Who are Nottingham Forest’s biggest rivals? The Tricky Trees’ top five fiercest football rivalries

Nottingham Forest are one of English football's most historic clubs, and their position in the East Midlands has ensured there is no shortage of local opponents looking to claim bragging rights.

Some rivalries are rooted in geography and regional identity, while others have been shaped by historic incidents, major matches and memorable personalities.

The intensity varies depending on the opponent, with Forest's two biggest local enemies providing very different experiences. Notts County offer the city's oldest rivalry, while Derby County have developed a fiercely competitive East Midlands feud, with Leicester City, Sheffield United and Leeds United also carrying varying degrees of significance.

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

Notts County

Notts County are the obvious choice when it comes to Nottingham Forest's most historic rivalry.

The two clubs are among the oldest football clubs in the world, with County founded in 1862 and Forest following three years later after a group of men who played bandy decided to form a football club.

Their first meeting came in a friendly in March 1866, with the first competitive encounter following in the FA Cup in 1878. They have spent much of their history in different divisions, meaning the Nottingham derby has become an occasional rather than regular fixture, but that has done little to erase its importance.

The last league meeting came in 1994, when Notts County won 2-1 thanks to a late Charlie Palmer goal, a moment still remembered locally as “Charlie Palmer Day”.

The rivalry has resurfaced for cup and friendly meetings in recent years, although Forest's superiority in the more recent encounters has provided the bragging rights.

Derby County

Derby County provide Forest's fiercest regular sporting rivalry, with the two clubs contesting the East Midlands derby.

The fixture has all the ingredients of a major rivalry, with the clubs relatively close geographically and both possessing a strong regional identity.

It is also a rivalry with a unique historical link through Brian Clough. The legendary manager won the European Cup with Forest after previously achieving success with Derby, and since 2007 the sides have competed for the Brian Clough Trophy whenever they meet.

The games have regularly carried plenty of tension, with Forest and Derby supporters regarding the other as their main rival.

The fixture has also become known as ‘El Cloughico', while a history of crowd trouble has added another layer to what is one of the most intense derbies in the East Midlands.

Leicester City

Leicester City are another significant East Midlands rival, although the intensity does not quite match the Forest-Derby feud.

The two clubs represent two of the region's biggest cities and have met more than 100 times across their histories, ensuring plenty of familiarity.

Their meetings have produced some remarkable results. Forest's 12-0 victory over Leicester Fosse in 1909 remains the club's record league win, while Leicester's dramatic 3-2 victory at the City Ground on the final day of the 2012-13 Championship season denied Forest a place in the play-offs.

The rivalry was renewed in the Premier League in 2022-23 after more than two decades without a top-flight meeting.

Leicester won the first encounter 4-0, but Forest responded with a 2-0 victory at home later that season, ensuring the local bragging rights were shared.

Sheffield United

Sheffield United are another regional rival for Forest, although the roots of this rivalry go beyond simple geographical proximity.

The fixture gained an additional edge during the miners' strike of 1984-85, when the contrasting stances of miners in Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire created a wider regional divide.

Football then provided another reason for the supporters to dislike one another. The 2003 Championship play-off semi-final saw Sheffield United edge through 5-4 on aggregate, while Forest got their revenge in the 2022 Championship play-offs by winning the semi-final.

The rivalry also returned to the Premier League in 2023-24, with Forest completing a league double after winning 2-1 at the City Ground and 3-1 at Bramall Lane.

It remains an important regional fixture, particularly when the two clubs find themselves competing at a similar level.

Leeds United

Leeds United are arguably the most unusual entry on this list because there is little traditional geographical reason for the rivalry.

They are not considered each other's primary enemy, but meetings between the clubs have nevertheless developed plenty of tension over the years.

A 2019 supporter survey placed Leeds as Forest's fifth most disliked club, demonstrating that there is at least a degree of animosity between the fanbases. Both clubs also have large, passionate support and have experienced periods of revival that have brought them back into the national spotlight.

With Forest and Leeds competing in the Premier League, the fixture has the potential to become more significant again.

It may lack the deep-rooted history of the Nottingham derby or the East Midlands rivalry with Derby, but there is enough existing needle to make Forest-Leeds an intriguing contest.