Telstar complete a stunning return to the Eredivisie after 47 years.
After nearly half a century in the Eerste Divisie wilderness, Telstar have completed one of the most remarkable stories of the Dutch football season. With a 3-1 victory away at Willem II in the Keuken Kampioen Play-Off Final (5-3 on aggregate), the club from Velsen-Zuid are back in the Eredivisie for the first time since the 1977/78 campaign.
Lightning start in Tilburg
With the tie finely poised after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, Telstar wasted no time taking control. Within 12 minutes at the Koning Willem II Stadion, the White Lions had already struck twice. Mees Kaandorp opened the scoring before Youssef El Kachati finished off a swift counterattack to double the lead — his ninth goal in ten matches.
Willem II briefly threatened a comeback through a deflected Rob Nizet free-kick, but the Tilburgers — who finished 16th in the Eredivisie this season — struggled to make their dominance count in front of goa
Kaandorp seals promotion, heartbreak for Willem II
The match was ultimately decided by another Kaandorp goal shortly after the hour mark. Rising highest at the back post from a corner, he powered home his second of the night to silence the home crowd and send the travelling supporters into ecstasy.
Willem II pushed for a response but lacked sharpness and belief in the final third. Kyan Vaesen hit the crossbar late on, but the damage was already done.
The result seals an immediate return to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie for Willem II — just one year after their promotion — while Telstar complete a historic promotion campaign as the seventh seed in the play-offs, having previously knocked out ADO Den Haag and FC Den Bosch.
A fairytale for the White Lions
It’s a stunning achievement for one of Dutch football’s most modest clubs. Telstar finished 7th in the KKD last season and 17th the year before, and play their home matches at the intimate 711 Stadion, with a capacity of just 5,200.
Under head coach Anthony Correia, and with standout contributions from top scorer El Kachati and goalkeeper Ronald Koeman Jr., Telstar have captured the imagination of neutral fans across the country.
They now join FC Volendam and Excelsior as newly promoted sides for the 2025/26 Eredivisie season. For the first time since 1988, four clubs from North Holland will compete in the top flight.
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