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Black Country derby
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Black Country derby
The Black Country derby is the name given to any local derby between English football teams West Bromwich Albion, Walsall and Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, it most commonly refers specifically to games between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers due to Walsall spending most of their existence in lower divisions than the other two teams. All three clubs reside in Staffordshire's historic boundaries, but they are separated 11 miles (18 km) apart in the Black Country of the present-day West Midlands county.
The most successful side in the most common of Black Country derbies is West Bromwich Albion, losing just four of the past 24 matches between the two sides.
The Black Country derby between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion is set to return in the 2026–27 EFL Championship following Wolves' relegation from the Premier League and West Brom successfully avoiding relegation to League One. Walsall will spend the 2026–27 season in League Two.
The earliest Black Country derbies were contested before the formation of the Football League. The first ever derby took place on 20 January 1883, when Albion won 4–2 in the third round of the Birmingham Senior Cup. Wolves and Albion's first two 'official' meetings came in the FA Cup in 1886 and 1887, with Albion recording victories on both occasions and going on to reach the final in both years. The first of Walsall's fixtures against Wolves and Albion were also in the FA Cup, in 1889 and 1900 respectively.
With both West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers being founder members of the Football League in 1888, the Black Country derby between these two teams is one of the oldest in the world in league football. The fixture was contested in each of the first 13 league seasons from 1888 to 1901. Attendances in these early fixtures were modest, but that was the case across much of the country as football gradually grew in popularity at the turn of the century. By the 1906–07 season, the fixtures began to regularly attract crowds above 20,000 and a more intense rivalry emerged.
The Albion–Wolves derby reached its peak in the 1950s when both sides challenged for honours at the top of English football, with each in the First Division from 1949 to 1965. Wolves enjoyed league and cup domination for a good deal of the 1950s; finishing in the top 3 on nine occasions, winning the title three times and FA Cup twice in this period. Albion were also a strong side, renowned for their attacking flair, and also challenged near the top of the league. They won the FA Cup in 1954.
It was the 1953–54 season in which the sides finished as the top 2 clubs in the country for the first and only time. Wolves won the league title, finishing four points ahead of the Baggies, despite Albion topping the table for the majority of the season. Wolves' league win coupled with Albion's cup win meant they contested the Charity Shield in 1954 – the only time the two teams have met in the final of any competition. The game finished 4–4 in front of a Molineux crowd of 45,035.
Throughout the rest of the century both sides met frequently, with a six-year period in the 1980s the longest gap without a meeting between the two Black Country rivals. Walsall's continued existence in the lower divisions meant they avoided any league meetings with either of their neighbours for decade after decade. However, in the 1980s they met Wolves for one season in 1985–86 and Albion for one season in 1988–89.
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Black Country derby
The Black Country derby is the name given to any local derby between English football teams West Bromwich Albion, Walsall and Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, it most commonly refers specifically to games between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers due to Walsall spending most of their existence in lower divisions than the other two teams. All three clubs reside in Staffordshire's historic boundaries, but they are separated 11 miles (18 km) apart in the Black Country of the present-day West Midlands county.
The most successful side in the most common of Black Country derbies is West Bromwich Albion, losing just four of the past 24 matches between the two sides.
The Black Country derby between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion is set to return in the 2026–27 EFL Championship following Wolves' relegation from the Premier League and West Brom successfully avoiding relegation to League One. Walsall will spend the 2026–27 season in League Two.
The earliest Black Country derbies were contested before the formation of the Football League. The first ever derby took place on 20 January 1883, when Albion won 4–2 in the third round of the Birmingham Senior Cup. Wolves and Albion's first two 'official' meetings came in the FA Cup in 1886 and 1887, with Albion recording victories on both occasions and going on to reach the final in both years. The first of Walsall's fixtures against Wolves and Albion were also in the FA Cup, in 1889 and 1900 respectively.
With both West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers being founder members of the Football League in 1888, the Black Country derby between these two teams is one of the oldest in the world in league football. The fixture was contested in each of the first 13 league seasons from 1888 to 1901. Attendances in these early fixtures were modest, but that was the case across much of the country as football gradually grew in popularity at the turn of the century. By the 1906–07 season, the fixtures began to regularly attract crowds above 20,000 and a more intense rivalry emerged.
The Albion–Wolves derby reached its peak in the 1950s when both sides challenged for honours at the top of English football, with each in the First Division from 1949 to 1965. Wolves enjoyed league and cup domination for a good deal of the 1950s; finishing in the top 3 on nine occasions, winning the title three times and FA Cup twice in this period. Albion were also a strong side, renowned for their attacking flair, and also challenged near the top of the league. They won the FA Cup in 1954.
It was the 1953–54 season in which the sides finished as the top 2 clubs in the country for the first and only time. Wolves won the league title, finishing four points ahead of the Baggies, despite Albion topping the table for the majority of the season. Wolves' league win coupled with Albion's cup win meant they contested the Charity Shield in 1954 – the only time the two teams have met in the final of any competition. The game finished 4–4 in front of a Molineux crowd of 45,035.
Throughout the rest of the century both sides met frequently, with a six-year period in the 1980s the longest gap without a meeting between the two Black Country rivals. Walsall's continued existence in the lower divisions meant they avoided any league meetings with either of their neighbours for decade after decade. However, in the 1980s they met Wolves for one season in 1985–86 and Albion for one season in 1988–89.