It has been yet another colourless, let’s also say disappointing, season for Ajax. After the sensational ending to the 2024/25 championship, lost on the final match after squandering a nine-point lead in five matchdays, this year things went even worse: PSV, champions of the Netherlands, dominated this Eredivisie, with Feyenoord second – although a long way behind. The Amsterdam team still had the fight for third place, which grants access to the summer Champions League preliminaries, but in the end the surprising N.E.C. came out on top – which, for those who do not know, is one of the most attacking and visionary teams in Europe. AZ Alkmaar (winner of the Dutch Cup) and Twente (fourth in the table) secured their pass to the Europa League, and so in the end Ajax finished fifth: a position that grants access to the Conference League playoff, a sort of Eredivisie appendix in which four teams face each other (in a tennis-style draw with semifinals and final) to claim the very last slot in the European cups.
For Ajax, naturally, it is a small consolation prize. On the one hand it could still grant access to Europe, but on the other it forces the team to end the season very late. And this is exactly where the problems began: the Johann Cruyff Arena, in fact, is not available to host the home match against Groningen (which finished ninth in the table). And the reason lies in the concert schedule, specifically Harry Stiles’ concerts. The former One Direction member will perform at the Amsterdam stadium on the very days when the matches will take place. And for this reason Óscar García’s team will effectively lose its home advantage, since it will have to move to Volendam’s stadium, about thirty kilometres from the Dutch capital.
The other semifinal will see lUtrecht (sixth-placed and coming off participation in the Europa League) face Heerenveen, which finished eighth. The semifinals will be played next Thursday, while the final is scheduled for Sunday. Each round is played as a single match and the team better placed in the regular season will have the advantage of playing at home. Except that Ajax, as mentioned, will not be able to enjoy this advantage: it had already “rented out” its stadium for Styles’ concerts, trusting that it would not have to take part in this playoff, and instead in the end it finds itself having to play it away from home.
The problems do not end here: first of all, Volendam’s stadium, which for the record is called Kras Stadion, can hold only 8500 spectators. And then there is also FC Volendam, the local team, which after losing to Telstar on the final matchday of the regular season will have to face another playoff: the one for staying in the Eredivisie. The tie will be against Willem II, and will be played over 180 minutes. This means that the Kras Stadion could be used for three matches – Volendam’s and Ajax’s two, in the event of victory against Groningen – within the space of just a few days.