Football is full of passion and in the game when two teams meet emotions can hit boiling point. Some from location, some from competing for top trophies and some can be for issues outside of football. Either way these rivalries are the ones that every year without question get circled on the calendar as a fiery clash which could end with guaranteed fireworks.

These are six rivalries in football history which define what hate can mean between two teams. They include derbies from around world football including an always feisty affair in Argentina.

6. The Eternal Derby: Red Star Belgrade vs. Partizan Belgrade

Both teams formed in the Serbian capital after World War 1, these fan bases in layman's terms don't get on to put it lightly . Red Star were historically tied to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while Partizan were established as the team of the Yugoslav People's Army. 

Over the decades, this bureaucratic origin evolved into an intense, city-wide culture clash. When these two meet, Belgrade practically shuts down. Iconic derby moments include the 2000 derby when police deployed tear gas into the stands, and the 2018 encounter where mass clashes led to 26 arrests and dozens of injured ultras on the terraces.The match is full of an intense atmosphere, flares around the ground and at any moment can explode.

  • Matches: 269
  • Red Star: 116 Wins
  • Partizan: 81 Wins
  • Draws: 72

5. El Clásico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Maybe less political but usually when these teams face off it's the best players on the planet facing off for big trophies. But the roots of El Clásico run much deeper than Champions League titles or Ballon d'Or winners it's two regions of Spain facing off for bragging rights.

The heat of the derby has produced some of the most aggressive red cards with former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos sent off a record 5 times in El Clásico matches alone. The rivalry reached fever pitch during the José Mourinho vs. Pep Guardiola era (2010–2012), marked by five red cards across a chaotic series of matches in 2011. 

Iconic moments range from the infamous pig's head thrown onto the Camp Nou pitch at Luis Figo in 2002 after he had made the controversial switch, to in the modern era Barca winning 6-2 and 5-0 with their tiki taka.

  • Matches: 257
  • Real Madrid: 105 Wins
  • Barcelona: 100 Wins
  • Draws: 52

4. The Second City Derby: Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City

While it may not happen as often anymore or been for major trophies, the Birmingham derby has served up some explosive moments in the limited times they've shared a pitch. Aston Villa have always been the big brother to their blue counterparts but it hasn't stopped the form book being out the window for this fixture. Separated by less than four miles across England's second-largest city, this rivalry is about pure tribalism.

The most memorable moments have been full of fights and bad blood. in 2003, Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin earned a straight red card for a furious headbutt on Robbie Savage,following an earlier derby that saw Villa keeper Peter Enckelman miscontrol a throw-in into his own net as a Blues fan invaded the pitch to taunt him. The most iconic modern moment was in 2019 when Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was pitch-invaded and hit by a fan only for the former British record transfer score the last minute winner.

  • Matches: 127
  • Aston Villa: 57 Wins
  • Birmingham City: 38 Wins
  • Draws: 32

3. The Intercontinental Derby: Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahçe

Turkey fans are one of most passionate in sport on planet earth so it's natural that the country's two biggest teams are going to butt heads every year. Galatasaray sits on the European side of the city and was historically founded by students of an elite high school. While Fenerbahçe, situated on the Asian side, has its roots firmly planted in the working-class districts of Kadıköy.

Istanbul is split when these two teams face off and most of the time, titles are on the line. The fixture has broken records with four players sent off in stoppage time in a 2009 clash. The derby's most legendary iconic moment came in 1996, when former Galatasaray manager Graeme Souness planted a massive club flag directly into the center circle of Fenerbahçe's pitch after winning the Turkish Cup final, nearly triggering a stadium-wide riot

Roberto Carlos told Striver that this rivalry is one of the most high-pressure fixtures he experienced during his career. That's proof of just how important it is in Turkish football.

  • Matches: 400
  • Fenerbahçe: 148 Wins
  • Galatasaray: 128 Wins
  • Draws: 124

2. El Superclásico: Boca Juniors vs. River Plate

When you have to play this fixture one year in a different country, you can guess how dangerous the game is. In Buenos Aires alone there are 8 top division Argentinian teams but Boca Juniors and River Plate are the ones above the rest. oth clubs originated in the working-class docklands of La Boca, but River Plate relocated to the affluent northern district of Nuñez in the 1920s, earning the moniker Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). Boca Juniors stayed put, cementing their status as the team of the working class.

The rivalry regularly descends into absolute chaos, averaging over a red card per match across the 21st century. In May 2023, a 93rd-minute River Plate penalty sparked a mass bench-clearing scrap that resulted in 7 red cards being issued after the final whistle. The fixture's most shocking iconic moment occurred in the 2015 Copa Libertadores round of 16,when the match was abandoned at half-time after Boca fans pepper-sprayed the River Plate players inside the stadium tunnel, hospitalizing four players.

  • Matches: 262
  • Boca Juniors: 91 Wins
  • River Plate: 86 Wins
  • Draws: 85

1. The Old Firm: Celtic vs. Rangers

This derby transcends football it has religious tension and local rivalry all in one to go along with battling for trophies. Rooted deeply in 19th-century history, the divide was drawn along religious and political lines: Celtic was founded by Irish Catholic immigrants, representing an Irish-republican identity, while Rangers traditionally aligned with Scottish Protestantism and British unionism.

Over a century of friction has produced unmatched disciplinary carnage. The most infamous fixture came in May 1999 where referee Hugh Dallas was hit on the head by a coin thrown from the stands, three players were sent off and Rangers secured the league title at Celtic Park. 

Another defining moment happened in 2011 when touchline tempers boiled over into a full-scale confrontation between Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant Ally McCoist, prompting emergency summit talks led by the Scottish Government to address derby violence. When there is no away fans allowed in league games it sort of shows that The Old Firm can not be topped as fierce Derbys go.

  • Matches: 454
  • Rangers: 174 Wins
  • Celtic: 172 Wins
  • Draws: 108