For Ajax, the possibility of winning the Eredivisie looms large in the minds of everyone. It looked as if they had it tied up as last season reached its denouement, only for the club to throw it away in spectacular fashion and hand the title to PSV Eindhoven.
That resulted in a change of management, so John Heitinga needs to make sure that he uses his pre-season wisely in order to prepare his charges for the challenges to come in the 2025-2026 campaign. It won’t be easy to help his players recover mentally from the disappointment of last time, but here is a look at how he plans to do it.
How the Season Proper Gets Underway
In order to understand the importance of the pre-season period, it is first key to have a look at how Ajax’s Eredivisie season is due to start. After all, Heitinga needs to prepare for the long term, but there’s no point gearing his side up to face a possession-based team early doors if his first five games come against long-ball merchants.
Their first game of the new campaign will see them take on Telstar at home, after which will be an away game versus Go Ahead Eagles. Then it’s back to the Johan Cruyff ArenA for a game against Heracles Almelo before an away game versus Volendam ends the month.
@teamajaxnl ❌❌❌ trainingen 25/26 #fyp #❌❌❌ #fyp #fyp #ajaxamsterdam #❌❌❌ ♬ original sound – ICT Star 🌟
In other words, the team that Ajax will face in August that finished the highest in the 2024-2025 Dutch league is Go Ahead Eagles, who came seventh and finished 27 points behind de Godenzonen. Telstar and Volendam were both promoted out of the Eerste Divisie, with the former of those two returning to the Eredivisie for the first time in 47 years. The other game that Ajax had in August is against a Heracles Almelo side that finished just 12 points above the relegation zone. In terms of starts, Heitinga couldn’t have asked for a nicer one and will be able to bear that in mind.
A Full Pre-Season
Ajax have organised a pretty full pre-season this summer, which is to be expected in terms of it being John Heitinga’s first opportunity to get his ideas across to his players. Here is a look at the games that are planned at the moment:
| Date | Opposition | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 5th of July | Hibernian FC | Behind Closed Doors at Sportpark De Toekomst |
| 12th of July | Aarhus GF | Sportpark ‘t Achterveen |
| 16th of July | PAOK | Behind Closed Doors at Sportpark De Toekomst |
| 19th of July | KV Mechelen | Sportpark Bovenmolen |
| 24th of July | Celtic | Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia |
| 26th or 27th of July | Unknown | Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia |
The game on the 26th or 27th of July will have opposition decided on nearer the time. That is because the match against Celtic is part of the Como Cup, with the game a few days later being the second match of the tournament that will be against another team that has progressed.
IS THERE A MORE SCENIC STADIUM TO PLAY IN THAN COMO FC?! 😍
Serie A side have just announced the summer pre-season tournament—Como Cup—involving themselves Ajax, Al Ahli, and Celtic ☀️
— Men in Blazers Media Network (@meninblazers.bsky.social) 3 June 2025 at 19:20
Regardless, it is good to see that Ajax have a full pre-season planned in terms of their matches. The first league game of the new Eredivisie season is scheduled for the tenth of August, so there will be time for the club to add more matches into the schedule before then if it seems as though they need it. The blind closed doors games will still be broadcast live on the club’s official channels, meaning that supporters will get a chance to see how the players are looking ahead of the beginning of the new campaign, which is precisely what most Ajax fans will want to do.
What Can Supporters Expect?
Heitinga already has his players back in training, with them returning on the 29th of June. They took on their first training session a day later, meaning that the Dutchman is already implementing his methods with them. They have until towards the end of September before the need to play one of the traditional top three sides, taking on PSV in Eindhoven on the 21st of the month. In terms of what supporters can expect from Heitinga, it is a difficult one to predict. His first match in charge of Ajax following Alfred Schreuder’s dismissal in 2023 was a 4-1 win against Excelsior.
In the September of 2023, he was appointed as the coach of the first-team for West Ham United under the management of David Moyes, who tends to prefer a more industrial style of play. Less than a month later, he arrived at Anfield as an assistant coach under fellow Dutchman Arne Slot for Liverpool as they went on to win their 20th top-flight title. Slot, of course, likes to dominate possession and is a much more interesting coach than Moyes. When he covered for Slot during a suspension, the Reds won 2-0 against Newcastle. It will be interesting to see Heitinga develop his own style of play.