Union SG – from Belgium's second division to the Europa quarter-finals

Football is sometimes a sport of fairy tales. Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Union SG) is a great example of that, going from the second division to being vice-champions and playing a European quarter-final. Let's look at how they managed to get here.

Union SG was founded in 1897 and has been playing its home matches in the Joseph Marien Stadium ever since the 1920s.

The club immediately rose to the top, becoming Belgium's most successful pre-World War II football side.

Union SG won no less than 11 Belgium championships, taking its first one in 1904 and its last one in 1935. The club also went on a 60-game unbeaten streak in the Belgian league between 1933-35, a record which is still standing up today.

After these successes, Union SG would struggle to keep up with the ever-modernizing football world and lose its place at the Belgian top. Fellow Brussels side RSC Anderlecht became the dominant club in Brussels and Belgium, whilst Union was trying to find its place in the changing football landscape.

Union SG would be relegated for the first time in 1949, coming back to the first division after two years. The club then managed to make it to the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but would be relegated again in 1973, not returning to the highest Belgian football level for almost five decades.

In the following decades, Union would play in the second, third and even fourth division, before entrepreneur, professional poker player and Brighton owner Tony Bloom bought the club in 2018 with only one ambition: to turn the second division club Union back into a top-tier side.

The arrival of Bloom gave Union renewed energy. The club beat big brother RSC Anderlecht in the Belgian Cup in the round of 16, astonishing their neighbours with a 0-3-win.

The future started to look brighter and brighter for Union. In 2021, the club was promoted back into the first division after beating RWDM in the playoffs.

After 48 years, Union could celebrate its return to the Belgian top flight. Its then coach, Felice Mazzu, and players got ready to give it their best at the highest level.

Union's return to the first division would not go unnoticed. The club surprised everyone and ended the year in first place.

Union would end the regular season in first place and started dreaming about its twelfth Belgian championship. Club Brugge would prove to be the club's biggest rival for the title in the upcoming playoffs.

A 1-0-loss in Brugge proved to be crucial in the title race. Club Brugge would go on to take its third consecutive championship, with Union bagging second place.

By finishing second, Union booked a place in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for the first time ever.

Union was drawn against Scottish top side Rangers. The Belgians surprised Steven Gerrard and his players in Brussels, winning 2-0 at home. In Ibrox, however, the Rangers turned things around with a 3-0 win. Union was out of the Champions League, but was allowed to enter the Europa League.

Once again, Union showed its class on the European stage, winning a group with Union Berlin, Braga, and Malmö. The club proceeded to the round of 16, where it was drawn against Union Berlin. The Belgian side drew 3-3 in Germany and won 3-0 at home, securing a historic place in the quarter-finals.

In the meanwhile, Union had been proving their class with some excellent form in Belgium. Karel Geraerts's side were never dropped out of the top four and will be playing for the championship in the playoffs later this year.

The current Union side consists of some excellent players. Key figures are, amongst others, are captain Teddy Teuma (pictured), striker Victor Boniface and defender Christian Burgess.

This year, Union is hoping to do what it could not pull off last year: win the championship. This season, KRC Genk and Royal Antwerp FC seem to be the Union's biggest rivals.

In the Europa League quarter-finals, Union will be playing German side Bayer Leverkusen. A big test for the Belgians. Can they pull it off again?

Whatever the season's ending will bring for Union, the Belgian club is living a dream that only seems to be getting better.