| Boxwidth: | 250 |
| Football in the Netherlands | |
| Union: | KNVB |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Sport: | football |
| Nationalteam: | men's national team women's national team |
| First: | 1879 |
Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, at the age of 14, he founded Haarlemsche Football Club. Over the next 30 years, football gained popularity in the Netherlands and the late 1890s and early 1900s saw the foundation of many new clubs, notably Sparta Rotterdam in 1888, which is the oldest professional football club in the country, AFC Ajax in 1900, Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1908, and PSV Eindhoven in 1913.
The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) was founded on 8 December 1889 and joined FIFA in 1904 as one of the founding members alongside the Football Associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Professional football was introduced in 1954, with the establishment of the Dutch Professional Football Association (Nederlandse Beroeps Voetbal Bond, or NBVB). The first professional game was played on 14 August 1954 between Alkmaar '54 and SC Venlo. The KNVB had opposed professional football for a long time, but eventually submitted to pressure and merged with the NBVB in November 1954 to form a new football association and a new (professional) league.[1] [2]
From 1956, the top flight of Dutch football is the Eredivisie (English: Premier Division, literally Honorary Division). The second level is the Eerste Divisie (First Division). The third level is the Tweede Divisie (Second Division). Below that are two amateur divisions: the fourth level is the Derde Divisie (Third Division), formerly Topklasse, and the fifth level the Hoofdklasse. The Topklasse was launched in 2010, before that time promotion to or relegation from the Eerste Divisie was not possible. In 2016, the Topklasse was renamed Derde Divisie and the Tweede Divisie was revived.[3]
The Netherlands national men's and women's team are usually dressed in orange and have a historic tradition of aesthetic possession football based around technical ability and attacking flair. [4] [5] They won the European Championship in 1988, and have competed in many European and World Cups. The men's team finished second in the 1974,1978 and 2010 World Cups and third in the UEFA Euro 1976 and 2014 World Cup tournament. They have reached many finals (1974 World Cup, 1978 World Cup, Euro 1988, 2010 World Cup) and semi-finals (Euro 1976, 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, Euro 2004, 2014 World Cup, Euro 2024).[6] [7] [8] [9] The women's team also managed to reach the final in its just second FIFA Women's World Cup, where they reached the 2019 Women's World Cup but failed to win. This means the Netherlands is the second country in the world where both men's and women's teams reached the final of respective gender's World Cup yet failed to win both times, the other being Sweden.The women also won the Women's Euro 2017.Only the Netherlands and Germany have won both the men's and the women's European Championship.
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional football | ||||||
| 1 | Eredivisie 18 clubs | |||||
| 2 | Eerste Divisie 20 clubs | |||||
| Semi-professional football | ||||||
| 3 | Tweede Divisie 18 clubs | |||||
| Amateur football | ||||||
| Saturday | Sunday | |||||
| 4 | Derde Divisie Saturday 18 clubs | Derde Divisie Sunday 18 clubs | ||||
| 5 | Saturday Hoofdklasse A 16 clubs | Saturday Hoofdklasse B 16 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse A 16 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse B 16 clubs | ||
| 6 | District West 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse A 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Eerste Klasse B 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse C 14 clubs District East: Saturday Eerste Klasse D 14 clubs District North: Saturday Eerste Klasse E 14 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse A 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse B 13 clubs District South 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse C 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse D 14 clubs District East: Sunday Eerste Klasse E 13 clubs District North: Sunday Eerste Klasse F 14 clubs | ||||
| 7 | District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse A 14 clubs District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse B 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse C 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse D 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse E 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse F 14 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse G 14 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse H 14 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse I 14 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse J 14 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse A 14 clubs District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse B 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse C 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse D 13 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse E 14 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse F 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse G 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse H 14 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse I 14 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse J 14 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse K 14 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse L 14 clubs | ||||
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| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional football | |||||||
| 1 | Eredivisie 18 clubs | ||||||
| 2 | Eerste Divisie 20 clubs | ||||||
| Amateur football | |||||||
| Saturday | Sunday | ||||||
| 3 | Topklasse Saturday 16 clubs | Topklasse Sunday 16 clubs | |||||
| 4 | Saturday Hoofdklasse A 14 clubs | Saturday Hoofdklasse B 14 clubs | Saturday Hoofdklasse C 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse A 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse B 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse C 14 clubs | |
| 5 | District West 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse A 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Eerste Klasse B 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse C 14 clubs District East: Saturday Eerste Klasse D 14 clubs District North: Saturday Eerste Klasse E 14 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse A 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse B 14 clubs District South 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse C 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse D 14 clubs District East: Sunday Eerste Klasse E 14 clubs District North: Sunday Eerste Klasse F 14 clubs | |||||
| 6 | District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse A 14 clubs District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse B 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse C 14 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse D 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse E 14 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse F 14 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse G 14 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse H 14 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse I 14 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse J 14 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse A 14 clubs District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse B 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse C 14 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse D 14 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse E 14 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse F 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse G 14 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse H 14 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse I 14 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse J 14 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse K 14 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse L 14 clubs | |||||
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| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eredivisie 18 clubs | ||||||
| 2 | Eerste Divisie 20 clubs | ||||||
| Saturday | Sunday | ||||||
| 3 | Saturday Hoofdklasse A 14 clubs | Saturday Hoofdklasse B 14 clubs | Saturday Hoofdklasse C 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse A 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse B 14 clubs | Sunday Hoofdklasse C 14 clubs | |
| 4 | District West 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse A 12 clubs District West 2: Saturday Eerste Klasse B 12 clubs District South 1: Saturday Eerste Klasse C 12 clubs District East: Saturday Eerste Klasse D 12 clubs District North: Saturday Eerste Klasse E 12 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse A 12 clubs District West 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse B 12 clubs District South 1: Sunday Eerste Klasse C 12 clubs District South 2: Sunday Eerste Klasse D 12 clubs District East: Sunday Eerste Klasse E 12 clubs District North: Sunday Eerste Klasse F 12 clubs | |||||
| 5 | District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse A 12 clubs District West 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse B 12 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse C 12 clubs District West 2: Saturday Tweede Klasse D 12 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse E 12 clubs District South 1: Saturday Tweede Klasse F 12 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse G 12 clubs District East: Saturday Tweede Klasse H 12 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse I 12 clubs District North: Saturday Tweede Klasse J 12 clubs | District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse A 12 clubs District West 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse B 12 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse C 12 clubs District West 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse D 12 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse E 12 clubs District South 1: Sunday Tweede Klasse F 12 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse G 12 clubs District South 2: Sunday Tweede Klasse H 12 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse I 12 clubs District East: Sunday Tweede Klasse J 12 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse K 12 clubs District North: Sunday Tweede Klasse L 12 clubs | |||||
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The following 25 European finals (club and international tournaments) took place at Dutch venues, or are scheduled to take place at them:
Those which involved a Dutch side are marked with an asterisk (*)
See main article: Women's football in the Netherlands. More woman play football than any other sport in the Netherlands.
The top division for Futsal in the Netherlands are the Futsal Eredivisie and the Futsal Eredivisie (women)
| Stadium | Capacity | City | Province | Home Team | Opened | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johan Cruijff ArenA | 55,600 | Amsterdam | Ajax | 1996 | UEFA Category 4 stadium | |
| 2 | De Kuip | 51,117 | Rotterdam | Feyenoord | 1936 | UEFA Category 4 stadium | |
| 3 | Philips Stadion | 35,000 | Eindhoven | PSV | 1916 | UEFA Category 4 stadium | |
| 4 | De Grolsch Veste | 30,205 | Enschede | FC Twente | 1998 | ||