Alkmaar Zaanstreek, better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ, is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaanstreek. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and hosts home matches at the AFAS Stadion. AZ has won the Eredivisie twice, in 1980–81 and 2008–09. In the same season as their first league title, they also reached the UEFA Cup Final, which they lost to Ipswich Town. In addition, the team has won the KNVB Cup on four occasions.

AFAS Stadion Alkmaar

Football Club Utrecht is a Dutch football club founded on 1 July 1970 and based in the city of Utrecht. The club's colours are red and white. FC Utrecht was founded in 1970 as a merger of three clubs from the city of Utrecht: VV DOS, USV Elinkwijk and Velox, the former of the three having won the national championship in 1958. FC Utrecht has won the KNVB Cup three times in, 1985, 2003 and 2004, also winning the Johan Cruijff Shield in 2004. After winning the Johan Cruijff Shield, Utrecht became the first club outside the "Big Three" of Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV to win the trophy. Utrecht is also the only club outside the Big Three that has never been relegated from the top-flight Eredivisie.