Spain is regarded as one of the biggest football nations in the world, boasting iconic teams and a national side that has enjoyed success in major competitions.
The Iberian nations are also home to one of the game’s greatest rivalries between two massive sporting institutions in the shape of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
El Clasico is always one of the standout dates on the calendar, but it is far from Spain’s only major rivalry, with the country’s iconic regions and cities throwing up several fierce derbies.
Featuring El Clásico, FGG ranks the top five biggest derbies and rivalries in Spain.
5. Derbi Barceloni
The Derbi Barceloni sees giants Barcelona face off against their local rivals Espanyol in what can often be a fiery contest, despite the Blaugrana dominating the head-to-head record with 129 victories in 219 matches.
Tensions spilt over when Barcelona won the 2022-23 LaLiga title at Espanyol’s RCDE stadium. The Barcelona squad were forced to hurry down the tunnel after hundreds of Espanyol supporters invaded the pitch in a bid to impede the celebrations.
Espanyol experienced an unfortunate sense of Deja vu when their bitter rivals clinched the title again at their stadium in the 2024-25 campaign.
Moments like those in 2023 and 2025 only add to the fondness with which Espanyol look back on games like a crucial 2-2 draw against their neighbours in June 2007. On that occasion, Raul Tamado scored a dramatic 90th-minute equaliser for an Espanyol side coached by future Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde. The dropped points opened the door for Real Madrid to pip Barcelona to the 2006-07 title on a head-to-head tiebreak.
Given their dislike of Barcelona, it is safe to say that Joan Garcia’s decision to leave the Periquitos for their cross-city rivals went down like a lead balloon among the Esapnyol faithful.
4. Madrid derby
El Derbi Madrileño (The Madrid derby) is a local rivalry between the two biggest clubs based in Spain’s capital city.
Real Madrid may see Barcelona as their fiercest foes, but they still want to come out on top every time they face their city neighbours, Atletico Madrid.
Given their status as Spain’s most successful club, Real Madrid have flexed their muscles to dominate this fixture, including two famous wins in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.
Los Blancos broke Atleti hearts when Sergio Ramos netted a 93rd-minute equaliser to send the 2013-14 Champions League final to extra time before they netted three goals in the additional 30 minutes to achieve La Decima.
Atletico experienced more heartbreak when they fell to a penalty shootout defeat in the 2015-16 final, prolonging their wait for Champions League glory.
Still, Atleti have certainly had their moments in this city rivalry, including victories in back-to-back Spanish cup finals in 1960 and 1961. They also beat Los Blancos in two more Copa del Rey finals in 1992 and 2013, with the latter representing the most recent triumph in the cup competition.
3. El Gran Derbi
The Andalusian capital, Seville, is the location of one of Spain’s fiercest derbies between Sevilla and Real Betis.
Sevilla hail from the wealthier Nervion district of the city, while Betis are seen to have most working-class roots in the Heliopolis region.
Given the passionate nature of the rivalry, tensions have sometimes spilt over from the stands, as was the case in 2022 when Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordán was struck by a metal pole thrown from the stands at Betis’ Estadio Benito Villamarín.
Sevilla have enjoyed the most success out of the two city neighbours, having lifted seven Europa League/UEFA Cup trophies, five Copa del Reys and a La Liga title.
In contrast, Los Verdiblancos have a LaLiga crown and three Copa del Reys to their name, although they boast a larger fanbase that supports with their club motto in mind, ¡Viva el Betis manque pierda! (Long live Betis even when they lose).
2. Basque derby
Games between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad are not seen as the top fixture in the Basque region, but they are also viewed as one of the biggest games in the Spanish football calendar.
Hailing from Bilbao, Athletic are one of three teams that have never been relegated from the top flight and have enjoyed significant success with eight La Liga titles and 24 Copa del Rey triumphs, most recently in 2024 when they ended a 40-year wait for glory in the King’s Cup.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad, the team from Donostia/San Sebastián are two-time La Liga champion and three-time winner of the Copa del Rey, with their most recent cup success coming courtesy of a 1-0 win over Athletic in a behind-closed-doors final in 2020.
While both teams want to claim derby bragging rights, Athletic and La Real share a friendly rivalry due to their Basque identity, ensuring they have a lot in common thanks to their local culture and language.
That said, there is one major difference between the two sides, with Athletic still employing the Basque-only policy of recruiting players that were born or trained in the region – something Real Sociedad abandoned in 1989.
1. El Clasico
The game that needs no introduction, other than simply being El Clasico.
Undoubtedly, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is one of the biggest in sport, partly due to the political history woven into the fixture.
As the country’s capital city, Real Madrid is associated with Spanish nationalism, while Barcelona represents Catalonia as the region’s capital. Away from the domestic political connotations, the Clasico rivalry stretches to all corners of the globe due to the sheer size and reach of the clubs involved.
Barcelona and Real Madrid’s appeal and stature mean that this fixture usually features some of the game’s best players and the brightest managers.
Iconic games include Barcelona’s Lionel Messi-inspired 3-2 La Liga victory in April 2017 and Real Madrid’s 2-1 triumph in the 2014 Copa del Rey final at Mestalla, where Gareth Bale out-sprinted Marc Bartra to score a sensational winner.
Perhaps, surprisingly, Barcelona have only faced Real Madrid in the Champions League in two separate ties, including their most recent European meeting in the 2010-11 semi-finals, when Pep Guardiola’s side beat Jose Mourinho’s Madrid 3-1 on aggregate on their way to lifting their fifth European Cup.
The Blaugrana have dominated recent meetings with five wins in the past six matches, including victories in all of Hansi Flick’s first four Clasicos in the 2024-2025 campaign.
The latest instalment of the fierce rivalry is taking shape in La Liga, with the two sides neck and neck in a captivating title fight.
