Who are Everton’s biggest rivals? The Toffees’ top five fiercest football rivalries

Everton are one of English football's oldest and most successful clubs, and their long history has inevitably brought plenty of rivals along the way.

Some of those rivalries are shaped by geography, while others have developed through years of competition, transfers and the changing fortunes of clubs across the country.

There is one obvious answer when it comes to Everton's biggest enemy, but the rest are rather more difficult to separate. Liverpool provide the defining local rivalry, while Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Newcastle United have all developed varying degrees of sporting and cultural tension with the Toffees.

FootballGroundGuide takes a look at the five fiercest football rivalries involving the Toffees, presented in order of importance and intensity rather than as a definitive ranking.

Liverpool

There can be no doubt that Liverpool are Everton's biggest rivals.

The two clubs contest the Merseyside derby, with their grounds formally separated by just Stanley Park, and their rivalry dates back to the events that led to Liverpool's formation in 1892.

Everton had previously played at Anfield, but a dispute involving club officials and ground owner John Houlding resulted in the Toffees moving to Goodison Park. Houlding subsequently established Liverpool to occupy Anfield, creating a rivalry that has lasted ever since.

That friendliness can quickly disappear on the pitch. The Merseyside derby has produced more red cards than any other fixture in Premier League history, while iconic meetings include Liverpool's 3-2 FA Cup final victory in 1989 and the dramatic 3-2 Everton win at Goodison in 2012.

It remains the one fixture that truly defines Everton's football identity.

Manchester United

Everton's rivalry with Manchester United is less obvious than their hatred of Liverpool, but it has roots stretching back beyond football.

The cities of Liverpool and Manchester were fierce economic competitors during the Industrial Revolution, with the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 allowing Manchester to bypass Liverpool's docks.

That wider regional tension has filtered into football, particularly given the stature of the two clubs. United's dominance during the Premier League era has also made them a frequent benchmark for Everton, while the Toffees have occasionally frustrated the Red Devils in important meetings.

Wayne Rooney provided an additional layer when the Everton academy product returned to Manchester United as one of the world's biggest stars.

The fixture has produced plenty of dramatic contests over the years, although it remains a rivalry driven more by regional and sporting tension than the deep-rooted hatred reserved for Liverpool.

Tottenham Hotspur

Everton and Tottenham have long been two of English football's great traditional institutions, with both clubs possessing extensive histories and large, loyal fanbases.

Their rivalry is therefore less about geographical proximity and more about their status as established clubs attempting to remain among the country's elite.

For much of the modern era, the two have regularly found themselves competing for European qualification and looking to break into the upper reaches of the Premier League. Everton supporters have often viewed Spurs as another club standing between them and a return to the upper tier of English football.

Tottenham's modern rise, including their move into the new stadium and continued spending power, has only sharpened the debate over which club carries the greater weight and potential.

It is not Everton's fiercest feud, but games between two ambitious historic clubs rarely lack an edge.

West Ham United

The rivalry with West Ham is another that has grown as much through modern football culture as anything else.

Everton and the Hammers have historically occupied similar positions in the Premier League, battling for European places or simply trying to establish themselves as the best of the teams outside the traditional elite.

That has created an increasingly vocal rivalry between the supporters, particularly online, where debates over club size, history, stadiums and fanbases can become almost as fierce as the football itself. Meetings between the sides have also tended to carry extra importance when both are competing for similar objectives.

Neither club would claim the other as its greatest enemy, but that does not mean there is little animosity.

For Everton, West Ham have become another club against whom victories can provide an important measure of where the Toffees stand.

Newcastle United

Newcastle have become an increasingly intriguing rival for Everton, with the tension fuelled by both football and perception.

The two clubs have plenty of history in the Premier League, but their more recent rivalry has been intensified by Newcastle's dramatic transformation following the Saudi-backed takeover.

Everton supporters have watched Newcastle's rapid rise as a wealthy, ambitious ‘sleeping giant' and inevitably drawn comparisons with their own failed attempts to return to the top under Farhad Moshiri. The contrasting fortunes have created a sense that the Magpies have been granted a status that the Toffees' faitfhul believe their own history deserves.

There have also been plenty of memorable encounters at Goodison Park, while Anthony Gordon's move from Everton to Newcastle in 2023 added another personal layer to the rivalry. Jordan Pickford's Sunderland background has also made him a regular target for Newcastle supporters.

Liverpool will always be Everton's number one enemy, but Newcastle have become one of the more interesting modern additions to the Toffees' rivalry map.