Irrespective of where you go in Germany, starting from the dense forest of Freiburg to the icy harbor of Flensburg, you are going to come across mad German football fans who are always too willing to talk about this sport. However, with two matches in a year, this fanaticism might reach its peak with the oldest and storied rivals of football come head to head.

Forget about Dortmund versus Bayern Munich or others against RB Leipzig. The biggest rivalry in German football is Schalke versus Borussia Dortmund in Revierderby. Schalke hosting Dortmund in ninety-third Revierderby by the era of Bundesliga. Even though these days the matches come with friendly banter instead of hooliganism and fights like years before, there isn’t any love lost in between the biggest clubs of German football.

One reason this rivalry is so fierce because it has been historically pretty close. In ninety-two Bundesliga clashes Dortmund had 32 wins to their name and Schalke had 31 along with 29 draws.

No fan is ever going to admit that the similarities of the clubs underpin the reason the rivalry is so deep. Both of the clubs come from the boasting working class fan bases and industrial Ruhrgebiet of Germany. Many of them come from those families who have supported the team for several generations. Also, the two clubs and their rivalry stem from the respective history of the club as 2 powerhouses of football in Germany. Even though they might have been overtaken by rivals who are Lederhosen-clad from the era of Bundesliga, they are the most successful ones in German history.

After Bayern and the dimming glory of FC Nürnberg, Schalke and Dortmund come to the top of the all-time list. Dortmund has the bragging rights and Schalke has the titles coming to them prior to the formation of Bundesliga 1962.