The EUT20 Belgium is a professional Twenty20cricket league in Belgium, organised by Destino Legends Sports LLC in partnership with Belgian Cricket Federation. Established in 2025, the league was created to professionalize the sport in mainland Europe and provide a high-performance platform for local Belgian talent to compete alongside global international stars.
The league features six franchise teams representing major Belgian cities and towns. The inaugural season took place in Brussels from 6 to 14 June 2026, where Ghent Gladiators defeated Antwerp Anchors by 3 wickets to win the inaugural title. JJ Smit of the Antwerp Anchors was named player of the tournament in the inaugural season.
History
In October 2025, following the success of franchise models globally, Cricket Belgium signed a long-term agreement with Destino Legends Sports LLC to launch a premier franchise competition.
Unlike previous domestic tournaments, EUT20 was designed as a hub for European cricket, utilizing Belgium's central geographic location to attract players from both Full Member and Associate nations. Former England World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan was appointed as the Global Brand Ambassador to provide international credibility and strategic oversight.
Cricket in Belgium has historically been an Associate-level sport with a growing grassroots base. The league's primary mission is the (2 - 4 - 4 - 6) development model, which mandates the inclusion of local Belgian players in every starting XI to ensure the long-term growth of the Belgium national cricket team.
Foundation of EUT20 Belgium
In late 2025, the league invited international investors for franchise ownership. Six cities were originally selected based on their sporting infrastructure and local cricket communities: Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, and Liège. However, one of the originally planned franchise team from Leuven was not announced by EUT20 Belgium and did not participate in the player draft held on 24 March 2026, which left the inaugural tournament to be played with five teams. The league later announced that a new franchise based in the town of Waterloo, named Royal Belge Waterloo, would join the competition from the 2027 season as the replacement for the vacant sixth slot originally intended for Leuven.[citation needed]
Tournament format
The EUT20 Belgium follows a franchise T20 format:
League stage: A single round-robin format in which the five teams play each other once, resulting in a total of 10 matches. After the league stage, the teams placed fourth and fifth play an additional classification match to determine the final participant for the next stage.
Playoff league: The top three teams from the league stage, along with the winner of the fourth and fifth classification match, advance to the Playoff league, while the losing team is eliminated. The Playoff league is played in a single round-robin format, in which each team plays the other three once, resulting in a total of 6 matches. The top two teams in the Playoff league points table qualify for the final, while the remaining two teams are eliminated.
Final: The top two teams from the Playoff league compete in the final to determine the champion of the tournament.
Player acquisition
Teams acquire players through a centralized player draft. Each 18-member squad must follow strict roster requirements:
Domestic: 4 Belgian players (Minimum 2 in the starting XI).
Associate: 4 players from ICC Associate nations.
International: 4 active Full Member international players.
Veterans: 6 Full Member players who have not played international cricket in the last two years.
Teams
The league features six franchises representing major urban centers and historic municipalities across Belgium.
