It was a terrible campaign for Ajax: a joint-worst points finish since 1963 forced them to appear in the Eredivisie play-offs for a ticket for the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.
The Amsterdam side, then managed by Spaniard Oscar Garcia, survived, beating FC Groningen 2-0 and FC Utrecht on penalties in Volendam, where Ajax were forced to play due to Harry Styles' 10-concert residency in the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
Winning the play-offs earned Ajax, four-time winners of the UEFA Champions League, a place in the second round of the UEFA Conference League qualifying phase. Flashscore maps out Ajax's route to the League Phase.
Ajax's road to the Conference League's league phase
Second qualifying round
In the second round of UEFA Conference League qualifying, Ajax will face Serbian side Vojvodina Novi Sad. Vojvodina Novi Sad finished second in the Championship Group of the Serbian Super Liga, three points ahead of traditional giants Partizan.
In the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, Vojvodina Novi Sad lost 5-1 on aggregate to Hungarian side Ferencvaros.
It's the second time that Ajax face Vojvodina Novi Sad in European qualifying, having faced them in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers in 2024. Ajax beat Vojvodina Novi Sad 4-1 on aggregate in what were Francesco Farioli's first games in charge of the Amsterdam outfit.
Ajax have already equalled that scoreline in the first leg, with Davy Klaassen, Steven Berghuis, Oscar Gloukh, and debutant Mohamed Abdalla earning Ajax a 4-1 win in the first leg in Serbia. Davy Klaassen and an Oscar Gloukh hat trick put the same scoreline on the Johan Cruyff ArenA's scoreboard one week later.
Thursday, July 23rd: Vojvodina Novi Sad (SER) - Ajax (1-4)
Thursday, July 30th: Ajax - Vojvodina Novi Sad (SER) (4-1)
Third qualifying round
In the third qualifying round, Ajax faced Irish side Shelbourne.
Irish side Shelbourne finished third in the 2025 Irish Premier Division, but were in fifth after 25 rounds of the 2026 season, eight points removed from the European spots and trailing leaders Shamrock Rovers by 16 points.
Ajax dominated the first leg in Amsterdam, but despite recording a massive xG of 6.08, the Amsterdam giants only took a two-goal margin with them to Dublin. It was a shameful, poor outing in Ireland, where Shelbourne pulled a 2-2 draw out of their big bag of tricks, but it was enough for Ajax to seal a spot in the play-offs.
Thursday, August 6th: Ajax - Shelbourne (IRE) (3-1)
Thursday, August 13th: Shelbourne (IRE) - Ajax (2-2)
Play-offs
In the UEFA Conference League play-offs, Ajax face FC Sion from Switzerland.
FC Sion, two-time Swiss champions, finished fourth in the Swiss Super League and qualified for the second round of UEFA Conference League qualifying. Sion's last venture into Europe was in 2017, when they lost 4-1 on aggregate to Lithuanian side Suduva in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
It was a false start for Ajax in Switzerland, where a poor first half saw them head into the break down a goal after Frank Surdez scored for Sion. Ajax recovered admirably following the break, scoring via Julian Brandt, Marcos Leonardo, Tolu, and Davy Klaassen, but conceding from a penalty to head to Amsterdam with a two-goal lead.
In Amsterdam, a good start sent Ajax en route to the UEFA Conference League when Youri Baas scored after 40 seconds. A first-half meltdown saw them go down again, but another remarkable recovery saw them take a 3-2 lead through Davy Klaassen and Tolu. The Nigerian striker and Oliver Edvardsen all but secured a League Phase ticket for Ajax in the second half, while Winsley Boteli finished a hat-trick in the dying minutes.
Thursday, August 20th: Sion (SWI) - Ajax (2-4)
Thursday, August 27th: Ajax - Sion (SWI) (5-3)
Paul Winters is Flashscore's Netherlands country manager, having previously worked for Flashscore's Netherlands desk. Paul is an expert on the Eredivisie and also specialises in the NFL, as well as a plethora of other sports. Residing in 'sunny' Katwijk, you can follow all of the news from the Netherlands here.
You can find Paul on X and LinkedIn.
