By Jan-Kees Joosse (19/10/25)
Above: The formation of the original BeNe league in 2012. Photo: UEFA.
Between 2012 and 2015, Belgium and the Netherlands joined forces on the ‘BeNe’ league. Rumour has it the federations are considering a reformation.
Last week’s Champions League match between the Dutch FC Twente and Belgian OH Leuven (a 2–1 victory for Leuven) was more than just another game. It was a meeting between the reigning champions of Belgium and the Netherlands, and a reminder of the old BeNeLeague: the joint competition that existed from 2012 to 2015. In Belgium, many still quietly hope for its return.
The head of the Belgian Football Federation, Peter Willems, called the idea “a no-brainer, philosophically speaking” last summer. OH Leuven’s coach, Arno Van Den Abbeel, agrees. He says, “Belgium and the Netherlands are both struggling to field enough quality teams every weekend.”
I can’t really judge the Belgian league, but when it comes to the Netherlands, I’m less pessimistic. Yes, there are clubs that still invest too little, but that problem is already being addressed. The KNVB (Dutch FA) is reducing the Eredivisie from twelve to ten clubs to raise the level of play and competition. Fewer teams means more top matches, more intensity, and hopefully more spectators.
That the bottom half of the table is lagging behind isn’t because of the league format, but because of a lack of ambition from some clubs. Big names like Heerenveen barely invest in their women’s side, while smaller clubs are left to fill the gaps where others — like Go Ahead Eagles, FC Groningen, Fortuna Sittard, Sparta, and NEC — have failed to build something sustainable.
Bringing back the BeNeLeague wouldn’t solve that problem; in fact, it might make clubs lazy. Think about it: six Dutch teams would disappear from the top flight. What would that mean for those women’s teams and their youth development? Fewer teams means fewer opportunities for girls to play at a high level. That’s not progress, that’s regression.
The Dutch league is growing precisely because of small but meaningful investments from larger men’s clubs. AZ, Feyenoord, and FC Utrecht have shaken things up, forcing the traditional top three – Ajax, PSV, and FC Twente – to drop points and making the title race more exciting.
Just look at the numbers: the gap between the champions and sixth place is shrinking every season.
- 2021/22: 32 points
- 2022/23: 29 points
- 2023/24: 25 points
- 2024/25: 21 points
The gap is closing – and that’s exactly what you want in a healthy league.
At the bottom, teams like Excelsior, Heerenveen, NAC Breda, ADO Den Haag, PEC Zwolle, and HERA United are battling to stay up. Likely, two of them will be relegated after this season. In a small country like the Netherlands, that means the best players from those clubs will move to other Eredivisie sides, which naturally raises the overall level of competition.
With fewer teams, the KNVB can also push toward a fully professional league, where every player earns a proper salary. Meanwhile, clubs like HERA United – with their refreshing vision for women’s football – are inspiring others to invest more seriously.
On top of that, the Netherlands’ UEFA coefficient keeps rising. The country currently sits in seventh place in Europe, thanks to improving Champions League performances. Ajax reached the quarterfinals in 2023/24, and this year FC Twente even managed to draw against Chelsea – something unthinkable just a few years ago.
Reviving the BeNeLeague might seem like a quick fix for more excitement and higher standards, but in the long run, it wouldn’t help women’s football. It would reduce opportunities for players, widen the gap with the grassroots level, and slow the steady growth we’re already seeing.
The game between OH Leuven and FC Twente showed that the sport is evolving. We should honor that process, not skip it. Growth takes time in different forms for every competition.
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