Club Africain and Espérance Sportive de Tunis, two of Tunisia’s most storied football institutions, have delivered a series of tightly contested battles in their last ten Ligue 1 encounters, underscoring one of the fiercest rivalries in North African football.
The most recent meeting between the two sides came on 22 December 2024 during the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season, ending in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
It was a match that typified the intensity and balance that has come to define the derby in recent years.
Earlier that year, on 2 June 2024, during the play-off stage of the 2023/24 season, Espérance de Tunis edged their rivals with a 2-1 away victory.
This result followed another tightly contested match on 16 March 2024, when Espérance secured a narrow 1-0 win on home turf, demonstrating their dominance during the latter stages of the season.
The 2022/23 campaign also featured two derbies, with both sides sharing mixed fortunes.
On 27 June 2023, the two teams played out a goalless stalemate, highlighting their defensive strengths.
However, Club Africain had claimed a crucial 1-0 win on 7 May 2023, a rare triumph that ended a winless streak against their bitter rivals.
In the 2021/22 play-offs, Espérance again stamped their authority with a commanding 3-1 win on 19 June 2022, after a cagey 0-0 draw on 8 May 2022.
That season reflected the Red and Gold’s ability to step up in crucial moments, especially in the title-deciding phases of the league.
The 2020/21 season featured two hard-fought matches, beginning with Espérance’s 1-0 home win on 31 January 2021, before the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on 5 May 2021, with both teams exhibiting tactical caution and fierce discipline.
The 2019/20 derby encounter was also a tight affair, ending in a goalless draw on 26 August 2020.
It was a result that underscored the high stakes and psychological pressure surrounding the derby, where avoiding defeat often becomes the primary objective.
Over this ten-match span, Espérance have held the upper hand with five wins, while Club Africain managed just one victory.
The remaining four matches ended in draws. Despite the disparity in wins, the margin of victory has often been slim, further fuelling the drama and unpredictability each time the two giants face off.
As both teams continue to battle for supremacy in Tunisian football, their derby remains a spectacle, drawing massive crowds and uniting the country in passionate anticipation.
