The Most Hated EPL Teams By English City

Animosity knows no geographic bounds when it comes to the English Premier League. 

No matter where you live, you'll find that team that you just love to hate.

In London alone, there are seven different geographical locales that break down along very partisan team lines.

Looking at English cities and towns with real, documented football rivalries, we identified the Premier League club most disliked by that city's own fanbase, using fan-hatred surveys and documented rivalries.

To no one's surprise, London offers a maelstrom of football passion and wrath – depending on who just scored.  

Our RotoWire survey examined the fan bases and the rivals who can make or break an EPL season.

And the unity that football fans felt about players from opposing teams wearing the kit of the Three Lions during the World Cup quickly dissipated once Spain finished off Argentina in extra time.

Data Viz

Most Hated EPL Team, By English City

For each English city (and each fanbase in multi-club cities), the Premier League rival most disliked by the locals — based on fan-hatred surveys and documented rivalries. Where a fanbase's traditional rival has dropped out of the league, the entry reflects their highest-ranked current-EPL rival.

41

Areas Mapped

Man United

Most Hated — 7 Areas

Leeds & Liverpool

Runners-Up — 4 Each

16

Clubs Featured

Most Hated

Reading the map: each region is colored and outlined in the shade of the team its fans dislike most — not their own club's color. In London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham and Bristol, every fanbase in the city gets its own wedge, fanned out around that city's true location.

Methodology: fan-hatred surveys & documented rivalries, RotoWire staff research — July 2026.

RotoWire has also recently done: 

• Most Hated Golfers in 2026
• Most Hated NFL Head Coaches 
• Most Hated WNBA Players

The Biggest EPL Feuds - A Geographic Primer

Let's take a look at the most-heated rivalries in the EPL and their geographic roots. 

Liverpool fans → Manchester United

Liverpool: North

This is English football's defining national rivalry. The clubs are separated by roughly 35 miles, but Liverpool and Manchester competed economically and culturally long before football arrived.

Liverpool dominated the 1970s and 1980s before United took control under Alex Ferguson. United ruined Liverpool's treble bid in the 1977 FA Cup final. Liverpool supplied more recent humiliation, winning 5-0 at Old Trafford in 2021 and setting a series record with a 7-0 victory at Anfield in 2023.

Liverpool has Everton across town and United has Manchester City next door. Yet generations spent arguing over which club owns English football have made this the rivalry that transcends geography.

Manchester City fans → Manchester United

Manchester: East Central

Manchester United is City's local enemy, historically dominant neighbor and the club that spent decades treating the other Manchester team as an afterthought.

The stadiums are approximately four miles apart, but the clubs once occupied different worlds. United collected trophies under Ferguson while City endured relegations, ownership turmoil and six consecutive home derby defeats during the 1990s.

Ferguson famously called City its "noisy neighbors." The neighbors eventually became deafening. City's 6-1 demolition at Old Trafford in 2011 announced that Manchester's balance of power had changed.

Newcastle fans → Sunderland 

Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland

The Tyne-Wear Derby divides cities separated by only about 12 miles. Here, the survey hatred runs perfectly in both directions.

Newcastle delivered a defining humiliation in 2010, crushing Sunderland 5-1 behind Kevin Nolan's hat trick. Sunderland responded by going unbeaten in nine consecutive league derbies, including six straight victories from 2013 through 2015.

Neither team needs to be chasing a trophy. Beat the other side, and even an otherwise miserable season can be partially salvaged.

Everton fans → Liverpool 

Liverpool: North West

Liverpool and Everton were traditionally separated by less than a mile. Everton's move from Goodison Park created more geographical space—but none between the supporters.

The "Friendly Derby" nickname arose because families throughout Liverpool included supporters of both clubs. On the field, the name is increasingly ironic: no Premier League fixture has produced more red cards.

Liverpool's Premier League-era dominance has added to Everton's resentment. For Everton supporters, winning the derby means more than three points. It means temporary control of the family group chat.

London Calling: Why These Fanbases Hate These EPL Teams

London alone offers a fascinating breakdown of football rivalries that sometimes divide neighborhoods. 

Tottenham fans → Arsenal 

London: Far North Central

The North London feud goes back more than a century. Arsenal clinched championships at Tottenham's White Hart Lane in 1971 and 2004. Tottenham captain Sol Campbell then crossed the divide in 2001 and won two titles with Arsenal.

Arsenal moved into Tottenham's neighborhood, took its top-flight place, stole its captain and twice celebrated a championship on its field.

Arsenal fans → Tottenham

London: North Central

The hatred is reciprocal. Tottenham is Arsenal's closest geographical rival and its direct opponent for ownership of North London.

Arsenal's historical advantage inspired "St. Totteringham's Day," the unofficial celebration marking when Tottenham can no longer finish above the Gunners.

Supporting either club requires maintaining a running account of who currently owns North London.

Chelsea fans → Tottenham

London: West Central

Chelsea has closer neighbors, but many supporters reserve their strongest ire for Tottenham.

Spurs won the first all-London FA Cup final in 1967. The defining modern clash came in 2016, when Chelsea rallied from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and end Tottenham's title challenge. The "Battle of the Bridge" included mass confrontations and a Premier League-record nine Tottenham yellow cards.

Chelsea had no trophy to win that night. Preventing Tottenham from winning one was enough.

Fulham fans → Chelsea

London: Far West Central

Craven Cottage and Stamford Bridge are approximately two miles apart. Chelsea's wealth, global following and trophy collection created a classic big-neighbor dynamic.

The resentment is stronger from Fulham's side. Fulham wants to beat Chelsea; Chelsea sometimes treats Fulham as another fixture.

That made Fulham's 1-0 win in 2006—its first over Chelsea in 27 years—especially cathartic. Fulham waited until 2023 to beat its neighbor again.

Brentford fans → Fulham

London: Far West

This West London rivalry grew as Brentford climbed the English football pyramid.

Its defining moment came in the 2020 Championship playoff final. Brentford was attempting to reach the Premier League, but Fulham won 2-1 in extra time after Joe Bryan surprised the goalkeeper with a free kick from nearly 40 yards.

Losing a derby hurts. Losing with Premier League membership and more than $100 million potentially at stake leaves a mark.

West Ham fans → Tottenham

London: East

West Ham's traditional enemy is Millwall, but the clubs rarely share a division. Among regular top-flight opponents, Tottenham attracts much of the Hammers' hostility.

Approximately five miles separate the stadiums, creating a North London-East London divide. Tottenham has also historically enjoyed greater success while competing with West Ham for supporters across London and Essex.

Crystal Palace fans → Brighton

London: South

Palace and Brighton are approximately 40 miles apart, making this London's least obvious pairing.

The feud erupted during a controversial 1976 FA Cup replay. Brighton had a penalty disallowed for encroachment, missed the retake and lost 1-0. Enraged Brighton manager Alan Mullery confronted the referee, exchanged gestures with Palace supporters and reportedly threw £5 onto the Palace dressing-room floor while declaring the team was not worth that much.

Not bad for the birth of a rivalry.

Full List