Summary
• The fiercest football rivalries of all time showcase historical tension, fan passion, and cultural clashes between top clubs.
• Over the past decades, there have been some wonderful bouts between the clubs in question, with immense passion and emotion involved.
• Iconic clashes like Boca Juniors vs River Plate and Barcelona vs Real Madrid are must-see games for football fans around the world.
There is nothing in football quite like a rivalry. Whether it be the two best teams in a specific country or two sides looking to secure bragging rights in the same city, rivalries are something that make the sport even better.
Whether it be a Premier League classic or an ill-tempered Serie A tie, fans of both teams look out for the dates of these encounters with particular enthusiasm as soon as the fixture lists are published, and the result means so much more than just the final score and the potential three points.
Some rivalries, though, are more deeply-rooted than others and have gone back generations, way back beyond the years of the majority of fans currently sitting in the stands. In this article, GIVEMESPORT will be looking at what we believe are the top 25 fiercest derbies in the beautiful game, even when the ties are not so ‘beautiful’ on the pitch.
Ranking factors
In order to come up with this list, the following factors have been taken into consideration:
• Longevity
• Crowd Trouble
• Football Quality
• Tension Between the Clubs
• Success of Both Teams
25 Aston Villa vs Birmingham City
England
The Second City derby, first contested in 1879, has only intensified the rivalry between Aston Villa and Birmingham City over the past 146 years, with fans of both clubs often viewing the other as their biggest enemy. The teams have met over 100 times, with Villa claiming the majority of wins.
Villa and Birmingham haven’t played each other since 2019, when both were in the Championship. Since then, Villa have reached the Champions League, while City were relegated to League One. Their last meeting is still remembered vividly: in March 2019, Jack Grealish scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory, but the game is best recalled for a pitch invader who punched Grealish in the first half – making his goal all the sweeter for Villa fans, though it must be reminded that the fate of the fan was a sad one.
24 Slavia Prague vs Sparta Prague
Czech Republic
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Prague, long regarded as the epicentre of Bohemian culture, is known as a grand and largely safe city. But whenever its two biggest clubs meet, the mood shifts dramatically. Slavia vs Sparta Prague is more than a derby – it is a battle for national dominance.
In recent years, Slavia have been the dominant force, though historically it was Sparta who set the standard, a contrast that has only added to the intrigue of modern meetings. Sparta have won 14 league titles, with Slavia close behind on eight. In English terms, it resembles the Manchester derby in league standing – though the intensity is on an entirely different level.
23 Dinamo Zagreb vs Hajduk Split
Croatia
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After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Croatia’s big two quickly settled into mutual loathing, and the “Eternal Derby” between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split sees two of Europe’s fiercest ultra groups regularly go at each other, tooth and nail. The rivalry’s volatility peaked in May 2025, when nearly 200 ultras were arrested amid pre- and post-match chaos.
Beyond the 2025 ultra arrests, the Eternal Derby boasts a storied history of melodramtic encounters. In 1955, Hajduk demolished Dinamo 6-0 in the Yugoslav League, their largest-ever win, which was brought about by Bernard Vukas’ brace. The 1993 Supercup ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw, but there never seems to be a dull moment whenever they clash.
22 Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario Central
Argentina
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The ‘Clasico Rosarino’ pits Newell’s Old Boys against Rosario Central in a rivalry that fractures Rosario’s social fabric, blending class divides, immigrant histories, and unyielding loyalties. Newell’s, established in 1903 by former students of an English school, contrasts with Central, founded in 1889 by working-class railway employees, creating a clash of elitism versus populism that echoes through generations.
Tensions ignited dramatically in the 1920s during a leprosy charity game – Newell’s joined in, earning the “Leprosos” moniker from rivals, while Central’s refusal branded them “Canallas,” nicknames that fans wear as badges of honour or insults today. The rivalry’s extremism hit new lows in 2025 when Newell’s suspended nine youth academy players, aged just nine, from training and stripped their scholarships for three months after a viral photo surfaced of them posing with Rosario Central’s Ignacio Malcorra – prompting threats from ultras and widespread outrage, including from Argentina’s national coach Lionel Scaloni.
21 Gremio vs Internacional
Brazil
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The Grenal derby between Gremio and Internacional is one of Brazil’s fiercest rivalries, dividing the city of Porto Alegre along cultural, social, and political lines. Founded by different social classes and immigrant groups, the clubs represent deep-seated identities that extend far beyond football. With over a century of history, countless decisive matches, and virtually no geographical separation between their supporters, fans from both sides live side by side, fueling constant tension.
One recent example of the rivalry’s intensity came in 2020, during a chaotic 13-minute stretch that erupted into a massive on-field brawl. Though no goals were scored, the melee led to eight red cards – three to players and one to a substitute from each team. While neither club ranks among Brazil’s most decorated in terms of trophies, Porto Alegre seems to have room for only one dominant force, leading to titanic battles that have defined the city’s football landscape for decades.
20 Newcastle vs Sunderland
England
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A derby that unfortunately hasn’t been seen as often as football fans would have liked, the Tyne-Wear clash between Newcastle United and Sunderland is up there as one of the most passionate games in the world. The two north-east clubs’ fervour for football makes matches between the two absolute cinema, and when the pair are both in the Premier League, it was one of the games that even neutrals had to sit down and watch.
Sunderland recently made the return back to English football’s top-flight for the 2025/26 campaign, and they will be hoping to stem the tide of the rivarly after Newcastle’s recent success has seen them not only play Champions League football, but also lift a trophy in the form of the Carabao Cup.
19 Liverpool vs Everton
England
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The Merseyside derby, Liverpool vs Everton, is among the most iconic and most-watched fixtures in English football history. The two clubs are steeped in rich history, and while Liverpool have surpassed the Toffees in terms of on-pitch achievements over the past few decades, games – particularly when hosted at Goodison Park – have always had an extra bit of edge and spice.
Everton fans have had their fair share of good moments over the years despite Liverpool’s domination, and the hope will be that, now they have moved into their new stadium, they can kick-start a new era where they are more than equals for their Merseyside counterparts. A friendly derby away from the pitch and in life, the same can’t be said on it, as it has produced more red cards than any other fixture in the country.
18 Marseille vs PSG
France
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A clash between two sides representing the two biggest cities in the entirety of France, the rivalry between Marseille and PSG has reflected the broader regional tensions that have engulfed the pair as well. While the latter’s emergence as a genuine European powerhouse following their backing from Qatar, that hasn’t stopped Marseille from trying to spoil the party.
Indeed, even though it has arguably been one-way traffic in terms of results in the way of PSG, Marseille fans no doubt circle the clash against the Parisiens at the Stade Velodrome as the main match-day on the calendar.
17 Benfica vs Sporting
Portugal
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The Derby de Lisboa is Portuguese football’s most heated rivalry, and when you see the passion on show from both fans, it is easy to see why. The Lisbon-based giants are two of the most successful clubs in league history – alongside Porto – so there has invariably been many a game where the title that season has been determined by who comes out on top in the derby.
From Jorge Jesus being in charge of Benfica, to Ruben Amorim’s superb spell as Sporting boss, even the rivalry between the two in recent years has been something to behold. If any neutral fans wanted to experience what a serious European footballing rivalry is, then Benfica vs Sporting is right there up among the best.
16 Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
England
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A rivalry that has arguably grown even more in the 21st century, the narrowing gap between Arsenal and Tottenham – particularly in the 2010s – has meant that the north London derby has taken on even more importance. The two clubs have invariably been locked in the battle for a Champions League spot, and while the Gunners have somewhat pulled away in the last couple of seasons, there has still been a needle in the fixture.
The game has always had an edge, and while the period when Arsene Wenger was in charge of Arsenal didn’t result in too many Spurs victories, there was always something extra on the line.
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15 Ajax vs Feyenoord
Netherlands
Ajax fans before a game
The rivalry between Amsterdam and Rotterdam dates back to the 13th century, and the battles between Ajax and Feyenoord are the latest manifestation. The former are perceived as the artists, while Feyenoord are from a more working-class background, making this a clash of cultures as well as football teams.
Such is the hostility between the two sets of supporters, away fans were banned from travelling to the fixture between 2009 and 2014, with Ajax preventing their fanbase from making the trip to De Kuip for a further three years until 2017. ‘De Godenzonen’ are currently enjoying the better of things on the pitch, having lost just two of their last 10 games against Feyenoord.
14 Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos
Greece
Any match-up nicknamed the ‘Derby of the Eternal Enemies’ must have a bit of bite. Again, the class separation plays a prominent role, with Panathinaikos being the team of the rich and Olympiacos that of the poor. However, supporters from all backgrounds now support both teams.
Having met over 200 times since 1930, these sides have won almost 80% of all Greek league titles between them. Even when the basketball and volleyball divisions of ‘Thrylos’ and the ‘Greens’ meet, expect plenty of violence and aggravation between fans. Unsurprisingly, this rivalry is well-known as one of the most intense globally, with the BBC even naming it ‘Europe’s maddest derby’ in 2014.
13 Manchester United vs Liverpool
England
Manchester United and Liverpool are known as the two greatest English football clubs of all time. There is no love lost when it comes to the two fan bases as the players on the pitch battle to be seen as the outright best. Both clubs have enjoyed their own spells of dominance over their long histories, but rarely have they both been right at the top of their games at the same time.
No matter what position one team finds themselves in, the levels are always elevated in the biggest rivalry England has to offer. Fixtures between the two sides often require altered kick-off times to ensure the police are able to keep any potential trouble to a minimum between the supporters of the iconic clubs. Last season, Liverpool won their 20th league title to make the dispute over which club is bigger even harder to settle.
12 Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04
Germany
From its origins between the wars to the present day, the rivalry between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 has never ceased to grow. But unlike many other rivalries, this one is mainly due to the fact that the two clubs are geographically close – only 40km separate the two Rhineland cities.
Both teams have had their moments of glory in their respective histories, although recent results tend to favour the Scwartz-Gelben side – Schalke now play in the antechamber of German football. Yet the antagonism between the two foes has never eased, and there are plenty of anecdotes to be found in their encounters.
11 Olympique Lyonnais vs AS Saint-Etienne
France
In France, the rivalry between Olympique Lyonnais and AS Saint-Etienne is certainly like no other. Situated 60km from each other, the two cities are locked in a social war that goes back several centuries. While the former is reputedly more middle-class (Lyon), the latter is more working-class and working-class.
This clash of cultures is particularly evident in the tifos made by the ultra of the two clubs during their clashes, each referring to their respective local pride, and in the various songs sung by the stands. Today, the rivalry is such that opposing supporters are regularly banned from attending matches.
10 AC Milan vs Inter Milan
Italy
Francesco Acerbi and Olivier Giroud in action during the Milan derby
AC Milan vs Inter Milan may not quite be the spectacle it was during the 2000s, but the supporters are still always well up for the meeting when it comes round each year. Neither club has to travel to face the other as they both play their football in the San Siro, one of the most famous stadiums in world football.
While Inter have won more league titles than their rivals (20 compared to AC Milan’s 19), the men in black and red have plenty to brag about in their own right. That’s because the Rossoneri are one of the most successful clubs in European competition, having lifted the European Cup/Champions League trophy seven times. Football is one of the many passions that run through the city and more than 200 games have been played between the two Italian giants since Inter were founded in 1908.
9 Flamengo vs Fluminense
Brazil
Flamengo supporters
Brazil is a footballing hotbed, and Rio de Janeiro encompasses that like no other city. Botafogo and Vasco de Gama are major players in Rio, but Flamengo and Fluminense only have eyes for each other in terms of their biggest rivals.
Unlike other games on the list, violence between supporters takes a back seat, but that does not mean the fans do not fiercely support their respective teams. In 1963, the 0-0 draw at the Maracana – where both sides play their home games – set the world record for the biggest crowd at a club match, with 194,603 people said to have been in attendance. This hard-fought clash has been played over 430 times, with six red cards dished out in four meetings in 2022 alone.
8 Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce
Turkey
Fenerbahce and Galatasaray players in action
Turkish fans have long had a reputation for fervorous support, and the ‘Intercontinental Derby’ between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce is a crucial contributor to that perception. Dating back to 1909, the rivalry almost ended before it had even really begun, with the idea of a merger mooted before being scrapped just four years later.
‘Fener’ and ‘Gala’ are Turkey’s most successful clubs, meaning matches between the two have regularly decided the winner of major trophies. Both hail from Istanbul, but violence between supporters is regular throughout the build-up to games.
Perhaps the most iconic moment in the fixture’s history came in 1996, when Galatasaray manager Graeme Souness planted a club flag in the middle of the Fenerbahce pitch in the first leg of the Turkish Cup Final. Given the incident led to a huge riot, the Scot has since admitted it was not his finest hour.
7 Lazio vs Roma
Italy
Matteo Guendouzi and Gianluca Mancini clash
The ‘Derby della Capitale’ is arguably Italy’s biggest game, at least from a supporters’ point of view. This clash is one of the more peculiar among the others on this list, as both sides play their home matches at the Stadio Olimpico in the capital city. First taking place in 1929, the game has occurred almost 200 times with Roma holding a clear advantage, having won more matches than the ‘Biancocelesti’.
The hatred between the teams has been on full display throughout the years, with supporters desperate for bragging rights in the Italian capital. The low point of this derby was perhaps reached on March 24th 2004, when the game was abandoned shortly after half-time after a riot broke out in the crowd. Fights then spilled out into the streets surrounding the stadium. As with several other match-ups, politics and religion play their part.
6 Nacional vs Penarol
Uruguay
Penarol supporters
South American football players are known to be fiery in nature when on the pitch, and their fans are no different. This is why the fixture known as the Uruguayan Clasico ranks so high on this list. Penarol and Nacional are two of the most successful clubs in the country and have shared 102 of the 122 league titles that have been on offer (Nacional: 50, Penarol: 52).
Matches between the two teams are usually held at a neutral venue – the 40,000-capacity Estadio Centenario – and it’s the visual displays of support that each side is shown by their fans that would give anyone goosebumps. Massive flags, pyrotechnics, flares and many more methods of backing the players on the pitch are on full display in one of the oldest rivalries in world football.
5 Al Ahly vs Zamalek
Egypt
Al Ahly and Zamalek players clash
The only African match-up on this list, Al Ahly and Zamalek are both located in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. The North African country has a population of just over 100 million, yet encounters between the two sides regularly attract a domestic TV audience of around 50 million.
Fan clashes at a meeting during the 1971/72 season led to the cancellation of the remainder of the Egyptian campaign, and fights between supporters are common. Al Ahly are the most successful of the two teams, having won 44 league titles to 14, while they have picked up 12 CAF Champions Leagues to five. Zamalek, though, are still the second-most successful side domestically and continentally and are one of the few teams with a constant chance of halting Al Ahly’s dominance.
4 Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade
Serbia
The Večiti derbi, as it is known in Serbia, is one of the hottest derbies in Europe – if not the world. A rivalry between Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade, the country’s two most successful clubs (11 titles to 8 in the Serbian championship alone, inaugurated in 2006), whose antagonism has its roots in the middle of the 20th century (the two clubs were founded in 1945), driven by political, social and cultural issues.
A meeting that is regularly marked by the violence of its confrontations and the numerous disturbances caused for the occasion.
3 Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Spain
While Barcelona and Real Madrid don’t share the same city, the two giants of Spanish football are part of one of the most intense rivalries on the planet. The supporters are always well up for El Clasico, which dates back to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.
Perhaps the most recent example of crowds stepping over the line came in 2002 as the famous clubs met at Camp Nou. One of few men to ever move from Barcelona to Real Madrid, Luis Figo, took to the pitch and was met by a hostile atmosphere which famously included a pig’s head being thrown in his direction. The football on display between the two teams has been wonderful to watch over the years, with some of the best El Clasico’s occurring in the past 20 years.
2 Celtic vs Rangers
Scotland
Celtic and Rangers players clash
Celtic and Rangers represent opposite sides of almost every divide imaginable in Glasgow, Scotland’s second city. The former’s supporters are generally Catholic, republican and socialist, while the latter’s fans are protestant, loyalist and conservative. While Celtic fans wave the Irish tricolour, their Rangers counterparts raise the Union Jack.
The two clubs, therefore, play a massive role in society, especially as they continue to dominate the country’s footballing landscape. Between them, they have won 110 league titles, while the rest of Scotland’s teams have won 19 combined. Given the first recorded meeting taking place in 1888, it is one of the oldest derbies on the planet and, with so much more on the line than just football, one of the fiercest. That was emphasised when fans from both sides rushed the pitch and fought each other following a match at Ibrox in 2026.
1 Boca Juniors vs River Plate
Argentina
River Plate and Boca Juniors players battle for the ball
Ask any supporter around the world what games they would most like to see before they die, and the ‘Superclasico’ between Boca Juniors and River Plate will likely feature highly on almost every bucket list.
The two sides are iconic beyond Buenos Aires and Argentina, whether it be the kits they wear or the players who have represented them. Fireworks, pyrotechnics and bouncing stadiums, either at Boca’s La Bombonera or River’s El Monumental, are the backdrop to meetings between two of the South American country’s most significant institutions.
The tension between the teams led to the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final, the first continental final between the two, being moved 10,000 km to Madrid after the Boca players’ bus was attacked by River fans ahead of the return fixture. There are plenty of fierce rivalries in Argentina, but none come close to this one, hence why we have placed it at the top of our top 10 fiercest derbies in world football.
Fiercest Rivalries in World Football
Rank
Rivalry
Country
1.
Boca Juniors vs River Plate
Argentina
2.
Celtic vs Rangers
Scotland
3.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Spain
4.
Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade
Serbia
5.
Al Ahly vs Zamalek
Egypt
6.
Nacional vs Penarol
Uruguay
7.
Lazio vs Roma
Italy
8.
Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray
Turkey
9.
Flamengo vs Fluminense
Brazil
10.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan
Italy
11.
Lyon vs AS Saint-Etienne
France
12.
Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04
Germany
13.
Manchester United vs Liverpool
England
14.
Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos
Greece
15.
Ajax vs Feyenoord
Netherlands
16.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
England
17.
Benfica vs Sporting
Portugal
18.
Marseille vs PSG
France
19.
Liverpool vs Everton
England
20.
Newcastle vs Sunderland
England
21.
Gremio vs Internacional
Brazil
22.
Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario Central
Argentina
23.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Hajduk Split
Croatia
24.
Slavia Prague vs Sparta Prague
Czech Republic
25.
Aston Villa vs Birmingham City