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21st Aug 2023

Top 50 football rivalries in the world have been officially ranked

Charlie Herbert

Top 50 football rivalries in the world have been officially ranked

The 50 biggest football rivalries in the world have been officially ranked.

Whether it’s a derby between local clubs or a rivalry steeped in history and hatred more than geography, these matches are often one of the biggest days of their entire year for the teams involved.

Football magazine FourFourTwo has ranked the biggest rivalries in world football, to determine which one is the fiercest on the planet.

Whilst all the big hitters are there – El Clasico, Liverpool v Manchester United, the Milan derby – there are a few lesser-known clashes on the list as well.

Derbies from the US, Peru, Paraguay, Iran, South Africa and India all feature, and only one English rivalry makes the top 10.

There was one rule though – each team could only feature once, against their main rival. For example, this means that the Manchester derby isn’t there because United are on the list for their rivalry with Liverpool.

So, here are the 50 biggest football rivalries in the world:

50. Sheffield United vs Sheffield Wednesday (England)

49. Blooming vs Oriente Petrolero (Bolivia)

48. Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders (USA)

47. Lyon vs St-Etienne (France)

46. Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario Central (Argentina)

45. Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad (Spain)

44. Everton vs Santiago Wanderers (Chile)

43. FC Seoul vs Suwon Bluewings (South Korea)

42. Bahia vs Vitoria (Brazil)

41. Dynamo Moscow vs Spartak Moscow (Russia)

40. America vs Deportivo Cali (Colombia)

39. Hamburg vs St. Pauli (Germany)

38. Alianza Lima vs Universitario (Peru)

37. CSKA Sofia vs Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)

36. Cerro Porteno vs Olimpia (Paraguay)

35. Glentoran vs Linfield (Northern Ireland)

34. Barcelona vs Emelec (Ecuador)

33. Esteghlal vs Persepolis (Iran)

32. Dinamo Bucharest vs FCSB (Romania)

31. Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates (South Africa)

30. Genoa vs Sampdoria (Italy)

29. Colo-Colo vs Universidad de Chile (Chile)

28. Benfica vs Sporting (Portugal)

27. Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

26. Raja vs Wydad (Morocco)

25. Real Betis vs Sevilla (Spain)

24. Newcastle United vs Sunderland (England)

23. Corinthians vs Palmeiras (Brazil)

22. Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)

21. East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan (India)

20. Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur (England)

19. Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos (Greece)

18. Flamengo vs Fluminese (Brazil)

17. FK Velez vs HSK Zrinjski (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

16. Ajax vs Feyenoord (Holland)

15. Independiente vs Racing Club (Argentina)

14. Portsmouth vs Southampton (England)

13. AC Milan vs Inter Milan (Italy)

The Milan derby rarely disappoints (Getty)

12. Chivas Guadalajara vs Club America (Mexico)

11. Marseille vs Paris Saint-Germain (France)

10. Al Ahly vs Zamalek (Egypt)

9. Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke (Germany)

8. Gremio vs Internacional (Brazil)

7. Liverpool vs Manchester United (England)

6. Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray (Turkey)

5. Lazio vs Roma (Italy)

4. Nacional vs Penarol (Uruguay)

3. Celtic vs Rangers (Scotland)

Few rivalries are as fierce as the Old Firm (Getty)

2. Barcelona vs Real Madrid (Spain)

1. Boca Juniors vs River Plate (Argentina)

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Topics:

Derbies,Football