After winning 1-0 in the first leg against AEK Athens, Antwerp qualified for the Champions League group stage with a 1-2 win in Greece on Wednesday evening – the first time in the club's history.
Goals by Gyrano Kerk (73rd) and Michel-Ange Balikwisha (90th+5) gave the Belgian club its ticket for the next round, which secures the presence of a Belgian club in the group draw on Thursday.
With the draw scheduled for 18:00 in Monaco, the 2023/2024 Champions League, Antwerp are guaranteed to be drawn into a particularly tough group for their first appearance, as the Belgian champions will feature in pot 4.
Pot 1 is made up of holders Manchester City, the English champions, Europa League winners Sevilla and six other domestic champions, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica and Feyenoord.
Pot 2 features some big names, with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Leipzig, Porto and Arsenal. AC Milan are in pot 3, while Newcastle are in pot 4.
Tough prospects
While Antwerp will be placed into a difficult group, the club is assured of playing against Europe's very best.
Belgium’s ‘Great Old’ champions will be contesting the prestigious, and lucrative, group stage for the first time in their history.
Antwerp's Gyrano Kerk celebrates after scoring in Athens. Credit: Belga / Tom Goyvaerts
On their previous Belgian title, in 1957, the club was eliminated in the first round of the European Cup by Real Madrid, with two goals by football legend Alfredo Di Stefano. At the time of its first three titles, in 1929, 1931 and 1944, the European Cup did not yet exist.
However, Antwerp remain the last Belgian club to reach a European final – after having been finalists in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1993.
The Champions League group stage will be played over six rounds between 19 September and 13 December.
At the same time as this draw, UEFA will present its individual awards for the 2022/2023 season.
Kevin De Bruyne is among the three finalists for the UEFA Player of the Year award, along with Norwegian team-mate Erling Haaland and Argentina’s Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Inter Miami).
