Best Rivalries in International Sports
I must thank @Coinsreporter and @siggy47 for giving me the idea for this post. I was going to post about something else but our conversation regarding the India vs Pakistan cricket match had me most curious about other big international rivalries.
I am biased, but give me a US vs Canada Olympic hockey game any day. However, I know globally there are much bigger rivalries than this, like India vs Pakistan in cricket, for instance.
So, focusing only on international sports (we can do best rivalries in the leagues some other time) shill me the best rivalries in international sports. Zaps for all responses and extra zaps for unique ones that maybe I had never heard of.
Sats for all, GR
In my opinion, the best rivalry in international sport is the India vs Pakistan cricket match. Even if there is no holiday in India, leave is granted because of the game. India vs Pak match is almost like war.
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I would rather their differences are vented and settled on the pitch than in combat. No joke.
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That's the feel I'm getting even in NY
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Are there more matches taking place in NY?
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I am watching the game. Here the game is also shown in theatres, for those who can not go to the stadium.
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You mean cricket? Today India/Pakistan
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Yes, I mean beyond today. Is NY hosting round 2 matches etc? I don't really understand the structure of this tournament and why games are all over the place and where they end up for the later rounds and finals. Haha
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Disregard. I finally found it. 3 more matches after today.
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That's why we also heard news about terrorism before match
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61 sats \ 1 reply \ @MANI 9 Jun
Its been like this since the Independence for both countries.. Its just a game for other rivals but for.these two countries no sport is just a sport, no game is just a game...
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You are absolutely right bro. If those who don't believe it, you can read it on the Internet.
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Speaking of US vs Canada Olympic hockey, I remember the Sydney Crosby goal in OT in the 2010 winter Olympics. That was a pretty sweet moment. Ryan Kesler was a beast in those winter games and he still seemed pissed off when they mentioned and celebrated his silver medal during the first Canucks game right after the Olympics.
While we're talking about hockey, how about women's hockey between USA and Canada? It's as if almost every gold medal game / championship game are between these two teams.
Argentina vs Brazil in men's football (this one runs long and deep)
Can we do individuals?
Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan in men's singles badminton was one hell of a rivalry. Lee Chong Wei never won a Olympics gold in his decorated career because Lin Dan was always in the way. I used to love watching them play each other.
And how about a 3 way rivalry? Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic in men's singles tennis?
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Talking about Individual rivalries, read about Pakistan's Jahangir Khan vs Jansher Khan rivalry in squash. That lasted over a decade. Fierst rivals at local and international level.
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Great submissions. I think we will do individual rivalries in another post.
The women's rivalry is a huge part of the Canada vs US hockey rivalry. I would say it has even surpassed the men's rivalry at this point as other men's teams like Sweden, Czech Republic have become gold medal contenders as well.
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Spain vs Italy in football. Italy always beating us up despite of playing very well. I still remember a World Cup game back in 1994 where they won unfairly.
But , since 2008, things changed. We beat them in quarterfinals in the Euro cup and finally won it in the final against Germany. Then we met again in 2012, this time at the final and we won them.
Last year, again in semifinal of European Nations League we won them, and then in the final, we become champions again against Croatia.
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Except for 2010, Spain 🇪🇸 disappoints in the World Cup
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Yes, it is true. But still remembering that team, was just magic. Made the country to be proud. I had not ever seen so many Spanish flags in every balcony.
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The 2010 team was very strong. Definitely the better team than Netherlands 🇳🇱
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That team was special. Del Bosque was special. That golden generation lived upto their hype. Might.never see an int. team like that.
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Yes there are some big matchups in football.
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I have seen more emotions in Madrid vs Barca games than Spain vs Italy tbh. 👀
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Haha I know , but we were talking about internationals. However, if you asked me about emotions, nothing like Betis vs Sevilla.
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Yeah, I kow about the rivalry but not that much. Don't get to see La Liga a lot. But if we talk about local rivalries like inter-city or provincial then there are a lot of bitter rivals no doubt but when it comes to countries who have been to multiple wars, that's a whole new level.
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87 sats \ 1 reply \ @suraz 9 Jun
The rivalry India and Pakistan had for decades is one of the biggest in the history of Sports. Of course, the raging politics just keeps adding more and more fuel to it. In my opinion it's just that minds of fans are so attuned due to lot of media hype. They twist and tease and try to get our attention.
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True. Media exaggerates this game so much that the hype reaches its peak. And then politics, celebrities and ex-cricketers all get involved so people on both sides take it way too far sometimes.
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Nothing matches to India vs Pakistan. On and much before the match starts, it becomes like a festival celebrated with so much intensity that it is only cricket for everyone. Everyone means more than 20000000000 people around the globe. It's so much so that even TVs are broken after the match ... People reported dying of heartattack in Pakistan...
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Or stones thrown at Indian cricketers homes, death threats if & when they lose to Pakistan.
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What about the agitation of Pakistani fans who are abusing in lot of ways to the best chokers of world cricket?
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Well if you can't chase down a 120 or lose to USA, Ireland, you're probably not the best cricketers out there with all due respect. Eras come and go, you can't always be the best unless you outdo yourself every day.
Problem with these bunch is, they're more interested in individual / personal glory than the teams. You can't play a T20 game with 80/90 strike rate, consume the most balls at that strike rate and then expect the middle or low order to play at 150 from the get go. That mindset was ok pre 2012 World Cup, they're somehow still stuck there.
So, moral of the story is, they're not the best cricketers out there. They're all average bar a couple.
And they deserve all the stick they're getting. They're where they are because of the fans. They make them stars. If they can't take the heat, should stay at home. This is a men's game, kids are not allowed to play. Fans spend their hard earned money, time to buy tickets, merchandise and travel thousands of miles to watch them play, play for shirt, do better than yesterday but if that's doesn't happen then they have evey right to criticise and point them out.
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IMO, the selection is a problem here. They don't have a good batsmen after 4th wicket. For me Shadab, Imad and Iftikhar are more of bowling all rounders. It looks like that Pakistan are playing only with 4 specialist batsmen!
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True. Babar priorities friendships over merit. That's why you see almost identical teams over last 4-6 year period except a couple of players. Shadab, Iftikhar, Rauf, are only playing because they're friends with senior players i.e. Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen. Anyways, I had already predicted Pakistan to go out of group stages, wasn't expecting much from them. Let's see what happens after the wc. Chairman looks pissed at them. This ouster would be worst than the 2007 world cup.
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Thanks for the generous split. I bet there are great football (soccer) rivalries I know nothing about. This is an old story, but as a kid I remember the Summit Series Canada v. USSR in 1972. Talk about a rivalry. Man I loved that. Maybe that's why I sometimes feel a little Canadian.
Of course US v. USSR Olympics 1980 was one of the most memorable sporting events of my life.
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Do you believe in miracles?
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Great moment and great call!
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Al Michaels
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Movie was good too
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Soviet won goal differential in the series in 1972?
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Maybe, but that wasn't a "real hockey" rule. You win the game you are playing. I hated that goal differential crap.
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Yes, probably a lot of good football (soccer) ones.
"Henderson has scored for Canada" might be the most famous call in Canadian sports history.
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Pakistan vs India in any sport is the greatest rivalries ever....
You can take any sport, Cricket, Hockey, Football, Boxing, Kabbadi, or any other sport whenever these two countries meet there is fire on and off the field.
No other rivals ever come close.
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Yeah you are right but Why ?? It's due to media hype or political conflicts.
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Both. Both play their part. Political influence increased since BJP took over Indian politics and changed the whole narrative. And since 2006 I think, after second IPL season when they banned Pakistani players to take part in IPL.
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I don't think it started in 2006. It's always been that way since I started watching cricket
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Yeah I did not day it strated there, I said the whole narrative changed. Things started changing from dislikeness to hate after that...
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Yes, and in 2009, there was a militant attack on innocent Sri Lankan players in Lahore. That's why the whole cricketing fraternity had abandoned playing in Pakistan for more than a decade.
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Yup. Black day in Pakistan cricket. Terrorists wanted to isolate Pakistan cricket from International stage and they succeeded. It took almost 2 decades to recover from that attack, some rivals played their part as well in isolating an already struggling board.
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@Public_N_M_E is there a classic international Rugby rivalry we should be aware of?
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Whoever plays England 🤣. The Welsh would say England are their biggest international rivals.
The Irish would say the same, as would the Scots! 🤣🤣
From an English perspective, you just really want to beat the french... So maybe England V France. But otherwise I wouldn't say there were any classic rivalrys. Guinness ran an ad during the 6 nations that was pretty funny, but I can't seem to find it.
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So everyone is rivals in rugby. Haha.
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Everyone seems to want to beat the All Blacks of New Zealand and Springboks of South Africa. Two of the best intl. rugby teams.
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Thats more prestige than rivalry I feel. Beating those teams is a huge "top of the mountain" statement.
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In terms of sporting and sporting glory yeah! Who wouldn't want to win against a legendry team.
Australian cricket team used to be that one might team, since 1999 world cup final where they beat Pakistan to the 2011 world cup group game where they lost to Pakistan... In between those years they never lost a single world cup game. Now that was the team everyone wanted to beat and the only 'unpredictable' team they were worried about, Pakistan that beat them to end their world cup winning streak.
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Almost... But mostly everyone just hates the English. 🤣🤣
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That's also true lol
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Australia vs New Zealand i think
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Naahhhh..
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I don't think so.
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I agree that 'The Ashes' series is also like India vs Pakistan match.
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Ashes use to come close but not anymore.
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Agreed. It boils over every once in a while (the Bairstow wicket at Lords last year for example) but is nowhere close.
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Yeah! The aggression has decreased since the Strauss and Ponting era.. The quality of cricket has also gone downhill. But occasionally individual moments do embark controversy and hype in the media.
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I remember that 1986 spat a little bit, simply because we heard about the "war" in the US every day.
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Falkland Islands 🇫🇰 rematch!
Hand 🤚 of god
Great matches
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Constant references to those disagreements is a horrible side to English fandom.
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