New Hoofdklasse season kicks off at the end of September

These dates are set out in the new Hoofdklasse fixture list published by the KNHB. The season begins a few weeks later than usual due to the World Cup, which is being held from 15 to 30 August in Amsterdam and Waver.

Another notable change is that the matches in each match round will no longer be split between Saturday and Sunday. All weekend matches will be played on Sunday, with the exception of a full round of men’s matches on Saturday 28 November.

‘The KNHB had previously scheduled matches on Saturdays at the request of the HHcv (the body representing, amongst other things, the media interests of Hoofdklasse clubs, ed.) and in line with their media agreements with ViaPlay, as well as to spread media coverage more evenly,’ the hockey association reports. ‘From next season onwards, at the HHcv’s request, matches will once again be played on Sundays as much as possible, following last season’s move to reschedule some matches back to Sundays.’

In the men’s and women’s leagues, eighteen match rounds will be played at the weekends. In addition, four midweek matches have been scheduled throughout the season: two before and two after the winter break, all of which will be played on Thursdays. The women will play their first midweek fixture on 8 October, and the men on 22 October. The winter break begins for the men on 28 November. The women will play their final match of 2026 a day later.

The second half of the season begins on 14 March for both the women’s and men’s teams. The play-off semi-finals are scheduled for 15 and 17 May, with the finals taking place a week later. The promotion/relegation play-offs will be played on 29 and 30 May.

View the Staatsloterij Hoofdklassefixture list here.