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Eredivisie 2024-25 Season: Early Standings Explained Simply
The Dutch football season has kicked off, and the first few matches have already shaken up the league table! Whether you’re new to football or just need a quick refresher, this guide breaks down the current Eredivisie standings in plain English.
What Is the Eredivisie?
Think of the Eredivisie as the top-tier football league in the Netherlands. It’s like the "Premier League" but Dutch. 18 teams play each other twice (home and away) over a season. The team with the most points at the end wins the championship.
Key Point: Teams get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
How to Read the League Table (Step-by-Step)
If you’ve never seen a football table before, don’t worry! Here’s how to decode it:
- Rank (Pos): Where the team sits right now. #1 is the leader.
- Team: The club’s name.
- Played (Pld): How many games they’ve played so far.
- Won (W) / Drawn (D) / Lost (L): The breakdown of their results.
- Goals For (GF) / Goals Against (GA): How many they scored vs. conceded.
- Goal Difference (GD):
GF minus GA. A tiebreaker if points are equal. - Points (Pts): The total score (Win=3, Draw=1, Loss=0). This decides the ranking.
Current Standings Snapshot (After Matchdays 1-2)
Here is the simplified table. Notice some teams have played 2 games, others only 1. This happens because fixtures aren’t all played on the same day.
| Rank | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AZ Alkmaar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
| 2 | PSV Eindhoven | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 3 | Go Ahead Eagles | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 4 | Ajax | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 5 | Groningen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 6 | Feyenoord | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 7 | Heerenveen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 8 | Excelsior | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 9 | NEC Nijmegen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3 |
| 10 | Sparta Rotterdam | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 11 | Telstar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 12 | Fortuna Sittard | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | FC Twente | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 14 | ADO Den Haag | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 15 | PEC Zwolle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 16 | Cambuur | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
| 17 | Utrecht | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
| 18 | Willem II | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 |
The Early Storylines: What’s Happening?
The Perfect Start: AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar is the only team with maximum points (6 from 6). They’ve won both games, scoring 5 and conceding only 1. They sit top of the table early on.
The Big Guns: PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord
- PSV Eindhoven (last year’s champs) are 2nd with 4 points. They won one and drew one. Solid start.
- Ajax and Feyenoord have only played once so far and won. They have 3 points each but a game in hand on the top two. They will likely climb once they play their second match.
The Surprise Package: Go Ahead Eagles
Go Ahead Eagles smashed 4 goals in their only game! They sit 3rd on goal difference. A fantastic attacking start.
The Strugglers: Bottom Three
Utrecht and Willem II have played two games and lost both.
- Willem II has conceded 8 goals in two games (Goal Diff: -6). They desperately need to fix their defense.
- Cambuur lost their only game 0-4.
- Twente, ADO Den Haag, Zwolle all lost their openers 0-1 or 0-2.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: It is VERY Early!
We are only 1 or 2 games into a 34-game season.
- Teams at the bottom (like Ajax, Feyenoord, Twente, Utrecht) have plenty of time to recover.
- Teams at the top (AZ, Go Ahead) must keep performing to stay there.
- Do not panic if your team is low down right now!
Understanding "Games in Hand"
You might see teams with the same points but different rankings, or teams lower down who could jump up.
- Example: Ajax (4th) and Go Ahead Eagles (3rd) both have 3 points.
- Difference: Go Ahead has a much better Goal Difference (+3 vs +2).
- The Catch: Ajax has played 1 game, Go Ahead has played 1 game. They are level on games.
- Big Picture: PSV (2nd) has 4 points from 2 games. Ajax (4th) has 3 points from 1 game. If Ajax wins their next game, they jump to 6 points and likely go top of the table.
Always check the "Played" column!
Summary: The Big Picture
- AZ Alkmaar are the early pace-setters (6 pts, 2 wins).
- PSV are the only other team unbeaten after 2 games (4 pts).
- Ajax, Feyenoord, Twente, Utrecht have games in hand – the table will shift significantly after the next round.
- Goal Difference matters – it separates the cluster of teams on 3 points.
- Willem II & Utrecht need defensive fixes urgently (0 pts, -6 & -3 GD).
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint. 32+ games remain for most teams.
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Why have some teams played 2 games and others only 1?
Football schedules are complex. TV broadcasting picks, European competition (Champions League/Europa League) involvement, and stadium availability mean fixtures get spread out. Every team will play 34 games total by May. It evens out.
What does "Goal Difference" actually decide?
If two teams finish the season on the exact same Points, the team with the better Goal Difference (Goals Scored minus Goals Conceded) finishes higher. It rewards attacking play and solid defense.
Can Willem II or Utrecht still avoid relegation?
Absolutely. There are ~32 games left. Many teams have started poorly and survived (or even finished mid-table). However, they must start picking up points very soon to stop the gap growing.
Why is Telstar in the Eredivisie? I thought they were a smaller club.
Telstar earned promotion from the second tier (Keuken Kampioen Divisie) last season via the playoffs. They are a historic club returning to the top flight. Their 3 points from 2 games (1 win, 1 loss) is a decent start for a newly promoted side.
When is the next set of games?
The Eredivisie typically plays weekends (Friday–Sunday) with some midweek rounds. Check the official Eredivisie website or BBC Sport / ESPN for the exact fixture list for "Matchday 3" (or whichever is next for the teams with 1 game played).
Data sourced from BBC Sport Eredivisie Table. Standings correct as of the initial matchdays of the 2024-25 season.