By Jan-Kees Joosse (9/9/25)
Above: NAC Breda and Feyenoord face off. Photo: Vrouwen Eredivisie website.
This season is incredibly tense in the Eredivisie, after the KNVB decided to reduce the league from 12 to 10 clubs. With the potential for three relegations this year, every match counts, every mistake can be fatal, and every point can make the difference between survival or relegation. The 2025-26 Eredivisie kicked off with some big scorelines and a brand new club joining the league – the Netherlands’ answer to London City Lionesses, HERA United. In his first round-up for Impetus Football, Jan-Kees Joosse reviews the weekend action.
The context: reducing the league
The KNVB has applied the pyramid structure, meaning promotion and relegation apply for the Eredivisie (top tier), Eerste Divisie (second tier), and Tweede Divisie (third tier). By reducing the Eredivisie from 12 to 10 teams, stronger clubs will play more challenging matches, working towards a professional championship where all clubs must pay their players at least minimum wage.
This way, the Eerste Divisie will expand into a league with full-fledged teams, not just reserve sides. Next year, four or five senior women’s teams may compete for promotion to the Eredivisie. Any new club that wants to join the Eredivisie must climb up through the Tweede Divisie. For example, FC Groningen is participating for the first time this year with their women’s team in the Tweede Divisie, where the reserve teams of lower-ranked Eredivisie clubs compete against each other.
What this means: due to some youth / reserve teams of Eredivisie clubs playing in the Eerste Divisie, relegation and promotion is complex: if De Graafschap or Sparta Rotterdam finish top of the Eerste Divisie, the 10th-placed Eredivisie side will also drop down, alongside the 11th and 12th.
In this way, the KNVB aims to ensure the quality of women’s football and allow for healthy growth in the Dutch women’s game.
Discontent at PSV despite win over Excelsior
PSV 1 – 0 Excelsior Rotterdam
PSV started the season with concerns. After losing the Super Cup to FC Twente (despite a 2-0 lead at one point) and a hopeless defeat against Manchester United in the Champions League qualifying rounds, the injuries to Fenna Kalma, Aniek Nouwen, and captain Gwyneth Hendriks were a major blow. Especially at the back, things look shaky: last year’s stability from Veerle Buurman (departed) and Hendriks (injured) is gone.
Aniek Nouwen was brought in to replace them, but she too is sidelined with injury. As a result, Sisca Folkertsma and Emmeke Henschen had to play out of position in central defense. The struggles for fitness do not end there: Chimera Ripa didn’t look sharp, Renate Jansen had a rare off day, and Liz Rijsbergen struggled. Against last season’s bottom team, PSV should do more than scrape by with a 1-0.
Excelsior held PSV level for long spells through solid defending and PSV’s lack of creativity. Losing by one goal can almost be seen as a win for them, but the lack of attacking threat is worrying. With three relegation spots this year, Excelsior must do everything to finish in the top nine. That means improving in attack.
Star Player: Riola Xhemaili works like a crowbar for PSV. She scored the winning goal that secured a Euro quarterfinal spot for Switzerland – now she headed PSV to three much-needed Eredivisie points.
Questions: Was it wise to gamble on Nouwen despite her injury history, and how will PSV solve this structural defensive issue? Can Excelsior learn to counterattack effectively to pick up points and avoid relegation?
Ajax showcase total football at its finest
Ajax 6 – 0 ADO Den Haag
After the painful 6-0 loss to PSG in preseason, Ajax proved they can turn things around. Against ADO Den Haag, Anouk Bruijl’s side had a lightning start and kept scoring relentlessly. The variety of goalscorers stood out. Bruijl has reassigned players to new positions, leaning heavily into total football — the philosophy Johan Cruyff embodied.
The squad looks productive but confusing for long-time followers, given all the ins and outs in transfers. Joëlle Smits, arriving from PSV, scored as a false 10 instead of her usual striker or right-wing role. Danique Noordman played right-back instead of her usual attacking midfield. Sherida Spitse returned to midfield instead of central defense, while Jonna van de Velde was deployed elsewhere.
ADO stayed in the game for a long time despite conceding an early penalty, but they kept giving the ball away cheaply. They failed to exploit Ajax’s positional rotations. Without departed talents like Lobke Loonen (to FC Utrecht) and Danielle Noordermeer (to Ajax), ADO lacked attacking punch. In the past they could bite back late, but with less experienced players, they collapsed. Fitness dropped in the second half, Ajax stormed through, and confidence took a hit.
Goals came from Spitse (penalty), Joëlle Smits (curler into the far corner), debutant Mirthe van Koppen, Tolhoek (clinical finish), Ilayah Yazlin Dostmohamed (stunner reminiscent of Aitana Bonmatí’s Euro semifinal winner), and substitute Keukelaar, who capitalized on a mistake.
Star Player: Joëlle Smits scored a beautiful debut goal, proving her worth at her third Eredivisie top team.
Questions: Have Ajax shuffled too many names and positions to realistically win the title? How can ADO protect themselves from these heavy defeats and still pick up points with limited resources?
FC Twente punish Heerenveen mistakes
SC Heerenveen 1 – 3 FC Twente
Under new coach Corina Dekker, Twente maintained their high level after Joran Pot’s departure. With Champions League experience against Chelsea and Real Madrid, the squad stayed largely intact, apart from Daniëlle de Jong and Kayleigh van Dooren. Jill Roord filled Van Dooren’s role, making the team look more mature and effective.
Heerenveen, with a rich women’s football history (the first footballing home to Oranje captain Sherida Spitse, Lieke Martens, and Vivianne Miedema), had a slight revival last season after flirting with relegation. The club still leans on talent but lacks Ajax-like facilities for development.
They lost 18-year-old international Lyanne Iedema to PEC Zwolle but signed Inessa Kaagman, an ex-international with WSL and Ajax experience. She can mentor youngsters like Bente Vermeer and Aymee Altena, helping Heerenveen avoid relegation. But they must stop gifting chances in the box, as defensive errors cost them against Twente.
The game was decided in the first half. Roord delicately assisted Sophie Proost, who smashed home. Defensive errors were ruthlessly punished by Jaimy Ravensbergen, last season’s Eredivisie top scorer.
Star Player: Jill Roord — once again showing how easily she fits into any team, as she did at Wolfsburg and Manchester City.
Questions: Is the FC Twente squad deep enough to handle Champions League matches every two weeks? Are Heerenveen investing enough to stay safe, or are they failing to restore their old stature?
FC Utrecht leave it late
PEC Zwolle 1 – 2 FC Utrecht
Utrecht disappointed in their opener. After finishing fourth last season, they were favorites. With many lineup changes – Op den Kelder and Bormans replacing Oranje international Ilse van der Zanden, and youngster Rosaly Renferem replacing captain Marthe Munsterman in defensive midfield – Utrecht looked unstable. PEC Zwolle made life difficult.
Zwolle have long produced talent but underperformed last season. Under new coach Olivier Amelink – in his first women’s football role – the team played with intensity and high pressing. They’ll have lost sleep over not getting a result here.
They pressed high and showed no fear against Utrecht. Former Utrecht player Judith Roosjen played with extra bite. Japanese signing Ishida opened the scoring, and an upset seemed on the cards.
But late substitutions turned things around: Munsterman restored order to the defence and right winger Sam de Jong exploited the tired legs of PEC Zwolle and created dangerous opportunities for the team. In stoppage time, former ADO star Lobke Loonen’s brace stunned PEC and gave Utrecht a comeback win.
Star Player: Nikita Tromp — her technique lifts Utrecht, and she provided the winning assist.
Questions: How will coach Linda Helbing integrate talents Dap, Renferem, and Koopman while seeking stability after losing Van Schoonhoven and Van der Zanden? Can PEC maintain this high tempo physically to break into the subtop, or was this naïve football?
Newcomers HERA stand United
AZ Alkmaar 2 – 2 HERA United
AZ’s goal is a top five finish, and they have the talent, but they started poorly as a collective. HERA’s pressing and intensity surprised them, and they lacked solutions. AZ scored early with Fieke Kroese’s opener and capitalized on mistakes at the back.
However, HERA struck back, and AZ ended up 2-1 down. The draw was eventually settled via a handball penalty against HERA. Without it, AZ would have lost, and the disappointing opener would have been a disaster for their top five chances.
Star Player: Samya Hassani, Moroccan international, long known for her explosiveness at Telstar, scored the 2-1 – the goal of the match.
Questions: Can HERA maintain this strong level with a newly assembled team? Can AZ reach the top five once again?
Feyenoord lack defensive instinct
NAC Breda 1 – 3 Feyenoord Rotterdam
NAC Breda opened in their Rat Verlegh Stadium, drawing plenty of fans. Their women’s team has grown rapidly over the past 18 months, climbing from the Eerste Divisie to the top tier after Fortuna Sittard pulled the plug on its women’s side.
Their first opponent in the Eredivisie was Feyenoord Rotterdam. Slowly climbing in recent years under Jessica Torny, they finished fifth last season. Against NAC, however, there was little cohesion. Offensively strong, but defensive errors nearly cost them. Celainy Obispo put Feyenoord ahead with a fine volley, and Kokona Iwasaki doubled it with quality. NAC pulled one back late as Feyenoord’s shaky defense resurfaced.
Feyenoord can compete in the subtop with their attacking quality, but a European ticket will be hard without defensive organization. Mistakes might not be punished against newcomers, but tougher sides like Zwolle or Heerenveen would have.
For NAC, realistically, survival in the top tier is a tough ask: lack of time and Eredivisie experience may hurt them, as the women’s team is just one and a half years old.
Even if they don’t survive, the experience is invaluable. Against Feyenoord they showed quality both defensively and offensively. Feyenoord’s goals were good, not just NAC errors. After matchday one, they’ve proven they belong at this level, justifying the KNVB’s decision to grant them Fortuna’s license.
Star Player: Celainy Obispo, who set the tone with a crisp volley.
Questions: Can Feyenoord fix their defense to truly contend for European football? Can NAC survive?
Follow Jan for all the news about Dutch Women’s Football on www.fcleeuwinnen.nl. Read news about the star players, get strong point of views from our columnists and discover all about upcoming Dutch talents.
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