Soccer is more than a game. It’s passion, pride, and pure obsession. Across the world, there are rivalries that go beyond the pitch, where fans, cities, and clubs have clashed for decades, creating stories that feel bigger and more dramatic than the sport itself.
These rivalries are a huge part of what makes football the most universal sport to bet on, uniting fans and stirring emotions across generations.
El Clasico
El Clasico is widely considered one of the greatest and most anticipated spectacles in league soccer. Barcelona and Real Madrid don’t just compete for points, they face off for pride, identity, and history.
The rivalry is fuelled by politics, with Spain being torn apart by civil war in the 1930s after the dictator Francisco Franco sought to suppress regional identities, including Catalonia. Real Madrid was seen as the team of the centralised Spanish state, and many believed that some of the club’s victories were politically influenced by Franco himself.
Even today, elections for the clubs’ presidents are often strongly politically influenced, and every tackle, goal, and argument feels loaded with meaning and history.
Derby della Madonnina
The Milan Derby is a clash born from a single club splitting in two. AC Milan was founded in 1899 by Englishman Herbert Kilpin, and quickly established itself as a powerhouse of Italian soccer by winning three Serie A titles in its first decade.
But in 1908, a disagreement over whether the club should allow foreign-born players sparked a dramatic split. Players who opposed the ruling left AC Milan to create their own club, Internazionale – literally “the Internationals.”
Over the next century, the rivalry intensified, with Inter claiming 20 Serie A titles and AC Milan close behind on 19.
Old Firm
The roots of Glasgow’s legendary rivalry date back to the 19th century, when Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine settled in the city after moving to America was financially out of reach. Many of these immigrants were Catholic and quickly faced discrimination in their new home.
The soccer rivalry that emerged reflects much more than sport: it embodies centuries of tension between Protestants and Catholics, loyalists and republicans, British and Irish identities, and even conservative versus socialist ideals.
Rangers, for example, maintained an anti-Catholic transfer policy until 1989, highlighting how deeply these divides influenced the game.
On the pitch, Rangers have claimed more league titles, league cups, and Old Firm victories, while Celtic have secured more Scottish Cups and remain the only Scottish club to ever win the Champions League.
North-West Derby
The North West Derby is one of the most iconic face offs in English soccer, and it’s more than just another fixture on the calendar, it’s a deeply rooted clash signified through industry, geography, and identity.
The duel began in the Industrial Revolution when both teams economically thrived, but for vastly different reasons. Manchester rose as a textile powerhouse, while Liverpool, just 35 miles away, thrived as a major port city, controlling huge trade thanks to its docks.
Despite being the more populous city, Manchester was frustrated with the economic dominance Liverpool held. In retaliation, Manchester constructed the Manchester Ship Canal in 1984, connecting the city to the Irish Sea in order to bypass Liverpool’s ports entirely.
This sparked fierce economic competition between the cities, and that rivalry eventually spilled onto the soccer pitch. They are the two most successful English clubs, sharing the record for 20 league titles.