European football is full of football derbies. Some of these involve national teams although those sides don’t meet all that often. Others, the more widely known and more played ones, are those that feature clubs.

Note that proximity is a requirement for a rivalry to be called a derby. For that reason, the rivalry between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille isn’t listed below, and neither is the Real Madrid-Barcelona one. Also, of course, there are many countries and clubs that are in close proximity with each other and have no rivalry or derby between them.

England vs. Scotland

The England-Scotland derby was first played as the initial match in the sport’s history that featured national teams. That historic game took place on Nov. 30, 1872, in Glasgow, Scotland, and it ended in a 0-0 draw.

Portugal vs. Spain

The Iberian derby may not be as heated as the other ones on this list, but it’s definitely a rivalry, and it also features two of the world’s best national teams. They met in the 2025 Nations League final; Portugal won in penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Germany vs. Netherlands

Germany-Netherlands is a pretty heated derby, albeit calmer than it was decades ago, when West Germany beat the Netherlands, 2-1, in the 1974 World Cup final and the Dutch won a Euro 1988 semifinal over the Germans by that same scoreline.

Ajax vs. Feyenoord

De Klassieker is easily the biggest derby in the Netherlands, featuring the top clubs from Amsterdam (Ajax) and Rotterdam (Feyenoord). In fact, many would argue that the rivalry between those cities dates to the 1300s. Meanwhile, the clubs first played in 1921.

Read more: Greatest Rivalries in Football – Der Klassiker (Ajax vs. Feyenoord)

AC Milan vs. Inter Milan

One thing that makes the Derby della Madonnina special is that AC Milan and Inter Milan share the San Siro. Also interestingly, they used to be the same club, until Inter split away from AC in 1908. The rivals met in the 2022-23 Champions League semifinals; Inter won, 3-0 on aggregate.

Read more: Greatest Rivalries in Football – Derby della Madonnina (AC Milan vs. Inter Milan)

Manchester City vs. Manchester United

England is full of intra-city derbies, and the Manchester derby is one of the most interesting ones. They’ve been playing each other since 1881 and famously battled to stoppage time in separate matches on the final day of the 2011-12 Premier League title race with City claiming the trophy with a dramatic goal.

Read more: Greatest Rivalries in Football – Manchester Derby (Manchester City vs. Manchester United)

Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Arguably the best rivalry in England’s biggest city and capital is the North London derby. Their stadiums are only separated by 4 miles, and they’re consistently amongst the better Premier League sides. The derby got heated in 1913, when Arsenal moved from South London to near Spurs.

Fenerbahce vs. Galatasaray

The Intercontinental Derby, called that since one of the teams, Fenerbahce, plays on the Asian side of Istanbul, is regarded by most as Turkey’s biggest derby. This heated rivalry is tense only partially because they’re also the most decorated clubs in Turkish football.

Lazio vs. Roma

The Derby della Capitale, like the Derby della Madonnina, is played entirely in one stadium, the Stadio Olimpico. These teams first met in 1929, two years after Roma’s founding, and their meetings are filled with intense chants and impressive, sometimes provocative, tifos.

Benfica vs. Sporting

Although Portugal has a Big Three that involves Benfica, Sporting and Porto, the latter is separated from the other two by 200 miles. The Derby de Lisboa between Benfica and Sporting was initially contested in 1907, after eight Benfica players moved across the city to play for their future rival club.

Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos

The Derby of the Eternal Enemies joins Greece’s biggest and most successful clubs, both of which are based in the Athens metropolitan area. As is more common in Eastern Europe, this rivalry also spills over into several other sports.

Red Star vs. Partizan

The Eternal derby features a bitter rivalry, many say amongst the world’s fiercest, between two Belgrade-based clubs that are also Serbia’s most powerful. In addition, their stadiums are only separated by 0.4 miles or a 10-minute walk.

Celtic vs. Rangers

One of the factors that makes the Old Firm such a heated rivalry is the political and religious divide between the two fanbases. More specifically, Celtic was founded by Irish-Catholic immigrants while Rangers has historically been associated with Protestantism and British unionism.

Lyon vs. Saint-Etienne

The rivalry between Lyon and Saint-Etienne features clubs that are separated by 40 miles in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France. This derby is one of the newer ones on this list as the teams first faced off in 1951. Both have been powerhouses in French football for periods of time.

Hamburg vs. St. Pauli

The Hamburg derby is one of the few intra-city ones that’s ever played in the Bundesliga, dependent on both teams being in Germany’s top tier. What makes this rivalry so interesting is their different cultures with Hamburg being more mainstream German and St. Pauli having a strong left-wing identity.

Dinamo Bucuresti vs. FCSB

Although Romania has several fascinating and heated rivalries, the Eternal derby is widely viewed as its most significant. One feature that makes this one so interesting is that it’s historically been directly linked to the Romanian police (Dinamo) and army (FCSB).

Real Betis vs. Sevilla

Real Betis and Sevilla are both located in Seville, Spain, separated by just 2 miles. Historically, Sevilla was more so associated with wealth and Real with the working class although that isn’t as much the case nowadays. The first Seville derby match was played in 1915.

Portsmouth vs. Southampton

The South Coast derby features clubs from cities that are just 20 miles apart. However, since they’re often in different tiers of the English football pyramid, they sometimes go years without playing. But when they do, their contests are heated.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for passion and rivalry, any of these matchups will make for an entertaining watch. Additionally, Sofascore will feature live stats and scores for each of these heated contests.