The ES Sétif–USM Alger rivalry is a football rivalry between Sétif-based ES Sétif and USM Alger of Algiers. The two clubs together won 42 titles from the Ligue Professionnelle 1, Algerian Cup and Super Cup at the local level, Regionally the Arab Champions League And internationally in CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup and the defunct Afro-Asian Club Championship.
History The beginning (1958–1977)
Union sportive de la médina d'Alger is an Algerian professional football club based in Algiers, Algiers Province. The club was formed in Casbah in 1937 as Union Sportive Musulmane d'Alger, as for Entente Sportive Sétifienne based in Sétif, Sétif Province. The club was formed in 1958 as Entente Sportive Sétifienne, It is the second Algerian club created during the revolution after the Entente Sportive de Collo (in 1957). ES Sétif and USM Alger are considered among the most successful Algerian football teams, especially since the beginning of the era of professionalism 2010–11 season. They are the first champions of Algeria in the Algerian Cup and the championship season 1962–63. The first official meeting between the two teams was in the semi-finald of the Algerian Cup in 1963, which ended with the victory of ES Sétif 4–2. The first match in the league tournament was during the 1964–65 season, which ended with the victory of ESS with a single goal.
First professional era (1977–1989) In 1977, a major sports reform was introduced by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, aimed at providing elite clubs with a solid financial foundation to help them operate more professionally. Clubs were restructured under a new status called Association Sportive de Performances (ASP), granting them greater autonomy in management and encouraging the creation of their own training centers. As part of this reform, ES Sétif became sponsored by the national hydrocarbon company Sonatrach and subsequently changed its name to Entente Pétrolière de Sétif (EPS). In 1984, following a shift in sponsorship to the national plastics company, the club was renamed again as Entente Plastique de Sétif (EPS).
Similarly, USM Alger came under the sponsorship of Société nationale de l'électricité et du gaz (Sonelgaz), and the club’s name was changed to Union sportive kahraba d'Alger (USK Alger), with () meaning electricity in Arabic. During this period, matches between USM Alger and ES Sétif were relatively uneventful and sporadic, due in large part to the two clubs’ frequent relegations to the second division. However, the two sides did meet in the 1980 Algerian cup final, where ES Sétif secured its fifth cup title with a 1–0 victory marking the seventh final defeat for USMA.
In 1988, ES Sétif made history by winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs for the first time, remarkably while competing from the second division. After a narrow 1–0 defeat away to Nigeria’s Iwuanyanwu Nationale in the first leg, ES Sétif triumphed 4–0 in the return leg at the Stade du 17 Juin in Constantine. Following this continental success, they went on to face Al Sadd SC in the final of the Afro-Asian Club Championship and claimed the title a unique achievement in Algerian football history.
Second professional era (since 2010) Control of the Ligue 1 & Champions League Title for ES Sétif
It was decided by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) to professionalize the Algerian football championship starting with the 2010–11 season. Until then, all Algerian football clubs held semi-professional status, but with this reform, they were officially recognized as professional clubs. FAF president Mohamed Raouraoua, since the start of his term, had advocated for this move toward professionalism.Professional Championship: The project on on dzfoot. Com USM Alger became the first professional club in Algeria after businessman Ali Haddad invested 700 million Algerian dinars to purchase an 83% ownership stake in the club.USM Alger : Ali Haddad nouveau patron des rouge et noir
Since the beginning of this professional era, both USM Alger and ES Sétif dominated domestic competition, winning all Ligue 1 titles between them except for the inaugural professional season, which was won by ASO Chlef. This domination continued through to the 2016–17 season. The two clubs also faced each other in the Algerian Super Cup final for the first time in 2014, with USM Alger claiming a 2–0 victory thanks to goals from Ziaya and Andria. In 2014, ES Sétif secured their first CAF Champions League title in the competition’s modern era, becoming the first Algerian team to do so. A year later, USM Alger reached the final but fell short of their first continental crown after being defeated by TP Mazembe.
During that same Champions League campaign, the two Algerian giants met in the group stage the first time two Algerian clubs had faced each other in a continental competition. The first leg match, played on a Ramadan night, saw USM Alger win 2–1. In the second leg, USM Alger triumphed again with a 3–0 victory their fifth consecutive win to secure top spot in the group and qualify for the semi-finals.
New Ownership for Both Clubs: Groupe SERPORT & Sonelgaz On 28 February 2018, Ali Haddad replaced his brother Rabouh as USM Alger's general manager, appointing former international player and ex-ES Sétif president Abdelhakim Serrar to the position. In the 2018–19 Algerian Cup on 22 January 2019, USM Alger and ES Sétif met for the first time in 12 years at the Stade 8 Mai 1945, with ES Sétif winning 3–1 their first cup victory over USMA since 1980. On 26 May 2019, USM Alger secured its eighth Ligue 1 title after a 3–1 away win against CS Constantine. Immediately following the match, Serrar announced his resignation. On 2 March 2020, after the imprisonment of former president Rabouh Haddad and ahead of a planned shareholders' general assembly on 12 March 2020, Groupe SERPORT officially acquired 94.34% of USM Alger's shares from ETRHB Haddad.
On 9 June 2022, while USM Alger players were released for a day by Algeria A' national team coach Madjid Bougherra, USMA player Billel Benhammouda tragically died in a traffic accident near Douaouda and Bou Ismaïl. His death was confirmed after DNA testing. The team, preparing to travel to Sétif for their final match of the 2021–22 season, returned to Algiers upon hearing the news. The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) postponed the match due to the players' psychological state, and the rescheduled fixture was played with reserves and U19 players.
On 22 August 2022, former ES Sétif captain Akram Djahnit left the club after 12 years and joined USM Alger. Djahnit had submitted his case to the National Dispute Resolution Chamber, which ruled in his favor, allowing him to terminate his contract. On 3 June 2023, USM Alger won the CAF Confederation Cup, becoming the first Algerian club to win the competition and securing the first international title in its history, after defeating Young Africans.
On 29 May 2023, the CEO of Sonelgaz traveled to Sétif to meet with the Wali of Sétif and ES Sétif's management to finalize the acquisition of the club. On 27 July 2023, ESS Black Eagles held an extraordinary general assembly ratified the resignation of the Board of Directors, including that of president Abdelhakim Serrar, officially transferring full ownership of the club to Sonelgaz. On 15 September 2023, USM Alger won its second continental title by claiming the CAF Super Cup after defeating Al Ahly, the second CAF Super Cup title for an Algerian club, after ES Sétif’s first win in 2015.
All-time head-to-head results
TournamentGPUVDEVGoalUGoalELigue Professionnelle 1 84 34 19 31 107 103Algerian Cup 8 2 1 5 8 14League Cup 1 0 1 0 0 0Super Cup 1 1 0 0 2 0Champions League 2 2 0 0 5 1TOTAL 96 39 21 36 122 118GP: Games PlayedUV: USM Alger VictoryD: DrawEV: ES Sétif VictoryGoalU: USM Alger GoalsGoalJ: ES Sétif Goals
All-Time Top Scorers PlayerClubLigue 1Algerian CupSuper CupInternationalTotal Isâad BourahliES Sétif, USM Alger7———7 Abdelmalek ZiayaES Sétif, USM Alger5—1—6 Farès FellahiES Sétif5———5 Farouk ChafaïUSM Alger4———4 Nabil HemaniES Sétif4———4 Hamid Rahmouni ES Sétif4———4 Rabie BencherguiUSM Alger4———4
All-Time Top appearances Bold Still playing competitive football in Algeria since 1995–96 season. Statistics correct as of game on 18 March 2026 PlayerClubLigue 1Algerian CupSuper CupCAFTotal Akram DjahnitES Sétif, USM Alger2311126 Mohamed Lamine ZemmamoucheUSM Alger1921123 Karim GhaziUSM Alger172——19 Hocine AchiouUSM Alger152——17 Mohamed HamdoudUSM Alger142——16 Sofiane KhedairiaES Sétif1211216 Billel DziriUSM Alger141——15 Issaad BourahliES Sétif, USM Alger122——14 Mounir ZeghdoudUSM Alger111——12
Honours USM AlgerChampionshipES SétifInternational (Official) – CAF Champions League 2 2 CAF Confederation Cup – – Afro-Asian Club Championship (Defunct) 1 1 CAF Super Cup 1 3 Aggregate 4Domestic (Official) 8 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 8 10 Algerian Cup 8 2 Algerian Super Cup 1 20 Aggregate 17International (Non-official) 1 Arab Champions League 2 24 Total Aggregate 23
League matches