History in the making: Sint Truiden set for European group stage debut

History in the making: Sint Truiden set for European group stage debut October the 15th will forever be a historic day for the city of Sint-Truiden . At around 9pm that evening the city’s football team will face Iberia 1999 in the clubs first ever European group stage fixture. The club, founded in 1924, has had to wait a long time for this moment. Sint Truiden have bounced around the leagues but, in recent years, have been building towards this moment. Under their Japanese owners, they have started to get things right on and off the pitch. Last season it all came together in spectacular fashion, as the unlikely story of the season unfolded in Limburg. While this is a European debut for the club, they are not one without history. The famous Raymond Goethals led the club from 1959 up until he became head coach of Belgium in 1966. Under Goethals, the side came close to winning the top flight, finishing second. They have also made Belgian Cup finals, losing out in 1971 and 2003. In 1999 they won the now defunct League Cup, begin KFC Germinal Ekeren in the final. It was this cup victory that gave them their first European competition; the Intertoto Cup. The Intertoto Cup was a summer competition that acted as a qualification event for the UEFA Cup. After beating Bulgarian side Spartak Varna and Armenian club Ararat Yerevan in rounds one and two, they lost in the third round to Austria Wien and missed out on the UEFA Cup proper. Lots has changed since 1999. The club now have Japanese owners, who took over in 2017, and after a period of ups and downs, things finally clicked last season. Sadly, that side won’t quite be the same side that takes to the field on Thursday evening. Key players have left, while head coach Wouter Vrancken departed for Hearts. However, that shouldn’t take away from this moment for a fanbase that has certainly had to suffer over the years. After three years in the second tier, Sint Truiden returned to the top flight after winning promotion at the end of the 2014/2015 season. Prior to last season, their highest finish had been 7th, with a few relegation battles and mid table moments in between. Even as recently as the 2024/2025 season they were in a relegation battle. However, Vrancken turned things around, with the club finishing third last year. It is a shame that the majority of that side wasn’t kept together, but that is the reality of the situation that Sint Truiden are in. They are not one of the top clubs in Belgian football, albeit they are now an established top flight side. Yet even the top clubs in Belgium have to sell their best players most summer due to the financial riches of other leagues. Sint Truiden have done remarkably well in recent years to sign players for relatively small fees and then move them on. However, they have also lost some key players for nothing due to contracts running down. Again, that is sadly the reality of how the club has been set up to operate, as a stepping stone for players looking for a chance to play football in Europe. Many will likely have heard of Sint Truiden, or at least, know players that have played there. A large number of some of the top Japanese players in European football came through Sint Truiden. This is down to the clubs Japanese owners, who have created a strong link between the Belgian club and the J League. They have acted as a stepping stone for many J League talents to try their hand at European football. Not all have succeeded, but those that have usually go on to have good careers. Zion Suzuki, Wataru Endo, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Daichi Kamada all spent time in Sint Truiden. Of the current crop, goalkeeper Leo Kokubo certainly catches the eye. He was one of the best goalkeepers in the Belgian Pro League last season and will certainly have clubs watching him in Europe. Kaito Matsuzawa had a decent first season at Sint Truiden and there are hopes that the 25-year-old can really push on this year. This season those that remained will get the chance to play European football and make history for the club. First up for Sint Truiden is a clash with Iberia 1999 of Georgia at home. This certainly isn’t the hardest of starts for the Belgian side, and there will be expectations that the Canaries should register a first European group stage win this Thursday. They do have some tougher games, such as away to Danish side FC Midtjylland and Hadjuk Split, with a home game against Ajax as well. Their other fixtures involve Lugano away and Brann at home. Ajax is clearly the standout fixture for the club, a true European fixture for the fans to savour and hopefully enjoy. While the Conference League may not be the most popular for fans of clubs in top five leagues, for those outside of these competitions it provides for stories like Sint Truiden. The Canaries now have a chance to not only enjoy European football, but to see their side be competitive in it. Balancing Thursday night football and the domestic league will be tricky, and the squad is looking pretty thin in areas. However, these opportunities and moments don’t come too often for fans of clubs like Sint Truiden and they look set to make the most of every single game. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson