Derby of Thessaloniki


The Derby of Thessaloniki is a football local rivalry between Aris and PAOK, both of which are based in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Aris play their home games at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Charilaou district of eastern Thessaloniki, while PAOK are based at the Toumba Stadium in the neighbouring Toumba district. The two stadiums are 1.54 km apart, straight-line distance.

History

Social rivalry

The rivalry between these two Thessalonian clubs can be traced back to the interwar period. Upper class local Greeks supported Aris and Greek refugees supported PAOK. These refugees were mostly working class migrants from Asia Minor and Constantinople. They settled in the region of Macedonia after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. The antagonism between those social groups has been expressed in many ways and one of them was football.

Football rivalry

Aris were founded in March 1914 and PAOK in April 1926. On 12 June 1927, the first derby of Thessaloniki took place, ending with a 2–1 PAOK victory. Up to 1959, the two clubs were fighting for the Macedonia Football Clubs Association (EPSM) local championship title and they also met some times in the final stage of the Panhellenic Championship. In 1959, the Alpha Ethniki - the precursor of the current Super League - was set up as a national round-robin tournament. Aris vs PAOK rivalry has continued to grow more and more heated over the years as the two clubs battle for supremacy in Northern Greece.
HonourArisPAOK
Greek League Champions3
4
Greek Cup Winners1
8
Total412

Other sports rivalries

Aris and PAOK rivalry extends to other sports as well, especially basketball, where from the mid-1980s until the early 1990s they were battling for the Greek Championship title, with both also achieving significant success in continental competitions. In volleyball, both teams competed for many years in the top-tier Greek Volley League. Aris had a strong side in the 1990s and PAOK has enjoyed domestic success since 2015.

Statistics

Head-to-head

1 Including play-off games
Alpha Ethniki / SL goalsArisPAOK
At Aris home7257
At PAOK home5098
Total122155





Match list

Alpha Ethniki / Super League Greece (1959 – present)

1 PAOK in 7th place and Aris in 8th place, due to better goal average in regular season.
•There were no games in 1997–98, 2005–06, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 seasons due to the relegation of Aris to lower divisions.

Greek Cup

SeasonRoundLegVenueDateMatchScoreAtten.Winner
1939–40Quarter finalSintrivani Stadium24 March 1940PAOK – Aris1–1 N/AAris
1939–40Quarter finalReplayIraklis Stadium7 April 1940Aris – PAOK1–0N/AAris
1947–482nd RoundSintrivani Stadium11 January 1948PAOK – Aris2–5N/AAris
1949–50Quarter finalSintrivani Stadium19 March 1950PAOK – Aris3–3 N/AAris
1949–50Quarter finalReplay 1Sintrivani Stadium26 April 1950Aris – PAOK3–1N/AAris
1950–51Quarter finalSintrivani Stadium11 February 1951PAOK – Aris4–2 N/APAOK
1951–52Round of 16Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium27 January 1952Aris – PAOK1–0N/AAris
1957–58Round of 16Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium6 April 1958Aris – PAOK2–0N/AAris
1961–62Round of 16Toumba Stadium22 April 1962PAOK – Aris1–1 N/AAris
1961–62Round of 16ReplayKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium9 May 1962Aris – PAOK1–1 2,062Aris
1969–70FinalKaftanzoglio Stadium28 June 1970Aris – PAOK1–046,695Aris
1971–72Quarter finalKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium7 June 1972Aris – PAOK1–2 213,919PAOK
1977–78SemifinalKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium17 May 1978Aris – PAOK0–1 22,900PAOK
1979–80Quarter final1st LegKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium5 March 1980Aris – PAOK1–024,763PAOK
1979–80Quarter final2nd LegKaftanzoglio Stadium30 April 1980PAOK – Aris2–0 34,641PAOK
1984–85Round of 321st LegToumba Stadium26 December 1984PAOK – Aris2–023,827PAOK
1984–85Round of 322nd LegKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium16 January 1985Aris – PAOK3–1 14,639PAOK
2000–01Round of 161st LegKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium17 January 2001Aris – PAOK1–19,325PAOK
2000–01Round of 162nd LegToumba Stadium31 January 2001PAOK – Aris2–018,564PAOK
2002–03FinalToumba Stadium17 May 2003PAOK – Aris1–018,703PAOK
2008–09Round of 16Toumba Stadium14 January 2009PAOK – Aris0–014,870PAOK
2008–09Round of 16ReplayKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium28 January 2009Aris – PAOK0–0 12,444PAOK
2018–19Group stage3Toumba Stadium26 September 2018PAOK – Aris1–1N/APAOK
2025–26League phaseKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium3 December 2025Aris – PAOK1–1N/ABoth

1 The original match was played on 26 March 1950 at Sintrivani Stadium. It was interrupted in the 85th minute, while Aris were leading by 1–0.
2 Match suspended at 89th minute because Aris players started a fight with the referee.
3 Final group standings: PAOK 7, Ergotelis 4, Aris 4, Aittitos Spata 1.

• Series won: Aris 7, PAOK 9.

Significant games

First official match

The first-ever meeting between both clubs came in a Macedonia Football Clubs Association match on 12 June 1927. In the 1926–27 season, newly founded PAOK participated in the 2nd tier of the MFCA regional league and finished at the top, facing the first division teams in classification post-season matches. The game was held at Iraklis Old Stadium and ended with a 2–1 PAOK victory.

1970 Greek Cup final

In 1970, the two clubs met in a Cup final for the first time. The two teams took to the field at Kaftanzoglio Stadium on 28 June and Aris took the lead with Keramidas scoring early in the 8th minute. PAOK had a great chance to equalize from the penalty spot, but Koudas missed. Aris prevailed 1–0 and claimed the trophy which remains to this day their last domestic title.

1972 Greek Cup quarter-final

Aris had a 19-game unbeaten run against PAOK that lasted for nine years and ended in this eventful encounter. The match was suspended at the 89th minute because Aris players started a fight with the referee. After the game, Alexiadis and Spyridon were banned for one year, Syropoulos for eight months, while Balafas and Semertzis received lesser suspensions. PAOK went on to win the 1972 Cup which was their first domestic title in the club's history.

2003 Greek Cup final

Second time that the two clubs met in a Cup final. Kaftanzoglio Stadium, a neutral ground and Thessaloniki's largest stadium was under renovation for the 2004 Summer Olympic games. The HFF's regulation for that season's Cup stated that if the final was to be held at Thessaloniki, it would be hosted at the second largest stadium of the city which was Toumba. About a week before the game, Aris demanded from the Federation either the final to be played at Kalamaria Stadium or Makedonikos Stadium which were both neutral grounds or to be held a draw between Toumba Stadium and Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, but both requests were denied due to the tournament's regulation. PAOK defeated Aris 1–0 with an excellent goal scored by Georgiadis and earned their fourth Greek Cup title. Aris had a great chance to equalize late at the game, but the ball hit the post on Morris' effort. PAOK manager, Angelos Anastasiadis became the first in the club's history to win the Cup both as a player and manager.

2010 league game at Charilaou

In the 2009–10 season, Fernando Santos' PAOK were battling for the league title, trailing Panathinaikos by two points after 25 matches. Running a 13-game unbeaten streak, their title hopes ended on Matchday 26, when they lost 2–0 to Héctor Cúper's Aris at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium with Cámpora scoring both goals.

2024 league title decider at Charilaou

In the 2023–24 season, PAOK finished first in the regular season and managed to remain on top after the conclusion of the play-offs, claiming their fourth league title on a remarkable fashion. PAOK defeated all their major rivals in the last four matches, winning against the three league contenders from Athens at home and clinching the title with a 1–2 away victory over city rivals Aris at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium on 19 May 2024. Aris had a great chance to equalize and deprive the title from their rivals, but Ansarifard headed the ball wide from close range on the last play of the game.

Other notable games

27 February 1966, Alpha Ethniki, Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, Aris – PAOK 5–1. Aris record league home win against PAOK. PAOK goalkeeper Mouselemidis was injured early in the first half and he was replaced by defender Tatsis as substitutions in football had not been established at the time.
16 February 1975, Alpha Ethniki, Toumba Stadium, PAOK – Aris 5–0. Largest victory ever recorded in the Thessaloniki derby.
17 May 1978, Greek Cup, Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, Aris – PAOK 0–1. First and only time to this day that the two clubs met in a Cup semi-final.
7 December 1994, Alpha Ethniki, Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, Aris – PAOK 0–4. PAOK record league away win against Aris. Match was initially scheduled on 20 November, but was postponed due to crowd violence.
16 March 1997, Alpha Ethniki, Toumba Stadium, PAOK – Aris 2–1. Crucial game for both clubs, as PAOK were battling for European qualification and Aris to avoid relegation. Season eventually concluded with PAOK qualifying for the next season's UEFA Cup and Aris being relegated to the second-tier Beta Ethniki for the first time in the club's history.
29 August 1998, Alpha Ethniki, Toumba Stadium, PAOK – Aris 1–4. Aris record league away win against PAOK, marking their emphatic return to the top-tier Alpha Ethniki with emerging talent Charisteas having his breakout game and scoring a brace.
28 January 2009, Greek Cup, Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, Aris – PAOK 0–0. First and only time to this day that a Thessaloniki derby was decided by penalty shoot-out. Karabelas from Aris missed the last penalty sending the ball over the bar.
4 January 2020, Super League Greece, Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, Aris – PAOK 4–2. Aris halted PAOK 51-game unbeaten streak in the league that began in March 2018 and went down as the 2nd best of all-time after Olympiacos 58-game unbeaten streak from October 1972 to April 1974.

Top scorers

Including all the Alpha Ethniki and Greek Cup games since 1959–60.

Head-to-head ranking in Super League Greece

• Total: PΑΟΚ 48 times higher finishes, Aris 18 times higher finishes.

European records

PAOK

Last updated: 29 January 2026

Men in both teams

;Players
;Managers