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Dutch Clubs Set for Contrasting European Journeys
Both ties are scheduled to begin on 23 July, with return legs on 30 July. Ajax will travel away first before welcoming their opponents to Amsterdam a week later. Twente, on the other hand, get the luxury of starting at home before heading out for the second leg.
Their actual opponents depend on what happens between Serbian side FK Vojvodina and Hungarian club Ferencváros in the opening Europa League qualifying round. Those two legs are set for 9 and 16 July, with the first match taking place at the Karađorđe Stadium in Novi Sad, Serbia. Twente will take on whichever side wins that tie, while Ajax steps in against the losing team.
For Ajax, 23 July carries extra significance. It will mark the first competitive game under new head coach Míchel, who joined the Amsterdam club in June 2026 after his stint at Girona. He inherits a side that badly underperformed last season, finishing fifth in the Eredivisie with just 56 points — their lowest league return since 1962. Ajax only secured European football at all by defeating FC Utrecht on penalties in the playoff final. It was a hard way to get here, and Míchel will be eager to make an early statement.
Twente's Rise Meets European Ambition
FC Twente arrive at this stage in a completely different headspace. They clinched fourth place in the Eredivisie after a strong run of form that followed the appointment of John van den Brom as manager. The 59-year-old has made such an impression that the club handed him a contract extension running through to 2027.
As for the teams they may face, both Vojvodina and Ferencváros have stories of their own. Vojvodina finished second in the Serbian Super Liga last season, ending up 10 points behind champions Red Star Belgrade. Ferencváros, meanwhile, had been the dominant force in Hungarian football, winning seven straight NB I titles from 2019. But that remarkable run came to an end last season when ETO FC Győr pipped them to the championship by just a single point on the final day. It was a painful finish for a club used to collecting trophies, and they will be hungry to make their mark in Europe this summer.
