The 2025/26 season for Vitesse Arnhem was defined by an extraordinary, chaotic battle for survival both off and on the pitch. After initially being stripped of their professional license by the KNVB in the summer due to severe financial irregularities and debts, the 133-year-old club secured a dramatic, eleventh-hour legal reprieve in September 2025 to be readmitted to the Eerste Divisie. Burdened with a 12-point deduction and a severely depleted squad following an mass exodus of contracted players during the licensing limbo, the team had to rapidly rebuild with free agents and academy graduates under new manager Rüdiger Rehm. Despite starting the campaign late and firmly on the back foot, Vitesse showed incredible resilience, leveraging the league’s distinct period system to even flirt with an unlikely playoff push before ultimately stabilizing to secure their professional status and a 15th-place finish with 44 points