FC Volendam confirmed Heracles Almelo's Eredivisie relegation on April 27, 2026, with a crucial victory. This defeat marked the inevitable end of Heracles' stay in the top Dutch football league, while the club from just north of Amsterdam significantly boosted its own survival hopes.

Heracles' relegation had been looming for a few weeks, but it was FC Volendam that delivered the final blow. Much criticism will be directed at Heracles' decision to bring in Ernest Faber as both head coach and sporting director. Faber was unable to deliver any meaningful results on the pitch, raising questions about how the club can trust him in his full-time sporting director role, as analyst Kenneth Perez has already noted.

Perez called the relegation a 'failure,' an assessment no one can argue against. The Almelo-based side started the season with Bas Sibum as head coach. This proved to be a mistake, as Sibum was unable to build upon what previous head coach Erwin van de Looi had done at the club. Sibum was only in charge for 10 games, losing nine and winning just one.

Inevitably, Sibum was sacked, with Hendrie Krüzen taking over. Krüzen, a former assistant at Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, immediately began to improve the situation in Almelo. After just one win in 10, Heracles went unbeaten in four under Krüzen, with three wins and one draw. Things were looking up.

The positive trend, however, was broken when Ernest Faber was then brought in. While Faber has plenty of experience managing in the Netherlands, he could not reverse the downward spiral. The decision to place him in a dual role is now critically viewed as a significant factor in Heracles' eventual relegation.

FC Volendam's victory was not only a blow to Heracles but also a lifeline for their own Eredivisie ambitions. As Heracles prepares for a return to the second tier of Dutch football, FC Volendam has reignited its hopes of staying up by securing these crucial three points.