The match schedule for the 2025/26 season has been confirmed

The match schedule has been established after extensive discussions between the competition board for professional football (KNVB, Eredivisie CV, and Coöperatie Eerste Divisie) and various stakeholders, such as the clubs, municipalities, police, ESPN, and the Supporters Collective Netherlands. You can view the match schedule for the 2025/26 professional football season here.

"The new format of UEFA's European tournaments still presents us with significant challenges in fitting the match schedule," says Jan Bluyssen, Manager of Competitive Affairs at the KNVB.

"In consultation with all the clubs from the Eredivisie and Keuken Kampioen Divisie, we have decided that the number 16 team from the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie will only participate in the final of the promotion/relegation playoffs. This allows us to gain a week compared to this season, enabling us to optimally accommodate European participants and maintain the winter break."

"In the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, we have adjusted the periods: the first two periods will consist of 10 matches, while periods 3 and 4 will have 9 matches, unlike the alternating periods in previous years."

The match between the league champion and the winner of the TOTO KNVB Cup is scheduled for Friday, August 1, or Sunday, August 3. The exact date will be determined by the European commitments of the teams participating in the Supercup (Johan Cruyff Shield).

The TOTO KNVB Cup will start for professional football clubs during the week of Tuesday, October 28 to Thursday, October 30. Clubs that have qualified for European competition in the 2024/25 season will be exempt from the first round and will join in from the second round, which takes place from Tuesday, December 16 to Thursday, December 18. The final of the TOTO KNVB Cup will be played on Sunday, April 19, at De Kuip in Rotterdam.

The winter break for both the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie and the Keuken Kampioen Divisie will start on Tuesday, December 23, and last until Thursday, January 8.

The last two matchdays in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie will be played on Sunday, May 10, 2026, and Sunday, May 17, 2026, while the final two matchdays in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie will take place on Friday, April 17, and Friday, April 24, 2026.

The play-offs for a European spot and the promotion/relegation play-offs will mainly take place in May. The European play-off matches will begin on Wednesday, May 20, and conclude on Sunday, May 24. The promotion and relegation play-offs will start on Tuesday, April 28, and finish on Sunday, May 24.

The draft competition schedule will be announced on Wednesday, June 18, and will be finalized on Monday, June 23. The determination of specific matches and kick-off times requires consultations between the competition board for professional football, the clubs, supporters, local authorities, and ESPN.