Basque football derbies

When people talk about Basque derbies, they mean the local matchups between football clubs from the Basque Country. Sometimes the term is narrowed to teams only from the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain, which leaves out sides from the French Basque Country and Navarre—most notably Osasuna. While it can describe a single game, it also covers the broader, ongoing rivalry between the clubs and their supporters.

As of the 2025–26 season, four Basque clubs play in La Liga. The biggest rivalry is between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, representing the provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. This is simply called "the" Basque derby, and the two have met over 140 times in the league alone. They also faced off in the 2020 Copa del Rey Final, which Real Sociedad won after a one-year postponement.

The third club, Deportivo Alavés, has never won a major trophy. Their closest brushes with silverware came as runners-up in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup and the 2016–17 Copa del Rey. Based in the regional capital Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Babazorros have spent 16 seasons in the top flight since forming in 1921. Alavés became the highest-ranked Basque team for the first time in 1999–2000, finishing 6th, and repeated that with 7th place two years later.

A dramatic match between Alavés and Real Sociedad took place in June 2008 at Mendizorrotza. Both clubs were fighting at opposite ends of the second division table heading into the penultimate round. Real Sociedad seemed to have secured a win until two late goals flipped the result to 3–2, giving Alavés all three points. That win proved crucial: Alavés escaped relegation by a single point, while Real Sociedad finished fourth and missed out on promotion. Nine years earlier, with both teams in the top tier, Alavés again stayed up thanks to a 2–1 home win over Real Sociedad on the final day.

The fourth club is Club Atlético Osasuna, from the province of Navarre. The Rojillos have spent 44 seasons in the top flight, with their best La Liga finishes being fourth place in 1990–91 and 2005–06, and they have twice been Copa del Rey runners-up (2004–05 and 2022–23). Their long-standing rivalry with Athletic Club dates back to 1923, when they first met at San Mamés. Since then, the two have played each other 199 times in official matches and friendlies.

A fifth club, SD Eibar, was a regular in the top division for much of the 2010s.