Cup history
The tournament was founded in 1899. Therefore, the KNVB Beker is the oldest active league in the Netherlands.
Between 1994 and 2003, there was a group stage before the knock-out phase. Since the 2006-2007 season, all Eredivisie clubs start in the round of the last 32, except for teams that play in European tournaments like the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
The record champion is Ajax, and they are in the finals for the 2021/2022 season again. They will face PSV, while both teams are placed first and second in the Eredivisie. Ajax is the reign champion as well.
The final is played in “De Kuip”, which is the stadium of Feyenoord and has a capacity of 51,117. Typically, the final is only one matchup between the two sides. However, in 2010 Ajax and Feyenoord faced each other twice to decide the winner for safety reasons. Ajax won both matches. Playing at home, Ajax won 2-0 and away was a 1-4 win.
Cup name
The TOTO KNVB Beker had a couple of names before. From 1894-to 1898, the name was Holdertbeeld, while between 1899-1920, the name changed to Holdertbeker. In 1921 the name changed again to the NVB-Beker. The name changed back to the Holdertbeker in 1930 and kept that name till 1945. The KNVB Beker was the new name in 1946 until Amstel, a sponsor, changed the name to the Amstel Cup in 1995. After a few years, the Gatorade Cup was the new name in 2005. This time the name was only applied for one season. In 2006 the KNVB Beker was the name again until, in 2018, the name changed to the TOTO KNVB Beker.
The trophy is called the “dennenappel”, which means “pinecone”. That is because the cup has the shape of a pinecone.
KNVB Beker Records
Three teams were able to win the cup three times in a row. These were H.V. & C.V., Ajax and PSV. H.V. & C.V. managed to do this in 1909, 1910 and 1911. The second team of this club was in the final in the first two editions. Ajax won in 1970, 1971 and 1972, while PSV did this in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
From 1993 to 1994, HFC set the highest result in the KNVB Beker. The club won 25 against 0 in a match against AC & FC VVV. Eddy Holdert scored 13 times in this match, which is another record. Since football became a professional sport in the Netherlands, the biggest win is 18-1. NAC Breda won against VV Dongen in 1958-1959. The biggest win in a final was in 1944 when Willem II won 9-2 against Groene Ster Heerlerheide.
Romário made the quickest goal in the final in 1989. He scored in the second minute while playing for PSV. Wim Groenendijk scored the most goals in a KNVB Beker finale. He scored four times in Feyenoords’ match against HVV Helmond in 1935.
The man who scored the most goals in the cup in one season is Jack de Gier. He scored 12 goals while playing for NEC in the cup during the 1999-2000 season.
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