Ajax to take on AZ after Dutch Cup last 16 draw; Four amateur football teams remain

The draw for the remaining 16 men’s football teams in the Dutch Cup means second-place Amsterdam club Ajax will travel north to face sixth-place AZ in Alkmaar. The draw was organized by football association KNVB on Friday, with four of the last 16 teams fighting for the trophy, known locally as the KNVB Beker, being amateur sides.

While the AZ-Ajax tie could be the most exciting match of the round from a sports perspective, amateur team Quick Boys will again face an Eredivisie team. They will host SC Heerenveen in Katwijk, having just eliminated Fortuna Sittard..

Two amateur clubs will face each other when Noordwijk hosts Barendrecht, meaning at least one amateur team will appear in the quarter final of the competition. The fourth amateur side, Rijnsburgse Boys, will face Feyenoord at home.

The first amateur team to book their place in the last 16 was Quick Boys, who defeated Eredivisie team Fortuna Sittard 3-1 on Tuesday evening. This was followed by Noordwijk also beating an Eredivisie side in Willem II. The Noordwijkers beat the 11th-placed team 2-1 at home.

Rijnsburgse Boys defeated second-division side FC Volendam 2-0 to book their place in the next round while Barendrecht won the all-amateur match against Eemdijk 1-6 to advance.

The furthest an amateur team has gone in the KNVB Beker is the semi-finals. The last team to do this was Spakenburg, who reached the stage last year before they were beaten 1-2 by PSV, who went on to win the competition. VVSB (2016) and IJsselmeervogels (1976) were the other two teams to achieve this feat.

There are 10 Eredivisie teams left in the competition and two second-division sides in addition to the four amateur teams.