Bizarre – if you want promotion, you have to lose

What sounds like something out of a football comedy could actually play out in the Netherlands.

FC Den Bosch have found themselves in a bizarre scenario where losing their final game of the season might actually increase their chances of promotion. Yes—losing, not winning.

On Friday, they take on ADO Den Haag. Normally, the objective is simple: win the match, collect the points, and end the campaign on a high note. But in this case, victory could backfire. The reason lies in the Netherlands’ unusually complex league format, where the season is split into multiple “periods.”

Each of these mini-competitions awards a playoff spot to its winner, while the top two teams in the overall table earn automatic promotion. The remaining playoff places are distributed among period winners and the best-ranked teams who haven’t already qualified.

To make things even messier, reserve sides like Jong PSV are not allowed to be promoted. When they occupy qualifying spots, those places get passed down the table, creating even more confusion in the standings.

Here’s where things take a strange turn. If Vitesse Arnhem ends up winning the final period, Den Bosch could miss out on the playoffs entirely—even if they sit ninth in the table.

And here’s the twist: beating Den Haag would actually help that scenario unfold. By taking points off ADO, Den Bosch would indirectly boost Vitesse’s chances of winning the period.

On the flip side, a loss would keep Den Haag ahead of Vitesse. In that case, the extra playoff spot would fall to the highest-ranked team still without a ticket—which would be Den Bosch.

So, incredibly, defeat could be more beneficial than victory. One thing’s certain: the final round in the Dutch second division could deliver one of the strangest situations football has ever seen.