The rivalry between Leeds United and Millwall is a North–South divide rivalry in English football. Millwall were founded in London in 1885 and Leeds United in Yorkshire in 1919, over 170 miles () apart. Both sides entered the Football League in 1920–21 season, albeit in different divisions. From 1920 to 2003 the sides met just 12 times; competing in different tiers for the majority of their histories, and neither considering the other a rival on the pitch. From 2004 to 2020, the teams met 28 times when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League. The rivalry began in League One during the 2007–08 season, with disorder and violent clashes between both sets of fans and the police at Elland Road. It continued into the 2008–09 season; where the teams were vying for promotion to the Championship, culminating in Millwall knocking Leeds out of the League One playoffs at the semi-final stage.
The rivalry between the teams is intensified by both clubs' passionate fans and association with football hooliganism. The clubs' two hooligan firms; the Leeds United Service Crew and the Millwall Bushwackers were notorious in the 1970s and 80s for their violence, being called "dirty Leeds" and "the scourge of football" respectively. Leeds and Millwall are two of the most hated clubs in British football, with supporters of other teams still attaching a stigma of trouble to the clubs and their fans. As a result of fighting and disorder between supporters in 2007, kick-off times in future fixtures between the sides were made earlier and matches heavily policed at The Den by the Metropolitan Police and at Elland Road by the West Yorkshire Police. An 'anti-hooligan operation' was introduced by West Yorkshire Police in 2010 for Millwall fans to exchange vouchers for tickets at Woolley Edge service station, severely limiting the number of supporters attending away games at Elland Road. Despite heavier policing measures, there has still been numerous incidents in fixtures; including racial chanting and abuse of players, tragedy chanting from supporters mocking the death of fans, and assault on a player by a fan who entered the field of play.
According to a survey conducted during the 2012–13 season, Leeds fans consider Millwall to be their joint-third biggest rival along with West Yorkshire side Huddersfield Town. Millwall's main rival is fellow London club West Ham United. The clubs have played each other 45 times and are evenly matched. Both teams have won 20, with five games drawn and both sides being dominant at home. As of the 2025–26 season, Leeds play in the Premier League and Millwall play in the Championship. The clubs have competed in different divisions for the best part of their 99 seasons in the Football League, and have spent twenty seasons together in the same tier.
History of the rivalry Founding of the clubs and entering the Football League: 1885–1930 Millwall was formed in 1885 on the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London. They were founding members of the Southern League in 1894; which they competed in for 22 seasons, claiming the title twice. Millwall relocated south of the River Thames to a new stadium in New Cross in 1910. In 1919, Leeds United was formed out of the demise of Leeds City, which was expelled from the Football League for financial irregularities. Based in West Yorkshire; United they played in the Midland League for one season, before both Millwall and Leeds joined the Football League in 1920–21 season. Leeds were elected to the Second Division and Millwall were invited to join the newly created Third Division. Leeds spent their first few years in the Football League yo-yoing between the First and Second Division, they were promoted to the First in 1923–24 and 1927–28 seasons and relegated to the Second Division in 1926–27 and 1930–31 seasons. Millwall spent eight seasons in the Third tier, before being promoted to the Second as Champions in the 1927–28 season.
Different leagues (12 meetings in 72 years): 1931–2003 Leeds were relegated from the First to the Second Division in the 1930–31 season, joining Millwall in the same tier for the first time. The clubs met for their first competitive fixture on 7 September 1931, where 9,000 fans saw Millwall win 1–0 at Elland Road with a goal from Jimmy Poxton. Leeds won the return fixture at The Den a week later 3–2. The sides didn't meet again until after World War II in the 1947–48 season. Leeds won 2–1 at Elland Road and the teams drew 1–1 at the Den. It was 37 years before the teams would play another game, with both sides competing in different leagues in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The teams were both in the Second Division for the 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons. On 9 November 1985, Millwall won 3–1 at The Den and Leeds won the return match at Elland Road in April 1986 by the same score. Teddy Sheringham scored the only goal in a 1–0 win at The Den for Millwall the following season, and Andy Ritchie and Ian Baird scored the goals in a 2–0 win for Leeds at Elland Road. In the 1987–88 season; Millwall were promoted as Champions to the First Division for the first time in their history and enjoyed their best run of form against Leeds, winning the next four games. On 14 November 1987, Tony Cascarino scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win at The Den and Terry Hurlock and Cascarino scored the goals a 2–1 win at Elland Road, the first League double in the fixture. The teams also played two games in the Full Members' Cup in 1987 and 1988 at The Den, both 2–0 wins for Millwall. Tony Cascarino scored his fifth goal against Leeds in the 2–0 cup win on 29 November 1988, and in doing so became the record goalscorer in the fixture.
Rising hostilities and League One promotion battles: 2004–2010 Leeds were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship in 2003–04 season, joining Millwall in the same tier for the first time in 16 years. During the 2004–05 season both games were drawn 1–1. The teams had mixed fortunes in the 2005–06 season; Leeds won their first League double in the fixture, winning 2–1 at Elland Road with a brace from David Healy, and 1–0 at The Den, with Ben May scoring a last-minute own goal. They finished the season in a playoff place, while Millwall were relegated to League One. Leeds lost in the 2006 Championship play-off final to Watford and were themselves relegated the following season to League One, the first time Leeds had been in the third tier of the Football League. The rivalry between the fans intensified in League One during the 2007–08 season. On 27 October 2007, fans had to be segregated by police after Millwall fans smashed the windows of buses that were transporting them from Leeds railway station to Elland Road. Leeds fans were waiting for the buses to arrive by the Billy Bremner statue outside the stadium, amid violent clashes mounted police had to charge to keep both sets of fans apart. The game ended in a 4–2 win for Leeds, with David Prutton, Jermaine Beckford, and a Jonathan Douglas brace putting the Whites 4–0 up, before Will Hoskins and Ahmet Brkovic pulled two consolation goals back for the Lions. On 19 April 2008, Leeds completed their second League double over Millwall, with goals from David Prutton and Andy Hughes in a 2–0 win at The Den. This is Leeds best streak in the fixture, winning four in a row and going six games unbeaten. Due to the disorder in the 2007–08 season, kick-off times in future fixtures were made earlier and matches heavily policed at The Den by the Metropolitan Police and at Elland Road by the West Yorkshire Police. Leeds finished the season in fifth and reached the 2008 League One play-off final, losing 1–0 to Doncaster Rovers.
The sides met four times in the 2008–09 season, with both teams vying for promotion to the Championship. On 18 October 2008, Luciano Becchio gave Leeds the lead at the Den, but goals from Dave Martin and a brace from Neil Harris secured a 3–1 win for Millwall. Jermaine Beckford scored both goals in the return fixture in a 2–0 win for Leeds. Both teams finished in the League One play-offs; Leeds in fourth on 84 points and Millwall in fifth place with 82 points, which set up a two-legged semi-final. Millwall won the first leg at the Den 1–0, with a goal from Neil Harris in the 71st minute. In the return leg at Elland Road, a record 37,036 fans saw the biggest game between the two sides. Leeds evened the tie on aggregate at 1–1, with a goal by Luciano Becchio in the 53rd minute. A goal from Jimmy Abdou in the 74th minute won the semi-final for Millwall, sending them to Wembley. The Lions went on to lose the 2009 League One play-off final 2–3 to Scunthorpe United. Both teams were again battling for promotion in the 2009–10 season. Due to trouble in previous seasons, a hugely unpopular 'anti-hooligan operation' was introduced by West Yorkshire Police in 2010 for Millwall fans to exchange vouchers for tickets at Woolley Edge service station on the M1 motorway near Wakefield. The restriction severely affected the atmosphere in the ground; limiting the number of supporters attending away games at Elland Road, from the capacity of 3,000 visiting fans down to just 150.
The Whites were top of the table for most of the first half of the 2009–10 season, and only lost once in their first 24 games. That defeat was a 2–1 loss at the Den, with goals from Neil Harris and Gary Alexander. Leeds manager Simon Grayson said of the October 2009 fixture, “It will be a very intense atmosphere. We know what Millwall are like and the rivalry that exists between the teams." In March 2010, Millwall completed their second League double over Leeds, with Steve Morison and Shaun Batt securing a 2–0 win at Elland Road. It was their first away win in the fixture in 22 years. At the end of the season Leeds finished second in League One on 86 points and were promoted automatically. Millwall finished third on 85 points and were promoted via the play-offs, with a 1–0 win over Swindon Town in the 2010 League One play-off final.
Animosity continues into the Championship: 2011–