O Clássico

O Clássico is the defining fixture of Portuguese football, the meeting of Porto and Benfica. Between them these two clubs have won the overwhelming majority of the country's league titles, and their head-to-head meetings usually sit at the centre of the championship race.

Porto are based in the country's industrial north and have built a reputation as a relentless, well-organised winning machine. The club has enjoyed major success both at home and in European competition, and it takes great pride in representing the north of Portugal.

Benfica, from the capital Lisbon, are the most widely supported club in the country and one of the most followed in the world, with an enormous paid membership. Benfica have a glorious history, particularly in European football, and their supporters fill one of the great stadiums of the continent.

The rivalry carries a regional dimension, the proud industrial north against the capital in the south, and that contrast gives the fixture a meaning beyond football. For long stretches the two clubs have traded periods of dominance, and the balance of power between them is constantly contested.

O Clássico is played at least twice a season in the league, and a single result can decide the title. The build-up grips the whole country, and the match is treated as the standout occasion of the Portuguese calendar. It is north against south, and neither side accepts second place.