The Uruguayan Clásico (Spanish: Clásico del fútbol uruguayo) is the most important rivalry in Uruguayan football and one of the best on the American continent.[1] It is contested between the two most popular football clubs in Uruguay, Club Nacional de Football and Club Atlético Peñarol (formerly known as CURCC), both based in Montevideo. As of 2018, the two teams have won 96 of the 115 Uruguayan Primera División titles, and many international tournaments, including a combined eight Copa Libertadores. The first meeting between the two teams was at the turn of the century in 1900, making it one of the oldest football rivalries outside Great Britain.[2][3] CURCC won the first match 2–0.[3]
 A scene from the 2012 Uruguayan Clásico | |
| Other names | "Clásico Uruguayo" "El Clásico" "El Superclásico" |
|---|---|
| Sport | Association football |
| Location | Montevideo |
| First meeting | 15 July 1900 [note 1] Nacional 0–2 CURCC |
| Latest meeting | 4 August 2024 Nacional 2–1 Peñarol |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Stadiums | Estadio Gran Parque Central Estadio Campeón del Siglo Estadio Centenario |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 561 [note 1] |
| Most wins | Peñarol (196) [note 1] |
| Most player appearances |  José Piendibene (62) |
| Top scorer |  Atilio García (35) |
| Largest victory | Nacional 6–0 Peñarol (14 Dec 1941) |
Founded as the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (CURCC) in 1891, it was originally made up of English immigrants representing the Central Uruguay Railway (Ferrocarril Central del Uruguay), and was based in the Peñarol district in the outskirts of the city. Nacional was formed in 1899 as a club for purely native players at a time when football clubs were almost exclusively the domain of European immigrants.[3] CURCC won the first match 2–0.[3]
Match history
editNote: Only official matches are included.
Nacional v CURCC
edit| Competition | M | CW | D | NW | CG | NG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primera División [note 2] | 25 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 30 |
| Copa Competencia | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 9 |
| Copa de Honor | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 |
| Total | 39 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 54 | 46 |
Nacional v Peñarol
edit| Competition | M | PW | D | NW | PG | NG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primera División (AUF) | 245 | 83 | 87 | 75 | 306 | 283 |
| Primera División (CP) [note 3] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| Liguilla Pre-Libertadores [note 4] | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 21 |
| Torneo Competencia | 33 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 44 | 34 |
Torneo de Honor [note 5] |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
Copa Albion [note 6] |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
Copa León Peyrou [note 7] |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Copa José Serrato [note 8] |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Torneo Intermedio [note 9] |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 | |
Liga Mayor [note 11] |
8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
Torneo Cuadrangular [note 12] |
16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 22 |
Campeonato General Artigas [note 13] |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Other competitions [note 14] |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 44 | 41 | |
| 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 44 | 41 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |
| Total | 410 | 141 | 137 | 132 | 507 | 480 |
Nacional v Peñarol/CURCC
edit| M | CPW | D | NW | CPG | NG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 557 | 196 | 181 | 180 | 695 | 660 |
- Source: RSSSF, updated as of 2 April 2023.
Title comparison
edit| Competition | Nacional | Peñarol |
|---|---|---|
| Primera División (AUF) | 49 | 51 |
| Supercopa Uruguaya | 2 | 2 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 3 | 3 |
| Copa Libertadores | 3 | 5 |
| Copa Interamericana | 2 | 0 |
| Recopa Sudamericana | 1 | 0 |
| Intercontinental Champions' Supercup | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 60 | 62 |
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Includes matches by club predecessor CURCC.
- ^ Does not include matches played on June 6, 1901 (1–1), May 14, 1905 (1–1) and July 9, 1905 (0–0), whose results were annulled.
- ^ Although not recognised by the AUF, the Consejo Provisorio championship was official.
- ^ Tournament that served as qualification for Copa Libertadores, held from 1974 to 2009.
- ^ Not to be confused with "Copa de Honor". Only includes matches that were played independently of the Uruguayan Championship from 1925 to 1940, as well as the match from December 5th, 1943 (2–3). Does not include the October 18, 1964 (2–1) match, part of the Copa de Honor and the Uruguayan Championship.
- ^ Domestic cup held 1919–1922, named after River Plate F.C. executive.
- ^ Domestic cup held 1916–1921.
- ^ Domestic cup named after José Serrato, the 24th. president of Uruguay. Held 1928–1930
- ^ First held in 2017, it is played between the Apertura and Clausura seasons.
- ^ Post-CURCC period, until 1925.
- ^ Held 1976–1978.
- ^ Held 1952–1968.
- ^ Held 1960–1962.
- ^ Includes the South American Youth Championships (1954), Torneo Ciudad de Montevideo (1973), Torneo Campeones Olímpicos (1974), Copa de Oro (1982), Campeonato Estadio Centenario (1983) y Torneo 60º Aniversario de Colombes (1984) tournaments.
References
edit- ^ "Uruguay se parte en dos" [Uruguay divides into two]. El País. Uruguay. 27 November 2005. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ The date of the first match is given as either 15 July or 15 September 1900
- ^ a b c d "Peñarol VS Nacional – Montevideo's ancient Superclasico". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.