The KNVB Cup

The KNVB Cup is open to clubs from across Dutch football, including Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie professional clubs, Tweede Divisie clubs, leading amateur sides, and clubs that qualify through district cup routes. The exact field and entry points can vary slightly by season, but the competition brings together more than 100 clubs from across the pyramid. It uses a single-elimination knockout format throughout, with all ties decided in a single match including the semi-finals and final. The competition is run by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and is currently officially known as the Eurojackpot KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons.

The competition was founded in 1898, making it the oldest national football competition in the Netherlands by some margin — the Eredivisie was not launched until 1956. The first KNVB Cup final was held in 1899, when RAP Amsterdam beat HVV Den Haag. The format was influenced by the English FA Cup, and the competition was originally called the Holdert Cup, after the newspaper that sponsored the inaugural edition. The cup was not held every year in its early decades, with interruptions caused by changing levels of interest and exceptional circumstances, including wartime disruption.

Every round of the KNVB Cup is a single-match knockout tie — there are no two-legged rounds, including the semi-finals and final. Ties that are level after 90 minutes go to 30 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shoot-out if needed. The tournament starts with qualifying rounds for amateur and lower-division clubs before the main competition brings in professional sides and selected higher-level amateur clubs. Clubs involved in European competition may enter later than other teams, so the exact entry point of Eredivisie clubs can vary by season. The format gives smaller clubs a meaningful chance against top-flight opponents — a defining feature of the cup.

The final has been played at De Kuip — Feyenoord's home stadium in Rotterdam — every year since 1989. The choice of De Kuip as the permanent final venue reflects its central role in Dutch football and its capacity for major occasions. The final is traditionally held in late April, providing the climax to the Dutch football season ahead of the Eredivisie's final weeks. The KNVB also runs a separate Women's KNVB Cup, with its final held at ADO Den Haag since 2015.

The competition usually begins with qualifying rounds in late summer or early autumn, before the main competition starts in the autumn. The early rounds involve amateur, lower-division and professional clubs, while clubs with European commitments may join later. The later rounds are spread across the winter and early spring, with the final usually played in April. Matches are typically held on weekday evenings to avoid clashing with Eredivisie weekends.

The KNVB Cup's eight-month timeline runs in parallel with both the Eredivisie season and Dutch clubs' European competition commitments. The competition has historically been treated with full seriousness by the top Dutch clubs, although recent decades have seen Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord rotate their squads more aggressively in earlier rounds as European competitions have grown in commercial importance. The cup remains the main route into continental football for smaller Dutch clubs.

The KNVB Cup winner normally qualifies for the next Europa League league phase. If the cup winner has already qualified for a higher UEFA competition through the Eredivisie, the European place is reallocated through the league according to the relevant Dutch and UEFA access-list rules. The qualification route is one of the major sporting incentives for top Dutch clubs to take the competition seriously, and it can be the main route into European football for smaller clubs.

The KNVB Cup winner also qualifies for the Johan Cruyff Shield — the Dutch super cup — which is played at the start of the following season as a single match against the Eredivisie champion. The Johan Cruyff Shield is run by the KNVB and is the curtain-raiser for the new Eredivisie season. If the same club wins both the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie, the Shield is contested between that club and the Eredivisie runner-up.

The competition was launched at a board meeting of the Dutch National Football Association in The Hague on 19 January 1898, with the first tournament played in the following 1898-99 season. RAP Amsterdam won the inaugural final 1-0 against HVV Den Haag. The KNVB Cup grew across the early 20th century as Dutch football expanded, with the Big Three of Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV gradually emerging as the dominant forces after Dutch football turned fully professional in 1954.

The format was reformed in 2016-17, creating a clearer distinction between the qualifying stage and the main competition. The competition continues to be widely covered by Dutch media as the second-most important domestic trophy after the Eredivisie itself, with the final at De Kuip producing many of Dutch football's most memorable moments. AZ's 2026 win was their fifth title, underlining the club's strong cup tradition outside the traditional Big Three.