The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced significant changes to the Eredivisie playoff structure and stadium regulations on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
The revisions aim to prevent venue booking conflicts and adjust promotion-relegation formats for the upcoming season.
The move follows a scenario where Ajax had to play their European playoff match at FC Volendam's stadium because the Johan Cruijff ArenA was booked for Harry Styles concerts.
New Stadium Availability Rules
Under the new policy, Eredivisie clubs must ensure their home venues remain available from the Johan Cruijff Schaal through the final playoff match.
Eredivisie CV Managing Director Jan de Jong explained the necessity of evaluating the competition format at the conclusion of every season during an interview with ESPN.
"To avoid any misunderstanding: every year the competition board must determine what the playoffs look like," said Jan de Jong.
The KNVB shareholder meeting formally approved tighter restrictions regarding stadium availability.
Clubs that fail to guarantee their venues for potential postseason fixtures risk losing their home-field advantage entirely.
"Last week we decided in the shareholders' meeting that every club in the Eredivisie must in principle have its stadium available from the Johan Cruijff Schaal to the last match in the playoffs," said Jan de Jong.
De Jong further noted that teams failing to meet this primary stadium availability standard face immediate administrative consequences during European qualification rounds.
"If that is unfortunately not the case, you can lose your home right in the European playoffs," said Jan de Jong.
While clubs retain the right to propose alternative home venues, any relocation requires explicit authorization from the league administration.
"You can look at an alternative, for which the competition board must give permission.
If the competition board does not give permission, you lose the home right and play an away match," said Jan de Jong.
Teams seeking to secure an approved secondary venue must submit their formal requests well in advance of the postseason.
"The club does have the option to move, but that must be done before January 1," said Jan de Jong.
Playoff Format Reversion
The league will revert the Keuken Kampioen Divisie (KKD) playoff format back to its historical structure for the upcoming cycle.
This decision reverses the format used in the most recent season, where the 16th-placed Eredivisie club, FC Volendam, entered directly into the final but lost to Willem II on penalties.
"Next year the number sixteen of the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie will enter in the semi-final again. That is possible because we have enough time.
The year after there is another European Championship, then we will look at it again," said Jan de Jong.
