Who are Manchester City’s biggest rivals? The Cityzens’ top five fiercest football rivalries

Manchester City have transformed from one of English football's traditional clubs into a global superpower, and that rise has naturally created a number of significant rivalries.

Some have been built over more than a century, while others have emerged from the Cityzens' modern dominance and their battles for major honours.

The Manchester derby is the obvious standout, with City's rivalry against Manchester United shaped by geography, local identity and the changing balance of power in the city. Liverpool and Arsenal have since emerged as major sporting rivals, while Chelsea and Tottenham have also shared plenty of high-profile encounters with Pep Guardiola's side.

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

Manchester United

Manchester United are without question Manchester City's biggest rivals.

The Manchester derby dates back to 1881, when the clubs were known as St Mark's (West Gorton) and Newton Heath, and what began as a meeting between two local teams has become one of the biggest derbies in world football.

For much of their history, United were comfortably the dominant force in Manchester, but City's emergence as an English superpower has dramatically altered the balance. That shift has made the derby about far more than local bragging rights, with both sets of supporters desperate to establish supremacy in the city.

The fixture has delivered plenty of memorable moments, from City's 6-1 demolition of United at Old Trafford in 2011 to Sergio Agüero's famous last-minute Premier League-winning goal against Queens Park Rangers later that season.

As City's trophy haul has grown, so too has the importance of beating their neighbours.

Liverpool

Liverpool have become City's biggest modern sporting rival, with the two clubs pushing each other to extraordinary levels throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s.

The rivalry may lack the geographical hostility of the Manchester derby, but few fixtures have had greater significance in deciding who rules English football.

The 2018-19 Premier League title race remains the clearest example, with City collecting 98 points and Liverpool with 97. The two clubs repeatedly challenged each other for the title during the Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola eras, setting several of the highest points totals in Premier League history along the way.

Their rivalry has also produced important cup and European meetings. Liverpool knocked City out of the Champions League in 2018, while City have repeatedly gained revenge in the Premier League.

With both clubs setting extraordinary standards year after year, this became less a traditional grudge and more a battle between two of the finest teams English football has produced.

Arsenal

City's rivalry with Arsenal has developed rapidly, particularly since Mikel Arteta's arrival in north London.

Previously, the Cityzens had largely been the stronger Premier League outfit, but Arsenal's resurgence has turned the fixture into a genuine title battle.

The rivalry has its origins in City's financial transformation after 2008, when several important Arsenal players, including Emmanuel Adebayor and Samir Nasri, moved to Manchester. Arsene Wenger was openly critical of City's spending, adding an element of resentment to the sporting contest.

The Guardiola-Arteta relationship has made the rivalry even more intriguing. The pair worked together at Manchester City before Arteta took charge of Arsenal, creating a master-and-student storyline that has followed their title battles.

Arsenal finished runners-up to City in both 2022-23 and 2023-24 before finally beating them to the Premier League crown in 2025-26.

Chelsea

Chelsea are another modern rival created largely by the changing landscape of English football.

Both clubs underwent major financial transformations in the 2000s and subsequently became regular challengers for Premier League and Champions League honours.

The fixture has therefore become a meeting between two sides packed with elite players and managed by some of the game's leading coaches. It has also produced a number of major occasions, with the 2021 Champions League final the standout example.

Chelsea won that final 1-0 in Porto through Kai Havertz's goal, denying City their first Champions League crown at the time.

City have since established themselves as the more consistently dominant force, but the two clubs' regular battles for trophies ensure the rivalry remains significant.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham may not be a traditional City rival, but their meetings have taken on increasing importance as both clubs have regularly competed around the Premier League's top end.

The fixture has produced title-race encounters, battles for Champions League qualification and some remarkable European nights.

The most famous recent meeting came in the 2018-19 Champions League quarter-finals. Tottenham narrowly eliminated City on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw, with the tie featuring City's dramatic late goal being ruled out by VAR in the second leg.

The Premier League meetings have been no less eventful, with Spurs regularly capable of causing City problems even when the Cityzens have been chasing another title.

It is not on the same level as United or Liverpool, but Tottenham have become one of the more intriguing opponents of the Guardiola era.