the knvb cup () is a competition in the netherlands organized by the royal dutch football association (knvb) since 1899. it was based on the format of the english fa cup. outside of the netherlands, it is often referred to as the dutch cup. the tournament consists of all teams from the top two leagues of dutch football (the eredivisie and eerste divisie), as well as the top four teams from each of the six third tier of dutch football (hoofdklasse), while the remaining teams are drawn from the fourth tier (eerste klasse). the finals of the tournament usually takes place in de kuip, and has been held there every season since 1988. the winners of the cup compete against the winners of the eredivisie for the johan cruijff shield, which is the first game of the following season.