Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will meet on Saturday in a massive encounter that has got tongues wagging in South Africa and beyond
The Super Clash
The meeting between Ghana’s big two – Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak – is a blockbuster everytime.
Since their first meeting in 1958, these two giants have been slogging it out to assert their local dominance, and to claim bragging rights over their bitter foe.
They may not be neighbours – there’s 250 kms between Accra and Kumasi – but with a combined 45 titles between them, there’s no doubt they’re the two biggest dogs on the local scene.
Dar Es Salaam Derby
Widely regarded as the biggest football derby in East Africa, the Kariakoo Derby is a match between Tanzania’s top clubs and most supported teams in the country, Simba SC and Young Africans.
Also known as Yanga, Young Africans have won a record 22 Tanzanian Premier League titles, but Simba have the upper hand in the regional tournament, Cecafa Inter-Club Cup, having won more trophies.
Both clubs enjoy large support from millions of fans from neighbouring countries – Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan – and they have travelled to Dar Es Salaam to get a taste of what the derby can serve over the years.
Tunis Derby
This derby is played between the two most notable clubs in Tunisia, Club Africain and Esperance de Tunis, and it is the fiercest rivalry in country.
It is regarded as a clash between the lower class Esperance, who are the most successful football club in Tunisia and the upper class, Club Africain.
Furthermore, Tunis Derby has been compared to one of the biggest football derbies in the world, the Milan Derby, as Esperance and Africain play their home games in the same stadium, the Stade Olympique de Rades.
Casablanca Derby
This titanic match is an intense rivalry between two powerhouses of Moroccan football, Raja Casablanca and Wydad Casablanca.
It is known for producing an amazing, but yet terrifying atmosphere inside the Stade Mohamed V which usually hosts one of the biggest fixtures in Northern African football.
Although Wydad are the most dedicated Moroccan club with a record 21 Botola League titles, Raja, who have 12 trophies, have the edge in their head-to-head record since their first ever competitive game in 1956.
Soweto Derby
Considered to be one of the most fiercely contested matches in African football, the Soweto Derby features two clubs from the biggest township in South Africa, Soweto.
The rivalry between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates stems from the fact that the former were formed in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung, who is a former Bucs player.
Under Motaung’s leadership, Amakhosi have become the most decorated football club in the country and they are also the most supported club in southern Africa.
So this derby gives Pirates, who were established in 1937, the chance to outshine their more popular rival.
Cairo Derby
The Cairo Derby is one of the most exciting derbies in the world of football and some consider it to be the biggest on the African continent.
It features arguably the biggest football club in Africa, Al Ahly and their city rival Zamalek and both teams have been named by Caf as the best clubs of the 20th century respectively due to their incredible success in continental competitions.
Matches between the two giants have led to so much violence among fans in the past that games had to be played behind closed doors even before the current coronavirus pandemic.
The pair contested the last Caf Champions League in Cairo last year, with Ahly running out 2-1 winners.