Africa’s Biggest Football Rivalries

All the major football rivalries from African club football:

Featured Derby: The Cairo Derby, Cairo, Egypt
Al Ahly vs Zamalek

The showpiece of Egyptian Football, and arguably the highlight of the Arab footballing calender. Games between these Egyptian giants are so hotly contested that foreign referees are brought in to officiate. The rivalry between the clubs is driven by location and success. Both clubs are located in the Greater Cairo area, and were rated by the CAF to be Africa’s top two clubs during the 20th Century. The intensity between the two sets of fans is immense. Officials go to great lengths to keep them separate, including redirecting traffic in Cairo on match days to avoid confrontations between supporters.

Other Derbies:

Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)
Santos vs Ajax Cape Town (South Africa)
USM Alger vs MC Alger (Algeria)
USM Alger vs JSK (Algeria)
Asec Mimosas vs Africa Sports (Ivory Coast)
Club Africain vs Esperance (Tunisia)
Wydad vs Raja (Morocco)
Ghazl Al Mahalla vs Baladeyyet Al Mahalla (Egpyt)
Al Ahly of Bengahzi vs Al Nasr (Libya)
Al Ahly of Bengahzi vs Al Ittihad (Libya)
Al Ahly of Bengahzi vs Al Ahly of Tripoli (Libya)
CAPS United vs Dynamos (Zimbabwe)
Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko (Ghana)
Canon Yaounde vs Tonnerre Yaounde (Cameroon)

Back to the main Football Rivalries page.

We encourage anyone who has personally experienced any of the above derby fixtures to write a feature article on their experiences and get it published on Soccerlens.

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