Eredivisie Women The first weekend put five clubs level on three points, but the Vrouwen Eredivisie title race does not begin from a blank page. PSV are defending a first league championship in club history. FC Twente remain the competition’s modern benchmark, Ajax have the depth to challenge on several fronts, and both Feyenoord and AZ started with victories.
The new format adds uncertainty. Ten clubs will play 27 matches, with a third meeting against every opponent. Home advantage for those final nine fixtures will be allocated using the standings after round 18. A strong start can therefore offer more than points: it can shape the conditions of the run-in.
PSV: the team to beat
PSV have the strongest opening claim. They won the 2025/26 title, then beat FC Twente 3-0 in the Super Cup before opening the league with a 2-0 victory at PEC Zwolle. Nicky Evrard, Janice Cayman, Sara Thrige, Fenna Kalma and Liz Rijsbergen give the squad proven quality across the pitch.
There is a significant caveat. Riola Xhemaili, PSV’s leading scorer across all competitions last season, left for Como in July. Her 16 goals and ability in tight areas will not be replaced by one player. PSV’s late breakthrough in Zwolle nevertheless showed why champions are difficult to dislodge: their bench can change a match and their belief lasts beyond the 90th minute.
Title outlook: favourites, but not runaway favourites.
Ajax: enough control, now find more goals
Ajax’s 1-0 win at FC Utrecht was more dominant than the score suggests. They held 69 per cent possession, attempted 19 shots and allowed only five. The question is whether that control will become a reliable stream of goals against deeper defensive blocks.
European qualification could stretch the schedule, although it also gives the group demanding matches early in the season. Ajax have already added fresh options and their ambition is explicit. If they turn territorial control into clearer chances, they have the most obvious route to denying PSV a repeat title.
Title outlook: the leading challenger.
FC Twente: never outside the conversation
No Dutch women’s title discussion can overlook FC Twente. They won the championship in 2024/25 and have been champions nine times since the league was founded. Jill Roord’s fourth-minute goal against De Graafschap was a reminder of the individual quality available to Corina Dekker’s side.
The 3-0 Super Cup defeat to PSV exposed the current gap in a direct meeting, while the late goal conceded to De Graafschap prevented a fully convincing league opener. Twente’s history, structure and ability to manage a long domestic campaign still make them a serious threat.
Title outlook: firmly in the top three, with the capacity to finish first.
Feyenoord and AZ: credible disruptors
Feyenoord’s 2-1 comeback at Heerenveen was supported by 17 attempts and 16 corners. Their next match, at home to AZ, will immediately test whether that pressure can be reproduced against another opening-day winner. The departure of Mao Itamura to Liverpool removes a major talent, but Feyenoord’s first response was encouraging.
AZ generated 16 attempts in their 2-1 win over ADO Den Haag and showed resilience after conceding an equaliser. A title would still be a major step beyond recent expectations, but the condensed league means points taken from the traditional three will carry even more weight.
Title outlook: outsiders who can influence the race and compete for the European places.
The verdict
PSV deserve to begin at number one: champions, Super Cup winners and opening-day winners. Ajax look best placed to apply sustained pressure, with FC Twente close behind. Feyenoord and AZ belong in the next group, capable of turning a three-team race into something less predictable.
The first major domestic checkpoint arrives on 19 September, when PSV host FC Twente. Before then, the contenders must negotiate European commitments and a league in which every dropped point affects both the table and the eventual home-away balance of the final phase.
Sources: KNVB Super Cup report, PSV transfer announcement and WomenLiveScore match data.
Photo: Edoderoo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
