Netherlands - Eredivisie

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ESPN » Seasons 2018-2021 ESPN+ will broadcast three Eredivisie matches per week. Available on: ESPN+ ESPN App

The Eredivisie (or "Honorary Division" in Dutch) is the top tier of football in the Netherlands. This league was founded in 1955 and is based on a relegation-promotion system, just like most European leagues.

This league is seen as one of the best ways for foreign players to make their way into European football, as some of the world’s brightest stars have started their European adventures in this league. Players such as Romario, Ronaldo, and Luis Suárez worked their way into stardom by playing for Dutch teams.

The top tier league in Dutch football sees eighteen teams battle for the title. The club with the highest amount of points wins the cup, and the two teams with the lowest amount are automatically relegated to the Eerste Divisie. One more team enters a relegation playoff against six teams from the Eerste Divisie, with the one that wins that playoff earning the right to play in the Dutch top-flight.

The Eredivisie hands out a number of spots for European competitions, although none of them are for the group stage of either the UEFA Champions League or Europa League. The Eredivisie’s champion enters the 3rd qualifying round for the UCL, while the runners-up enter the 2nd preliminary round. The third-best team enters the third qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League, while the fourth-ranked side enters the second qualifying round for the same tournament. One more spot for the second qualifying round is available through a playoff between four teams, and a final berth is handed to the team that wins the KNVB Cup.

The 2018-19 season saw Ajax claim their 34th title in history after a tough battle against former champions PSV. Erik Ten Hag’s men managed to beat Mark Van Bommel’s side by just three points to claim the trophy. On the other side of the table, NAC Breda, Excelsior and De Graafschap were relegated to the Eerste Divisie, leaving their spots to Twente, RKC Waalwijk and Sparta Rotterdam.

The 2019-20 season is set to begin on August 2, 2019, while the last game of the regular season is set to be played on May 10, 2020. All playoff rounds, including relegation and European competition, will come to an end on May 24, 2020.

Did you know…? Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord are the only clubs that have played in all 64 editions of the Dutch Eredivisie. Ajax has won 26 league titles since the first season of the Eredivisie (held in 1956), with PSV following them closely with 21 championships to their name.