 0–1 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Lokeren | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 3–3 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Lommel | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Mechelen | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 |
| Molenbeek | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Mouscron | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| Sint-Truiden | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | | 2–0 |
| Standard Liège | 3–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–3 | 2–0 | |