The English FA Premier League, the Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Liga all feature famous football rivalries. Rivalries between football clubs around the world illustrates the passion of football fans and matches between rivals are keenly anticipated. The derby matches between rival clubs are often the highlights of the football calendar and teams are desperate to get one over each other. Whether rival clubs are from the same city or are separated by hundreds of miles, the rivalry is still intense and there is often hatred between the fans. Here is a look at some of the biggest football derbies in the world:

10: Sevilla vs Real Betis – The Seville derby is the biggest city derby in Spain and is incredibly intense. Betis were formed after a board of directors disagreement resulted in some members splitting from Sevilla, and has since been representative of a clash between the blue-collar workers of Betis and the white-collar workers of Betis. In recent times the feeling between the two clubs is such that fans of both clubs have celebrated their own teams’ defeat that caused the relegation of the other.

9: AC Milan v Inter Milan – The Milan derby is unusual in the sense that both clubs play at one stadium, the San Siro. The Derby della Madonnina is so named due to a main sight of Milan the statue of the Virgin Mary. FC Internazionale Milano split off from Milan in 1908 due to a dispute over foreign players and the rivalry has got stronger over the years. AC and Internazionale are two of the most successful clubs in Italian football history and passion for the clubs is almost unrivalled.

8: Arsenal v Tottenham – The North London derby has been a regular fixture in English football and dates back to 1919 when Arsenal were promoted ahead of the more successful Tottenham. Since then Arsenal have largely been the more successful team, but Spurs fans still love to get one over their rivals. The depth of feeling between the two clubs was shown when Sol Campbell crossed the divide in 2001, which resulted in Spurs’ fans calling him Judas and he even received death threats.

7: Ajax v Feyenoord – The Classic is the Netherlands‘ most important derby between two of the most successful teams in Dutch football. The match is a clash between two cities with extreme differences in attitudes and culture, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Ajax are renowned for their technical skills, whilst on the other hand Feyenoord are historically seen as a hard-working team. Even though hooligans have caused violence between the fans, there is still much respect between the two.

6: Galatasaray v Fenerbahce – When the Istanbul derby is taking place, the whole of Turkey is fixed on the match. Turkey’s passion for football is unquestionable, and the atmosphere at the match is always electric between Turkey’s two most successful football clubs. The Bosphorus sea strait separates the city of Istanbul, with Galatasaray on the European side and Fenerbahce on the Asian side. The match is often marred by violence between the two sets of fans in a truly divided city.

5: Roma v Lazio – The Rome derby is considered to be the fiercest rivalry in Serie A, and has been marked by violence throughout history. The derby takes place at the home of both clubs, the Stadio Olimpico in the country’s capital city, and locals say that the derby is much more than just a game. Back in 1927 3 teams merged to form Roma, but Lazio resisted and fought to keep themselves as a separate entity. Tensions between the set of fans have been huge ever since, with a riot breaking out in 2004.

4: Celtic v Rangers – The Old Firm derby is about more than just football, it is also about religion and politics. The two biggest teams in Scotland are both based in Glasgow and the Old Firm is one of the oldest derbies in the world, first being played way back in 1888. Whether it is taking place at Celtic Park or Ibrox, the atmosphere is unbelievable, as supporter chanting never stops throughout the 90 minutes and the result often goes a long way to decide who will win the Scottish Premier League.

3: Liverpool v Manchester United – When the two most successful teams in the history of English football play each other it is always one of the biggest games in the Premiership. The rivalry between the two cities that are 30 miles apart often has a major impact on who wins the league title and so the stakes are high. The rivalry has been present ever since industrial times, and now both claim to be the greatest ever English club, whilst there is no love lost between the clubs and players.

2: Boca Juniors v River Plate – El Superclasico as it is known in Argentina, is the biggest football match in domestic Argentinean football between the clubs with the biggest fan bases. Despite the clubs being 7km apart the rivalry between the fans is intense and has a lot to do with social class. Both were founded in the poor district of Buenos Aires, but River Plate moved to a richer area in the 1930s, and there is now much hatred and violence between the upper-class and working class fans.

1: Barcelona v Real Madrid – The rivalry between Bara and Real, two of the biggest football clubs in the world, is widely considered as the biggest in world football. El Clasico is a match watched worldwide that pits the two largest cities in Spain of Madrid and Barcelona against each other. Over 55% of football supporters in Spain support either club, and ever since the disputed transfer of Alfredo Di Stefano in the 1950s, the rivalry has been fierce as they fight for supremacy in Spain and Europe.

All of the football rivalries on this list are fought between teams and fans with incredible passion that make the derby matches such special occasions.

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