Lisbon Derby

The Lisbon Derby is the rivalry that divides the Portuguese capital, the meeting of Sporting CP and Benfica. The two clubs are based only a short distance apart in Lisbon, and the fixture is one of the best-supported and most fiercely contested in the country.

Benfica are the largest club in Portugal by support and one of the most followed in the world. They have a celebrated history and play in one of Europe's great stadiums, and their supporters expect the club to compete for the title every season.

Sporting CP are one of Portugal's traditional powers and are especially renowned for their academy, which has produced some of the finest players the country has ever sent into the world game. That tradition of developing talent is a central part of how Sporting see themselves.

The rivalry is a contest for the identity of Lisbon itself, with both clubs claiming to be the true team of the capital. Decades of close competition, and the regular sight of one club's academy graduates starring elsewhere, have kept the feeling between the two supporter bases sharp.

The Lisbon Derby is one of the most attended fixtures in Portuguese football and a match that can swing a title race. The build-up dominates the city, and the result is carried with pride or frustration through its streets for weeks. It is one capital and two clubs that refuse to share it.