Uruguay is a small country compared to its neighbours Argentina and Brazil, with a population of just under 3.5 million. But when it comes to football, its "size" increases several times over. It hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1930 and won it right away, beating Argentina in the final. They also triumphed in the World Cup 20 years later, beating the home team Brazil. In Uruguay, football is, with little exaggeration, a religion. The fact that so many people believe in, love, and watch it has something to do with the way the nation has been shaped.
The ancestors of the vast majority of Uruguayans are descendants of European colonisers who arrived on its shores in the 19th century. Most came from Spain and Italy. In the 2011 census, 93.9% of respondents indicated predominantly European ancestry, with another 4.9% indicating African ancestry and only 1.1% of the population being made up of indigenous groups.
Recently, the number of immigrants from Brazil and Argentina has increased in the country. Thus, football is in the genes of Uruguayans. The most popular sport on the planet has been and is one of the distinctive aspects that has shaped their national identity. Moreover, football emerged earlier in this part of the world than in the vast majority of other countries.
Uruguayans versus British
The British were behind the start of football in Uruguay (as in many other parts of the globe). The oldest club there was Albion FC in 1891. In the same year, another "English" sports club was formed - the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (CURCC). The latter was founded in Montevideo by employees of a British company that was building railways in Uruguay.
The purpose of the club was to provide the company's employees with healthy and active leisure activities overseas. As well as football, they also played cricket, rugby and other sports. Later on, CURCC was renamed (also to make the increasingly popular club more pronounceable to Spanish-speaking supporters in the wider community) after the place where it was based - the Penarol district, now part of the Montevideo conurbation.
A number of other clubs were formed in that metropolis in the late 19th century. All of them were founded by 'new' Europeans - those who came to Uruguay to work at that time, not those who had laid the foundations of its nation a few decades earlier. In addition to Albion FC and the railway CURCC, other clubs included the Uruguay Athletic Club and the German Deutscher FK.
The "national" reaction was then the founding of Club Nacional in 1899, which thus became the first club of "true" Uruguayans. Along with its all-encompassing name, Nacional has represented its national identity with its colours, which since its earliest days have been white, blue and red - the colours associated with Uruguay's national hero José Gervasio Artigas.
Football in the country was taken to the next level with the creation of the league. It was founded in 1900, making it one of the oldest competitions in the world (and the oldest in the Americas). Uruguay's first-ever champions were the players of the railway CURCC. At the same time, in 1900, the CURCC team faced the newly founded Nacional for the first time in a friendly match. The match, in which the "British" team won 2-0, was the first meeting between the two later great rivals. It is thus the oldest football derby in the world outside of those that began to take shape within island football in the late 19th century.
50/50
Nacional joined the Uruguayan league back in the 1901 season. This was again won by the CURCC. In the third league season (their second), however, a new opponent enjoyed the title for the first time. And since then, the Uruguayan football throne has been occupied de facto exclusively by these two clubs. Penarol has 51 championship titles (including those won as CURCC), and Nacional has 49.
Only 19 times has another team triumphed (Defensor Sporting and Danubio are the other most successful clubs, with four league titles to their credit). Penarol and Nacional have also confirmed their strength and greatness several times in international competitions. Together they have won the South American equivalent of the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, eight times. With five triumphs, Penarol is in third place behind Argentine giants Independiente (seven titles) and Bokou Juniors (six).
Penarol and Nacional's sheer dominance of Uruguayan football is, of course, reflected in the number of fans of both clubs. Here too, almost without exaggeration, the ratio between the two rivals is 50/50. According to one census among Uruguayans, 50.35% of the population support Nacional and 49.45% support Penarol. Other, more sober and credible polls say that 45% of football fans favour Penarol and 38% favour Nacional.
In short, Penarol and Nacional are clearly the two biggest football clubs in the country, and therefore two great rivals. Their derby, called simply and clearly the Clásico del fútbol uruguayo (Clásico of Uruguayan football), has no competition in the country. This is despite the fact that both teams have many other competitors within Montevideo. The concentration of football within Uruguay is unprecedented - 12 of the 16 league teams in the 2023 edition are from the capital.
20 red cards and players in jail
Uruguay's main derby has been played 558 times. Penarol have won 197 matches, with Nacional outclassing their rivals on 180 occasions. The other 181 have ended in draws. In such a number of encounters and in the context of such a strong rivalry, there is no shortage of very interesting and heated matches. One match that stands out from the crowd is the 1949 match in which Nacional's players escaped through the windows of their dressing room at half-time. They were 2-0 down at the break, but the reason for their departure was said to be dissatisfaction with the referee's performance. Penarol fans gloat about the incident to this day, mocking their opponents for being cowards.
Another match in 1990 was memorable because it became a brawl, in which 20 players were sent off, and the contest couldn't be finished. 10 years later, a game between the sides was so violent that nine of them ended up in prison for a month.
Uruguayans love football so much that in 2011, a film about Penarol and its fans called 'Manyas' (a familiar nickname for the club's players and supporters) headed to cinemas. It broke all records throughout Uruguayan cinema and became the highest-grossing film. This too demonstrates the incredible power and influence that football and the two biggest teams have in the country.
At the same time, Penarol fans organised a spectacular fundraiser, raising around 800,000 crowns to create a new record for the size of a banner spread across the stands. However, the championship lasted for two years before Nacional supporters produced a flag 600 metres long and 50 metres wide, covering almost the entire stadium.
Follow the next derby in the battle for the Uruguayan league title on Flashscore. Nacional and Penarol will face off on Saturday, November 11th at 20:30 CET.
Next derby of the week
Saturday 11 November
South Africa - Premier LeagueKaizer Chiefs - Orlando Pirates
Soweto derby (Soweto derby)
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are two of South Africa's best-ever clubs. Both are based in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto. However, neither are currently doing well. Kaizer Chiefs are 10th in the table, with Orlando Pirates three places behind them.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Premijer LigaZrinjski Mostar - Velez Mostar
Mostarski gradski derbi (Mostar city derby)
The Mostar derby was the subject of Derby Week in August. However, the match between the old rivals was postponed at the last minute. In the replay less than a month ago, the Zrinjski team won 3-0. However, Velez's players are otherwise doing well this season. They are only four points behind their opponents.
Chile - Primera División de Chile
Universidad Católica - Universidad de Chile
Clásico Universitario (University Clasico)
The Clásico Universitario is the oldest derby between two clubs with roots in academia. The first time the teams from the Chilean capital Santiago met was back in 1909. The university teams are second and third when looking at the number of Chilean titles.
Brazil - Serie A
Fla-Flu
Fla-Flu (Flamengo versus Fluminense) is an urban derby between two big Brazilian clubs from Rio de Janeiro. The Fla-Flu derby holds the world record for attendance at a league match. In 1963, 194,603 spectators came to the famous Maracana Stadium to watch the current Copa Libertadores winners play against Flamengo.
Sunday 12 November
Denmark - Superligaen
Slaget om Kobenhavn (Battle of Copenhagen)
FC Copenhagen and Bröndby are two of the most successful clubs in the capital and throughout Denmark. Both teams are currently in first and second place in the table respectively. FC Copenhagen won the first Battle of Copenhagen of the season 3-2, turning the score around with two goals in the last minutes of the match.
Belgium - Jupiler Pro League
Brugse stadsderby (Bruges city derby)
Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge share the Jan Breydel stadium. They first clashed in 1900. Club Brugge has been much more successful in the long run, both in the derby and overall, winning 18 titles. Cercle has also managed to win the Belgian league in the past (three times in total), but the last time was in 1930.
Austria - Bundesliga
Linzer derby (Linz derby)
In the Austrian top flight, another city derby is being played this season alongside the Vienna derby. Blau-Weiss Linz, who entered the Bundesliga for the first time in its history, are not doing too badly so far this season picking up 13 points from 13 matches. However, they lost their first match against their city rivals 0-2.
Italy - Serie A
Derby dell'Appennino (Apennine Derby)
Florence, home to AFC Fiorentina, lies at the southern foot of the Apennine Mountains. A hundred kilometres to the north at the other end of the Apennines lies Bologna, home of Bologna FC 1909. Bologna won both derbies last season 2-1. Currently, only one point separates the two clubs in the table.
Derby della Capitale (Derby for the capital)
The Rome derby between Lazio and AS is one of the most exciting matches in the world, but both sides haven't been at their best this season. Roma sit in 7th, while Lazio are in 10th.
Spain - LaLiga
Derbi sevillano (Seville derby)
The Seville derby is also known as the Great Derby (El Gran Derbi). Sevilla FC is based in the lucrative Nervión district, while Real Betis is a club from the southern, poorer part of the city. Consequently, the rivalry is partly a battle of social classes. Historically, Sevilla FC is stronger, but currently, Betis is more successful.
Portugal - Primeira Liga
Dérbi da Capital (Capital Derby)
Three clubs dominate Portuguese football. The big three (Os Três Grandes) are Benfica (38 titles), FC Porto (30 titles) and Sporting (19 titles). Only twice in history has another team been champions (Belenenses in 1946 and Boavista Porto in 2001). This is one of the reasons why the Lisbon derby is a very prestigious match.
Brazil - Serie A
Sao-Sao
Similar to Fla-Flu in Rio de Janeiro, the Sao Paulo derby is named by combining the abbreviations of the two big clubs there. Santos and Sao Paulo FC have clashed in 321 official matches. In 139 of them, Sao Paulo players have come out on top, while 107 times Santos has prevailed. The last derby ended in a 4-1 triumph to Sao Paulo.
Ecuador - Liga Pro
El partido inmortal (The immortal match)
The clubs Emelec and Barcelona SC are based in Guayaquil. This major port city is the second largest city in Ecuador with its three million inhabitants. Both are the country's top clubs in terms of titles, surpassing all rivals from the capital Quito and the rest of the country.
