Willem II Tilburg

Established on 12 August 1896 in Tilburg by Marten Evert van Kuiken as Tilburgia, the club first played at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark Tilburg and in 1995 relocated to the Koning Willem II Stadion, the ground where they have played ever since. Willem were champions of the Eredivisie in 1916, 1952 and 1955. The Tricolores also won two KNVB Cups in 1944 and 1963 and were also crowned champs of the Eerste Divisie in 1958, 1965 and 2014. The Royal Dutch Football Association called the affair "the most concrete case of match fixing in the Netherlands" and took legal action as well as asking UEFA and FIFA to reevaluate previous matches. In 2019, Willem II reached the KNVB Cup final for the fourth time in their history. They beat AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out, but were heavily beaten by in the final by Ajax. The fans of Willem II have close links with the fans of English championship club Bristol City. Willem supporters have been known to travel to Bristol, with Bristol City fans heading the other way to Tilburg. At Bristol City's game on 31 October 2009 against Sheffield Wednesday, some Willem II fans were seen in the 'Eastend' of the Ashton Gate Stadium, and songs were sung about Willem II by City fans. On 3 August 2024, the teams played each other for the first time in a pre-season friendly at Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol. ==Rivalries==

Willem II longest-running and deepest rivalry is with their neighbour, NAC Breda. This rivalry originated in the 1920s. Matches between the two are referred to as the derby of Brabant. The two cities of Breda and Tilburg are just 20 kilometres apart, leading to an intense feeling of a cross-town rivalry, heightened by a feeling that it is city against city with local pride at stake. ==Players==

Current squad Out on loan ==Notable players==

National team players The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with Willem II: • ;Armenia • Aras Özbiliz (2018–2019) • Norair Aslanyan (2013–2015) • ;Belgium • Tom Caluwé (2000–2006) • Geert De Vlieger (2000–2004) • Moussa Dembélé (2005–2006) • ;Burkina Faso • Ousmane Sanou (1996–2001) • ;Cape Verde • Josimar Lima (2009–2011) • ;Curaçao • Darryl Lachman (2016–2018) • Charlton Vicento (2014–2015) • Raymond Victoria (1998–2006) • Jason Wall (2013–2014) • Nuelson Wau (1999–2007; 2009) • ;Czech Republic • Tomáš Galásek (1996–2000) • ;Ecuador • Diego Palacios (2018–2019) • Jhonny Quiñónez (2019) • ;Finland • Sami Hyypiä (1995–1999) • Joonas Kolkka (1996–1998; 2011–2012) • Jukka Koskinen (1997–1999) • Veli Lampi (2010–2011) • Niki Mäenpää (2009–2011) • ;Gambia • Jatto Ceesay (1995–2005) • ;Ghana • Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (2020–2022) • ;Greece • Vangelis Pavlidis (2019–2021) • Marios Vrousai (2019–2020) • Konstantinos Tsimikas (2017–2018) • Kostas Lamprou (2014–2017, 2022–2023) • ;Guinea • Sékou Soumah (1992–1995) • Mohamed Sylla (1989–1995) • ;Hungary • Csaba Fehér (2005–2006) • Zsombor Kerekes (2005–2007) • ;Indonesia • Nathan Tjoe-A-On (2025-Present) • Thom Haye (2016–2018) • Ole Romeny (2020–2021) • ;Israel • Ben Sahar (2014–2015) • ;Kosovo • Donis Avdijaj (2018–2019) • ;Luxembourg • Aurélien Joachim (2012–2013) • ;Morocco • Youssef Mariana (2000–2004) • Adil Ramzi (1998–2000) • Tarik Sektioui (2000–2004) • ;Netherlands • Tinus van Beurden (1910–1926) • Jan Brooijmans (1954–1967) • Sjel de Bruyckere (1950–1956) • Jan Gielens (1924–1925) • Gerrit Horsten (1922–1925) • Jo Jole (1922–1923) • Coy Koopal (1956–1964) • Denny Landzaat (1999–2003; 2014) • Huub de Leeuw (1928–1939) • Herman van Loon (1928–1931) • Sjef Mertens (1945–1961) • Toine van Mierlo (1979–1981; 1982–1983) • Netherlands (continued) • Harry Mommers (1909–1925) • Jo Mommers (1946–1955) • Jan van Roessel (1951–1957) • Jos van Son (1912–1929) • Piet Stevens (1916–1924) • Henk Vriens (1961–1973) • ;New Zealand • James McGarry (2018–2020) • Michael Woud (2018–2021) • ;Northern Ireland • James Quinn (2002–2005) • ;Peru • Renato Tapia (2019) • ;Sierra Leone • Ibrahim Kargbo (2006–2010) • ;Slovakia • Adam Němec (2015–2016) • ;Suriname • Jeredy Hilterman (2023–2024) • ;Sweden • Sebastian Holmén (2019–2021) • Alexander Isak (2019) • ;United States • Earnie Stewart (1990–1996) • Players in bold actively play for Willem II and for their respective national teams. Years in brackets indicate careerspan with Willem II. National team players by Confederation Member associations are listed in order of most to fewest current and former Willem II players represented internationally ==Players in international tournaments==

The following is a list of Willem II players who have competed in international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa América, Africa Cup of Nations, Amílcar Cabral Cup, and the Caribbean Cup. To this date no Willem II players have participated in the AFC Asian Cup, or the OFC Nations Cup while playing for Willem II. ==Domestic results==

↓ relegation ↑ promotion Below is a table with Willem II's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956. ==Club officials==

• National Football League Championship/Eredivisie • Winners (3): 1915–16, 1951–52, 1954–55 • Runners-up (1): 1998–99 • Eerste Divisie • Winners (4): 1956–57, 1964–65, 2013–14, 2023–24 • Runners-up (1): 1986–87 • KNVB Cup • Winners (2): 1943–44, 1962–63 • Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2018–19 ==See also==