Eternal Derby

Lore & Background

The rivalry between the two top Greek clubs can be traced 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 of the Greek capital. On the other hand, Olympiacos was founded in 1925 and comes from the port city of Piraeus, thus attracting supporters from the surrounding working class areas. Both cities have played a major role in Greek history since classical antiquity.

These class differences between the people in the homelands of the two clubs offered further reasons for the animosity between their fans. Olympiacos' early success provided a way for the people of Piraeus to express their contempt for the wealthier classes. Furthermore, Olympiacos attracted fans from all over Greece who believed themselves to be victims of social and political unfairness. Football hooliganism is a very common phenomenon between their fans in recent years, featuring anything from breaking seats and fighting to fireworks and street rioting.

Both clubs have been in the top flight of Greek football since 1929, among the longest spells on the Continent. Their football departments attract the most fans, but the rivalry also extends into other team sports such as basketball, volleyball and water polo. Domestically, Olympiacos is the most successful football club in Greece, having won a record 84 major official titles compared to Panathinaikos' 44 titles and also being the most successful in their head-to-head fixtures.

Until 2024, Panathinaikos boasted of their better performance in European competitions. Their greatest success is the participation in the European Cup final in 1971, two semi-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1985, 1996) and four quarter-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1992, 2002) and UEFA Europa League (1988, 2003). This changed in 2024, when Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League, becoming the first Greek team to win an official UEFA title.

Other top performances are their campaign to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 1999 and their campaign to the quarter-finals of the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Reader's Guide

The derby is contested between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. Olympiacos plays at Karaiskakis Stadium; Panathinaikos plays at Leoforos Alexandras Stadium. The head-to-head records include: Record win of the pre Alpha Ethniki era: Olympiacos home 6–1 (1936), away 3–0 (1939); Panathinaikos home 8–2 (1930), away 4–1 (1940). Record Alpha Ethniki win: Olympiacos home 4–0 (1967), away 4–1 (2021); Panathinaikos home 3–0 (1992), away 4–1 (1960, 1987) and 3–0 (2014).

Record Greek Cup win: Olympiacos home 4–0 (1983, 2008), away 6–1 (1932); Panathinaikos common field 4–0 (1986), home 3–2 (1982), away 3–2 (1995). Longest sequence of Alpha Ethniki wins: Olympiacos 5 (1996–1999), Panathinaikos 3 (1977–1978). Longest sequence of Greek Cup wins: Olympiacos 3 (1965–1969 and 1953–1960), Panathinaikos 3 (1977–1983 and 1985–1988). Longest sequence of unbeaten Alpha Ethniki matches: Olympiacos 11 (1980–1985), Panathinaikos 7 (1987–1991).

Longest sequence of unbeaten Greek Cup matches: Olympiacos 18 (1932–1977), Panathinaikos 4 (1985–1990). Attendance records in Athens Olympic Stadium: 74,452 (1984), 74,252 (1987), 74,146 (1985), 73,700 (1986), 73,525 (1986). Series won in Greek Cup: Olympiacos 20, Panathinaikos 10. Greek League Cup series: Olympiacos 1, Panathinaikos 0. Head-to-head ranking in Super League Greece: Olympiacos 41 times higher, Panathinaikos 25 times higher.