The Derby of the Eternal Enemies (), also known among fans as the Mother of All Battles (), is an association football derby contested between the two most successful clubs of Greece, Olympiacos from Piraeus and Panathinaikos from Athens, the two main cities in the major Athens urban area. The derby is traditionally included among the world's top 10 greatest football derbies by the international media, along with rivalries such as Real MadridâÂÂBarcelona, LiverpoolâÂÂManchester United and Boca JuniorsâÂÂRiver Plate. American network CNN has ranked the OlympiacosâÂÂPanathinaikos derby among the ten greatest football rivalries of all-time. In October 2014, BBC named the OlympiacosâÂÂPanathinaikos derby "Europe's maddest derby" and in September 2019, Daily Mirror ranked the derby of the eternal enemies as the fifth most important derby in the world.
The rivalry between the two top Greek clubs can be traced back to some social, cultural and regional differences. Panathinaikos, founded in 1908, comes from Athens and was considered the classic representative of the high class and old Athenian society of the Greek capital. On the other hand, Olympiacos was founded in 1925 and comes from the port city of Piraeus, thus attracting supporters from the surrounding working class areas. Both cities have played a major role in Greek history since classical antiquity.
These class differences between the people in the homelands of the two clubs offered further reasons for the animosity between their fans. Olympiacos' early success provided a way for the people of Piraeus, by which Panathinaikos was heavily supported, to express their contempt for the wealthier classes. Furthermore, Olympiacos attracted fans from all over Greece who believed themselves to be victims of social and political unfairness. However, this kind of clash was much more pronounced in the past, as the class differences between the fanbases have faded out and the social gap that once separated the two sides has closed over the years. Today, both clubs boast fanbases that represent all social classes.
Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are the most popular Greek clubs, with both sides having large fanbases that follow them in domestic and international matches. Football hooliganism is a very common phenomenon between their fans in recent years, featuring anything from breaking seats and fighting to fireworks and street rioting.
Both clubs have been in the top flight of Greek football since 1929, among the longest spells on the Continent. They compete with each other for the title of the most successful football club in the country as well as the greatest Greek sports club overall. Their football departments have always been the most attractive among their fans and they have a long-standing antagonism since they first met in the fields, but the rivalry also extends into other team sports such as basketball, volleyball and water polo.
Domestically, Olympiacos is the most successful football club in Greece, having won a record 84 major official titles compared to Panathinaikos' 44 titles and also being the most successful in their head-to-head fixtures.
Until 2024, Panathinaikos boasted of their better performance in European competitions. Their greatest success is the participation in the European Cup final in 1971, two semi-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1985, 1996) and four quarter-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1992, 2002) and UEFA Europa League (1988, 2003). This changed in 2024, when Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League, becoming the first Greek team to win an official UEFAôs title. Other top performances are their campaign to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 1999 and their campaign to the quarter-finals of the 1992âÂÂ93 European Cup Winners' Cup
<sup>1</sup> Match suspended at 82nd minute (score: 3âÂÂ2). Olympiacos were awarded a 2âÂÂ0 win.<br> <sup>2</sup> Match suspended at 82nd minute (score: 0âÂÂ1). Olympiacos were awarded a 0âÂÂ3 win.<br> <sup>3</sup> Match suspended before the kickoff after a firework touched an Olympiacos' player sport jogger. Olympiacos were awarded a 0âÂÂ3 win.<br> <sup>4</sup> Match suspended at 70th minute (score: 0âÂÂ1). Olympiacos were awarded a 0âÂÂ3 win.<br> <sup>5</sup> Match suspended at 55th minute (score: 1âÂÂ1) after a Panathinaikos' player was injured and transferred to the hospital because of a firecracker that burst next to him. The player was diagnosed with horizontal nystagmus. Panathinaikos were awarded a 0âÂÂ3 win.
<big>1st place play-off match â Title match</big>
<sup>1</sup> Panathinaikos didn't show up in the match, due to a punishment because of fielding a suspended player.<br> ⢠Series won: Olympiacos 20, Panathinaikos 10.
⢠Series won: Olympiacos 1, Panathinaikos 0.
<sup>1</sup> Including League Cup games.
Including all the Alpha Ethniki, Greek Cup and League Cup games since 1959âÂÂ60.
Including all the Alpha Ethniki, Greek Cup and League Cup games since 1959âÂÂ60.
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⢠Total: Olympiacos 40 times higher, Panathinaikos 25 times higher.