AZ Alkmaar travels to Sparta Rotterdam with the belt on the line
AZ Alkmaar bring the lineal championship belt to Sparta Rotterdam on November 22nd, 2026, having defended it 11 times in their current reign. The belt passes to whoever wins this Eredivisie clash, with no committees involved—just the result on the pitch.
Worth watching
- AZ Alkmaar's 6-0-1 season record against Sparta Rotterdam's struggling 1-4-2 form
- Sparta's two-game losing streak including a 0–4 home defeat versus AZ's recent W 1–0 vs Telstar
- Historical dominance: AZ lead the all-time series 27-5-10 and won both meetings in 2026 and 2025
The numbers
AZ Alkmaar enter as Elo favorites with strong underlying numbers: a 6-0-1 record this season and four wins in their last five games including a 5–2 victory and a 3–2 result. Sparta Rotterdam have dropped their last two matches by a combined 0–6 margin and sit at just 1-4-2 on the season. The head-to-head history heavily favors the visitors at 27-5-10 all-time, with AZ winning the last two meetings 3-1 and 1-0.
AZ Alkmaar's superior form and dominant head-to-head record make them the clear favorite to retain the belt. Their 6-0-1 season stands in stark contrast to Sparta's 1-4-2 mark, and the visitors have won both recent meetings by 3-1 and 1-0 scorelines. While Sparta have shown they can find the net—evidenced by their 3–3 draw with FC Utrecht and 2–2 result against PEC Zwolle—their back-to-back losses of 1–2 and 0–4 suggest defensive vulnerabilities that AZ should exploit. The belt stays with the visitors in a competitive but ultimately controlled road win.
Written by Claude from the stats on this page: a for-fun editorial call, not betting advice or a guarantee. If it stops being fun, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-522-4700.