The rivalry between AFC Wimbledon and Milton Keynes Dons arose from the formation of both clubs following the controversial relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes.

For many years the two clubs played at different levels of English football, with the first competitive fixture between them taking place on 2 December 2012 - a second round FA Cup meeting in which the two clubs were drawn against one another, resulting in Milton Keynes Dons defeating AFC Wimbledon 2–1.

Following AFC Wimbledon's promotion to the Football League, fixtures between the two clubs have taken place regularly. The rivalry was named as one of "5 of the fiercest rivalries in the Football League" and one of the "8 biggest derbies in the EFL" by commentators. A 2019 study ranked the rivalry 22nd out of the top 30 derbies in all of English football. The fixture has been labelled "one of football's biggest grudge games".

History Origins

Wimbledon Football Club relocated to Milton Keynes in September 2003, 16 months after receiving permission to do so from the Football Association on the basis of a two-to-one decision in favour by an FA-appointed independent three man commission. The move took the team from south London, where they had been based since their foundation in 1889, to Milton Keynes, a new city in Buckinghamshire, about to the northwest of the club's traditional home town Wimbledon. Hugely controversial,. "51. The proposal has met with considerable opposition, and not just from the WFC fans. ... Respected football writers in our national press were generally supportive of the Football League's decision [to block the move]. ... A Parliamentary All Party Committee ... is opposed. ... Merton BC is opposed to the move and believe a stadium can be built in Merton ... the Football Association, the Football League, the FA Premier League and the Football Conference Ltd have all provided statements which ... weigh against permission being granted for a move of this nature and distance. ... [M]ost of the hundreds (over 600) of communications we have received have argued against the proposal. They have generally been from individual WFC fans. 57. Supporters' associations and individual fans from many other clubs and people from as far afield as the United States, Australia (Wimbledon Supporters Downunder), Russia and Norway have also expressed similar views." the move's authorisation prompted disaffected Wimbledon supporters to form AFC Wimbledon, a new club, in June 2002. The relocated team played home matches in Milton Keynes under the Wimbledon name from September 2003 until June 2004, when following the end of the 2003–04 season they renamed themselves Milton Keynes Dons F.C. (MK Dons).

First encounter

On 14 November 2012, the two clubs were drawn to play against each other for the first time in a second round FA Cup tie which would take place on 2 December 2012. At the time, MK Dons were an established League One club, and AFC Wimbledon a League Two club having achieved promotion from the Conference National in 2011. MK Dons were drawn as the home team, with the fixture being played at the club's home ground of Stadium MK. The tie was accompanied by worldwide press attention and was selected for live coverage by television networks around the world as well as being chosen for broadcast by ITV domestically in the UK.

Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association, representing fans of AFC Wimbledon, initially considered encouraging their supporters to boycott the fixture, but later released a statement suggesting individual supporters made an "informed decision" as to whether they attended or not. AFC Wimbledon chief executive Erik Samuelson stated that following discussions with the club's owners, board members would not accept hospitality at Stadium MK on the day of the fixture.

A crowd of 16,459 including several thousand AFC Wimbledon supporters eventually attended the match. The first half saw little action, but on the stroke of half-time it was the home side that took the lead with a 25-yard strike from midfielder Stephen Gleeson.

After the break, chances for both sides followed. On the 59th-minute, AFC Wimbledon equalised through striker Jack Midson's header, and almost took the lead themselves when Steven Gregory's shot produced a save from MK Dons' goalkeeper David Martin. The match ended in dramatic fashion when on the 93rd-minute, substitute Jon Otsemobor was struck by the ball on the back of his boot, resulting in a last gasp 2–1 victory for Milton Keynes Dons. Supporters of the club later dubbed the freak goal the "Heel of God".

Notable subsequent encounters The first encounter between the two clubs to take place at AFC Wimbledon's (then) home ground of Kingsmeadow took place on 14 March 2017. The fixture was a League One match between the two that took place during the 2016–17 season as a result of AFC Wimbledon's promotion from League Two the previous season. This was the first season in which the two clubs would meet at the same level of the English football league system. The match was played in front of a heated atmosphere between both groups of fans. Following a stalemate in the first half, AFC Wimbledon midfielder Jake Reeves struck just after the hour mark before striker Lyle Taylor added a second soon after to seal the victory. The match ended 2–0 to the home side.

On 30 January 2021 the first fixture between the two clubs at AFC Wimbledon's new Plough Lane stadium took place, albeit without spectators in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Milton Keynes Dons emerged from the encounter as 2–0 winners.

In the first contest between the two clubs in front of fans at Plough Lane on 2 March 2024, AFC Wimbledon secured a 1–0 victory following a last-gasp goal from Ronan Curtis in the final minute of added time. Tempers flared at the final whistle with staff and players from both clubs having to be separated by the referee.

The first encounter between the two clubs' Women's teams took place at Prince George's Fields on October 13, 2024, as part of the FA Women's National League South where AFC Wimbledon won 5–0.

Controversies and incidents

Due to the rivalry between the two clubs, there have been a number of controversies and incidents over the years, both on and off the pitch.

During the first fixture between the two clubs at Stadium MK on 2 December 2012, a small plane chartered by AFC Wimbledon supporters flew over the stadium several times flying a banner which read "We are Wimbledon". Following the fixture, a local newspaper reported that visiting AFC Wimbledon supporters were responsible for damage caused to "seating, toilet and refreshment facilities" within the stadium.

There were security concerns ahead of the first fixture to take place between the two clubs at AFC Wimbledon's (then) home ground of Kingsmeadow on 14 March 2017. Due to the street layout surrounding the venue there were safety concerns that groups of opposing supports would clash. Only 650 tickets were allocated to visiting fans. Following consultation between the police and the two clubs it was agreed the match would be designated as a "bubble fixture" with visiting MK Dons supporters only allowed to travel to the match via mandatory coach travel arranged by the club. On arrival, visiting supporters were then escorted to the ground by police. A similar arrangement remained in place for every subsequent fixture between the two clubs at Kingsmeadow.

On 20 December 2017, AFC Wimbledon were charged by the EFL with an alleged breach of league regulations following their home encounter with Milton Keynes Dons on 22 September 2017. The alleged breach related to the club not referring to Milton Keynes Dons by their full name on Kingsmeadow's electronic scoreboard throughout the tie as well as failing include their name on the cover of the matchday programme and only referring to them as "MK" or "Milton Keynes".

In April 2018, the EFL reported that there was facilitating mediation between the two clubs in an attempt to reach an amicable agreement in relation to the clubs' relationship towards one another. On 10 July 2019, a further statement revealed mediation talks were still ongoing but that a temporary agreement for AFC Wimbledon to treat MK Dons' club name in an equal manner to any other visiting club, in relation to the matchday programme and scoreboard, had been reached.

On 22 March 2024, following AFC Wimbledon's 1–0 home win over MK Dons on 2 March 2024, AFC Wimbledon player Harry Pell was issued a one-match ban and fined £1,000 by the FA after admitting kicking balls at MK Dons supporters, including an 11 year-old girl, during the pre-match warm-up. The independent Regulatory Commission also concluded that it found AFC Wimbledon players "largely, if not solely to blame for events after the final whistle" in which several players caused a melee by goading travelling fans.

Players for both clubs

No footballer has played for both clubs on a permanent basis. The following footballers have played for both clubs, although all have been loan signings for one or both clubs.

AFC Wimbledon, then Milton Keynes Dons NameAFC WimbledonMilton Keynes DonsRef. Brennan Dickenson2013 (loan)2019–2020 Tennai Watson2018–2019 (loan)2021–2023 Henry Lawrence2021–2022 (loan)2022–2023 (loan) Paris Maghoma2022–2023 (loan)2023 (loan) Connor Lemonheigh-Evans2023–2024 (loan)2024–2026 Connal Trueman2020–2021 (loan)2025–

Milton Keynes Dons, then AFC Wimbledon NameMilton Keynes DonsAFC WimbledonRef. Drewe Broughton2007–20082011 (loan) Danilo Orsi2025 (loan)2025–2026

Footballers who previously played for Wimbledon

The following players played for the original Wimbledon club, and later played for either AFC Wimbledon or Milton Keynes Dons. The majority of players who have played for both Wimbledon FC and Milton Keynes Dons were members of the team at the time of the relocation.

Wimbledon and AFC Wimbledon NameWimbledon AFC WimbledonRef. Roger Joseph1988–199620032004–2005 Jermaine Darlington2002–20042006–2007 Michael Gordon2001–20042006–2007 Marcus Gayle1994–20012007–2008 Jason Euell1995–20012012 Neil Sullivan1986–20002012 David Connolly2001–20032015

Wimbledon and Milton Keynes Dons NameWimbledonMilton Keynes DonsRef. Dean Lewington2002–20042004–2025 Paul Heald1995–20042004–2005 Jamie Mackie2003–20042004–2005 Harry Ntimban-Zeh20042004–2005 Mark Williams2000–200220042004–2005 Malvin Kamara2003–20042004–2006 Nick McKoy2003–20042004–2006 Wade Small2003–20042004–2006 Alex Tapp2002–20042004–2006 Ben Chorley2003–20042004–2007 Ben Harding2003–20042004–2007 Gary Smith20042004–2007 Albert Jarrett2003–20042007 Jason Puncheon2003–20042004–20062008–2010 David Martin2003–20042004–20062010–2017 Nigel Reo-Coker2002–20042018

Statistics All figures are correct as of 17 September 2026.

Head-to-head results CompetitionPlayedAFC Wimbledon winsDrawnMilton Keynes Dons winsAFC Wimbledon goalsMilton Keynes Dons goalsFootball League143561013FA Cup210132Football League Cup200235110032Total195591922

Records First competitive meeting: Milton Keynes Dons 2–1 AFC Wimbledon – FA Cup second round, 2 December 2012 First EFL Cup/League Cup meeting: Milton Keynes Dons 3–1 AFC Wimbledon – First round, 12 August 2014 First EFL Trophy/League Trophy meeting: Milton Keynes Dons 2–3 AFC Wimbledon – Second round, 7 October 2014 First FA Cup meeting: Milton Keynes Dons 2–1 AFC Wimbledon – Second round, 2 December 2012 First league meeting: Milton Keynes Dons 1–0 AFC Wimbledon – League One, 10 December 2016 First away victory: AFC Wimbledon: Milton Keynes Dons 2–3 AFC Wimbledon – League Trophy second round, 7 October 2014 Milton Keynes Dons: AFC Wimbledon 0–2 Milton Keynes Dons – League One, 22 September 2017 Highest scoring game: Milton Keynes Dons 2–3 AFC Wimbledon – League Trophy second round, 7 October 2014 Largest winning margin: AFC Wimbledon: 3–0 – League Two, 14 September 2024