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Eerste Divisie

Netherlands

About the League

The Eerste Divisie is the second tier of Dutch football, mixing established professional clubs with the non-promotable reserve sides of Eredivisie teams. ADO Den Haag won the 2025-26 title, while FC Volendam hold the record with seven championships.

The Eerste Divisie is the second tier of Dutch professional football, sitting directly beneath the Eredivisie. Founded in 1956, it is known in the Netherlands as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie under its long-running sponsorship and is contested by 20 clubs who each play a home-and-away season between August and May. The division has a character all of its own. Traditional professional clubs such as Vitesse, NAC Breda, Roda JC, FC Volendam, FC Emmen and VVV-Venlo compete alongside the reserve sides of Eredivisie clubs, with Jong Ajax, Jong PSV and Jong AZ among them, which play for points and pride but are not eligible for promotion. The result is fast, open, high-scoring football and an early look at the young players who will fill Eredivisie squads a year or two from now. Promotion is settled by two routes. The champions and the runners-up go up automatically, while the play-off tournament known as the nacompetitie gathers the period champions and the best remaining sides to contest a further place in the top flight. ADO Den Haag are the reigning champions, taking the 2025-26 title for the club's fourth Eerste Divisie crown, with Cambuur and Willem II also promoted. FC Volendam hold the all-time record with seven championships. Early in the current campaign Heracles forward Jean Paul N'djoli leads the scoring charts with four goals. OneLightScore carries the Eerste Divisie in full: live scores as the goals go in, the complete fixture calendar and results archive, the current standings with promotion and play-off zones marked, top-scorer and assist charts, and where-to-watch details wherever broadcast information is available.

Founded1956
Clubs20
HoldersADO Den Haag
Most TitlesFC Volendam7
Top ScorerJean Paul N'djoli4

Where to watch the Eerste Divisie

Quick answer: the Eerste Divisie is broadcast by different rights holders in each country — ESPN Extra in Netherlands, and more below. Pick your region in the table, then open a match on OneLightScore to start the stream.

Country / RegionOfficial BroadcastersPlatformQuality
Netherlands
ESPN Extra·Watch ESPN Netherlands
TVHD
i
No play buttons here on purpose. Streaming links are match-specific and rights-checked at kickoff — they live on each match page, not in this guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I watch the Eerste Divisie?

Eerste Divisie matches are broadcast region by region. In Netherlands: ESPN Extra and Watch ESPN Netherlands (TV, HD). Open any match on OneLightScore and use its Where-to-watch panel to start a stream.

How do I watch the Eerste Divisie in Netherlands?

In Netherlands, the Eerste Divisie is shown on ESPN Extra and Watch ESPN Netherlands via TV in HD.