Overview
- AZ Alkmaar beat NEC Nijmegen 5-1 at De Kuip in Rotterdam in a Sunday final to claim the KNVB Beker, the Dutch national cup.
- Mees de Wit struck first on 32 minutes, with Sven Mijnans and Peer Koopmeiners adding goals before Kees Smit and Troy Parrott sealed it in stoppage time after Koki Ogawa’s reply.
- The trophy is AZ’s fifth Dutch Cup and their first since 2013, closing a 13-year wait for silverware in the competition.
- The title secures AZ a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League, adding continental games to the club’s 2026–27 schedule.
- Left-back Mateo Chávez was in the squad but did not play; local reports say a recent Conference League knock kept him out, and he now celebrates his first European title after joining from Chivas in July 2025 with about 30 appearances, 15 starts and two assists this season.