This year's Belgian Cup final, which sees Union Saint-Gilloise take on city rivals Anderlecht, kicks off at 15:00 this Thursday at the Roi Baudouin stadium, with Brussels authorities warning of traffic disruptions.
With both sets of fans set to travel in their numbers from the south of the city up to the Heysel area, various metro, bus, and tram lines are set to be affected by interruptions.
Specific metro and tram stops are expected to be particularly busy throughout the day, with two separate fan zones having been set up near the stadium.
Metro closures on Line 6
The STIB/MIVB has announced an increased service for Metro line 6, which has Roi Baudouin as its final stop.
Union Saint-Gilloise and Anderlecht supporters have been instructed to get off respectively at Houba-Brugmann and Heysel, the two stops preceding the terminus.
All three metro stations will have several exits closed off at different times of the day. Notably, the Roi-Baudouin station will be entirely shut between 16:30 and 19:00. At Heysel, exits 1 and 5 will be closed from 09:30 to 19:00.
Metro line 2 trains, which usually go no further than Simonis, will also follow the line 6 route to the north-west of the city in order to double the number of trains serving the area around the stadium.
Union Saint-Gilloise's supporters pictured during the celebrations after final of the Belgian Croky Cup, at the Saint-Gilles town hall, in Brussels, Thursday 09 May 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Bus line 83, which runs through the neighbourhood around the stadium, will be rerouted throughout the day.
The line will skip all stops between Esplanade and Tircher (Palfijn, Améthyste, Roi Baudouin, Heysel and Palais 12), with fans making their way to the stadium having been instructed to get off at Panorama.
Similarly, the tram line 9 terminus at Roi Baudouin will not be served until 20:00. Fans making their way to the stadium have been told to get off at Stade (trams 51 and 93), Heysel (trams 7 and 62), or Esplanade (tram 7).
Fan zones set up near stadium
The Unionistes fans will also be expected to get off at Stuyvenbergh metro station earlier in the day in order to reach their club-specific fan zone for the final, located on Place Louis Steens near the Atomium.
The municipality of Saint-Gilles has decided against installing a big screen on Place Maurice Van Meenem to show the match, DH Les Sports reports, citing prohibitive costs and the public holiday on Thursday.
The local authorities had set up a fan zone on the square, in front of the town hall, when the club won the Belgian league title in May of last year.
The Anderlecht fan zone on Saturday will be located nearer to the Heysel metro station, along Boulevard du Centenaire. The Mauve et blanc club will also broadcast the match live to their fans at the Lotto Park stadium in their home municipality.
