Eredivisie facts for kids

For other uses, see Eredivisie (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Eredivisie

Organising body	KNVB
Founded	1956; 69 years ago (1956)
Country	Netherlands
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	18 (since 1966–67)
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Eerste Divisie
Domestic cup(s)	KNVB Cup Johan Cruyff Shield
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League
Current champions	PSV (25th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Ajax (36 titles)
Most appearances	Pim Doesburg (687)
Top goalscorer	Willy van der Kuijlen (311)
TV partners	List of broadcasters

The Eredivisie is the top professional football league in the Netherlands. It means "Honour Division" or "Premier Division." The league started in 1956. This was two years after professional football began in the Netherlands. As of the 2023–24 season, it is one of the top 10 football leagues in Europe, ranked 6th by UEFA.

The Eredivisie has 18 clubs. Each club plays every other club twice. They play one game at home and one game away. At the end of the season, the two teams at the bottom of the league are moved down. They go to the second Dutch league, called the Eerste Divisie (First Division). The champion and runner-up from the Eerste Divisie get to move up to the Eredivisie. The team that finishes third from the bottom in the Eredivisie plays special games. These games are against six top teams from the Eerste Divisie. This decides which team gets the last spot in the Eredivisie.

The team that wins the Eredivisie becomes the Dutch national champion. Ajax has won the most titles, with 36 wins. PSV Eindhoven is next with 25 titles. Feyenoord has won 16 times. Since 1965, these three clubs have won almost all the Eredivisie titles. Only three times have other teams won. These three clubs are known as the "Big Three" of Dutch football. They are the only teams that have never been moved down from the Eredivisie.

The league has had different names because of sponsors. From 1990 to 1999, it was called PTT Telecompetitie. Then it changed to KPN Telecompetitie and KPN Eredivisie. From 2002 to 2005, it was the Holland Casino Eredivisie. Since 2005, the league has been sponsored by the Vriendenloterij (a lottery). However, they can't use the sponsor's name for legal reasons.

In 2012, Rupert Murdoch bought the rights to show Eredivisie games for 12 years. This deal was worth a lot of money. In 2020, the Eredivisie season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History of Dutch Football
Teams Playing Now (2023–24)
- Team Locations Map
League Champions Over Time
How Teams Qualify and Get Relegated
- European Competitions
- Moving Down (Relegation)
Fan Attendance
All-Time Team Ranking (Since 1956)
Player Records
- Most Games Played
- Most Goals Scored
Top Scorers Each Season
Eredivisie Teams and Major European Wins
See also

History of Dutch Football

From 1898 to 1954, the Dutch football championship was different. It was decided by play-off games between regional league winners. Football was only for amateurs back then. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) did not allow players to get paid. Players who took money were suspended. Many national team players went to play abroad for money. The KNVB would suspend them, so they couldn't play for the Dutch national team.

After a big flood in 1953, Dutch players playing abroad played a charity match. They played against the French national team in Paris. The KNVB tried to stop the match. But the Dutch players won, showing how good professional football could be. This made people want professional football. So, a new professional football group (NBVB) and league started in 1954.

On July 3, 1954, the KNVB met with amateur club leaders. They were worried their best players would leave for professional teams. This meeting led the KNVB to finally allow semi-professional football.

Both the KNVB and NBVB started their own leagues. The first professional match was between Alkmaar and Venlo. After eleven games, the two leagues decided to join together in November. Both old leagues were cancelled. A new, combined league started right away. Some NBVB clubs joined the new league. Other clubs merged, forming new teams. Willem II won the first semi-professional league.

For the 1956–57 season, the KNVB changed the system. The Eredivisie was created. The 18 best clubs from all over the country played directly for the league title. They didn't have play-offs anymore. Ajax was the first team to win the Eredivisie title that season.

Here's how many teams have played in the league over the years:

18 clubs: 1956–1962
16 clubs: 1962–1966
18 clubs: 1966–present

Teams Playing Now (2023–24)

Club	City	Capacity	Position in 2022–23	1st season in Eredivisie	No. of seasons in Eredivisie	1st season of current spell	No. of seasons of current spell	Eredivisie titles	National titles	Last title
Ajax^a ^b	Amsterdam	55,865	3rd	1956–57	68	1956–57	68	26	36	2022
Almere City	Almere	4,501	promoted*	2023–24	1	2023–24	1	0	0	-
AZ	Alkmaar	19,500	4th	1968–69	46	1998–99	23	2	2	2009
Excelsior	Rotterdam	4,500	15th	1970–71	24	2022–23	2	0	0	-
Feyenoord^a ^b	Rotterdam	51,137	1st	1956–57	68	1956–57	68	10	16	2023
Fortuna Sittard	Sittard	12,500	13th	1968–69	25	2018–19	6	0	0	-
Go Ahead Eagles	Deventer	10,000	11th	1963–64	34	2021–22	3	0	4	1933
SC Heerenveen	Heerenveen	27,224	8th	1990–91	32	1993–94	31	0	0	-
Heracles Almelo	Almelo	12,080	promoted*	1962–63	23	2023–24	1	0	2	1941
NEC	Nijmegen	12,500	12th	1967–68	43	2021–22	3	0	0	-
PEC Zwolle	Zwolle	13,250	promoted*	1978-79	23	2023–24	1	0	0	-
PSV^a ^b	Eindhoven	36,500	2nd	1956–57	68	1956–57	68	22	24	2024
RKC Waalwijk	Waalwijk	7,508	9th	1988–89	28	2019–20	5	0	0	-
Sparta Rotterdam^a	Rotterdam	11,026	6th	1956–57	58	2019–20	5	1	6	1959
FC Twente^c	Enschede	30,205	5th	1956–57	65	2019–20	5	1	1	2010
FC Utrecht^b ^d	Utrecht	23,750	7th	1970–71	54	1970–71	54	0	0	-
Vitesse	Arnhem	21,248	10th	1971–72	39	1989–90	35	0	0	-
FC Volendam	Volendam	7,384	14th	1959–60	27	2022–23	2	0	0	-

^* Heracles Almelo finished first and PEC Zwolle finished second in the 2022–23 Eerste Divisie. Almere City finished 3rd and defeated FC Emmen in the playoff final. ^a Founding member of the Eredivisie
^b Never been relegated from the Eredivisie
^c Founding member of the Eredivisie (as Sportclub Enschede)
^d Founding member of the Eredivisie (as VV DOS and USV Elinkwijk)

Team Locations Map

League Champions Over Time

This table shows all the winners of the top Dutch football league. This includes titles won before the Eredivisie started in 1956. So, some teams listed here did not win the Eredivisie title itself.

Club	Winner	Runner-up	Winning years
Ajax	36	23	1917–18, 1918–19, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
PSV	25	16	1928–29, 1934–35, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2023–24
Feyenoord	16	22	1923–24, 1927–28, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1998–99, 2016–17, 2022–23
HVV Den Haag	10	1	1890–91, 1895–96, 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1909–10, 1913–14
Sparta Rotterdam	6	–	1908–09, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1958–59
RAP	5	3	1891–92, 1893–94, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1898–99
Go Ahead Eagles	4	5	1916–17, 1921–22, 1929–30, 1932–33
Koninklijke HFC	3	3	1889–90, 1892–93, 1894–95
Willem II	3	1	1915–16, 1951–52, 1954–55
HBS Craeyenhout	3	–	1903–04, 1905–06, 1924–25
AZ	2	3	1980–81, 2008–09
Heracles Almelo	2	1	1926–27, 1940–41
ADO Den Haag	2	–	1941–42, 1942–43
RCH	2	–	1922–23, 1952–53
NAC Breda	1	4	1920–21
FC Twente	1	3	2009–10
DWS	1	3	1963–64
Roda JC Kerkrade*	1	2	1955–56
Be Quick	1	2	1919–20
FC Eindhoven	1	2	1953–54
SC Enschede	1	1	1925–26
DOS	1	1	1957–58
FC Den Bosch	1	1	1947–48
De Volewijckers	1	–	1943–44
HFC Haarlem	1	–	1945–46
Limburgia	1	–	1949–50
SVV	1	–	1948–49
Quick Den Haag	1	–	1907–08
VV Concordia	1	–	1888–89

^* As Rapid JC.

How Teams Qualify and Get Relegated

European Competitions

Teams in the Eredivisie can qualify for big European tournaments. Here's how:

Position	Playoff	What Happens Next
1st	–	Directly enters the Champions League group stage.
2nd	–	Enters the Champions League third qualifying round.
3rd	–	Enters the Europa League play-off round.
4th	–	Enters the Europa Conference League third qualifying round.
5th–8th/6th-9th	European competition play-offs	These teams play against each other. The winners get a spot in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.
KNVB Cup winners	–	Enters the Europa League play-off round. If the Europa Conference League winners already qualified for the Champions League, they go straight to the Europa League group stage.

Moving Down (Relegation)

Teams at the bottom of the Eredivisie might move down to the Eerste Divisie.

Position	Playoff	What Happens Next
16th	Nacompetitie	Teams from 3rd to 8th place in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie (the second league) play against each other. The best teams from that group then play against the 16th placed Eredivisie team. This decides who plays in the Eredivisie next season.
17th-18th	–	These teams are automatically moved down to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.

Fan Attendance

The Eredivisie has seen a big increase in fans coming to games. In 1990, the average attendance was just over 7,000 people. Now, it's much higher because new stadiums have been built and old ones have been made bigger.

Three clubs always have much higher attendance than others: Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord. Other clubs like Heerenveen, FC Utrecht, and FC Groningen also have many fans. For the 2018–19 season, the average attendance was 18,010. Ajax had the most fans (52,987), and Excelsior had the fewest (4,223).

All-Time Team Ranking (Since 1956)

This list was last updated after the 2018–19 season.

Playing in the Eredivisie
Playing in the Eerste Divisie
Playing in the amateur leagues
Club has been closed or merged into another club

Rank	Club	Seasons	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points	Avg. Points	Goals for	Goals against	Goal difference
1.	Ajax	63	2126	1413	381	329	4620	2,17	5386	2167	+3219
2.	PSV	63	2126	1298	453	375	4347	2,04	4912	2234	+2678
3.	Feyenoord	63	2126	1208	489	429	4113	1,93	4540	2440	+2100
4.	FC Twente	52	1764	771	475	518	2788	1,58	2806	2247	+559
5.	Sparta Rotterdam	53	1764	619	498	669	2355	1,32	2676	2801	-125
6.	FC Utrecht	49	1666	618	427	621	2281	1,37	2385	2505	-120
7.	AZ	41	1394	598	346	450	2140	1,54	2330	1917	+413
8.	Roda JC Kerkrade	44	1496	563	391	542	2080	1,39	2260	2208	+52
9.	NAC Breda	50	1688	529	440	719	2027	1,20	2239	2812	-573
10.	ADO Den Haag	45	1514	501	387	626	1890	1,25	2172	2486	-314
11.	FC Groningen	40	1360	464	375	521	1767	1,30	1925	2098	-173
12.	Vitesse	34	1156	445	329	382	1664	1,44	1757	1605	+152
13.	Willem II	43	1455	443	331	680	1660	1,14	2027	2608	-581
14.	NEC	40	1360	379	382	599	1519	1,12	1565	2132	-567
15.	MVV Maastricht	36	1208	350	356	502	1406	1,16	1527	1992	-465
16.	SC Heerenveen	27	918	373	233	312	1352	1,47	1546	1429	+117
17.	Go Ahead Eagles	31	1042	325	268	449	1243	1,19	1399	1701	-302
18.	RKC Waalwijk	23	782	240	197	345	917	1,17	1014	1269	-255
19.	FC Volendam	25	842	228	215	399	899	1,07	994	1513	-519
20.	VVV-Venlo	22	748	207	197	344	818	1,09	968	1367	-399
21.	Fortuna Sittard	20	680	188	200	292	764	1,12	806	1085	-279
22.	Heracles Almelo	19	630	193	143	294	722	1,15	860	1173	-313
23.	PEC Zwolle	19	646	180	175	291	715	1,11	825	1124	-299
24.	HFC Haarlem	18	612	172	178	262	694	1,13	695	978	-283
25.	Excelsior	22	748	168	186	394	690	0,92	830	1399	-569
26.	De Graafschap	21	714	157	175	382	646	0,90	773	1373	-600
27.	DOS	14	460	168	109	183	613	1,33	790	848	-58
28.	AFC DWS	13	430	147	117	166	558	1,30	588	644	-56
29.	Fortuna '54	12	392	141	99	152	522	1,33	635	700	-65
30.	Telstar	14	468	118	140	210	494	1,06	530	754	-224
31.	GVAV	13	392	123	115	154	484	1,23	533	595	-62
32.	FC Den Bosch	12	442	114	123	205	465	1,05	491	756	-265
33.	SC Enschede	9	294	121	77	96	440	1,50	565	490	+75
34.	Rapid JC	6	204	73	47	84	266	1,30	307	350	-43
35.	USV Elinkwijk	7	234	65	50	119	245	1,05	306	483	-177
36.	FC Amsterdam	6	204	61	56	87	239	1,17	263	321	-58
37.	Blauw-Wit	6	196	65	42	89	237	1,21	334	401	-67
38.	SC Cambuur	7	238	49	64	125	211	0,89	258	437	-179
39.	Holland Sport	4	136	37	34	65	145	1,07	168	279	-111
40.	FC Dordrecht	6	204	31	46	127	139	0,68	208	463	-255
41.	RBC Roosendaal	5	170	35	26	109	131	0,77	164	358	-194
42.	TSV NOAD	4	136	33	30	73	129	0,95	187	311	-124
43.	Sittardia	4	132	32	29	71	125	0,95	148	256	-108
44.	Xerxes/DHC	2	68	26	17	25	95	1,40	92	95	-3
45.	EVV	3	102	23	25	54	94	0,92	107	209	-102
46.	BVC Amsterdam	2	68	20	20	28	80	1,18	103	130	-27
47.	BVV	2	68	18	10	40	64	0,94	126	172	-46
48.	SC Veendam	2	68	12	23	33	59	0,87	74	127	-53
49.	FC Wageningen	2	68	13	18	37	57	0,84	72	137	-65
50.	De Volewijckers	2	64	15	10	39	55	0,86	99	189	-90
51.	Helmond Sport	2	68	12	18	38	54	0,79	93	162	-69
52.	SVV	2	68	13	13	42	52	0,76	62	142	-80
53.	Emmen	1	34	10	8	16	38	1,12	41	72	-31
54.	Almere City	1	34	7	13	14	34	1,00	33	59	-26

Player Records

Most Games Played

These players have played the most games in the Eredivisie.

Rank	Name	Games	Playing position	First match	Last match
1	Pim Doesburg	687	Goalkeeper	1962–63	1986–87
2	Jan Jongbloed	684	Goalkeeper	1959–60	1985–86
3	Piet Schrijvers	576	Goalkeeper	1963–64	1984–85

Most Goals Scored

These players have scored the most goals in the Eredivisie.

Rank	Name	Goals	Games	Goals per game	Playing position	First goal	Last goal
1	Willy van der Kuijlen	311	545	0.57	Forward	1964–65	1981–82
2	Ruud Geels	266	392	0.68	Forward	1964–65	1983–84
3	Johan Cruijff	216	309	0.70	Forward	1964–65	1983–84
4	Kees Kist	212	372	0.57	Forward	1972–73	1983–84
5	Tonny van der Linden	208	456	0.46	Forward	1956–57	1966–67

Top Scorers Each Season

This list was last updated after the 2022–23 season.

Season	Top Scorer(s)	Goals	Club(s)
1956–57	Coen Dillen	43	PSV
1957–58	Leo Canjels	32	NAC
1958–59	Leo Canjels (2)	34	NAC
1959–60	Henk Groot	37	Ajax
1960–61	Henk Groot (2)	41	Ajax
1961–62	Dick Tol	27	FC Volendam
1962–63	Pierre Kerkhofs	22	PSV
1963–64	Frans Geurtsen	28	DWS
1964–65	Frans Geurtsen (2)	23	DWS
1965–66	Willy van der Kuijlen Piet Kruiver	23	PSV Feyenoord
1966–67	Johan Cruyff	33	Ajax
1967–68	Ove Kindvall	28	Feyenoord
1968–69	Dick van Dijk Ove Kindvall (2)	30	FC Twente Feyenoord
1969–70	Willy van der Kuijlen (2)	26	PSV
1970–71	Ove Kindvall (3)	24	Feyenoord
1971–72	Johan Cruyff (2)	25	Ajax
1972–73	Cas Janssens Willy Brokamp	18	NEC MVV
1973–74	Willy van der Kuijlen (3)	27	PSV
1974–75	Ruud Geels	30	Ajax
1975–76	Ruud Geels (2)	29	Ajax
1976–77	Ruud Geels (3)	34	Ajax
1977–78	Ruud Geels (4)	30	Ajax
1978–79	Kees Kist	34	AZ Alkmaar
1979–80	Kees Kist (2)	27	AZ Alkmaar
1980–81	Ruud Geels (5)	22	Sparta
1981–82	Wim Kieft	32	Ajax
1982–83	Peter Houtman	30	Feyenoord
1983–84	Marco van Basten	28	Ajax
1984–85	Marco van Basten (2)	22	Ajax
1985–86	Marco van Basten (3)	37	Ajax
1986–87	Marco van Basten (4)	31	Ajax
1987–88	Wim Kieft (2)	29	PSV
1988–89	Romário	19	PSV
1989–90	Romário (2)	23	PSV
1990–91	Romário (3) Dennis Bergkamp	25	PSV Ajax
1991–92	Dennis Bergkamp (2)	24	Ajax
1992–93	Dennis Bergkamp (3)	26	Ajax
1993–94	Jari Litmanen	26	Ajax
1994–95	Ronaldo	30	PSV
1995–96	Luc Nilis	21	PSV
1996–97	Luc Nilis (2)	21	PSV
1997–98	Nikos Machlas	34	Vitesse
1998–99	Ruud van Nistelrooy	31	PSV
1999–2000	Ruud van Nistelrooy (2)	29	PSV
2000–01	Mateja Kežman	24	PSV
2001–02	Pierre van Hooijdonk	24	Feyenoord
2002–03	Mateja Kežman (2)	35	PSV
2003–04	Mateja Kežman (3)	31	PSV
2004–05	Dirk Kuyt	29	Feyenoord
2005–06	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar	33	SC Heerenveen/Ajax
2006–07	Afonso Alves	34	SC Heerenveen
2007–08	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (2)	33	Ajax
2008–09	Mounir El Hamdaoui	23	AZ
2009–10	Luis Suárez	35	Ajax
2010–11	Björn Vleminckx	23	NEC
2011–12	Bas Dost	32	SC Heerenveen
2012–13	Wilfried Bony	31	Vitesse
2013–14	Alfreð Finnbogason	29	SC Heerenveen
2014–15	Memphis Depay	22	PSV
2015–16	Vincent Janssen	27	AZ
2016–17	Nicolai Jørgensen	21	Feyenoord
2017–18	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	21	AZ
2018–19	Luuk de Jong Dušan Tadić	28	PSV Ajax
2019–20	Steven Berghuis Cyriel Dessers	15	Feyenoord Heracles Almelo
2020–21	Giorgos Giakoumakis	26	VVV-Venlo
2021–22	Sébastien Haller	21	Ajax
2022–23	Anastasios Douvikas Xavi Simons	19	FC Utrecht PSV

Eredivisie Teams and Major European Wins

Eredivisie teams have won 16 big international tournaments. Here are some of their major wins:

1970 European Cup Final – Feyenoord
1970 Intercontinental Cup – Feyenoord
1971 European Cup Final – Ajax
1972 European Cup Final – Ajax
1972 Intercontinental Cup – Ajax
1973 European Cup Final – Ajax
1973 European Super Cup – Ajax
1974 UEFA Cup Final – Feyenoord
1978 UEFA Cup Final – PSV
1987 European Cup Winners' Cup Final – Ajax
1988 European Cup Final – PSV
1992 UEFA Cup Final – Ajax
1995 UEFA Champions League Final – Ajax
1995 UEFA Super Cup – Ajax
1995 Intercontinental Cup – Ajax
2002 UEFA Cup Final – Feyenoord

The UEFA Super Cup was actually started by a Dutch reporter named Anton Witkamp. Ajax's win in 1973 was the first time this tournament was officially played.