The Intercontinental Derby () is any footballSee The Intercontinental Derby (basketball) for the same rivalry in basketball match between rivals Fenerbahçe SK and Galatasaray SK. The fixture is widely regarded as the biggest football match in Turkey because of the success both clubs have had in Turkish football, the intensity of the matches, and the immense rivalry between the two teams. The fixture has been in existence for more than a century and has developed into one of the greatest, most intense and often bitter derbies in the world, traditionally attracting very large attendances and nearly equal support for both teams throughout the country. The derby is known as "intercontinental" because Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray are two of the major Turkish teams from the Asian and the European parts of Istanbul respectively.
History
The first game played between the two sides was a friendly game on Sunday, 17 January 1909. The game, staged at Papazın Çayırı where Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is located today, finished 2–0 in favour of Galatasaray. Fenerbahçe achieved their first victory over Galatasaray when they defeated them 4–2 in the 4th gameweek of the Istanbul Football League on Sunday, 4 January 1914.
On 21 September 2003, the two clubs played the Süper Lig game in front of a record attendance of 71,334 people, with drawing the game 2–2. The biggest win is achieved by Galatasaray with winning 7–0 on 12 February 1911.mackolik.com websiteNTVMSNBC Website The biggest modern-day victory is when Fenerbahçe achieved their biggest win against Galatasaray on 6 November 2002 with 6–0, where four goals were scored when Fenerbahçe was one man down. Fenerbahçe are known for rarely losing at home in the Intercontinental Derby, in the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Galatasaray could not defeat Fenerbahçe for 20 years (in 23 consecutive matches) since 22 December 1999 until 23 February 2020, when Galatasaray ended Fenerbahçe's streak. Since then, Galatasaray has won five of the seven matches played there.
Idea to merge Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray
The first league games in Turkey were held in Istanbul in 1904. This league was called Istanbul Football League originally. The teams participating were called Cadi-Keuy FC, Moda FC, Elpis FC and HMS Imogene. These teams were made up of the English, Greek, and Armenian minorities living in Turkey. Galatasaray SK joined the league in 1906–07 and Fenerbahçe SK in 1908-09. Galatasaray SK did not participate in the 1911–12 season and the club suggested to loan Emin Bülent Serdaroğlu, Celal Ibrahim and two other Galatasaray SK players to Fenerbahçe SK for the match against Strugglers FC. But Fenerbahçe SK did not accept this offer. In 1912 Galatasaray SK president Ali Sami Yen and Fenerbahçe SK president Galip Kulaksızoğlu made a meeting. They arranged a protocol and agreed to form a strong Turkish team against the non-Turkish teams in the league. According to this agreement the new club would have been called Türkkulübü (The Turkish Club), full white kit with a red star. Additionally they also agreed to set up a museum. On 23 August 1912 they presented the petition to the International Olympic Committee – Ottoman section. Due to the Balkan Wars in 1913, this agreement could not be enforced.
Beginning of the rivalry
1934 riots Friday 23 February 1934 was the day when unexpected riots happened at a supposed to be friendly match between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, played at Taksim Stadium. Milliyet reported the match by saying "those who went to watch the match yesterday watched a police chase, not football." Both teams wanted to win badly and therefore the match had to be stopped many times because of hard fouls. The high tension on the pitch caused high tension on the stands as well. The game ended with players fighting. The referee had no choice except to abandon the match. It was the end of friendly displays between both clubs.
Professionalization of Turkish football The professional nationwide league (known as Super League today) was formed in 1959, a few years after the foundation of UEFA in 1954. It is the top-flight professional league in Turkish nationwide football, and the most popular sporting competition in the country. The 1959 Millî Lig (National League) was the first season of the professional league in Turkey. The league was made up of sixteen clubs split into two groups: the Kırmızı Grup (Red Group) and Beyaz Grup (White Group), the colours of the Turkish flag. The first season took place in the calendar year of 1959, instead of 1958–59, because the qualifying stages took place in 1958. The final consisted of two legs took place between the winners of each group. Galatasaray won the Red Group and Fenerbahçe won the White Group, so both teams played each other to determine the champion. Galatasaray won the first match 1–0 with Metin Oktay's legendary goal which the ball ripped the net, but Fenerbahçe won the second leg 4–0 and won 4–1 on aggregate.
Graeme Souness Flag Incident In the 1995–96 season, when Galatasaray reached the cup final against Fenerbahçe, Fenerbahçe were expected to win easily. However, Galatasaray beat Fenerbahçe in the first leg by a Dean Saunders penalty. Galatasaray manager Graeme Souness took a large Galatasaray flag after the match and planted it in the center of the pitch. According to Souness, he did it as a result of an insult from a Fenerbahce manager.
"The Watery Derby" Incident During the 2006–07 Süper Lig season, Fenerbahçe was guaranteed to be the champions before the derby on 19 May 2007. Because of thousands of plastic water bottles, stadium seats and other materials thrown by Galatasaray fans in Ali Sami Yen Stadium, the match earned the nickname "watery derby" (Turkish: sulu derbi). The match ended with a Fenerbahçe victory.
"Kadıköy Memory" Incident In the first match of the 2011–12 season, Galatasaray beat Fenerbahçe 3–1 in its first match at home on 7 December 2011. The match played in the second half of the league ended 2–2. Although Galatasaray had finished the regular season with a 9-point lead over Fenerbahçe that came in second place, it was decided during the season that a play-off format would be introduced just for that year. As the leading team Galatasaray had an advantage in the championship group but Fenerbahçe beat Galatasaray 2–1 at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi and continued its chances of championship by eliminating the point difference until the final week. The match played on 12 May 2012 ended goalless and Galatasaray was declared champions at Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium. After the match, clashes broke out between security forces and Fenerbahçe fans, with fans flooding the stadium and throwing their seats. The clashes then spread into the Kadıköy district with Fenerbahçe fans fighting with the opposition fans and setting nearby places on fire. After the events were suppressed, the stadium lights were turned off and Turkish Football Federation announced the cup would be given in the dressing room following the events, effectively cancelling the planned ceremony. However, Galatasaray management and the team protested this decision and TFF President Yıldırım Demirören gave the cup to Galatasaray players on the grass of Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium after the crisis that lasted about 3 hours. Galatasaray players wrote their names on the walls of the dressing room at the end of the match and added the note 'Kadıköy Memory' (Turkish: Kadıköy Hatırası), causing this event to be remembered by the public with this name.
Mourinho - Buruk incidents On February 24, 2025, after a draw match (0–0) against Galatasaray, José Mourinho used the expression “they jumped like monkeys” in regards to Galatasaray bench. Following this statement, Galatasaray Club accused Mourinho of racism and discrimination, and filed a formal complaint with UEFA and FIFA. As the reactions grew, Mourinho filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray for reputational damages amounting to 1,907,000 Turkish liras. Following an investigation by the TFF, Mourinho was banned for four matches. Three days later, his fine was dropped to three matches. Former Galatasaray footballer Didier Drogba shared a post about his former boss José Mourinho, stating that he is not racist.
On April 2, 2025, Fenerbahçe hosted Galatasaray at Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in the Ziraat Turkish Cup quarterfinal match. The match ended with a 2–1 victory for Galatasaray and the yellow-red team advanced to the semi-finals. During the celebrations of Galatasaray, José Mourinho came onto the pitch and pinched Galatasaray Technical Director Okan Buruk's nose with physical contact. The Turkish Football Federation's Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) banned Mourinho from 3 official competitions.
Rivalry Both clubs compete with each other for the title of the most successful football club in Turkey. Galatasaray won the Turkish Super League (established in 1959) championship 25 times and Fenerbahçe 19 times, and Galatasaray won the local Turkish Cup 19 times, while Fenerbahçe won it 7 times to date. Galatasaray has been a more successful club than Fenerbahçe in almost any period of European cups. Apart from the 2000 UEFA Cup champion and 2000 UEFA Super Cup champion titles, it has played quarter-finals many times in the European Cup and the Champions League and has the title of the Turkish club that has collected the most points in the Champions League so far. Fenerbahçe's greatest achievements in European cups are the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2007–08 season and the Europa League semi-finals in the 2012–13 season.
Culture The rivalry between the two top Turkish clubs can be traced back to some social, cultural, and regional differences. Galatasaray were founded in 1905 by Galatasaray High School students in the district of Beyoğlu. On the other hand, Fenerbahçe were founded in Kadıköy district by the members of affluent upper-class Ottoman families residing in the district, where football was first played in the Ottoman Empire and where British origin Levantine families had also lived.
Galatasaray were founded by old boys from Istanbul’s equivalent of Eton, the Galatasaray Lycée, a 400-year-old institution built to provide a French-language education for the elites of the Ottoman Empire. It was there, in 1905, that Ali Sami Yen convinced a group of his friends that they should start a football team, presenting them with a ball repaired with leather cut from his own shoes. The founding members and the first squad of Fenerbahçe were composed of individuals belonging to prominent upper-class Ottoman families. For instance, Nurizade Ziya Songülen, the founding father and first president of Fenerbahçe, was a grandson of Sultan Mahmud II and of Mehmed Nuri Efendi, who served as the Foreign Minister of the Ottoman Empire during the 1830s. Moreover, Osman Fuad Efendi and Ömer Faruk Efendi — both princes of the Ottoman dynasty — were among the figures who served as presidents of the club during its early years. Fenerbahçe meanwhile, were a club built on the new money of an economically thriving Anatolia. They were regarded as a microcosm for the rapidly modernizing Anatolia: ambitious, hard-working, and financially astute. These differences caused the derby between the two clubs to be considered a clash between Turkish aristocracy and bourgeoisie.