Who are Crystal Palace’s biggest rivals? The Eagles’ top five fiercest football rivalries

Crystal Palace are one of London's most distinctive football clubs, and their position in south London has naturally created a number of local rivalries over the years.

Some have been driven by geography, others by shared stadiums, and a few have developed into fierce sporting feuds through repeated meetings and memorable flashpoints.

The hierarchy is slightly unusual, with Brighton arguably providing Palace's biggest modern rivalry despite being around 40 miles away. Millwall, Charlton Athletic and West Ham United offer more traditional London derbies, while Queens Park Rangers complete a list of rivals that have all brought their own form of needle.

FootballGroundGuide takes a look at the five fiercest football rivalries involving the Eagles below.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion are Crystal Palace's biggest and most intense modern rivals, despite the two clubs being unusually far apart for an English derby.

The fixture is often referred to as the M23 derby, named after the road linking south London with Sussex, although the rivalry itself has much deeper roots.

The clubs had met regularly before the modern era, but the feud really began to take shape in the 1970s. Terry Venables was appointed Palace manager in 1976, while his former England and Tottenham teammate Alan Mullery took charge of Brighton shortly afterwards. Both clubs subsequently rose rapidly through the divisions, creating a competitive rivalry that has lasted ever since.

There have been plenty of dramatic meetings along the way, with the clubs regularly trading wins despite their contrasting fortunes.

What makes the rivalry particularly unusual is that it is not built primarily on geography or a shared city, but rather on decades of genuine animosity that have turned the M23 derby into one of English football's most recognisable modern rivalries.

Millwall

Millwall are arguably Palace's most traditional London rivals.

The two clubs have been meeting since the early 20th century and, with both based south of the River Thames, there is a genuine local element to a fixture that has long been about claiming supremacy in south London.

The rivalry has never been as regular in recent years because Palace's long stay in the Premier League has left Millwall playing lower down the football pyramid. That has not diminished the importance of the fixture whenever it does return, with supporters viewing it as a contest to establish which club rules south London.

Their latest FA Cup meeting provided a reminder of the hostility involved. Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off early for a high challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Palace eventually won 3-1.

The incident, subsequent disciplinary action and controversy surrounding the fixture only added another chapter to a rivalry where the football is often just one part of the story.

Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletic are another significant south London rival, with The Valley and Selhurst Park separated by only around eight miles.

The rivalry has also been given an unusual twist by the fact that Palace once provided Charlton with a temporary home.

When financial and stadium problems forced Charlton to leave The Valley in the mid-1980s, the Addicks moved into Selhurst Park and shared the ground with Palace for several seasons. The arrangement was unpopular with some Palace supporters, with complaints about the state in which the stadium was allegedly left helping to fuel an already competitive local rivalry.

The clubs have met regularly throughout their histories, with Palace generally enjoying the better record.

The most recent competitive meeting came in the 2015 League Cup, when Palace ran out 4-1 winners, while the last season they shared a division was 2012-13.

West Ham United

West Ham provide Palace with another London rivalry, although the fixture has never quite reached the intensity of Brighton or Millwall.

The two clubs have nevertheless built up plenty of history and local pride through years of meetings in the English league system.

The clubs' respective locations in south and east London give the rivalry a natural geographical element, while both have spent much of the modern era attempting to establish themselves among the Premier League's strongest teams outside the traditional elite.

There is also plenty of supporter interaction away from the pitch, with the proximity of the clubs making this another fixture where bragging rights extend beyond the final whistle.

West Ham may have stronger traditional rivalries elsewhere in London, but meetings with Palace still carry a noticeable edge.

Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers are a slightly less obvious rival for Palace, but the two clubs have developed a recognised rivalry through years of competition and the wider network of London football.

Palace are based in south London while QPR come from the west of the capital, meaning geography alone does not explain the tension.

Instead, the rivalry has been shaped by repeated league and cup meetings, with both sets of supporters keen to establish their place among London's many football clubs. Like Palace, QPR have also spent periods outside the Premier League, meaning the fixture has not been a regular one in recent years.

It may lack the historical intensity of Brighton or the local edge of Millwall and Charlton, but there is still plenty of competitive pride involved whenever the sides meet.

With so many London clubs vying for attention, victories in fixtures like this can carry considerable bragging rights.