# 2017–18 Eredivisie
The 2017–18 [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) was the 62nd season of the Dutch top-flight football league, contested by 18 clubs over 34 matchdays from 11 August 2017 to May 2018, and won by [PSV Eindhoven](https://www.edgepedia.org/psv-eindhoven), whose 3–0 victory over Ajax on 15 April 2018 sealed the club's 24th Dutch championship with three rounds to spare.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champions | PSV Eindhoven, 83 points from 34 matches (26 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses, 87 goals for, 39 against); 24th Dutch title[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) • [1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) |
| Title decided | 3–0 home win over second-placed Ajax on 15 April 2018, through goals by Gastón Pereiro, Luuk de Jong, and Steven Bergwijn, giving PSV a ten-point lead with three matches left[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) |
| Runners-up | Ajax, 79 points (25–4–5), scoring 89 and conceding 33, the best attack and defense in the league[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) |
| Relegated | FC Twente, 18th with 24 points; Sparta Rotterdam (27 points) and Roda JC Kerkrade (30 points) entered the relegation play-offs[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) |
| Season totals | 306 matches, 73 draws, 960 goals, 975 yellow cards and 47 red cards (22 straight, 25 after a second yellow)[3](https://www.voetbalstats.nl/listjaarere.php?seizoenid=63) |
| Leading scorer at PSV | Hirving Lozano, 17 league goals; PSV's average home league attendance was 33,344[4](https://fbref.com/en/comps/23/2017-2018/2017-2018-Eredivisie-Stats) |
| European places | PSV qualified for the Champions League via their league finish; Feyenoord earned a Europa League third qualifying round berth by winning the KNVB Cup[4](https://fbref.com/en/comps/23/2017-2018/2017-2018-Eredivisie-Stats) |
## PSV's championship season
PSV, coached by Philip Cocu, opened on 12 August 2017 against AZ, recovering from a 0–1 deficit to win 3–2 after a European elimination by Osijek had dented the team's confidence.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) The first defeat came in round four at sc Heerenveen, 2–0, a match in which [Hirving Lozano](https://www.edgepedia.org/hirving-lozano) was sent off in the 37th minute for a foul on [Denzel Dumfries](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-dumfries), ending his run of scoring in each of the season's first three league matches.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) • [5](https://as.com/us/2017/09/10/futbol/1505054948_772338.html)
**A title-winning run.** A 1–0 home win over the defending champions [Feyenoord](https://www.edgepedia.org/feyenoord) in the first top-of-the-table meeting started a sequence of ten consecutive victories, including a 7–1 win at [FC Utrecht](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-utrecht) on 24 September 2017 that the KNVB's match report singled out as the most impressive result of the run.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) PSV's consistency was the defining feature of the season: the club recorded 26 wins in its first 31 league matches, and the KNVB report concluded that no questions could be raised about the side's right to the title.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland)
The race briefly reopened when Ajax beat PSV 3–0 in Amsterdam on 10 December, and PSV conceded a stoppage-time 3–3 at [FC Groningen](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-groningen) three days later, but a further run of seven straight wins restored control. A 3–1 win at Feyenoord's De Kuip on 25 February 2018, combined with Ajax's 0–0 draw at [ADO Den Haag](https://www.edgepedia.org/ado-den-haag), put PSV seven points clear again, and a 5–0 loss at Willem II proved a rare slip in an otherwise dominant campaign.[1](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland)
## The rest of the table
Ajax finished second with 79 points, four behind PSV, and owned the league's best attack (89 goals) and best defense (33 conceded).[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) Its season included an 8–0 league win away to [NAC Breda](https://www.edgepedia.org/nac-breda) on 18 November 2017, after a 0–0 first half.[6](https://www.afc-ajax.info/nl/seizoen-competitie/2017-18/eredivisie) AZ took third place with 71 points and Feyenoord, the defending champion, fourth with 66.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) Feyenoord's European place came through the cup rather than the league: winning the [KNVB Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/knvb-cup) qualified the club for a Europa League third qualifying round berth, while the Europa League play-off places went to the teams finishing fifth through eighth, FC Utrecht, Vitesse, ADO Den Haag, and sc Heerenveen.[4](https://fbref.com/en/comps/23/2017-2018/2017-2018-Eredivisie-Stats) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html)
**Relegation.** [FC Twente](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-twente), champion as recently as 2010, finished last with 24 points from 5 wins and 9 draws and were relegated directly.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) [Sparta Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/sparta-rotterdam) (27 points) and [Roda JC Kerkrade](https://www.edgepedia.org/roda-jc-kerkrade) (30 points) finished 17th and 16th and went into the promotion/relegation play-offs (Nacompetitie).[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html) NAC Breda and VVV-Venlo, 14th and 15th on 34 points each, finished above the play-off line.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html)
## Season statistics and context
Across 306 matches the league produced 960 goals, with 73 draws; referees issued 975 yellow cards and 47 red cards, 22 of them straight dismissals and 25 after a second booking.[3](https://www.voetbalstats.nl/listjaarere.php?seizoenid=63) The final round was colored positively by [Alireza Jahanbakhsh](https://www.edgepedia.org/alireza-jahanbakhsh), ADO Den Haag, and [Steven Berghuis](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-berghuis), alongside less positive incidents including smoke bombs, in the reporting of the 34th matchday.[7](https://www.fcupdate.nl/voetbalnieuws/2018/05/eredivisie-groenendijks-sprookjes-rookbommen-en-bizot-imitatie)
The season also sat at the start of a technological change: the KNVB's 2017/18 annual report records that the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR) in the Eredivisie followed a testing trajectory that included the TOTO KNVB Beker, the play-offs, and the Johan Cruijff Schaal.[8](https://knvb.h5mag.com/knvb/jaarverslag_2017-18/bestuursverslag/74656/KNVB_Bestuursverslag_2017__18.pdf)
## References
1. [PSV voor de 24e keer kampioen van Nederland, KNVB (15 April 2018)](https://www.knvb.nl/nieuws/betaald-voetbal/eredivisie/47743/psv-voor-de-24e-keer-kampioen-van-nederland)
2. [Netherlands 2017/18, RSSSF](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/ned2018.html)
3. [Eredivisie 2017/2018 – Uitslagen, Stand & Statistieken, Voetbalstats.nl](https://www.voetbalstats.nl/listjaarere.php?seizoenid=63)
4. [2017-2018 Eredivisie Stats, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/comps/23/2017-2018/2017-2018-Eredivisie-Stats)
5. [Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano termina racha al ser expulsado; cae el PSV, AS (10 September 2017)](https://as.com/us/2017/09/10/futbol/1505054948_772338.html)
6. [2017-2018 Eredivisie, AFC-Ajax.info](https://www.afc-ajax.info/nl/seizoen-competitie/2017-18/eredivisie)
7. [ErediVisie: Groenendijks sprookjes, rookbommen en Bizot-imitatie, FCUpdate (May 2018)](https://www.fcupdate.nl/voetbalnieuws/2018/05/eredivisie-groenendijks-sprookjes-rookbommen-en-bizot-imitatie)
8. [KNVB Bestuursverslag 2017/'18](https://knvb.h5mag.com/knvb/jaarverslag_2017-18/bestuursverslag/74656/KNVB_Bestuursverslag_2017__18.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › Domestic leagues and league seasons › Other European domestic leagues › Western, Central, and Nordic top-flight league seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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