Football’s most passionate rivalries transcend the sport. The epitome of the term “more than just a game”, they are football’s most compelling narratives.
The chants, cheers, taunts, celebrations, boos and banners relate to the match, of course. But they’re more than that. They’re evocative of life beyond the stadium – of often deeply divisive issues such as class warfare, conflicting political ideologies and racial hatred.
Fans turn stadiums into cauldrons. More often than not, decades upon decades’ worth of history threaten to boil over. Scores are to be settled, in every sense of the word.
The incredible atmosphere generated is unmatched by any other sporting contest on the planet.
Here’s our countdown to the 10 most passionate football rivalries in the world.
NB For each rivalry we’ve listed the two teams in alphabetical order. And our featured image of Boca Juniors fans @ La Bombonera during the Superclásico is by N i c o_.
10) Corinthians (São Paulo) vs Palmeiras (São Paulo)
• Country: Brazil
• League: Brasileirão
• Nickname: Derby Paulista
• First contested: 1917 (Palestra Itália won 3-0)
• Head-to-head record: Corinthians 118 | Palmeiras 121| draws 102
• Competitive games: 341
• The crux: Palestra Italia (later to become Palmeiras) formed when Corinthians members of Italian descent decided to form a club for their own community. Corinthians, created in the wake of an English team’s friendly tour of Brazil, deemed their breakaway team as “betrayers”.
Corinthians fans @ Pacaembu
Palmeiras fans @ Estádio Fonte Luminosa
9) Liverpool vs Manchester United
• Country: England
• League: Premier League
• Nickname: None
• First contested: 1894 (Liverpool won 2-0 (against Newton Heath))
• Head-to-head record: Liverpool 62 | Man Utd 73 | draws 51
• Competitive games: 186
• The crux: This rivalry has its roots in each city’s push for industrial supremacy in the 19th century, and may relate in particular to the Manchester Ship Canal. When completed in 1894, it resulted in an economic loss for Liverpool. The rivalry has an added edge thanks to the teams’ undeniably supremacy in the English game. Man Utd hold 19 league titles, while Liverpool have 18. Liverpool have won five European cups, while United have won three.
Liverpool fans @ Anfield
Manchester United fans @ Old Trafford
8) Ajax (Amsterdam) vs Feyenoord (Rotterdam)
• Country: Netherlands
• League: Eredivisie
• Nickname: De Klassieker
• First contested: 1921 (2-2 draw)
• Head-to-head record: Ajax 73 | Feyenoord 54 | draws 40
• Competitive games: 165
• The crux: A clash of ideologies that has often turned seriously violent. Amsterdam stands as a historical, cultural and liberal social capital. Rotterdam on the other hand, is a rugged, industrial city with a strong right wing element.
Ajax fans @ Amsterdam Arena
Feyenoord fans @ De Kuip
7) Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade
• Country: Serbia
• League: Serbian SuperLiga
• Nickname: Eternal Derby
• First contested: 1947 (Red Star won 4-3)
• Head-to-head record: Partizan 72 | Red Star 104 | draws 56
• Competitive games: 232
• The crux: Like the city itself, Belgrade’s sporting clubs had to rise from the ashes of World War II. Filling the void left by two major pre-war teams were FK Partizan and Red Star, both established by political groups. Communists, who went on to rule the Serbian portion of Yugoslavia, formed Red Star. A few months later, the Yugoslav People’s Army formed Partizan. Over time the football match became a kind of by-proxy power struggle between the Interior and Defence ministries.
Partizan fans @ Partizan Stadium
Red Star fans @ Red Star Stadium
6) Barcelona vs Real Madrid
• Country: Spain
• League: La Liga
• Nickname: El Clásico
• First contested: 1902 (Barca won 3-1)
• Head-to-head record: Barca 86 | Real 88 | draws 47
• Competitive games: 221
• The crux: Today you could mistake this as simply a match-up between the world’s two richest, most famous and most talented teams – the most-followed club football match on the planet. But things run much deeper than sport. Barcelona, owned entirely by its fans, came to stand as a symbol for Catalonian independence, a beacon of hope for the region under the tyranny of successive Spanish fascist regimes. Real Madrid on the other hand, had political connections with those regimes – it was said Real was Franco’s favourite team. To this day, Real remains a symbol of Spanish nationalism.
Barca fans @ Camp Nou
Real fans @ Santiago Bernabéu
5) Celtic (Glasgow) vs Rangers (Glasgow)
• Country: Scotland
• League: Scottish Premier League (SPL)
• Nickname: Old Firm derby
• First contested: 1888 (Celtic won 5-2)
• Head-to-head record: Celtic 144 | Rangers 159 | draws 96
• Competitive games: 399 (304 league)
• The crux: Celtic are a catholic club with routes entrenched in Ireland. The Rangers are a protestant club firmly allied with the United Kingdom. This complex and historic sectarian divide infuses every interaction (on the field or off it) between Scotland’s overwhelmingly dominant sporting entities.
Celtic fans @ Celtic Park
Rangers fans @ Ibrox
4) Lazio (Rome) vs Roma (Rome)
• Country: Italy
• League: Serie A
• Nickname: Derby della Capitale (Derby of the Capital)
• First contested: 1929 (Roma won 1-0)
• Head-to-head record: Lazio 41 | Roma 57 | draws 57
• Competitive games: 155 (138 league)
• The crux: On derby day, the hulking Stadio Olympico becomes a microcosm of the social and political divides within the capital. Occupying the Curva Nord are the Lazio fans, representing the wealthy elites and underpinned by notoriously fascist ultras. While crammed in the Curva Sud are Roma’s fans, the embodiment of the city’s working classes, similarly oriented by a right-wing hardcore support.
Lazio fans @ Stadio Olympico
Roma fans @ Stadio Olympico
3) Olympiacos (Piraeus) vs Panathinaikos (Athens)
• Country: Greece
• League: Superleague Greece
• Nickname: Derby of the eternal enemies
• First contested: 1932 (Olympiacos won 6-1)
• Head-to-head record: Olympiacos 58 | Panathinaikos 35 | draws 55
• Competitive games: 148
• The crux: Like many other of the rivalries in this list, this one has its roots in social and cultural issues. Founded in 1908 in the centre of the Athens, Panathinaikos is considered to be representative of the capital’s high class. In contrast, Olympiacos was founded in Piraeus, Athens’s port, which is a traditionally working class area. They are overwhelmingly the most popular clubs in Greece.
Olympiacos fans @ Karaiskakis Stadium
Panathinaikos fans @ Olympic Stadium
2) Fenerbahçe (Istanbul) vs Galatasaray (Istanbul)
• Country: Turkey
• League: Süper Lig
• Nickname: Kıtalar Arası Derbi (Intercontinental Derby)
• First contested: 1909 (Galatasaray won 2-0)
• Head-to-head record: Fenerbahçe 141 | Galatasaray 118 | draws 113
• Competitive games: 372
• The crux: In short, geography and class. The clubs originate from two different sides of the Bosphorus. Fenerbahçe SK were founded in Kadıköy, the Asian side of Istanbul, while Galatasaray SK were founded in Galatasaray, which sits within the city’s European side. Gala are seen by many as a club for the aristocracy, while Fener are considered the “people’s club”.
Fenerbahçe fans @ Kadıköy (Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium)
Galatasaray fans @ Türk Telekom Arena
In a bid to stamp out hooliganism the Turkish Football Federation banned men from attending Fenerbahçe’s first two home games of the 2011/2012 season. 41,000 women and children under the age of 12 turned up in their place. The atmosphere they generated was nothing short of incredible…
1) Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires) vs River Plate (Buenos Aires)
• Country: Argentina
• League: Primera División
• Nickname: Superclásico
• First contested: 1908 (Boca won 2-1)
• Head-to-head record: Boca 83 | River 75 | draws 72
• Competitive games: 229 (199 league)
• The crux: Both teams were established in the tough working class neighbourhood of La Boca (River in 1901, Boca in 1905), a dockland area heavily influenced by European immigrants. In 1925, River moved to the leafy suburb of Nunez, thereby creating a sociocultural chasm between the clubs. Described as the people’s club, Boca have stayed true to their working class roots. River on the other hand, developed an association with the aristocracy, earning it the nickname Los Millonarios (The Millionaires).
Boca Juniors fans @ La Bombonera (Estadio Alberto J. Armando)
River Plate fans @ El Monumental (Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti)
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