2025–26 Eredivisie
70th season of the Eredivisie
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The 2025–26 Eredivisie, also known as VriendenLoterij Eredivisie for sponsorship reasons, was the 70th season of Eredivisie, the premier football competition in the Netherlands. The league games were held between 8 August 2025 and 17 May 2026.[1][2] Two-time defending champions PSV Eindhoven clinched their 27th title on 5 April 2026 after Feyenoord's 0–0 draw with Volendam.
(27th title)
NAC Breda
Heracles Almelo
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 August 2025 – 17 May 2026 |
| Champions | PSV Eindhoven (27th title) |
| Relegated | FC Volendam NAC Breda Heracles Almelo |
| Champions League | PSV Eindhoven Feyenoord NEC |
| Europa League | AZ (as cup winners) Twente |
| Conference League | Ajax |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 972 (3.18 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ayase Ueda (25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Heracles Almelo 8–2 PEC Zwolle (2 November 2025) Go Ahead Eagles 6–0 NAC Breda (15 March 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Heracles Almelo 0–7 Feyenoord (19 October 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Heracles Almelo 8–2 PEC Zwolle (2 November 2025) |
| Longest winning run | 13 matches PSV Eindhoven |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches PSV Eindhoven |
| Longest winless run | 13 matches Heracles Almelo |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Groningen Heracles Almelo |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
On 15 March, NAC Breda submitted an appeal against their 6–0 loss because Go Ahead Eagles had included Dean James, who had forfeited his Dutch nationality after obtaining Indonesian citizenship in order to play World Cup qualifiers. This rendered him ineligible to take part in the match.[3] The Royal Dutch Football Association refused to order a replay of the match but confirmed that James was technically ineligible due to issues with his passport. However, the club and the player were not aware at the time that changing his nationality would lead to legal consequences. The association warned that ruling in favour of Breda could open more than 130 matches to legal scrutiny. On 4 May, the Utrecht Court supported the KNVB's decision.[4]
Teams
Team changes
| Volendam (promoted after a single season absence) Excelsior (promoted after a single season absence) Telstar (promoted after a 47-year absence)[5] |
Willem II (relegated after a single season in top flight) Almere City (relegated after two seasons in top flight) RKC Waalwijk (relegated after six seasons in top flight) |
Stadiums and locations
| Club | Location | Venue | Capacity | 2024–25 position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Amsterdam | Johan Cruyff Arena | 55,865 | 2nd |
| AZ | Alkmaar | AFAS Stadion | 19,478 | 5th |
| Excelsior | Rotterdam | Van Donge & De Roo Stadion | 4,500 | 1D, 2nd |
| Feyenoord | Rotterdam | De Kuip | 47,500 | 3rd |
| Fortuna Sittard | Sittard | Fortuna Sittard Stadion | 10,300 | 11th |
| Go Ahead Eagles | Deventer | De Adelaarshorst | 10,000 | 7th |
| Groningen | Groningen | Euroborg | 22,550 | 13th |
| Heerenveen | Heerenveen | Abe Lenstra Stadion | 27,224 | 9th |
| Heracles Almelo | Almelo | Asito Stadion | 12,080 | 14th |
| NAC Breda | Breda | Rat Verlegh Stadion | 19,000 | 15th |
| NEC | Nijmegen | Goffertstadion | 12,500 | 8th |
| PEC Zwolle | Zwolle | MAC³PARK Stadion | 13,250 | 10th |
| PSV Eindhoven | Eindhoven | Philips Stadion | 36,500 | 1st |
| Sparta Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Spartastadion Het Kasteel | 11,000 | 12th |
| Telstar | Velsen | BUKO Stadion | 5,338 | 1D, 7th |
| Twente | Enschede | De Grolsch Veste | 30,205 | 6th |
| Utrecht | Utrecht | Stadion Galgenwaard | 23,750 | 4th |
| Volendam | Volendam | Kras Stadion | 7,384 | 1D, 1st |
Number of teams by province
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | President | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsors (front) | Shirt sponsors (back) | Shirt sponsors (sleeves) | Shorts sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Adidas | Ziggo | Olympia | Team Rockstars IT[6] | None | |||
| AZ | Nike | AFAS Software | Elfi Vastgoed | Cavallaro Napoli | None | |||
| Excelsior | Robey | DSW | Caru Containers | None | ||||
| Feyenoord | Castore[7] | Mediamarkt | Prijsvrij | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij | None | |||
| Fortuna Sittard | Robey[8] | Fortuna Verbindt | Winkelhart sittard | None | None | |||
| Go Ahead Eagles | Stanno | Retro Bridge, One Click Steel | Validsign, Salland Zorgverzekeringen | LoooX, Matrix Fitness | MaxiZoo | |||
| Groningen | Robey | OG Clean Fuels | U-Sport | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij | None | |||
| Heerenveen | Macron | Wolkom onbegrensd Fryslân | MASCOT Workwear, Effektief | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij | Veolia | |||
| Heracles Almelo | Acerbis | Asito | Asito | Kans voor een Kind | Asito | |||
| NAC Breda | Nike | OK Brandstoffen en Smeermiddelen[9] | Vrolijk, MHC Mobility | vdBuijs Installaties, Jacobs Elektro Groep[10] | Xior Student Housing | |||
| NEC | Robey[11] | Nexperia[12] | KlokGroep | NasWerkt | GX Software | |||
| PEC Zwolle | Adidas[13] | Zonneplan | Molecaten | VDK Groep | Quades | |||
| PSV Eindhoven | Puma | Metropoolregio Brainport Eindhoven | GoodHabitz | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij | None | |||
| Sparta Rotterdam | Robey | De Goudse Verzekeringen, D&S Group | Blue10, VNOM | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij, BICT Groep | Toll Global Forwarding, Trofi Pack | |||
| Telstar | Robey | BUKO[15] | Nederlof Fish | Nederlof Fish | None | |||
| Twente | Castore[16] | Elektramat[17] | ThermoSolutions BV | TOTO Nederlandse Loterij, Taurus Corporate Finance | Elektramat | |||
| Utrecht | Castore[18] | Conclusion | Dubai-Property.nl | Indeed | Dassy | |||
| Volendam | Robey | HSB | Mascot Workwear / Timbo | podobrace.nl | None |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Resigned | 19 May 2025[19] | Pre-season | 31 May 2025[20] | ||
| Go Ahead Eagles | Signed by VfL Wolfsburg | 12 June 2025[21] | 12 June 2025[22] | |||
| PEC Zwolle | End of contract | 30 June 2025[23] | 1 July 2025[24] | |||
| NEC | 30 June 2025 | 1 July 2025[25] | ||||
| Twente | Sacked | 4 September 2025[26] | 14th | 15 September 2025[27] | ||
| Heracles | 26 October 2025[28] | 18th | 1 December 2025[29] | |||
| Ajax | 6 November 2025[30] | 4th | 21 November 2025[31] | |||
| AZ | 18 January 2026[32] | 8th | 18 January 2026[32] | |||
| Ajax | Returned to Ajax Academy | 8 March 2026[33] | 4th | 8 March 2026[33] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV Eindhoven (C) | 34 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 101 | 45 | +56 | 84 | Qualification for the Champions League league phase |
| 2 | Feyenoord | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 65 | |
| 3 | NEC | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 77 | 53 | +24 | 59 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Twente | 34 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 58 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Ajax (O) | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 56 | Qualification for the European competition play-offs |
| 6 | Utrecht | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 42 | +13 | 53 | |
| 7 | AZ | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 58 | 51 | +7 | 52 | Qualification for the Europa League league phase[a] |
| 8 | Heerenveen | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 51 | Qualification for the European competition play-offs |
| 9 | Groningen | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 48 | |
| 10 | Sparta Rotterdam | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 40 | 62 | −22 | 43 | |
| 11 | Fortuna Sittard | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 39 | |
| 12 | Go Ahead Eagles | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 38 | |
| 13 | Excelsior | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 43 | 56 | −13 | 38 | |
| 14 | Telstar | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 37 | |
| 15 | PEC Zwolle | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 44 | 71 | −27 | 37 | |
| 16 | Volendam (R) | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 32 | Qualification for the Relegation play-off |
| 17 | NAC Breda (R) | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 35 | 58 | −23 | 29 | Relegation to Eerste Divisie |
| 18 | Heracles Almelo (R) | 34 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 35 | 85 | −50 | 19 |
Rules for classification: At end of season: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Head-to-head away goals scored; 8) Play-off match or matches; 9) Penalty shoot-out (if the play-off match or matches end in a draw)[34]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Qualified for the Europa League league phase as the 2025–26 KNVB Cup winners.
Results
Play-offs
All times Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
European competition play-offs
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 5 | Ajax | 2 | |||||||
| 9 | Groningen | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Ajax (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||
| 6 | Utrecht | 1 (3) | |||||||
| 6 | Utrecht | 3 | |||||||
| 8 | Heerenveen | 2 | |||||||
Semi-finals
| Utrecht | 3–2 | Heerenveen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Final
Notes
- Ajax played their play-off matches at the Kras Stadion in Volendam, instead of their regular stadium, the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, due to Harry Styles' Together, Together tour taking place at the stadium.
Promotion/relegation play-offs
Bracket
| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinal | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Willem II | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | RKC Waalwijk (p) | 1 | 1 | 2 (3) | 6 | RKC Waalwijk | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | Volendam | 2 | 1 | 3 (4) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Roda JC Kerkrade | 1 | 1 | 2 (1) | 3 | Willem II | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Willem II (p) | 1 | 2 | 3 (5) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Almere City | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | De Graafschap | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Almere City | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | Almere City | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Den Bosch | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First round
2–2 on aggregate. RKC Waalwijk won 3–1 on penalties.
Almere City won 6–2 on aggregate.
Quarterfinals
Willem II won 2−1 on aggregate.
| Almere City | 3–1 | De Graafschap |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| De Graafschap | 2–2 | Almere City |
|---|---|---|
|
Almere City won 5−3 on aggregate.
Semifinal
| Willem II | 2–0 | Almere City |
|---|---|---|
|
Willem II won 3−0 on aggregate.
Final
| Willem II | 1−2 | Volendam |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3−3 on aggregate. Willem II won on penalties.
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[35] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feyenoord | 25 | |
| 2 | Ajax | 17 | |
| 3 | AZ | 16 | |
| PSV Eindhoven | |||
| 5 | PSV Eindhoven | 15 | |
| 6 | PSV Eindhoven | 14 | |
| 7 | Sparta Rotterdam | 12 | |
| Fortuna Sittard | |||
| Go Ahead Eagles | |||
| Heerenveen |
Hat-tricks
| Rnd | Player | Club | Goals | Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Feyenoord | 7', 33', 38' | 19 October 2025 | Heracles Almelo | 0–7 | Feyenoord | |
| 10 | PSV Eindhoven | 30', 51', 60' | 26 October 2025 | Feyenoord | 2–3 | PSV Eindhoven | |
| 11 | Heracles Almelo | 18', 29', 32' | 2 November 2025 | Heracles Almelo | 8–2 | PEC Zwolle | |
| 12 | PSV Eindhoven | 11', 28', 89' | 9 November 2025 | AZ | 1–5 | PSV Eindhoven | |
| 15 | Feyenoord | 11', 20', 42', 55' | 6 December 2025 | Feyenoord | 6–1 | PEC Zwolle | |
| 27 | Go Ahead Eagles | 45', 73', 76' | 15 March 2026 | Go Ahead Eagles | 6–0 | NAC Breda |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
Discipline
- Most yellow cards: 10
- Most red cards: 1
- 53 players