# KNVB Cup

The KNVB Beker (pronounced; English: KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO 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.

## History
### Early history

The first attempt to hold a knock-out competition open to all clubs in the Netherlands was made in 1894, with the winners receiving a trophy offered by H.M.C. Holdert, former president of V.V.A. (Amsterdam). Seven teams entered and the first ever cup match in the Netherlands was thus held on 11 February, between Haarlem and HFC, ending in a 3–1 win to the latter. However, no other match was played due to the withdraws of several teams, and the lack of interest shown by the clubs caused Holdert to withdraw his trophy, so the final between HFC and R.A.P. was canceled, but four years later, in January 1898, Holdert offered another cup, to be contested just like the English FA Cup, and thus the KNVB Cup was conceived during a board meeting of the Dutch Football Association, in The Hague, on 19 January 1898. Initially, it was decided to stage a competition for this new trophy already in the ongoing 1897–98 season, but the board had to cancel it after a prolonged stretch of bad weather in the first weeks of February had led to numerous match postponements in the western leagues.
The tournament finally began the following season, 1898–99. The first final was played on 9 May 1899 between RAP Amsterdam and HVV Den Haag, and ended in a 1–0 victory for the former thanks to a goal from Jan Hisgen in extra-time.
In 1946, the trophy was changed to one made out of silver, which was extremely rare in the immediate aftermath of World War II. That trophy remains in use today.

### Recent history

In 2018, a trophy colored in gold was commissioned to commemorate the 100th edition of the tournament.

### Name changes

Like many national cup competitions, the name of the tournament has changed with sponsorship. From 1995, the competition went from being the KNVB Beker to being known as the Amstel Cup after the then sponsor Amstel. On 16 August 2005, the name was changed to the Gatorade Cup after the drinks company Gatorade. In 2006, the name returned to being the KNVB Beker with Gatorade remaining as the principal sponsor.
On 12 January 2018, it was announced that TOTO would be the name sponsor of the KNVB Cup, until the 2021–22 season. The competition was renamed the TOTO KNVB Beker with immediate effect.

### European competition

Up until 1998, the winner of the cup entered into the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but with the abandonment of that tournament, the winner now goes into the UEFA Europa League. If the winning team has finished in the top two of the Eredivisie and thus gained entry into the UEFA Champions League, the berth will be redistributed to that season's Eredivisie.
In 1998, both KNVB Cup finalists, Ajax and PSV, gained entry in the Champions League, so a third-place play-off was played between the beaten semi-finalists, SC Heerenveen and FC Twente, to determine who would take the Cup Winners' Cup place.

## Past finals

| Season | Winner | Scorers | Result | Runner-up | Scorers | Venue | Att. |
| 1898–99 | RAP Amsterdam | Jan Hisgen 116' | 1–0 aet | HVV Den Haag | | | |
| 1899–1900 | Velocitas Breda | | 3–1 | Ajax Leiden | | | |
| 1900–01 | HBS Craeyenhout | | 4–3 | RAP Amsterdam | | | |
| 1901–02 | Haarlem | | 2–1 | HBS Craeyenhout | | | |
| 1902–03 | HVV Den Haag | | 6–1 | HBS Craeyenhout | | | |
| 1903–04 | HFC | | 3–1 | HVV Den Haag | | | |
| 1904–05 | VOC Rotterdam | | 3–0 | HBS Craeyenhout 2 | | | |
| 1905–06 | Concordia | | 3–2 | AC & VV Volharding | | | |
| 1906–07 | VOC Rotterdam | | 4–3 | Voorwaarts | | | |
| 1907–08 | HBS Craeyenhout 2 | | 3–1 | VOC Rotterdam | | | |
| 1908–09 | Quick Den Haag 2 | | 2–0 | VOC Rotterdam | | | |
| 1909–10 | Quick Den Haag 2 | | 2–0 | HVV Den Haag 2 | | | |
| 1910–11 | Quick Den Haag | | 1–0 | HFC Haarlem | | | |
| 1911–12 | Haarlem | | 2–0 | Vitesse | | | |
| 1912–13 | HFC | | 4–1 | DFC | | | |
| 1913–14 | DFC | | 3–2 | Haarlem | | | |
| 1914–15 | HFC | | 1–0 | HBS Craeyenhout | | | |
| 1915–16 | Quick Den Haag | | 2–1 | HBS Craeyenhout | | | |
| 1916–17 | Ajax | | 5–0 | VSV (Velsen) | | | |
| 1917–18 | RCH | | 2–1 | VVA | | | |
| 1918–19 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1919–20 | CVV | | 2–1 | VUC Den Haag | | | |
| 1920–21 | Schoten | | 2–1 | RFC | | | |
| 1921–24 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1924–25 | ZFC | | 5–1 | Xerxes | | | |
| 1925–26 | LONGA | | 5–2 | De Spartaan | | | |
| 1926–27 | VUC Den Haag | | 3–1 | Vitesse | | | |
| 1927–28 | RCH | Lourents van der Bend 30' (o.g.) Barend de Groot 70' (o.g.) | 2–0 | PEC | | Sportpark Berestein | 400 |
| 1928–29 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1929–30 | Feijenoord | Jaap Barendregt | 1–0 | Excelsior | | | |
| 1930–31 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1931–32 | DFC | | 5–4 | PSV | | | |
| 1932–33 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1933–34 | Velocitas Groningen | | 3–2 | Feijenoord | | | |
| 1934–35 | Feijenoord | Arie Paauwe Wim Groenendijk | 5–2 | Helmond | Drouwen Van der Velden | Stadion Kromme Zandweg | 12,000 |
| 1935–36 | RFC Roermond | | 4–2 | KFC | | | |
| 1936–37 | FC Eindhoven | | 1–0 | De Spartaan | | | |
| 1937–38 | VSV | | 4–1 | AGOVV | | | |
| 1938–39 | FC Wageningen | | 2–1 | PSV | | | |
| 1939–42 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1942–43 | Ajax | | 3–2 | DFC | | Olympic Stadium | |
| 1943–44 | Willem II | | 9–2 | Groene Ster | | Jan Louwers | |
| 1944–47 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1947–48 | Wageningen | | 0–0 2–1 pen | DWV | | Olympic Stadium | |
| 1948–49 | Quick 1888 | | 1–1 2–1 pen | Helmondia | | Jan Louwers | |
| 1949–50 | PSV | | 4–3 | HFC Haarlem | | De Kuip | |
| 1950–56 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1956–57 | Fortuna'54 | Appel 14' 80' 81' Angenent 78' | 4–2 | Feijenoord | Schouten 1' Aad Bak 42' | De Kuip | 35,000 |
| 1957–58 | Sparta | Bosselaar 8' Karregat 20' (o.g.) Geel 38' Verhoeven 69' | 4–3 | FC Volendam | Smit 18' Tol 41' Smit 70' | Olympic Stadium | 18,000 |
| 1958–59 | VVV | Teeuwen 23' Sleven 32' Klaassens 56' Schatorjé 70' | 4–1 | ADO Den Haag | Timmer 7' | Zuiderpark | 25,000 |
| 1959–60 | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played | Not played |
| 1960–61 | Ajax | Groot 78' 82' 88' | 3–0 | NAC Breda | – | De Meer | 16,000 |
| 1961–62 | Sparta | Van Miert 105' | 1–0 aet | DHC Delft | – | Het Kasteel | 12,000 |
| 1962–63 | Willem II | Louer 35' Aarts 46' Senders 81' | 3–0 | ADO Den Haag | – | Zuiderpark | |
| 1963–64 | Fortuna'54 | – | 0–0 4–3 pen | ADO Den Haag | – | Philips Stadion | 10,000 |
| 1964–65 | Feijenoord | Bouwmeester 88' | 1–0 | Go Ahead | – | De Kuip | 31,000 |
| 1965–66 | Sparta | Madsen 60' | 1–0 | ADO Den Haag | – | De Kuip | |
| 1966–67 | Ajax | Cruyff 64' Nuninga 99' | 2–1 aet | NAC Breda | Vesters 88' | De Meer | 21,000 |
| 1967–68 | ADO Den Haag | Schoenmaker 23' Aarts 28' | 2–1 | Ajax | Keizer 48' | Zuiderpark | 17,500 |
| 1968–69 | Feijenoord | Wery 27' | 1–1 aet | PSV | Radović 71' | De Kuip | 55,000 |
| 1968–69 | Feijenoord | Van Hanegem 47' Wery 84' | Replay 2–0 | PSV | – | De Kuip | 60,000 |
| 1969–70 | Ajax | Keizer 22' Cruijff 69' | 2–0 | PSV | – | De Vliert | 30,000 |
| 1970–71 | Ajax | Cruijff 62' 81' | 2–2 aet | Sparta | Kowalik 39' Visser 74' | De Kuip | 63,154 |
| 1970–71 | Ajax | Mühren 4' Johan Neeskens 52' | Replay 2–1 | Sparta | Walbeek 47' | De Kuip | 60,068 |
| 1971–72 | Ajax | Cruyff 34' Mühren 61' (pen.) Keizer 72' | 3–2 | FC Den Haag | van Eeden 68' Mansveld 85' (pen.) | De Kuip | 60,000 |
| 1972–73 | NAC Breda | Bish 10' Brouwers 75' | 2–0 | NEC | – | De Kuip | 45,801 |
| 1973–74 | PSV | Deijkers 10' R. van de Kerkhof 40' Edström 53' van der Kuijlen 51' 58' 90' | 6–0 | NAC Breda | – | De Kuip | |
| 1974–75 | FC Den Haag | Van Leeuwen 67' | 1–0 | FC Twente | – | De Kuip | |
| 1975–76 | PSV | Edström 98' | 1–0 aet | Roda JC | – | De Kuip | |
| 1976–77 | Twente | Drost 96' Mühren 105' Jeuring 110' | 3–0 aet | PEC Zwolle | – | De Goffert | 26,000 |
| 1977–78 | AZ | Van Rijnsoever 56' | 1–0 | Ajax | – | Olympic Stadium | 38,248 |
| 1978–79 | Ajax | Clarke 42' (pen.) | 1–1 aet | Twente | Meutstege 14' (o.g.) | De Kuip | 29,553 |
| 1978–79 | Ajax | Clarke 27' Tahamata 47' Schoenaker 66' | Replay 3–0 | Twente | – | De Kuip | 29,274 |
| 1979–80 | Feyenoord | Petursson 39' (pen.) De Leeuw 71' Petursson 75' | 3–1 | Ajax | Arnesen 19' | De Kuip | 50,340 |
| 1980–81 | AZ | Tol 24' Spelbos 59' Nygaard 74' | 3–1 | Ajax | Vanenburg 53' | Olympic Stadium | 32,591 |
| 1981–82 | AZ | – | 0–1 | FC Utrecht | Wouters 5' | Galgenwaard | 10,000 |
| 1981–82 | AZ | Oberacher 18' Kist 47' 57' (pen.) 76' Tol 77' | 5–1 | FC Utrecht | Carbo 27' | Alkmaarderhout | 12,000 |
| 1982–83 | Ajax | Lerby 47' Schoenaker 66' Ophof 86' | 3–1 | NEC | Mulderij 56' | De Meer | 7,700 |
| 1982–83 | Ajax | Vanenburg 46' 52' Cruyff 69' | 3–1 | NEC | Grim 60' | De Goffert | 24,000 |
| 1983–84 | Feyenoord | Houtman 72' | 1–0 | Fortuna Sittard | – | De Kuip | |
| 1984–85 | FC Utrecht | Van Loen 90' | 1–0 | Helmond Sport | – | Galgenwaard | 18,000 |
| 1985–86 | Ajax | Bosman 46' 80' Silooy 67' | 3–0 | RBC | – | De Meer | 23,000 |
| 1986–87 | Ajax | Bosman 11' 83' van Basten 104' 106' | 4–2 aet | FC Den Haag | Boere 43' Morley 66' | Zuiderpark | 8,600 |
| 1987–88 | PSV | Gerets 52' 85' Lerby 90+2' | 3–2 | Roda JC | H. Smeets 22' R. Smeets 64' | Willem II Stadion | 8,500 |
| 1988–89 | PSV | Romário 2' Ellerman 45' 53' Kieft 79' | 4–1 | Groningen | Meijer 78' | De Kuip | 9,483 |
| 1989–90 | PSV | Valckx 30' (pen.) | 1–0 | Vitesse | – | De Kuip | 34,000 |
| 1990–91 | Feyenoord | Witschge 8' | 1–0 | BVV Den Bosch | – | De Kuip | 52,000 |
| 1991–92 | Feyenoord | de Wolf 28' Taument 43' Kiprich 53' | 3–0 | Roda JC | – | De Kuip | 48,000 |
| 1992–93 | Ajax | Davids 7' Overmars 45' 89' Pettersson 71' Bergkamp 82' Petersen 87' | 6–2 | Heerenveen | Regtop 35' Cămătaru 90' | De Kuip | 45,000 |
| 1993–94 | Feyenoord | Heus 7' (pen.) van Loen 80' | 2–1 | N.E.C. | Dekker 90' | De Kuip | 43,000 |
| 1994–95 | Feyenoord | Taument 7' Obiku 82' | 2–1 | Volendam | Wasiman 47' | De Kuip | 48,146 |
| 1995–96 | PSV | Cocu 7' Vink 14' Veldman 65' (o.g.) Jonk 87' van der Doelen 90' | 5–2 | Sparta Rotterdam | van der Meer 45' D. de Nooijer 79' (pen.) | De Kuip | 35,000 |
| 1996–97 | Roda JC | Sibon 4' Senden 16' van der Luer 48' Schops 56' | 4–2 | Heerenveen | Korneev 12' Talan 83' | De Kuip | 48,000 |
| 1997–98 | Ajax | Babangida 25' Litmanen 38' 61' 84' Arveladze 79' | 5–0 | PSV | – | De Kuip | 22,500 |
| 1998–99 | Ajax | Grønkjær 12' 15' | 2–0 | Fortuna Sittard | – | De Kuip | 25,000 |
| 1999–2000 | Roda JC | Peeters 19' van der Luer 89' | 2–0 | NEC | – | De Kuip | 40,000 |
| 2000–01 | Twente | – | 0–0 aet 4–3 pen | PSV | – | De Kuip | 45,000 |
| 2001–02 | Ajax | Mido 21' Wamberto 90' Ibrahimović 93' | 3–2 aet | FC Utrecht | Gluščević 56' (pen.) 76' | De Kuip | 37,000 |
| 2002–03 | FC Utrecht | de Jong 39' Gluščević 49' 57' Kuyt 81' | 4–1 | Feyenoord | Kalou 73' | De Kuip | 45,000 |
| 2003–04 | FC Utrecht | van den Bergh 66' | 1–0 | Twente | – | De Kuip | 48,000 |
| 2004–05 | PSV | Bouma 45' Cocu 51' Park 74' Vennegoor of Hesselink 90' | 4–0 | Willem II | – | De Kuip | 35,000 |
| 2005–06 | Ajax | Huntelaar 48' 89' | 2–1 | PSV | Lamey 53' | De Kuip | 30,770 |
| 2006–07 | Ajax | Huntelaar 51' | 1–1 aet 8–7 pen | AZ | Dembélé 4' | De Kuip | 42,200 |
| 2007–08 | Feyenoord | Landzaat 8' de Guzmán 36' | 2–0 | Roda JC | – | De Kuip | 51,177 |
| 2008–09 | Heerenveen | Popov 27' Kalou 112' | 2–2 aet 5–4 pen | Twente | Elia 54' Hersi 118' | De Kuip | 45,000 |
| 2009–10 | Ajax | de Jong 6' 7' | 2–0 | Feyenoord | – | Amsterdam Arena | 37,283 |
| 2009–10 | Ajax | Suárez 4' 82' de Jong 64' 77' | 4–1 | Feyenoord | Tomasson 72' | De Kuip | 35,000 |
| 2010–11 | Twente | Brama 45' Janssen 56' Janko 117' | 3–2 aet | Ajax | De Zeeuw 18' Ebecilio 40' | De Kuip | 45,000 |
| 2011–12 | PSV | Toivonen 21' Mertens 56' Lens 63' | 3–0 | Heracles Almelo | – | De Kuip | 50,000 |
| 2012–13 | AZ | Maher 12' Altidore 14' | 2–1 | PSV | Locadia 31' | De Kuip | 50,000 |
| 2013–14 | PEC Zwolle | Thomas 8' 12' Fernandez 22' 34' van Polen 50' | 5–1 | Ajax | van Rhijn 3' | De Kuip | 42,500 |
| 2014–15 | FC Groningen | Rusnák 64' 75' | 2–0 | PEC Zwolle | – | De Kuip | 46,193 |
| 2015–16 | Feyenoord | Kramer 42' Elia 75' | 2–1 | FC Utrecht | Leeuwin 51' | De Kuip | 45,592 |
| 2016–17 | Vitesse | Van Wolfswinkel 81' 88' | 2–0 | AZ Alkmaar | – | De Kuip | 46,105 |
| 2017–18 | Feyenoord | Jörgensen 28' Van Persie 57' Toornstra 90+3' | 3–0 | AZ Alkmaar | – | De Kuip | 46,084 |
| 2018–19 | Ajax | Blind 38' Huntelaar 39', 67' Kristensen 76' | 4–0 | Willem II | – | De Kuip | 45,709 |
| 2019–20 | Final between Utrecht and Feyenoord not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | Final between Utrecht and Feyenoord not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | Final between Utrecht and Feyenoord not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | Final between Utrecht and Feyenoord not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | Final between Utrecht and Feyenoord not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | De Kuip | N/A |
| 2020–21 | Ajax | Gravenberch 23' Neres 90+1' | 2–1 | Vitesse | Openda 30' | De Kuip | 0 |
| 2021–22 | PSV | Gutiérrez 48' Gakpo 50' | 2–1 | Ajax | Gravenberch 23' | De Kuip | 47,500 |
| 2022–23 | PSV | T. Hazard 67' | 1–1 aet 3–2 pen | Ajax | Branthwaite 42' (o.g.) | De Kuip | 40,650 |
| 2023–24 | Feyenoord | Paixão 59' | 1–0 | NEC Nijmegen | – | De Kuip | 42,140 |

### Number of titles

| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Winning years |
| Ajax | 20 | 8 | 1917, 1943, 1961, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2019, 2021 |
| Feyenoord | 14 | 4 | 1930, 1935, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2024 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 11 | 8 | 1950, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2022, 2023 |
| AZ | 4 | 3 | 1978, 1981, 1982, 2013 |
| Quick (H) | 4 | – | 1909, 1910, 1911, 1916 |
| FC Twente | 3 | 4 | 1977, 2001, 2011 |
| FC Utrecht | 3 | 3 | 1985, 2003, 2004 |
| Sparta Rotterdam | 3 | 2 | 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| HFC | 3 | – | 1904, 1913, 1915 |
| ADO Den Haag | 2 | 6 | 1968, 1975 |
| HBS Craeyenhout | 2 | 5 | 1901, 1908 |
| Roda JC | 2 | 4 | 1997, 2000 |
| Haarlem | 2 | 3 | 1902, 1912 |
| DFC | 2 | 2 | 1914, 1932 |
| VOC Rotterdam | 2 | 2 | 1905, 1907 |
| Willem II | 2 | 2 | 1944, 1963 |
| Fortuna'54 | 2 | – | 1957, 1964 |
| Wageningen | 2 | – | 1939, 1948 |
| RCH | 2 | – | 1918, 1928 |
| Vitesse | 1 | 4 | 2017 |
| PEC Zwolle | 1 | 3 | 2014 |
| NAC Breda | 1 | 3 | 1973 |
| HVV Den Haag | 1 | 3 | 1903 |
| Heerenveen | 1 | 2 | 2009 |
| FC Groningen | 1 | 1 | 2015 |
| VSV | 1 | 1 | 1938 |
| VUC Den Haag | 1 | 1 | 1927 |
| RAP Amsterdam | 1 | 1 | 1899 |
| VVV | 1 | – | 1959 |
| Quick 1888 | 1 | – | 1949 |
| FC Eindhoven | 1 | – | 1937 |
| Roermond | 1 | – | 1936 |
| Velocitas Groningen | 1 | – | 1934 |
| LONGA | 1 | – | 1926 |
| ZFC | 1 | – | 1925 |
| Schoten | 1 | – | 1921 |
| CVV | 1 | – | 1920 |
| Concordia | 1 | – | 1906 |
| Velocitas Breda | 1 | – | 1900 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Includes 2 for second team.
* ↑ Includes 1 for second team.

## Media coverage

The broadcast rights are included in the KNVB broadcast rights package, which also include the Johan Cruyff Shield.

### Netherlands

The KNVB Cup is currently broadcast live by the ESPN channels.

### International

| Country/Region | Broadcaster |
| Americas  Argentina  Bolivia  Chile  Colombia  Costa Rica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  El Salvador  Guatemala  Honduras  Nicaragua  Panama  Paraguay  Peru  United States  Uruguay  Venezuela | Gol TV |
| Austria | Sportdigital |
| Germany | Sportdigital |
| Switzerland | Sportdigital |
| Balkans  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Croatia  Montenegro  North Macedonia  Serbia  Slovenia | Sport Klub |
| Baltics  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania | Go3 Sport |
| Belgium | Play Sports |
| Bulgaria | Max Sport |
| Cyprus | Cablenet |
| Israel | Charlton |
| Nordics  Denmark  Finland  Norway  Sweden | Viaplay |
| Russia | Match! TV |