The opening weekend is in the books, and the Eredivisie has already shown why it remains one of Europe’s most unpredictable leagues. There were only one or two surprises, as Feyenoord and Ajax start strong while champions PSV were held at home by Fortuna Sittard. Still, with 25 goals across nine matches, the entertainment levels were exactly what you’d expect from this league writes Will Burns.
I have attached highlights from the clubs’ official YouTube channel where available so you can watch while you read along.
FRIDAY 7TH AUGUST 2026
SC CAMBUUR 0–4 EXCELSIOR
Cambuur’s first game back in the Eredivisie after three years showed just how little top‑flight experience they have. Of the starting XI, only Jamal Amofa, with 61 league appearances, and Rafik El Arguioui, just one, had played at this level before. This was a poor performance for the home side, while Excelsior who scored 5, 5 and 3 in their last three pre-season friendlies continued their scoring spree.
Excelsior took the lead after 17 minutes when Rik Mulders lost the ball and Gyan de Regt played in Georgian right-winger Irakli Yegoian, who finished calmly into the near corner. De Regt then missed a big chance to make it two. In the 31st minute, Skye Vink was dispossessed, Yegoian crossed from the right, and Noah Naujoks slotted in for 0–2. Just before half‑time, Simon Janssen’s cross towards David Garden deflected off El Arguioui and beat Thijs Jansen — the goal credited to Garden for 0–3.
To try and claw back the deficit, Johan Plat brought on Bouhoudane and Costarelli at the break, and Cambuur did show more intent. El Arguioui rounded Stijn van Gassel but couldn’t find a teammate in front of an open goal, then dragged a shot wide moments later. Excelsior still threatened on the counter, and after 59 minutes Naujoks forced a strong save from Jansen with a powerful effort.
The fourth goal arrived in the 68th minute. Jansen was late coming for a corner, allowing Naujoks to head in his second of the night for 0–4.In stoppage time, Ilano Silva Timas thought he had added a fifth, but VAR ruled him offside.
SATURDAY 8TH AUGUST 2026
NEC 1–2 TELSTAR
Telstar stunned NEC with a 1–2 win, leaving the Nijmegen side with a major setback ahead of their Champions League return leg against Olympiakos. Last season’s Eredivisie sensation, who finished third, started poorly and never fully recovered.
The visitors struck almost immediately, just 27 seconds to be precise, when a long throw was flicked on to Patrick Brouwer, who made it 0–1. NEC nearly equalised in the 13th minute when Tjaronn Chery hit the post and Sami Ouaissa fired over from the rebound. Instead, Telstar doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Brouwer found space and slipped the ball to new signing Rui Mendes, who finished confidently for 0–2.
NEC created little for most of the match, and Telstar even came close to a third when Jelani Seedorf’s header caused chaos in the box. Fifteen minutes from time, substitute Kaj Sierhuis hit the crossbar, but he eventually pulled one back in the 82nd minute after good work from Dusan Tadić, making his first official start.
Telstar, last season’s 14th‑placed side, held firm in the closing stages and left Nijmegen with an excellent opening‑day victory. NEC now must regroup quickly. Olympiakos visit the Goffert on Tuesday, with Champions League qualification still within reach. A win would set up a tie against FK Bodø/Glimt or Union Saint‑Gilloise; a loss would drop NEC into the Europa League.
GO AHEAD EAGLES 4–1 WILLEM II
Go Ahead Eagles overturned an early deficit to cruise past newly promoted Willem II. Devin Haen put the visitors ahead in the 13th minute from Nathan Tjoe‑A‑On’s cross, but Søren Tengstedt equalised on the half‑hour after being played through by Melle Meulensteen.
French goalkeeper Thomas Didillon kept Willem II in the game before the break with saves from Stefán Sigurðarson and Dean James, but Go Ahead took full control after half‑time. Meulensteen smashed a long‑range effort into the top corner in the 61st minute, and two minutes later substitute Erik Flataker. who was on the pitch for barely a minute, finished Victor Edvardsen’s pass for the Norweigan’s first goal since joining from AIK Stockholm in the summer.
Willem II then lost Didillon to injury, forcing Wouter van der Steen to come on. With the defence and the keeper trying to get their bearings, Julius Dirksen headed in from Mathis Suray’s cross to make it 4–1 literally moments after the substitution.
The score was probably fair as Go Ahead dominated with 69% possession, 20 shots and 10 on target while the Tilburgers managed just one effort on target from their thirteen attempts. Next weekend sees Go Ahead travel to Feyenoord, while Willem II host NEC.
PSV 2–2 FORTUNA SITTARD
Still reeling from their Johan Cruijff Schaal defeat, PSV’s title defence stumbled again as they were held by a spirited Fortuna Sittard. Peter Bosz’s side came from 0–1 down to lead through Ryan Flamingo and Noah Fernandez, only to concede a late equaliser in stoppage time. Édouard Michut finished off a Fortuna counter in the 92nd minute, earning the visitors their first point at the Philips Stadion in 26 years.
The champions dominated early but were sloppy, and Fortuna actually created the better chances. Ole Romeny had an early goal ruled out for offside, and PSV stopper Matej Kovár had to save his team after a mistake from Flamingo. Despite PSV’s huge possession share, Fortuna remained dangerous, while PSV’s best first‑half moment came when Ruben van Bommel headed Ivan Perišić’s corner onto the bar.
Just before the break, Flamingo’s misjudged header gifted Romeny a clear chance, and he calmly made it 0–1. Bosz made changes at half‑time, and ten minutes later Flamingo made amends by heading in a Perišić corner for 1–1. However, just before his goal, Fortuna keeper Mattijs Branderhorst was visibly held by his shirt by Paul Wanner. Referee Alex Bos allowed the goal nonetheless, and VAR official Martin van den Kerkhof saw no reason to intervene.
Fortuna’s issues worsened when they lost Lequincio Zeefuik to injury but showed resilience by still threatenining, with Kovár forced into another save from a deflected Mohamed Ihattaren effort. PSV eventually turned the game around in the 74th minute. A quick counter saw Alassane Pléa lose control of the ball, but Noah Fernandez arrived to lift it over Branderhorst for 2–1. That looked enough, until deep into injury time. Fortuna broke forward, Perišić failed to clear properly, and the ball fell to Michut. His shot took a slight touch off Perišić’s head and beat Kovár for 2–2.
PSV’s title defence begins with frustration; Fortuna leave Eindhoven with a deserved point.
AZ ALKMAAR 2–0 ADO DEN HAAG
AZ opened with a solid run of the mill 2–0 win over ADO Den Haag. The hosts created several chances before the break but only made the difference in the second half, with returning Calvin Stengs coming off the bench and playing a decisive role in both goals.
ADO started surprisingly brightly and within a minute, Daryl van Mieghem set up Evan Rottier, but his mishit effort was saved by AZ stopper Jari De Busser. AZ soon took control and pushed ADO back, creating chances through Wesley Patati, Dave Kwakman and Ro‑Zangelo Daal. The young full-back Elijah Dijkstra appeared to give AZ the lead after 22 minutes, but VAR ruled out the goal for a foul by Mexx Meerdink. Meerdink later forced a strong save from goalkeeper Kilian Nikiema, while Rottier hit the post at the other end, even though the play had already been stopped for handball.
After the break, AZ continued to dominate and ADO were limited to counter attacks. The breakthrough came just after the hour mark. Stengs, brought on in the 57th minute, helped launch an attack down the left, and Daal finished calmly for 1–0. Seven minutes later, AZ doubled their lead with Daal again caused problems on the flank, found midfielder Kees Smit, and he laid the ball off perfectly for Stengs to fire in the 2–0.
ADO tried to respond, but their best chance, a cross from the right, was missed by Eduardo and just out of reach for Illaijh De Ruijter. AZ saw out the match comfortably and began the season with three points, while ADO’s return to the Eredivisie started with defeat. For AZ, Stengs’ impact stood out. In just eleven minutes, he scored once and played a key part in the opener, an ideal showing on his return to Alkmaar.
SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST 2026
SPARTA ROTTERDAM 0–1 FEYENOORD
Feyenoord grafted in their 1-0 win at Het Kasteel, though their performance under returning manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst was far from polished. Luciano Valente, the newly appointed captain, scored the only goal in the Rotterdam derby.
Van Bronckhorst handed starts to three summer signings: goalkeeper Tjark Ernst, defender Mika Mármol (filling in at left‑back), and midfielder Charles Vanhoutte. Regulars Givairo Read, Anis Hadj Moussa, Ayase Ueda, and Gaoussou Diarra also featured. Sparta’s new coach Rogier Meijer relied on experience, including former Feyenoord players Bruno Martins Indi and Jens Toornstra, with Filip Bednarek in goal.
The match started brightly. Ayase Ueda, who looks to be on his way out of Rotterdam, headed wide early, Sparta keeper Filip Bednarek kept out a mis-hit cross from Diarra, and Hadj Moussa had a goal ruled out for offside. Sparta nearly struck first when Casper Terho capitalised on a mistake by Read, but he missed the one‑on‑one with Ernst.
The visitors controlled most of the first half without creating clear chances, until ten minutes before the break. Zechiël reached the byline and cut the ball back for Valente, who finished calmly. Feyenoord pushed for a second but couldn’t convert before the whistle.
Early in the second half, Ueda, Gjival Zechiël, Valente and Hadj Moussa all had chances to extend the lead, while Sparta’s Nökkvi Thórisson headed wide from a free opportunity. Feyenoord then suffered a few injury scares: Read briefly left the pitch, Diarra asked to be substituted, and Thijs Kraaijeveld looked uncomfortable. Van Bronckhorst made several changes, including debuts for Nacho Ferri and Tijme Wessels.
Sparta pushed late on and thought they had equalised when Milan Zonneveld scored from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In added time, Zonneveld and Mitchell van Bergen both missed chances, and another Zonneveld effort was disallowed for a foul. Despite a sloppy display, Feyenoord held on for the three points.
FC GRONINGEN 2–1 FC UTRECHT
Anthony Correia’s FC Utrecht debut ended in defeat at the Euroborg. The visitors arrived in Groningen missing several players, including Vasilis Barkas and Matisse Didden, while new striker Artem Stepanovs was still awaiting clearance. Michael Brouwer started in goal, Ferdinand Pohl debuted in defence, and David Min led the line due to limited options.
Groningen also had changes: Jorg Schreuders played at right‑back, Marco Rente partnered new captain Thijmen Blokzijl centrally, and Thom van Bergen started up front with new signing Pelle Clement on the left. Groningen struck first. After ten minutes, Brynjólfur Willumsson capitalised on a misplaced pass and finished calmly for 1–0. He nearly doubled the lead soon after, and both sides later had goals ruled out for offside.
Right after the break, Van Bergen made it 2–0 with a clever volley at the near post. Groningen stayed on top, though Willumsson’s next effort lacked power. Utrecht improved around the hour mark. The hosts keeper Etienne Vaessen saved a header from Mike Eerdhuijzen, and Correia made triple changes to spark life into his team. Angel Alarcón then missed a huge chance with the goal wide open, but Utrecht kept pushing.
Ten minutes from time, they finally pulled one back. Van den Berg broke through and squared for Adrian Blake, who finished for 2–1. Utrecht threatened again through Alarcón and Adrian Blake, but Vaessen held firm and Groningen survived the late pressure. Groningen take the points; Utrecht’s fightback falls just short.
PEC ZWOLLE 0–2 AJAX
Ajax’s 2–0 win over PEC Zwolle was overshadowed by Mika Godts’ late withdrawal from the starting lineup. The Belgian was announced in the starting line-up, completed the warm‑up, then reported physical overload and was benched as a precaution. His agent, Niels De Jonck, stressed the decision had nothing to do with ongoing talks with PSG. Then strangely, Godts later came on as a substitute.
Ajax gaffer Michel Sánchez made four changes from midweek, handing debuts to Caio Henrique and Marc ter Stegen but without Godts, Ajax lacked creativity and produced a flat first half. The underdogs created the best chance through Tobias Sommer, who was denied by Ter Stegen before half-time. The second half brought little improvement, with notably Youri Regeer, Steven Berghuis and Kasper Dolberg struggling to make an impact. Ajax only gained control after Sherel Floranus was sent off for a reckless challenge on Lucas Rosa on 57 minutes.
Michel turned to his new signings, bringing on Julian Brandt, Marcos Leonardo and Tolu Arokodare. Their introduction finally changed the tempo and within three minutes being on the pitch Arokodare’s strength allowed him to bring down a high ball and lay it off for Jorthy Mokio for 1-0. Deep into stoppage time, Ajax sealed the win when Brandt broke away and scored his first Eredivisie goal, assisted by Godts.
After the match, Godts explained his reduced role, saying he felt discomfort during the warm‑up and agreed with Michel to play only the final minutes if needed. He also addressed the PSG rumours, confirming talks exist but insisting his professionalism is unchanged and he will continue to play whenever Ajax need him.
Ajax left Zwolle with three points but the performance showed there is still plenty of work to do.
SC HEERENVEEN 1–0 FC TWENTE
SC Heerenveen edged FC Twente 1–0 thanks to Luca Oyen’s decisive strike, and coach Robin Veldman admitted afterwards that his side had to dig deep to secure the points. He felt the win was “especially physical,” noting that Twente’s late aerial bombardment made the closing stages difficult. With Wout Weghorst joined by Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink and later Sam Lammers, Heerenveen were forced to defend wave after wave of crosses, a scenario Veldman said the staff had anticipated.
New signings Dirk Proper and Lanroy Machine started for Heerenveen, while Twente replaced the injured Daouda Weidmann with Thomas van den Belt. The first half at the Abe Lenstra Stadium produced chances for both sides but no goals. The breakthrough came seven minutes after the restart. Substitute Luca Oyen finished at the near post after Jacob Trenskow’s assist, beating Lars Unnerstall for 1–0. Twente pushed hard for an equaliser, especially in the final phase, but Heerenveen held firm to claim a hard‑earned victory.
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