London Derby: All Matches, biggest rivalries

London calling – The British capital boasts the most clubs among the capitals of the top five leagues. But even in the Championship, London is well represented. On May 25, 2025, Charlton Athletic became the third club, after the Queens Park Rangers and Millwall FC, to be promoted to the second English league. But which is the biggest London derby?

London derbies span from the Premier League all the way down to non-league football. Eight clubs from the derby capital will meet in the 2025/2026 Premier League season – namely Arsenal FC, Brentford FC, Conference League winners Chelsea FC, FA Cup winners Crystal Palace, Fulham FC, Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United. 

London Derby 2025: Only two clubs in League One

Charlton Athletic from South London, Queens Park Rangers from the West, and Millwall FC from the Southeast will compete in the Championship. 

In the third-tier League One, only two London clubs – AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient – will be represented next season. But when it comes to tradition and cult status, they can definitely hold their own against higher-placed clubs. 

London derbies – they've been around since 1872 in FA Cup finals, most recently during the pandemic year 2020 behind closed doors, when Arsenal faced Chelsea (2:1), in European competition with the “Gunners” and “Blues” in the 2019 Europa League final in Baku, and even in the Champions League. 

In 2004, Chelsea stunned Arsenal in the CL quarterfinals with a 2:1 win (first leg: 1:1) at Highbury. 

What is the biggest London Derby?

Opinions differ on which London derby is the biggest – and most heated. 

According to Givemesport.com, the “Dockers Derby” between West Ham United and Millwall topped a December 2024 ranking of the 20 fiercest rivalries in London – ahead of Arsenal vs. Tottenham and Chelsea vs. Tottenham.

London Derby Names: From the North to the Docks

The North London Derby Arsenal vs. Tottenham shows that most rivalries in the British capital are named after cardinal directions, such as the North vs. West London Derby between Arsenal and Chelsea or the South vs. East London Derby featuring Millwall FC and West Ham United. 

The latter, also known as the Dockers Derby, is a well-established term in London football, describing the clash between two traditional clubs from portside districts. 

North London Derby Arsenal vs. Tottenham: Contempt at 6.4 km distance

My personal favorite remains Arsenal vs. Tottenham, the North London Derby. First contested in 1896 and with over 200 encounters, the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham is one of the most intense football duels in the English capital. 

The two rivals – now settled in the Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, modern football temples located just where their old grounds once stood – are separated by just 6.4 kilometers. 

Crossing enemy lines, like when England international Sol Campbell joined Arsenal in 2001, has always added extra spice.

"The most terrifying game of my career was the 1-1 when Sol Campbell returned to White Hart Lane," Arsenal legend Ray Parlour told Talksport. "I remember all kinds of objects being thrown at us as we left the stadium. The atmosphere was completely toxic."

East London or Dockers Derby Millwall vs. West Ham: A trail of violence

Since 1899, two clubs in London’s East End have clashed in a rivalry that for years left a trail of violence: West Ham United and Millwall FC. 

The hatred in London’s East, particularly around the Isle of Dogs, dates back to a 1926 general strike. West Ham fans, many from Thames-side ironworks, supported the strikers, while Millwall’s dock workers rejected the strike – causing outrage. 
During the politically charged 1970s and 1980s, derbies between Millwall and West Ham were high-alert affairs, with both clubs linked to notorious hooligan firms – the “Bushwhackers” and the “Inter City Firm.” In 1978 alone, 70 violent fans were arrested in a mass brawl. 

SUN columnist and former national player Harry Redknapp (“Trouble with Harry”) once suggested that “Millwall and West Ham should only play behind closed doors.” 
During one of my visits to South London, pub-goers warned me that even visiting Millwall on a non-match day could be dangerous… 

Another bitterly despised London rival of West Ham United’s “Hammers” is Tottenham Hotspur. 

This rivalry stems partly from proximity – just 12 miles apart since West Ham’s 2016 move to the London Olympic Stadium – but even more from fierce hooligan firm animosity. 

One London legend still persists. On the final Premier League matchday in May 2006, Tottenham was vying for a Champions League spot in a derby at West Ham and in a long-distance race with Arsenal (who faced Wigan Athletic). Several Spurs players dropped out with stomach issues after eating lasagna and spaghetti Bolognese at their Canary Wharf hotel. West Ham won 2:1, and Tottenham had to wait until 2010 for their Champions League debut…

On the pitch, “The Spurs” humiliated the “Hammers” at Boleyn Ground in 1962 with a record away win of 6:1. England’s future World Cup winner Jimmy Greaves scored twice. While he never switched sides, West Ham stars like Jermain Defoe (2004, €10.5 million), Michael Carrick, and Scott Parker all moved to Tottenham.

Defoe’s transfer on deadline day surely wasn’t appreciated in the East End…

North vs. West London Derby Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Frenemies

Arsenal vs. Chelsea – With the arrival of “The Special One,” Portuguese success coach José Mourinho, this rivalry extended to the sidelines. The calm Arsene Wenger and the flamboyant Mourinho were tabloid gold. “He’s a specialist in failure” was just one of many Mourinho jabs. 

The players also clashed: in the 2007 League Cup final, three were sent off – Arsenal’s Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor, and Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel.

While Arsenal boasts more league titles, “The Blues” have won every European competition. 

With seven European trophies (1971 and 1998 / Cup Winners’ Cup, 2012 and 2021 / Champions League, 2013 and 2019 / Europa League, 2025 Conference League), they are the most internationally successful team from London.

North West London Derby Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Battle at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur is also called the North vs. West London Derby. These two capital clubs have faced off more than 175 times since 1909. 

The rivalry, mostly fueled by fans, started with the 1967 FA Cup final, known as the “Cockney Cup Final,” won 2:1 by Tottenham at Wembley. 

A 2012 poll among Chelsea fans named the “Spurs” their most hated local rivals.

On the pitch, the feud reached a boiling point on May 2, 2016 in “The Battle of the Bridge,” a Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge with nine yellow cards for Spurs and a six-month ban for Moussa Dembélé. 

The 2:2 draw helped Leicester City clinch the title.

SW6 or West London Derby Fulham vs. Chelsea: The not-so-genteel English way

And no one should say things are peaceful in the posh West of London. When Fulham FC meets Chelsea FC in the West London Derby – their stadiums, Craven Cottage and Stamford Bridge, are just 1.6 miles apart – the genteel London manners are often forgotten. 

Like on January 13, 2023. For the first time since 1965, “The Cottagers” went into the game above Chelsea in the standings. Manager Graham Potter debuted Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix, loaned from Atlético Madrid for €11 million. 
Felix was sent off after 58 minutes and was ruthlessly booed and taunted by Fulham fans. London insults without a French translation.