Derby of the Eternal Enemies

Lore & Background

The rivalry traces back to social, cultural and regional differences. Panathinaikos, founded in 1908, comes from Athens and was considered the classic representative of the high class and old Athenian society. Olympiacos, founded in 1925, comes from the port city of Piraeus, attracting supporters from working class areas. Olympiacos' early success provided a way for the people of Piraeus to express contempt for the wealthier classes, and the club attracted fans from all over Greece who believed themselves victims of social and political unfairness.

Reader's Guide

Both clubs have been in the top flight of Greek football since 1929. Olympiacos is the most successful domestically with a record 84 major official titles to Panathinaikos' 44, and leads in head-to-head fixtures. Panathinaikos' greatest European success was reaching the European Cup final in 1971, with two UEFA Champions League semi-finals (1985, 1996) and four quarter-finals. In 2024, Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League, becoming the first Greek team to win an official UEFA title. Football hooliganism is common between fans, featuring breaking seats, fighting, fireworks and street rioting.

Did You Know?

• American network CNN ranked this derby among the ten greatest football rivalries of all-time.
• In October 2014, BBC named it 'Europe's maddest derby'.
• In September 2019, Daily Mirror ranked it as the fifth most important derby in the world.
• The record Alpha Ethniki win for Olympiacos at home is 4–0 (26 February 1967); away is 4–1 (16 May 2021).
• The record Alpha Ethniki win for Panathinaikos at home is 3–0 (26 January 1992); away is 4–1 (24 July 1960, 8 November 1987) and 3–0 (2 March 2014).