The South London derby is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Sutton United, and AFC Wimbledon, the five professional Football Association clubs that play in the Football League in South London, England.^[1] It is sometimes more specifically called the South East London derby when played between Charlton and Millwall.^[2] The close geographical proximity of all the teams contributes significantly to the rivalries.

Charlton and Millwall are located in South East London, with Millwall's The Den based in New Cross and Charlton's The Valley situated in Greenwich, being less than four miles apart. Crystal Palace are based further south in the suburb of Selhurst, their stadium Selhurst Park being six miles from The Den and eight from The Valley. Since 2020, AFC Wimbledon have been located at the new Plough Lane in Merton, South West London, which is five miles west of Selhurst Park, eight from The Den, and seven and a half from The Valley. Sutton United play at Gander Green Lane in west Sutton, five miles south of Plough Lane and nearly eight miles west of Selhurst Park.

According to a 2013 fan survey on football rivalries, Charlton considers their main rival to be Crystal Palace, with Millwall being their second biggest rival. Millwall's main rivalry is with East London club West Ham United, with Palace placed second and Charlton third. Crystal Palace fans consider their main rival to be Brighton, with Millwall second and Charlton third. AFC Wimbledon's main rivalry is with Milton Keynes Dons, with their fans considering Crawley Town as their second biggest rival. Sutton's rivals include AFC Wimbledon and Crawley Town.

Millwall was founded in 1885, with Palace and Charlton both founded twenty-years later in 1905. The earliest fixture between two of the teams was in 1906 when Crystal Palace and Millwall first met in the Southern League. The two teams have contested the most games, over 130 derbies. Palace and Millwall both entered the Football League in the 1920–21 season. Charlton joined the next year in the 1921–22 season, playing in the same division as Palace and Millwall for the first time. Wimbledon were founded in 1889 and spent the majority of their history as an amateur club, until joining the Football League in the 1977–78 season. In 2003 Wimbledon were relocated to Milton Keynes as part of a franchise takeover and became Milton Keynes Dons. During this period of decline, the club reformed as a phoenix club in 2002, founded by supporters against the move, renaming itself AFC Wimbledon, as it won a rapid succession of non-League promotions to gain Football League status nine years later. AFC Wimbledon played their first derby in 2009, an FA Cup game against Millwall. Sutton United were founded in 1898 but only played their first competitive derby in 2017, an FA Cup game against AFC Wimbeldon. Sutton gained promotion into the English Football League for the first time in the 2020–21 season, finishing champions of the National League.

Charlton are the only team who has played against all four South London teams, and only hold a winning record against Sutton. Millwall hold a winning record over Charlton, Palace, and Wimbledon. Wimbledon and Crystal Palace both have winning records against Charlton but have yet to play a game against each other. Sutton has a winning record over Wimbledon. As of the 2023–24 season, Crystal Palace play in the Premier League, Millwall play in the Championship, Charlton play in League One, and Sutton United and AFC Wimbledon play in League Two.

• Crystal Palace 3–0 Millwall Athletic (17 November 1906)

The first meeting between any of the three original teams saw Palace, who were only formed a year prior, secure a comfortable victory over the visitors from East London. It was a Southern League match watched by 6,000 fans at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.^[3][7]

• Millwall 0–3 Crystal Palace (31 October 1910)

This was the first game between the teams since Millwall moved to South London (in 1910), making this the first true South London derby. 3,000 supporters watched a Palace victory at The Den in a London PFA Charity Fund game. The match against their new neighbours was Millwall's second game at their new ground.^[8]

• Millwall 0–1 Crystal Palace (15 January 1921)

First derby contested in The Football League. Palace won the Third Division game with a second half goal in front of 20,000 fans. Palace also won the reverse fixture 3–2 which was held only a week later on 22 January 1921, to complete the first South London Football League double and continue their early dominance of Millwall.^[9]

• Millwall 2–0 Charlton Athletic (10 October 1921)

This London PFA Charity Fund fixture was the first contest between the two teams, which Millwall won 2–0 in front of 10,000 supporters at The Den.^[10]

• Millwall 0–1 Charlton Athletic (31 December 1921)

On New Year's Eve of 1921 the teams met for their first League match, which Charlton won 1–0 at The Den. This was Charlton's first season as a Football League club and they completed a rare double over Millwall, winning the return fixture at The Valley 2–1.^[10]

• Charlton Athletic 1–1 Crystal Palace (14 November 1925)

The first competitive game played between the teams took place in the Third Division (south), and ended with a 1–1 draw at The Valley.

• Millwall 6–0 Charlton Athletic (3 January 1931)

This Second Division game between the sides remains the widest winning margin between any of the clubs. Millwall led 1–0 at half-time and scored five more times in the second half, with goals from Harold Wadsworth (2), Joe Readman (2), Andrew Swallow and Jack Landells.^[11]

• Millwall 2–2 Wimbledon (5 April 1980)

Wimbledon's first South London Derby was away at Millwall in the Third Division. The game ended in a draw in front of a crowd of 5,364. This was the Wombles third season as a Football League club, they finished bottom of the table and were relegated.^[12]

• Wimbledon 0–3 Crystal Palace (4 May 1991)

The last South London derby and last ever game at Plough Lane. Wimbledon were forced to move at the end of the season due to a new FA rule requiring all-seater stadiums.^[13] They started ground-sharing with Palace at Selhurst Park the following season. Palace won the game with a hat-trick by Ian Wright in the second half. Palace finished 3rd and Wimbledon 7th in the 1990–91 First Division.

• Charlton Athletic 1–3 Crystal Palace (aggregate score, 12 & 15 May 1996)

Crystal Palace and Charlton met in the 1996 First Division play-off semi-final, after they finished third and sixth in the league respectively. Palace won the first leg at The Valley 2–1, and 1–0 in the second leg three days later. Palace went on to lose the play-off final to Leicester City 1–2 at Wembley.

• Wimbledon 0–1 Millwall (24 March 2004)

A crowd of just 3,043 at the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes saw Wimbledon's last game against South London opponents before they were renamed as MK Dons. A goal in the first half from Tim Cahill was enough to seal a win for Millwall against a Wimbledon side that finished bottom of the First Division and were relegated.^[12]

• Charlton Athletic 2–2 Crystal Palace (15 May 2005)

Despite being ahead 2–1 with seven minutes left to play, Crystal Palace were unable to see out a win over their rivals. Charlton defender Jonathan Fortune scored an equaliser in the season's final game. Had Palace won they would have avoided relegation from the Premier League but instead became the first club to be relegated from the top-flight of English football four times. This was also the only season in the Premier League [2004-05] that the two sides met in and also Charlton's first and only Premier League double over their capital city rivals, having won at Selhurst Park on December 5, 2004 thanks to a late goal from Dennis Rommedahl.

• Millwall 4–1 AFC Wimbledon (9 November 2009)

AFC Wimbledon's first competitive South London derby was a match against Millwall at The Den in the first round of the FA Cup. Kenny Jackett's League One side won 4–1 against the Conference National side.

• Charlton Athletic 4–4 Millwall (19 December 2009)

The first meeting of the sides since the last meeting back on 9 March 1996 ended in the highest-scoring game between the teams. Millwall went 2–0 up through two Steve Morison goals but Charlton converted two penalties through Deon Burton. Millwall's Jimmy Abdou was sent off early in the second half and The Lions went twice behind to the home team but Danny Schofield scored a last-minute equaliser.^[14] Both teams wore special kits for the match in honour of murdered local teenagers and supporters Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox. The logos of both clubs' shirt sponsors were replaced by the text, "Street violence ruins lives".^[15]

• Charlton Athletic 1–2 AFC Wimbledon (17 September 2016)

AFC Wimbledon's first win in a south London derby. Also their first derby in the Football League, with their two previous derbies against Millwall being losses in cup competitions. Wimbledon came from a goal down to win, with a Tyrone Barnett goal in the 85th minute.

• Charlton Athletic 0–1 Millwall (3 July 2020)

First South East London derby League game to be played with no fans present and in the summer. The game was re-arranged from 4 April due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The game was won in the 81st minute with a goal by Jake Cooper.^[16]

• AFC Wimbledon 2–2 Charlton Athletic (20 March 2021)

AFC Wimbledon's first south London derby at their new Plough Lane ground. No fans were present due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Charlton led twice through goals from Jayden Stockley and Diallang Jaiyesimi. A brace from Ryan Longman made sure Wimbledon earned a point in their battle against relegation, and denting Charlton's play-off push. Wimbledon were 23rd and Charlton 6th in the table at the end of the game.

• Sutton United 0–0 AFC Wimbledon (7 January 2017)

First competitive South West London derby for Sutton United was an FA Cup Third round match against AFC Wimbledon at Gander Green Lane. The game ended in a goalless draw, with Sutton winning the replay 3–1.

• AFC Wimbledon 0–1 Sutton United (15 October 2022)

Sutton United's first ever South West London derby in a league game was an away win at Plough Lane, with captain Craig Eastmond scoring the only goal of the game in the 30th minute, securing Sutton's first away win of the season.

• Charlton Athletic 1–1 Cray Valley Paper Mills (5 November 2023)

Cray Valley Paper Mills are a non-league team, playing in the Isthmian League, the eighth tier of the football league. Their first ever competitive South London derby was a game against Charlton in the First round of the FA Cup. Both teams play in Greenwich, making it a South East London derby. The game ended in a shock 1–1 draw at the Valley. In the replay at the Badgers Sports Ground in Eltham, Charlton won 6–1.

Charlton and AFC Wimbledon first met in 2016, after Wimbledon were promoted via the League Two playoffs and Charlton were relegated from the Championship.^[17] Wimbledon won their first ever meeting at The Valley 2–1.^[17] Charlton won only one of their first six meetings, with Wimbledon knocking Charlton out of the FA Cup in 2017 and Football League Trophy on penalties in 2018.^[17] Charlton completed the double over their local rivals in the 2018–19 season.^[17] Charlton hold their only superior record (in the league) in South London derbies, with Wimbledon dominating cup competitions, having won all four cup games.^[17]

Charlton and Crystal Palace first met in 1925 in the Third Division (South), with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. Palace dominated their first 20 meetings, winning 13, and losing only four. Palace have completed the league double over Charlton six times, in 1926–27, 1927–28, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1989–90, and 2012–13. Charlton have done it twice, in 1999–2000 and 2007–08. Palace's longest unbeaten run in the fixture is nine games between 1993 and 1996, where they won six and drew three, including knocking their rivals out of the 1996 First Division Play-offs. Charlton's best unbeaten run is four games (three wins and a draw) twice, between 1982–83 and 2004–08.

The teams first met in 1921, with Charlton winning at The Den 1–0.^[20] They won the return fixture at The Valley 2–1, completing the first Football League double over their local rivals. Millwall hold the record for the longest unbeaten run between the teams at 14 games.^[20] Between 1922 and 1930, the Lions won eight and drew six.^[20] Charlton's longest unbeaten run against Millwall is six games, between 1934 and 1968 they won three and drew three.^[20] The longest period the clubs have gone without playing each other is 31 years (between the 1935–36 and 1965–66 seasons), due to being in different leagues.^[20] Millwall also have a run of 12 games unbeaten between 1979 and 1992, where they won six and drew six. Millwall have completed a League double over Charlton ten times (in 1923–24, 1924–25, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1988–89, 1992–93 and 2019–20) compared to Charlton's three (in 1921–22, 1934–35 and 1995–96).^[20] Millwall have the most wins in a row in the derby with five (twice). Charlton has won two games in a row (four times). The teams didn't play each other for 13 years, competing in different leagues between the 1996–97 and 2008–09 seasons. Millwall are currently on a twelve-game unbeaten streak against Charlton (their joint-second longest), with seven wins and five draws spanning 26 years (1996–2022).^[20] Many Millwall fans do not consider Charlton a serious rival due to the one-sided nature of the contest.^[21] The Lions have won 37 (50%) of the 74 league fixtures between the teams spanning 101 years, with the Addicks only winning 11 games (14%).^[22]

The sides first competitive game was in the EFL trophy at the Valley, in 2023.

The first meeting between the sides was in 1906 in the Southern League, when Millwall Athletic were still an East London side. Palace won the game 3–0 at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.^[3] Millwall moved south of the river in 1910 and the first true South London derby between the teams was held on 31 October 1910. It was a London PFA Charity Fund game, which Palace won 3–0 and was just Millwall's second game at their new ground, The Den.^[8] The first derby contested in The Football League was on 15 January 1921. Palace won the Third Division (south) game 1–0. They also won the reverse fixture which was held a week later; 3–2, to complete the first Football League double over their South London neighbours.^[9] Palace have completed a Football League double over Millwall seven times (in 1920–21. 1949–50, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1977–78, 1963–64, 1986–87, 1989–90.)^[25] Millwall have completed a Football League double over Palace six times (in 1925–26, 1926–27, 1957–58, 1959–60, 2001–01, 2010–11.)^[25] Palace's longest unbeaten streak is seven games, they won six and drew one game against Millwall between 1986 and 1993.^[25] Millwall's longest unbeaten streak against Palace is 19 games, between 1950 and 1958 they won 11 and drew 8 games.^[25]

Millwall and Wimbledon first met in the First round of the FA Cup in 2009, when Wimbledon were playing in the Conference National.^[28] Millwall won the game 4–1.^[28] The two sides have only played in the same tier together once, in the 2016–17 League One season and both games were drawn.^[28] They've played two other cup games; a 2–1 win for Millwall in the League Cup in 2013 and most recently in 2019, an FA Cup Fifth round game at Kingsmeadow, which Millwall won 1–0.^[28]

This matchup has become known as the Thameslink derby, after the train operator that serves both locales. Sutton United and Wimbledon first met in the Third round of the FA Cup on 7 January 2017, when Sutton were a non-league club playing in the National League. The teams drew 0–0 at Gander Green Lane. Sutton won the replay 3–1 at Kingsmeadow.^[29]

The table includes all competitive first-team games played between the London rivals. From the first game played between Crystal Palace and Millwall on 17 November 1906, to the most recent South London derby played by newly promoted Sutton United. Defunct club Wimbledon's results are included in a separate table below.

As of 26 December 2023

The 2003 relocation and 2004 renaming of Wimbledon F.C. as Milton Keynes Dons meant that a South London derby team was lost.^[38] In 2002 the majority of Wimbledon supporters formed a new team, AFC Wimbledon, based at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames.^[39] The non-League club started in the Combined Counties League, and played their first competitive South London derby on 9 November 2009, losing 4–1 away at Millwall in an FA Cup first-round match.^[40] Having worked their way up through non-League with five promotions in nine seasons, AFC Wimbledon were promoted first into Football League Two for the 2011–12 season.^[41] They spent five seasons at that level before being promoted into League One for the 2016–17 season, where they competed in the same league as Charlton Athletic and Millwall.^[42]

• South London derby
• Millwall and Charlton play at The Den in 2015
• AFC Wimbledon and Millwall players met for the first time in the FA Cup at The Den in 2009.
• Millwall fans celebrate Theo Robinson's winner against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the 2010–11 season.^[45]
• Millwall and Charlton players pay tribute to Graham Taylor at The Valley in January, 2017.
• Millwall fans celebrate Shane Lowry's 35-yard freekick against Charlton Athletic at The Valley on 16 March 2013^[46]

• Millwall F.C.–West Ham United F.C. rivalry
• Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.–Crystal Palace F.C. rivalry
• AFC Wimbledon–Milton Keynes Dons F.C. rivalry
• Leeds United F.C.–Millwall F.C. rivalry
• London derbies