# 1972–73 KNVB Cup

The 1972-73 KNVB Cup was the 55th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 46 teams contested, beginning on 29 October 1972 and ending at the final on 31 May 1973.
Ajax unsuccessfully defended its 1972 title losing on 10 December 1972 in the Second round, when the 18 Eredivisie teams entered this round, NAC, 2–2 (penalty shootout).
NAC successfully pursued its first KNVB Cup defeating NEC, 2–0. NAC contested in the Cup Winners' Cup.

## Teams

* All 18 participants of the Eredivisie 1972-73, entering in the second round
* All 20 participants of the Eerste Divisie 1972-73
* 8 teams from lower (amateur) leagues

## First round

| 29 October 1972 |
| Caesar Beek $_A$ | 1–2 | Helmond Sport $_1$ |
| Ede $_A$ | 1–4 (aet) | Willem II $_1$ |
| USV Elinkwijk $_A$ | 3–0 | FC Eindhoven $_1$ |
| FC VVV $_1$ | 2–0 | FC Wageningen $_1$ |
| Fortuna Sittard $_1$ | 2–2 (p: 5–6) | PEC Zwolle $_1$ |
| HVC $_1$ | 0–2 | De Volewijckers $_1$ |
| IJsselmeervogels $_A$ | 0–4 | Roda JC $_1$ |
| VV Leeuwarden $_A$ | 0–3 | Heracles $_1$ |
| RKSV Sparta'25 $_A$ | 0–0 (p: 6–5) | FC Dordrecht $_1$ |
| SVV $_1$ | 2–0 | SC Cambuur $_1$ |
| Veendam $_1$ | 2–0 | Fortuna Vlaardingen $_1$ |
| Vitesse Arnhem $_1$ | 2–1 (aet) | De Graafschap $_1$ |
| Xerxes Rotterdam $_A$ | 0–1 | sc Heerenveen $_1$ |
| Zwart-Wit '28 $_A$ | 0–3 | FC Volendam $_1$ |
$_1$ Eerste Divisie; $_A$ Amateur teams

## Second round

The 18 Eredivisie teams entered this round.
| December 10, 1972 |
| AZ'67 $_E$ | 2–0 | FC Den Bosch $_E$ |
| USV Elinkwijk | 2–0 | FC VVV |
| Excelsior $_E$ | 2–1 | FC Utrecht $_E$ |
| FC Amsterdam $_E$ | 3–1 (aet) | Helmond Sport |
| FC Den Haag $_E$ | 6–0 | Sparta'25 |
| HFC Haarlem $_E$ | 0–3 | Feyenoord $_E$ |
| Heracles | 2–1 | sc Heerenveen |
| NAC $_E$ | 2–2 (p) | Ajax $_E$ |
| NEC $_E$ | 1–0 | Go Ahead Eagles $_E$ |
| Sparta $_E$ | 3–1 | MVV $_E$ |
| SVV | 0–0 (p) | Roda JC |
| Telstar $_E$ | 0–2 | FC Twente $_E$ |
| Veendam | 1–0 | FC Groningen $_E$ |
| FC Volendam | 0–1 | PEC Zwolle |
| De Volewijckers | 1–0 | Vitesse Arnhem |
| Willem II | 0–3 | PSV $_E$ |
$_E$ Eredivisie

## Third round

| January 28, 1973 |
| USV Elinkwijk | 0–4 | NAC |
| Excelsior | 1–3 | PSV |
| FC Den Haag | 2–1 | De Volewijckers |
| FC Twente | 4–0 | Heracles |
| NEC | 2–0 | SVV |
| PEC Zwolle | 1–3 | Feyenoord |
| Sparta | 1–0 | FC Amsterdam |
| Veendam | 2–3 (aet) | AZ'67 |

## From quarterfinals to final

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 14 March | 14 March | | | |
| PSV | 0 | | | |
| PSV | 0 | 4 April | 4 April | | |
| Sparta | 1 | 4 April | 4 April | |
| Sparta | 1 | Sparta | 1 | |
| 14 March | 14 March | | Sparta | 1 | |
| 14 March | 14 March | NAC | 2 | |
| FC Den Haag | 1 | NAC | 2 | |
| FC Den Haag | 1 | | | | 31 May | 31 May |
| NAC | 2 | | | | 31 May | 31 May |
| NAC | 2 | | | | NAC | 2 |
| 14 March | 14 March | | | | | NAC | 2 |
| 14 March | 14 March | | | | NEC | 0 |
| NEC | 1 | | | | NEC | 0 |
| NEC | 1 | 4 April | 4 April | | | |
| Feyenoord | 0 | 4 April | 4 April | | | |
| Feyenoord | 0 | NEC | 1 | | | |
| 14 March | 14 March | | NEC | 1 | | | |
| 14 March | 14 March | AZ'67 | 0 | |
| AZ'67 | 1 | AZ'67 | 0 | |
| FC Twente | 0 | | | |

### Details of the final

NAC would participate in the Cup Winners' Cup.