Which one of us thought that the Eredivisie [era-divi-Z] started later than it did?
Well, one of us did, and so we’re off to a false start, but there’s that wonderful advantage of the Dutch league not being covered in America: You have no idea that anything has happened yet.
“You’re doing a blog about Dutch soccer and you got the start date of the league mixed up?” Well, one of the beauties of life lies within its unpredictability. I’m sure some famous philosopher said something like that.
Let’s get prepared for the season as a whole, and for the matchups of Round 1 that kick us off for 2026-2027.
Top Storylines
Ajax [Eye-yahks] have had an incredible summer. They’ve brought in All-Star level players thanks to the appointment of Jordi Cruijff [Krau-ff] (Son of the legendary Johan). Cruijff, both thanks to his name and his connections, has revolutionized the club in one summer. Concerns about a lack of quality players have vanished with acquisitions of the creative midfielder Julian Brandt 🇩🇪, the proven forward Marcos Leonardo 🇧🇷, legendary veteran goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen 🇩🇪, technically gifted left-back Caio Henrique 🇧🇷, and 6’6” talented striker Tolu Arokodare 🇳🇬. All fill positions of need. And questions about the head coaching position have quieted ever since Cruijff has brought in Míchel Sanchez 🇪🇸, previously of Spanish club Girona, who so far has had Ajax looking incredibly promising in preseason. They seem to have all the pieces on paper, but now the question is: Can Ajax actually contend for the title?
PSV are looking to make it four-in-a-row. They’ve dominated Dutch soccer for the last three years, even if one of them only came after a total capitulation by Ajax. They’ve so far kept star player and creative midfielder Joey Veerman [Veer-mahn]. Despite losing Ismael Saibari 🇲🇦 to Bayern Munich, they still have a talented squad, and they’re managed by arguably the best Dutch coach in soccer, Peter Bosz [Pey-ter Bos].
Feyenoord [Fye-uh-noort] don’t know how thick the ice is. They fired legendary former player and now-coach Robin van Persie [vahn Per-si] after the stench of mediocrity didn’t fade away (they were still able to scrape by some good results, but the level of soccer on display was rough). The truth is that, after a golden age under Arne Slot [Ar-nuh Slot], Feyenoord have struggled to fill his giant shoes. But now, after Van Persie, they’ve turned to another starter from the 2010 World Cup Final: Giovanni van Bronckhorst [vahn Bronk-horst]. Van Bronckhorst was previously Feyenoord manager from 2015-2019, and under him the club won their first Eredivisie title in 17 years in addition to the Dutch Cup. Feyenoord leadership are hoping he can emulate that success with a talented team at his disposal that includes Sem Steijn [Sem Stine], World Cup standout Jordan Bos 🇦🇺, World Cup starting striker Ayase Ueda 🇯🇵, and the tricky Anis Hadj Moussa 🇩🇿. This author isn’t so sure.
AZ are going to surprise people. It looks like they’re keeping high-potential youngster Kees Smit [Case Smit] from the clutches of clubs like Real Madrid for one more year. Even though they lost gifted midfielder Sven Mijnans [Sven My-nahns] to PSV, they still have a sneaky talented team that blew PSV away in the lead-up to the season, the Johan Cruijff Shield (yes, that game was marred by an early red card for this collision, a certified ouchy, but still an impressive display by AZ). AZ won the Dutch Cup last year, and so they’re in the Europa League—and under coach Leeroy Echteld, they look promising.
Competition will be incredibly tight. There are multiple teams to watch out for this year, even aside from the top four. NEC Nijmegen [Nye-may-ghun] are an attacking force under coach Dick Schreuder [Schr-oi-der]. FC Twente [Tven-tuh] are ambitious and have talent, including recently acquired Wout Weghorst [Vow-t Veg-horst]. FC Utrecht [Oot-trekt] are coached by Anthony Correia [Corr-ay-ah], who performed a minor miracle last year by keeping tiny Telstar in the Eredivisie—who knows what Correia can do with an Utrecht team that’s ten-times as talented? FC Groningen [Grow-ning-en] were incredibly fun to watch last year under Dick Lukkien’s [Luke-een] leadership, and they’re likely to be a well-oiled machine again this year. Sparta Rotterdam [Spar-tah Rohtterdahm] have coach Rogier Meijer [Meyer] back, and they’re going to be a tricky team to beat. Excelsior Rotterdam [Ek-cell-see-or Rohtterdahm] are led by Ruben den Uil [den Owl], a coach who showed last year that his team can compete with anyone by playing organized and well-intentioned soccer (they impressed this viewer every time they came on the TV). And even the newly-promoted ADO Den Haag [A-D-O Den Haahkh] are led by Robin Peter 🇩🇪, who impressed with free-flowing, fluid, successful soccer in the Dutch 2nd division. Personally, I can’t wait to see ADO in action. And they’re on our TVs this weekend in a juicy matchup against AZ. We’re in for a treat. But, I digress: the point is that almost all 18 of these teams are competitive. And for better or worse, Dutch soccer has playoffs at the end of the season, for teams who get places 4-7 in the standings, to see who makes it into European competition next year (and who gets that sweet cash that comes with it). And so places 1-7 in the standings mean something. And everyone’s gunning for a piece.
Season Predictions
Predictions felt easier a few months ago than they do now. So many teams have strengthened themselves, looked good in preseason, or have a reason to be hopeful that they can begin with a winning record. That being said, this is how I think it’ll end:
Predicted Final Standings
Ajax — UEFA Champions League
PSV — UEFA Champions League qualifying
AZ — UEFA Europa League qualifying
Utrecht — KNVB Beker Winners* — UEFA Europa League
Feyenoord — European Playoffs
Twente — European Playoffs
NEC — European Playoffs
Groningen — European Playoffs
Sparta
ADO
Heerenveen
Go Ahead
Excelsior
Fortuna
PEC
Cambuur (Into the Relegation/Promotion Playoffs)
Willem II (Directly Relegated)
Telstar (Directly Relegated)
*NOTE: The winner of the KNVB Beker [Baker], the Dutch Cup competition, qualifies directly for the UEFA Europa League.
Why I Think This Will Happen:
Thanks to injuries, PSV are still a team of pieces that need to mesh together, and I think that coach Bosz has a cloud hanging over him: long story short, it’s known that coaching the Dutch national team is his dream job. Earlier this year, PSV were pushing him to sign a new contract with them and needed an answer; the KNVB clearly could make him no promises about having the job after the World Cup. So he re-signed with PSV. And then the Dutch World Cup collapse #embarrassing #toosoon happened, and coach Ronald Koeman quit. Bosz could’ve had his dream job, and the opportunity may not come again, and he knows it. No matter how hard he tries, it’s going to affect his work; they’ve won three titles in a row now. They know the goal this year is to excel in European games in the Champions League. Distractions abound.
Meanwhile, Ajax have the motivation of a cannon to win their first title since 2022. I just think this influx of talent and smart coaching by Míchel will allow them to leapfrog PSV to a championship. While PSV will be facing Europe’s best in the Champions League, Ajax will be facing Europe’s sub-sub top, and will be able to put more of their focus towards the league.
Utrecht is otherwise the most surprising feature of these standings. I saw Anthony Correia bring barely-professional players into his Telstar team and make them look like All-Stars. Genuinely, Correia’s Telstar were incredible to watch last year. Each of the 11 players on the field was composed. They were relaxed. They knew what to do with the ball and without the ball. And their play style was like what you’d imagine prime Barcelona would look like today. I know that sounds like I’m exaggerating. But I was just floored every time they played a televised game. And when you see Correia speak, you kind of get it; he’s a guy who carries an aura of assurance and warmth about him. That’s the kind of coach who can get the most out of every player. I don’t see any reason he won’t have incredible success with a team that is full of seasoned professionals, even if they don’t have the most talent.
I predict Utrecht to win the Dutch Cup competition for these reasons. Correia got tiny Telstar to the semifinals of the Cup last season, and they almost made it to the final after a very close loss to AZ. He’s clearly built for knockout-style soccer, and without the distraction of European games, I think Correia will be able to work his magic (I say this, but watch it just be Ajax winning both the league and the cup!).
I think Feyenoord will struggle under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. I’m sorry to say it, because he’s a very likable character, but soccer is very different now than it was in 2019. And I think Feyenoord have talent, but I think it might take a minute for him to get everything to click. I might regret not swapping Utrecht and Feyenoord here, to be honest, but I fear that the instability at the Rotterdam club continues.
ADO 10th is a great finish for a newly-promoted club. I think highly of coach Robin Peter after reading this interview he did with the Dutch Voetbal International. And his team did dazzle the 2nd division last year. I think that if he had more talent at his disposal, he could do better. It was notable last year that, if I remember correctly, Anthony Correia’s newly-promoted Telstar would’ve been 10th or so if games had ended five minutes early; regardless of the actual statistic, the potential is there for a team to enter the Eredivisie with a bang.
I think NEC will suffer some surprise defeats/draws in the league as a result of competing hard in either the Champions League or the Europa League. They know that they’re competing on the world stage now—the first NEC appearance in Europe in 17 years. 2008 was a time when presidential candidates were lauded for having websites. Europe will be their focus; it’ll cause them to slip in the league a bit under a Twente side that feels determined in their second year under John van den Brom [vahn den Brom].
I would like to see Groningen finish higher than 8th. They always entertain when you watch them. But every team above them simply has more talent.
Heerenveen might be my most precarious pick. They seem solid under Robin Veldman [Velt-mahn], but it’s a question of whether they have the talent to keep up. I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish as high as 9th or as low as 14th.
Televised Game Previews
PSV v. Fortuna Sittard — Watchability Grade: B+
Going In: PSV got demolished in the aforementioned Johan Cruijff Shield, and that has put a sour taste in fans’ mouths before the official start of the season. They’re going to be looking to jump out of the gates hot. Fortuna Sittard [For-too-nah Sitt-art] are actually a really good barometer-matchup for PSV in the first week. Fortuna are known as the Atlético Madrid of the Netherlands because of their preference for scoring an early goal and then battling out a physical and defensively solid 1-0 win. PSV fans should use this game to decide how they’re feeling about the rest of the season. I think PSV do make it past Fortuna and the talented Mohamed Ihattaren 🇲🇦, but Fortuna capitalize on the defensive struggles that PSV showed all throughout preseason. 2-1 PSV.
Watchability Grade: PSV are always so fun to watch in a way that pleases the brain. They’re pretty much at a B minimum whenever they play just because of the beautiful soccer that you’ll likely see. But this’ll actually be interesting to see if PSV can break through Fortuna, and Fortuna have the talent to capitalize on an opportunity to break the Eindhoven hearts.
Player to Watch (PSV): Ruben van Bommel [vahn Bomb-mel], #7. Son of esteemed former player and now-coach-of-Belgium Mark van Bommel, he’s clearly inherited some talent. I’ve been big on Van Bommel for years, and he’s slowly developing into a world-class player. Watch his dribbles, his passes, and the way he hits the ball—there’s a higher level that I think he’s going to reach this season.
Player to Watch (Fortuna): Mohamed Ihattaren, #10. He is the creative engine of the team, and anything you see happen from Fortuna is going to have him involved. This is a player who has had a wild ride of a career for only being 24. He burst onto the scene in 2019 for PSV, and he oozed so much talent that he was courted by the Dutch soccer federation to commit his international future to the Netherlands, which he did. But then his father passed away. And then he fell out with the PSV coach over disciplinary reasons. He transferred to Italian giant Juventus, where he was immediately loaned to Italian club Sampdoria… where he fell out of favor due to a reported lack of professionalism. He then was loaned to Ajax, but in Amsterdam he reportedly got involved with gangs/criminality. A few clubs later, he impressed with Dutch club RKC before being signed by Fortuna. He’s only 24, and so he still has his future ahead of him (although he has now said any national team games he plays will be for Morocco. Bummer); you can see when he has the ball that there is so much potential still within him.
AZ Alkmaar v. ADO Den Haag — Watchability Grade: A+
Going In: AZ is like the “almost” team—they’re always circling around the top, but they rarely actually bring home the bacon. However, what success they do see is a result of a talented youth academy and great scouting. Sort of like England’s Brighton in terms of intelligent decisions and smart squadbuilding. All of that is on display again this season. But this is going to be a tough matchup for them. ADO under Robin Peter isn’t just going to sit back and play for 0-0; they’re going to play to win. AZ will have to be sharp mentally; Peter is a good coach and will anticipate them. Ultimately, I think AZ have the talent to see it out. 3-2 AZ.
Watchability Grade: What a matchup to start the season with. I mean, wow. AZ have looked so good to start—and ADO are like a heat check. You know ADO are going to be organized, disciplined, and well-trained. AZ, we already know, are talented and love to attack. This is going to be like watching a game of chess between two people who want to go in for the kill every time.
Player to Watch (ADO): Daryl van Mieghem [Darryl vahn Mee-ghem], #7, but also really just the whole team. Most of these players didn’t play in the Eredivisie last year; this first game is them getting used to the intensity as much as anything. But the 36-year-old, Eredivisie-experienced Van Mieghem is the exception. If he’s cool and collected on the ball, that’ll help the rest of the team do the same.
Player to Watch (AZ): Weslley Patati 🇧🇷, also #7. He’s an electric winger who makes you feel like something can happen whenever he has the ball. His name is also not technically Patati, even though that’s what he’s known by. As a kid, he couldn’t afford soccer cleats, and so he would borrow them from older players, leading to him usually wearing shoes too big for his feet. This earned him the nickname Patati, after the Brazilian clown duo Patati Patatá.
Sparta Rotterdam v. Feyenoord Rotterdam — Watchability Grade: A
Going In: Feyenoord are going to be immediately under the microscope as fans hope that the level of soccer improves. And there’s no better first test than the Rotterdam Derby (technically one of three, as Excelsior are also a club from Rotterdam). Sparta are now under the tutelage of Rogier Meijer, who longtime Eredivisie fans know as the former coach of NEC Nijmegen. Meijer took NEC from the Dutch 2nd tier into the Eredivisie and kept them there before leaving last year; he was the foundation for NEC’s best-ever 3rd place finish under his replacement Dick Schreuder. This is a great barometer game for fans of both teams. I think it’ll be closer than the scoreline reflects. 3-1 Feyenoord.
Watchability Grade: This should be such an interesting game; Feyenoord have so much talent, but Sparta also have enough talent to punish sloppy play. It’s truly a toss-up for how this game goes. I also wonder if Meijer came back to coach in the Netherlands after seeing his successor succeed so prominently with NEC. I have no reason to believe this other than it possibly being true—but if you were him, wouldn't you feel like you have something to prove? There’s a chance Sparta end up as one of the most entertaining teams in the league this season.
Player to Watch (Sparta): Robin van Cruijsen [vahn Krau-sen], #18. He was one of the few bright spots for FC Volendam last year, despite the club’s relegation. Van Cruijsen is too good to not be in the Eredivisie. Look for the midfielder to display class with each of his touches. Just in case he doesn’t start, let’s go with Jens Toornstra, #8. He’s an experienced Eredivisie veteran in midfield. Look for him to deliver some balance in the center of the field.
Player to Watch (Feyenoord): Sem Steijn, #14. He was scooped up by Feyenoord last summer after impressing at FC Twente, but got caught up in the drama that was Robin van Persie’s tenure as Feyenoord coach. He’s another that might not start from the jump—and even if so, it’s tough to pick just one Feyenoord player to watch. Luciano Valente, #10, drives their midfield. Tricky winger Anis Hadj Moussa, #23, is exciting whenever he gets the ball. And right-back Givairo Read, #26, is being watched by Europe’s richest clubs. There’s a lot to watch for in this game. And I didn’t even mention Robin van Persie’s son, Shaqueel van Persie, a striker who will probably come on late as a substitute.
PEC Zwolle v. AFC Ajax — Watchability Grade: B
Going In: All of a sudden, Ajax are championship contenders. They have played some pretty entertaining soccer under Míchel so far, but PEC Zwolle [Peck Zw-oh-luh] is their first real test. Even if we don’t see their shiny new players on display today, expect Ajax to dazzle fans with the kind of soccer you’d expect from the inventors of Total Football. 3-0 Ajax.
Watchability Grade: The question of what Ajax will look like—and the likely answer of them playing entertaining soccer for 90 minutes—makes this a solid B grade. To be honest with you, I’m not sure what to expect from PEC. They have a new head coach this season, Henry van der Vegt [vahn der Vekht], who has never head coached before. But, they do have quality in the team, and if their new coach turns out to be good at his job, they could give Ajax a run for their money.
Player to Watch (PEC): Ryan Thomas 🇳🇿, #30. Fresh off representing New Zealand at the World Cup, Thomas is back with PEC as the heart & soul of the team. He’s a composed presence in the midfield, and look for him to dictate things when PEC have the ball.
Player to Watch (Ajax): It’s hard to pick just one—let’s go with Julian Brandt, #8. He’s such a creative player, and he’s going to be dangerous whenever he has the ball. In case he doesn’t start, Oscar Gloukh 🇮🇱, #10, seems to have cemented a starting place under Míchel, and for good reason. Gloukh seems like he has soccer-ball-glue on his shoes when he dribbles. He’s the same height as Lionel Messi—5’7”—and is a similar type player. Look for him to entertain, and notice how selfish he is (or isn’t) on the ball; last year his biggest flaw was that he’d always try to go it alone.
UnTelevised Game Previews
Excelsior v. Cambuur
Cambuur [Kam-brr] were just promoted into the Eredivisie, so they’re looking to show people that they deserve to stay. But they’re starting off against Ruben den Uil’s well-coached Excelsior team. I don’t think Cambuur will survive this one. 3-1 Excelsior.
NEC v. Telstar
This’ll be a good game if you’re an NEC fan. Not so much if you’re a Telstar fan. This is going to be like feeding the lions. 4-0 NEC.
Go Ahead Eagles v. Willem II
Go Ahead Eagles are an interesting club, even if they haven’t always played attractive soccer in the past. But they’re now coached by Joseph Oosting [Oast-ing], who I thought was hard-done-by when he was fired from FC Twente last year. Twente were simply fun to watch under him. It’ll be interesting to see (well, not legally for us Americans, sadly) how he has them play. Willem II [Vil-um Tvay] were just promoted, and beat the odds to do so by pulling out wins in the promotion playoffs. I don’t have high expectations for them, mainly because it’s always hard for newly-promoted teams to match the more-stable Eredivisie teams in terms of player quality. 2-0 Go Ahead.
Groningen v. Utrecht
We’re all truly worse off that this game is not televised. Groningen [Grow-ning-en] are always bright and well-organized, and Utrecht’s debut game under Anthony Correia is one I could not be more excited for. If I were more annoying, I’d make a bigger stink about how we Americans are unable to watch this game legally. I have no idea how this will go, but it’s going to be fun. My best guess is that Correia’s Utrecht have growing pains that Groningen capitalize on. 2-2.
Heerenveen v. Twente
I’ll be honest with you, Heerenveen [Hay-run-veyn] is one of the clubs I probably know the least about. No matter who they employ at coach or player, they always seem to finish in the 8-12 range in the standings. But either way, Twente is certainly the story here. Erik ten Hag [Eric ten Hahkh] is their Director of Football, and he recently lamented publicly about Dutch clubs underperforming in Europe—soon after, Twente were eliminated from the Europa League qualifying (they still have hope in Conference League qualifying). There’s a lot of pressure on Twente to start off strong, and I think they do. 2-0 Twente.
Enjoy the weekend!