Eredivisie in the context of "Big Three (Netherlands)"

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Dutch: [ˈaːjɑks]), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the legendary Greek hero) is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie since the league's inception in 1956, and along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country's "big three" clubs.

Ajax was one of the most successful clubs in the world in the 20th century. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, Ajax was the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century and The World's Club Team of the Year in 1992. According to German magazine Kicker, Ajax was the second-most successful European club of the 20th century. The club is one of five teams that have earned the right to keep the European Cup and to wear a multiple-winner badge. In 1972, they completed the continental treble by winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. They also won the first (albeit unofficial) European Super Cup against Rangers in January 1973. Ajax's most recent international trophies are the 1995 Intercontinental Cup, 1995 UEFA Super Cup and the 1995 Champions League, where they defeated Milan in the final; they lost the 1996 Champions League final on penalties to Juventus. In 1995, Ajax was crowned as World Team of the Year by World Soccer magazine.

The Royal Dutch Football Association (Dutch: Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond, pronounced [ˌkoːnɪŋkləkə ˈneːdərlɑntsə ˈvudbɑlbɔnt]; KNVB [ˌkaːʔɛɱveːˈbeː]) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and women's national teams.

For three seasons in the 2010s, the KNVB and its Belgian counterpart operated a joint top-level women's league, the BeNe League, until the two countries dissolved the league after the 2014–15 season and re-established their own top-level leagues. The KNVB is based in the central municipality of Zeist. With over 1.2 million members, the KNVB is the single largest sports association in the Netherlands.

Ivan Perišić (Croatian pronunciation: [ǐʋan pěriʃitɕ]; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Eredivisie club PSV and the Croatia national team. Usually deployed as a left winger, he has also featured as a left wing-back, right winger, and in the beginning of his career as an attacking midfielder or even second striker. Known for his ambipedality and versatility, he is widely considered one of the greatest Croatian players of all time, as well as one of the best players in his position, lauded by the likes of Luciano Spalletti, José Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Hansi Flick and other high profile managers.

A product of the Hajduk Split and Sochaux youth academies, Perišić made a name for himself while playing for Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League top goalscorer and was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. This earned him a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the 2011–12 Bundesliga, before signing with VfL Wolfsburg for €8 million in January 2013. He remained there for two and a half seasons, winning the 2015 DFB-Pokal final, before moving to Inter Milan for €16 million. In 2019, he joined Bayern Munich on loan, winning the treble. After returning to Inter Milan, he won the 2020–21 Serie A, the 2021 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2021–22 Coppa Italia.

The Dutch football champions are the winners of the highest league in Dutch football, which since 1956 is the Eredivisie.

The championship was first awarded in 1898. Until 1954 the national champion was determined by means of a championship competition between the champions of the different regions. This system continued for two years after the introduction of professional football in 1954 until the creation of the Eredivisie for the 1956–57 season. Starting with the 1956–57 season, the winner of the Eredivisie is recognized as the national champion.

The KNVB Beker (pronounced [ˌkaːʔɛɱveːˈbeː ˈbeːkər]; English: KNVB Cup), branded as the Eurojackpot KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup. The tournament consists of all teams from the top four tiers of Dutch league football (Eredivisie, Eerste Divisie, Tweede Divisie and Derde Divisie), as well as the 24 semi-finalists (or replacements) of the six KNVB District Cups. The finals of the tournament traditionally takes place in De Kuip, and has been held there every season since the 1989 final. The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruyff Shield, (equivalent to a super cup) which acts as the curtain raiser for the following season.

Feyenoord Rotterdam ([ˈfɛiənoːrt]) is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its neighbourhood in 1912 as SC Feijenoord, updated in 1974 to SC Feyenoord, and then to Feyenoord in 1978, when it split from the amateur club under its wing, SC Feyenoord. Since 1937, Feyenoord's home ground has been the Stadion Feijenoord, nicknamed De Kuip (The Tub), the second largest stadium in Netherlands.

Feyenoord is one of the most successful clubs in Dutch football, winning 16 Dutch football championships, 14 KNVB Cups, and 5 Johan Cruyff Shields. Internationally, the club has won one European Cup, two UEFA Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. The club has played continuously in the top ten of the Dutch football system since gaining promotion to Eerste Klasse (the Eredivisie's forerunner competition) in 1921, more times than any other club in the country, including the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.

Philips Sport Vereniging (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfilɪps ˌspɔrt fərˈeːnəɣɪŋ]; English: Philips Sports Association), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (pronounced [ˌpeːjɛsˈfeː ˈʔɛintˌɦoːvə(n)]), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, which has played in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football, since its inception in 1956. Along with Ajax and Feyenoord, PSV is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated the Eredivisie.

The club was founded in 1913 as a team for Philips employees. PSV's history contains two golden eras revolving around the UEFA Cup victory in 1978 and the 1987–88 European Cup victory as part of the seasonal treble in 1988. The team has won the Eredivisie 26 times, the KNVB Cup 11 times and the Johan Cruyff Shield a record 15 times. Currently (as of May 2025), PSV is ranked 27th on the UEFA club coefficients ranking.Throughout the years, PSV has developed a reputation as a stepping stone for players who later achieved success at major European clubs or on the international stage, including: Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romário, Ronaldo, Phillip Cocu, Boudewijn Zenden, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Denzel Dumfries, Mark van Bommel, Park Ji-sung, Georginio Wijnaldum, Memphis Depay, and Cody Gakpo.

The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1971–72 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship. FC Twente, finishing in third place, set an Eredivisie record-low for goals conceded with just 13 goals against.