The 5 Greatest Football Rivalries by Country
The best international football rivalries of all time
For decades there is no doubt that there have been bitter football rivalries between countries, more in some parts of the world than others.
There is a lot more international play in football than other sports thanks to events such as the World Cup, along with the Olympics and the World Games.
Find out about 5 of the greatest football rivalries across the world.
USA-Mexico
These two countries have taken turns dominating each other. As of 2022, the United States is the one dominating between the two.
The United States’ southern counterparts won 23 of their 24 matches, played from 1937 to 1980.
The one match that the US won is one that literally ruined Mexico’s year, when they beat Mexico 4-2 in a World Cup qualifier.
The US only played Mexico once, resulting in them pitching a shut-out to win 2-0 which eliminated the Mexicans in 2002.
Since the turn of the century, the US has dominated the rivalry at a clip of 18 wins to 5.
Although Mexico holds the most wins in the rivalry, of the 68 times they’ve met almost 1 in 3 USA vs Mexico matches end up in a tie as the rivalries’ record is 36-16-22.
Brazil-Argentina
Both of these teams are on the same continent, but these two countries have a lot more than that in common.
As a matter of fact, both countries have been considered dominant in football for a long time as they have a combined 24 COPA America titles and seven World Cups.
The two countries have also produced players that include some of the best names in football history, such as Pele and Diego Maradadona, dating all the way back to 1914.
Some actually consider Pele and Maradadona to be considered the two greatest players in football history.
Others have argued it is almost impossible to compare the two, due to the fact that they played in different eras.
If you look at it from a statistical perspective, Pele seems to have the upper hand for individual stats but Maradadona was in more championship matches.
The two teams have also been in numerous memorable contests such as the ‘holy water’ scandal in the 1990 World Cup and they have also played against each other in the World Cup numerous times.
Japan-South Korea
It is debated just how big this rivalry is at the moment, as South Korea is currently leading the series 42-23-16.
Japan and South Korea didn’t actually come up against each other until 1954, when South Korea won in a World Cup qualifier.
However, it could also be argued that the two are rivals for political reasons, more than what has actually happened between the two clubs on the field.
Serbia-Croatia
Much like the Japan-South Korea rivalry, the Serbia-Croatia rivalry brings many of the same arguments.
After all, both countries were part of former Yugoslavia. The rivalry between the two clubs has gone beyond the field, including death threats in chants at matches.
England-Scotland
Some have actually argued that this is the best rivalry in football, as the sport is considered a smash hit in both countries and it has been this way for a long time.
It’s easy to see why, considering how popular football is in that area of the world. That could be because the sport was invented in England back in 1170 and it is considered to be England’s national pastime.
As a matter of fact, this rivalry goes back to within a century of the end of the United States’ Civil War (1872). The first game between the two European countries in 1872 ended in a 0–0 tie.
There is no doubt that football has always been a popular sport and it probably always will be as long as sports exist.
Let’s hope that any future rivalries develop because of things that happen on the field, rather than what’s happening in politics.
