K.R.C. Genk, commonly known as Genk, was founded in 1988 and is a professional football club based in Genk, Belgium.
The team was formed by the merger of K. Thor Genk and Royal Winterslag. As one of the four most successful clubs in Belgium, Genk has been a mainstay in the Belgian Pro League since the 1996-97 season and has maintained an excellent record in European competitions.
The club's predecessor can be traced back to the Royal Winterslag, founded in 1923. This team first promoted to the Belgian Pro League in 1974, experiencing several ups and downs with promotions and relegations. After a merger and reorganization in 1988, Genk reached a turning point in 1995 when the renowned coach Aimé Anthuenis led the team to win their first Belgian Cup in the 1997-98 season, and the following year, they historically claimed their first Belgian Pro League title. In the 1999-00 season, they again defeated Standard Liège in the Belgian Cup final to lift the trophy once more.
Genk's trophy cabinet displays 3 Belgian Pro League trophies (1999, 2002, 2011), 4 Belgian Cups (1998, 2000, 2009, 2013), and 1 Belgian Super Cup (2011). On the European stage, they reached the Round of 16 in the 1998-99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.