Only a True Sports Fan Can Name All of These Team Rivalries. Can You?

By: Jouviane Alexandre
Estimated Completion Time
1 min
Only a True Sports Fan Can Name All of These Team Rivalries. Can You?
Image: NFL

About This Quiz

Brrr! It's cold in here! There's a cold war brewing in the Northeast Atlantic. Haven't you heard!? When it comes to MLB, there's no reconciliation between Boston and New York fans. The land freezes over when you throw football into the mix. If you're a sports fan, there's a chance you're aware of a few striking rivalries, but can you battle it out against this quiz?

When teams form their rivalries, major sports fans are quick to get sucked in. It might start with an eye roll at the mention of your foe. You might find yourself scowling at a fan rocking the opposing team. If you find yourself booing at the TV, you've probably gone off the deep end! For a true sports fan, rivalries are nothing to brush off. They add an intensity to each game, regardless of whether your favorite players are dribbling a basketball or kicking a soccer ball.

Regardless of whether they're hitting the ice or the grass, rivalries have grown from collegiate athletics to the pros, and they're almost always battling over their turf. Travelling to Europe, you might find yourself caught in a soccer battle in Spain. You'd meet the same fight in South America. Traveling to the United States, you'll find rivalries all over the country at different levels. College students are battling it out in Alabama over football while the King of Basketball is being fought over in North Carolina. The temperatures and floors are icy for NYC metropolitan NHL teams. Cross-country NBA rivals have been established in Boston and Los Angeles.

With all these rivals and wars brewing in the sports world, can you name all the rivals or will this quiz become yours?

MLB: Yankees
Braves
Red Sox
There's no rivalry that is bigger than that of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. For more than a decade, these two teams have been battling it out. The Red Sox watched the Yankees win 26 World Series titles from the 1920s on until the Sox finally won again in 2004. This is a cold war that won't stop brewing for a while.
Cubs
Rockies

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NFL: Packers
Bears
The Packers and Bears rivalry is one that was more prominent in the past, but with both teams in the same division, it's definitely prominent. The teams have faced each other almost 200 times. Green Bay leads the series with 96 wins.
Bills
Browns
Bengals

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College Football: Auburn
Penn State
Georgetown
Alabama
While these players aren't playing for the pros YET, their rivalries run deep. Both Auburn University and the University of Alabama have been battling it out for the King of the state for a while now. Although Alabama leads the series, the state is still split over who they're rooting for!
Stanford

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Soccer: Manchester United
Bayern Munich
AS Monaco
Liverpool
The fight over England is alive and well in the world of football/soccer. Over in the U.K., football clubs Liverpool and Manchester United have their own rivalry name, "North West Derby." Having met a total of 199 times, Manchester leads the series with 79 wins.
A.C. Milan

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NHL: Blackhawks
Rangers
Avalanche
Red Wings
The rivalry between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings was one of the longest, most intense rivalries in the National Hockey League. The teams first went head-to-head in 1926 and have had an extensive 816 games. Detroit leads the series with 406 wins. Their rivalry ended in 2013 when the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Eastern Atlantic Division.
Panthers

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NBA: Bulls
Lakers
Pistons
The Bulls-Pistons rivalry is another popular battle in the NBA. Most prominent in the late '80s and early '90s, these two teams have met each other 290 times. As of January 2018, the teams are tied in their series, each winning 145 games.
Knicks
Magic

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NFL: Steelers
Jaguars
Ravens
The rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers first began in 1996 when the Ravens' team was established. Both part of the AFC North division, they have been rivals since. Having met 48 times, the Steelers lead the series with 27 wins.
Eagles
Lions

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MLB: White Sox
Braves
Cubs
The fight over Chicago is definitely on between the Cubs and White Sox. Their rivalry has many names, like the Crosstown Classic or the Chicago Showdown. These Chicago teams have met 112 times with the White Sox leading the series with 58 wins to the Cubs' 54.
Brewers
Rockies

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NBA: Lakers
Celtics
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have one of the longest rivalries in professional basketball history. Constantly meeting each other in the NBA finals, the Celtics have a total of 17 championships while the Lakers have 16.
Knicks
Bulls
Heat

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Soccer: Argentina
Brazil
While soccer players are battling it out in Spain and England, there's also a battle going on in South America between Argentina and Brazil. Two top-tier teams, this is one of the greatest rivalries in all sports. The teams have been facing each other since 1914 with Brazil leading the series with 40 wins.
Portugal
Spain
Germany

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NFL: Packers
Bills
Vikings
There seem​ to be tons of rivalries brewing in the midwest, and Green Bay is a part of more than one. While they still have their rivalry with the Bears, another prominent rivalry is with their neighbors, the Minnesota Vikings. The two teams have been going head to head since 1961 with 115 games. The Packers lead the series with 60 wins.
Titans
Eagles

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NFL: Redskins
Cowboys
The Cowboys-Redskins rivalry is another popular rivalry in the NFL. Both in the NFC North division, these players have been going head to head since the 1960s.
Panthers
Rams
Falcons

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College Football: Oklahoma
Clemson
Duke
Texas
If you've heard of the Red River Showdown, you definitely know about this rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. These two teams always go head to head. Texas currently leads the series with 61 wins.
Baylor

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NHL: Flyers
Hurricanes
Devils
Sabres
Penguins
There's a definite fight over Pennsylvania in the world of ice hockey. The Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins are fighting over their state. Since 1967, the teams have met over 300 times with the Flyers leading the series with 172 wins.

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College Football: USC
SMU
UCLA
In college football, there are two teams that are battling it out in California. A close battle between the residents of Los Angeles, UCLA and USC are constantly trying to outperform one another. The rivalry is so big between the two teams that it doesn't only cover the world of college football. The Lexus Gauntlet covers the rivalry ov​er all sports between the two universities.
UConn
Pittsburgh

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MLB: Cardinals
Diamondbacks
Orioles
Blue Jays
Cubs
There's always an MLB battle going on in the midwest. Between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, these teams are always up for a heated battle when they face one another.

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NFL: Jets
Browns
Patriots
In the AFC East, there's a cold rivalry between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. The two teams have been going head to head since 1960. With 120 meetings, the Patriots lead the series with 62 wins.
Titans
Broncos

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MLB: Mets
Padres
Yankees
​Have you heard about the Subway Series? And we're not talking about sandwiches! When it comes to major league baseball, two teams, the Yankees and Mets, are battling it out over New York City. The two teams first faced each other in 1997 and have since met 112 times. The Yankees lead their series with 66 wins.
Rays
Rockies

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Boxing: Ali
Foreman
Holmes
Duran
Frazier
In boxing, there are no teams. It's one on one! One of the biggest rivalries was between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The two boxers would face each other three times, the final match notably called the Thrilla in Manila.

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NFL: Giants
Chiefs
Packers
Cowboys
The Washington Redskins aren't the only team that has a strong rivalry against the Dallas Cowboys! The New York Giants and Cowboys first faced each other in 1960. Both in the NFC East division, they have faced each other 111 times with the Cowboys leading with 64 wins.
Falcons

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Soccer: Barcelona
Real Madrid
There are two international football clubs that are fighting over their territory in Spain. Called El Clasico, it is always a noted match when teams Real Madrid and Barcelona go head to head. Barcelona leads the series with 112 wins to Real Madrid's 99. The teams have tied 59 times.
Manchester United
Bayern Munich
Chelsea

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College Football: Michigan
Pitt
Ohio State
When the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines team up against each other, it always makes for an interesting game. The rivalry has been going on for over 30 years! Michican leads the series with 58 wins.
USC
Stanford

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Tennis: Nadal
Murray
Agassi
Federer
In tennis, there is a big rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The two men have been playing against each other for over a decade and Nadal leads their series with 23 of 38 wins.
McEnroe

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College Football: Stanford
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Memphis
University of California, Berkeley
Since 1892, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University have been going head to head in the "Big Game." Battling over the state of California, Stanford leads the series with 63 wins out of 120 matchups.

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NBA: Bird
Johnson
While basketball is very much a sports team, in the '80s, it was clear they were being led by a few key players. With Magic Johnson leading the Lakers and Larry Bird heading the Celtics, their matchup is often considered to be one that shaped the NBA to what it is today.
Russell
Chamberlain
Jordan

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NHL: Rangers
Capitals
Islanders
In the world of ice hockey, there's a battle over New York. Both the Islanders and the Rangers are representing the city of New York, and everyone wants to know who is the king. With 342 games, the series is close with the Rangers leading with 163 wins compared to the Islanders' 160.
Wings
Bruins

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College Basketball: Duke
Kentucky
Villanova
North Carolina
When it comes college basketball, UNC and Duke are two teams that are constantly battling it out. Both located in North Carolina, these teams are fighting to decide who really controls the state. The University of North Carolina currently controls the series with 135 wins to Duke's 110.
Syracuse

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Tennis: Sampras
Woods
Palmer
Agassi
In tennis, you don't have a team to back you up. A popular showdown was between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Both players were lining up to go head to head in the '90s. Sampras eventually came out on top.
Federer

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College Football: Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has multiple rivalries and Nebraska is one of its oldest. Their rivalry first began when they were both members of the Big Eight before moving on to the Big 12. The rivalry soon dissipated as Oklahoma tried to keep their other rivalry going. It is said that both teams will once again face each other in 2020.
Miami
Duke
Temple

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Golf: Nicklaus
McEnroe
Laver
Palmer
In the world of golf, one of the most popular matchups was between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Arnold Palmer was a seasoned success while Nicklaus was seen as a young newcomer. While often pitted against each other on the green, they became great friends.
Becker

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MLB: Dodgers
Cardinals
Indians
Giants
Although it's not talked about as often as the Yankees vs. Red Sox, the Dodgers and Giants are two MLB teams whose rivalry goes deep. While the Giants and Dodgers used to NY teams, they both moved to San Francisco in the 1950's and the fight for California has been on since.
White Sox

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College Football: Navy
USC
Army
Every year, football fans get to watch the Army-Navy rivalry continue. Each year, both teams go head to head in the classic game played at West Point. Having met 118 times, Navy leads the series with 60 wins.
Cincinnati
Iowa

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NHL: Devils
Bruins
Sentaors
Maple Leafs
Rangers
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are said to be battling it over the Hudson River. Both teams are in the Eastern Metropolitan division and have faced each other 276 times since the 1980s. The Rangers currently lead the series with 133 wins.

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Tennis: Williams
Murray
Navratilova
Williams
This is one rivalry that was never filled with hate! Definitely one of the more interesting to watch, this one featured sister tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams. One year apart from each other, these sisters have consistently faced each other on the tennis court. When it comes to their rivalry, younger sister Serena has Venus beat across the board.
Connors

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Olympics: United States
France
Russia
One of the greatest rivalries happens on the biggest stage of athletics, the Olympics. The United States and Russia have always been pitted against each other for who would take home the most medals. As of February 2018, the United States is in first with 2,804 medals while Russia has 1,204.
China
Canada

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NFL