RWDM Brussels
| Full name | RWDM Brussels | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 (takeover) | ||
| Ground | Edmond Machtens Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 12,266 | ||
| Owner | John Textor | ||
| Head coach | Vacant | ||
| League | Challenger Pro League | ||
| 2024–25 | Challenger Pro League, 3rd of 16 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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RWDM Brussels[1] is a Belgian professional football club based in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, a municipality of Brussels. The team competes in the Challenger Pro League, the second tier of the Belgian football league system.
The club was previously known as Racing White Daring Molenbeek (RWDM) until June 2025, when it briefly rebranded to Daring Brussels and formally reclaimed matricule 2, originally assigned to the now-defunct Daring Club de Bruxelles, founded in 1895. While the present-day club was founded in the 21st century, it identifies itself with the legacy of several predecessor entities, including Racing White, RWD Molenbeek (1973–2002), and the original Daring club.[2]
Daring Brussels play their home matches at the Edmond Machtens Stadium, wear red, black and white as their traditional colours, and incorporate gold detailing in their crest as a reference to early club heritage.[2]
History
The club was founded in 2015. Standard Wetteren had folded that year and merged with another club, liberating its matricule (registration number), which was sold to people wanting to revive the former RWDM with matricule 47, which folded in 2002. As such the new club was named RWDM47.
The club quickly rose through the ranks, winning two consecutive promotions from the fifth to the third tier. In December 2021, the club announced that it had come under the ownership of American business executive John Textor, who also holds stakes in English side Crystal Palace, Brazilian side Botafogo and French side Lyon.[3]
RWDM's academy is considered one of the best in Belgium, and many footballers have come from there, notably Adnan Januzaj and Michy Batshuayi to name a few Belgian internationals as well as a few internationals for other countries.[4][5]
On 13 May 2023, RWDM secured promotion to the Belgian Pro League by winning the Challenger Pro League title in a narrow 1–0 victory over RSCA Futures, with Mickaël Biron scoring the winning goal.[6][7] They went straight back down at the end of their first season back in the top flight and the following season narrowly missed out on promotion, wasting a strong lead with just two games to go and eventually ending just short of automatic promotion.
On 5 June 2025, the club announced that it would adopt a new name, an initiative proposed by its American owner, John Textor. Effective 1 July 2025, the club would be known as Daring Brussels, a reference to the legacy of the historic Daring Club de Bruxelles, originally founded in 1895. As part of the rebranding, the club planned to adopt a new logo and assume matricule 2. The official club colours were revised to include red, white, black, and gold. The decision provoked significant backlash from supporters of RWDM, many of whom expressed strong attachment to the traditional name and the original red, white, and black colour scheme.[8] The rebranding also drew criticism from the municipality of Molenbeek, which had previously granted the club free use of the Edmond Machtens Stadium on the condition that the name "Molenbeek" be retained.[9]
On 7 July 2025, it was decided that the name change would not go ahead and the name "RWDM", the old logo and the colours would be retained while the word "Brussels" would be added to the name to support the club's international interests. The club will also continue under matricule 2.[1]
Rivalries and fanbase
RWDM's traditional rival is Union Saint-Gilloise,[10] which goes back to the 19th century when RWDM were known as Daring Club.[11] RWDM also have a rivalry with RSC Anderlecht, with just 3 kilometres separating the two clubs and the fixtures often taking over the mantle of the "Derby of Brussels" in the professional era due to Union's relative decline. RWDM also have rivalries with Eendracht Aalst, Lierse,[12] and RFC Liège.[13]
RWDM drew support from across the Belgian capital due to its merger of 4 teams, as well as in the Periphery, where many Brusseleirs migrated to, in contrast to the more locally based Saint-Gilles support and the nationwide Anderlecht support.[14] It had high attendances for a big part of its existence as RWDM, until financial troubles and the subsequent changeover with Johan Vermeesch in charge of the new club led to the name change to FC Brussels,[15] and caused a split in the fanbase. During their years as FC Brussels, the Ultra group Brussels Power 05 emerged,[16] while many of the "old school" casuals "Brussels Boys" boycotted. These days both supporter groups sit in the same Bloc A.
Players
First-team squad
- As of 16 January 2025.[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club staff
| Position[17] | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman & Owner | John Textor |
| President | Thierry Dailly |
| Head Coach | Yannick Ferrera |
| Assistant Coach | Pepijn Mertens Siebe van der Bosch |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Thierry Berghmans |
Honours
- Challenger Pro League
- Winner (1): 2022–23
See also
- RWD Molenbeek (1909)
References
- ^ a b "RWDM behoudt iconische naam en voegt 'Brussels' toe". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Daring Brussels". Daring Brussels (in French). Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor in talks to buy Belgian side RWD Molenbeek". The Athletic. 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Sky Sports Scout - Adnan Januzaj". SkySports. 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Michy Batshuayi: The SpongeBob-loving Spurs target tearing up Ligue 1". fourfourtwo.com. 23 December 2015.
- ^ "WE ARE BACK IN THE FIRST DIVISION !". RWDM (Press release) (in Dutch). 15 May 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "RWDM promoveert! Brusselse traditieclub volgend seizoen opnieuw in hoogste klasse na zege tegen RSCA Futures". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Opschudding in Brussels voetbal: RWDM verandert naam in Daring Brussels, fans zijn malcontent". Sporza (in Dutch). 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Molenbeek dreigt Daring Brussels uit stadion te zetten na uitgommen RWDM" [Molenbeek threatens to evict Daring Brussels from stadium after erasing RWDM name]. BRUZZ (in Dutch). 9 June 2025. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "RWDM-fans boycotten Zwanzederby: 'Union heeft geen respect voor ons'". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Union Saint-Gilloise – RWD Molenbeek : ici c'est Bruxelles - Les Cahiers du football". www.cahiersdufootball.net (in French). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "RWDM - Lierse (2002): 1-0". youtube.com. 17 May 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "RWDM zakt uiteindelijk zonder supporters af naar Luik". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "'Er is een markt voor drie Brusselse voetbalclubs in eerste klasse'". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Football - D 2 Le déménagement". DH Les Sports + (in French). 3 September 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Interview with Brussels Power (FC Brussels - Belgium)". Ultras-Tifo. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ a b "A-kern-Staff". RWDM. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
External links
- Media related to Racing White Daring Molenbeek (2015) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in French and Dutch)