Big Three
Alianza Lima
Sporting Cristal
Universitario
LocationLima
TeamsAlianza Lima
Sporting Cristal
Universitario
StadiumsAlejandro Villanueva (Alianza Lima)
Monumental (Universitario)
Alianza Lima, Alejandro Villanueva
Sporting Cristal, Alberto Gallardo
Universitario, Estadio Monumental

The Big Three (Spanish: Los Tres Grandes) is the nickname of the three most successful sports clubs in Peru. The football teams of Alianza Lima, Sporting Cristal, and Universitario have a great rivalry and are usually the main contenders for the title. Combined they share a total of 71 out of 107 Peruvian Football Championships ever played and generally end up sharing the top three positions.

Big Three (Peru) is located in Lima
Alianza Lima
Sporting Cristal
Universitario
Location of the three clubs in Lima. Universitario is located further east.

Several other clubs outside the big three have won the Peruvian league, with Sport Boys having the fourth most national titles behind the Big Three in Peru with 6 in total. Today, the chief competitors of the three are Melgar, Cienciano and Deportivo Municipal.[1][2][3]

Titles by club

Club Total Liga
de Lima
(1912–21) 		Amateur era
Lima & Callao
(1926–50) 		Professional era (1951–)
Lima & Callao
(1951–65)		 Descentralizado
(1966–2018)		 Liga 1
(2019–)
Universitario[C] 27 — 7 3 16 1
Alianza Lima[D] 25 2 6 6 9 2
Sporting Cristal[E] 20 — — 2 17 1
Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Universitario 27 15 1929, 1934, 1939, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2013, 2023 1928, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1955, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2020
Alianza Lima 25 23 1918, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2017, 2021, 2022 1926, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1943, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1964, 1971, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2023
Sporting Cristal 20 14 1956, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 1962, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2021

Title definitions

List of finals

Year Winner Score Runner-up Venue
1987 Universitario 1–0 Alianza Lima Estadio Nacional
1988 Sporting Cristal 2–1 Universitario Estadio Nacional
Year Winner Agg. Runner-up 1st leg 2nd leg 3rd leg
1998 Universitario 3–3 (penalty shootout 4–2) Sporting Cristal 1–2 2–1 –
1999 Universitario 3–1 Alianza Lima 3–0 0–1 –
2003 Alianza Lima 2–1† Sporting Cristal Single match
2004 Alianza Lima 0–0 (penalty shootout 5–4) Sporting Cristal Single match
2009 Universitario 2–0 Alianza Lima 1–0 1–0 –
2018 Sporting Cristal 7–1 Alianza Lima 4–1 3–0 –
2020 Sporting Cristal 3–2 Universitario 2–1 1–1 –
2021 Alianza Lima 1–0 Sporting Cristal 1–0 0–0 –
2023 Universitario 3–1 Alianza Lima 1–1 2–0 –

Other definitions

These matches were played when teams were tied for first in the general league or in a specific tournament.

Year Winner Score Runner-up Venue In contention
1928 Alianza Lima 1–1 Federación Universitaria Stadium Nacional 1928 Campeonato de Selección y Competencia
Replay Alianza Lima 2–0 Federación Universitaria Stadium Nacional
1935 Universitario 2–1 Alianza Lima Stadium Nacional 1934 Torneo de Primeros Equipos
1955 Alianza Lima 2–1 Universitario Estadio Nacional 1955 Campeonato Profesional de Lima
1961 Sporting Cristal 2–0 Alianza Lima Estadio Nacional 1961 Campeonato Profesional de Lima
1990 Universitario 1–0 Alianza Lima Estadio Nacional 1990 Torneo Regional II
1991 Sporting Cristal 1–1 (penalty shootout 7–6) Universitario Estadio Nacional 1991 Torneo Regional II
1998 Sporting Cristal 1–0 Alianza Lima Estadio Nacional 1998 Torneo Clausura
2001 Alianza Lima 2–1 Sporting Cristal Estadio Nacional 2001 Torneo Apertura
2002 Universitario 1–0
0–0 		Alianza Lima Estadio Monumental
Estadio Mansiche 		2002 Torneo Apertura
2014 Sporting Cristal 1–0 Alianza Lima Estadio UNSA 2014 Torneo Clausura

Half-year / Short tournaments

Apertura / Fase 1 seasons

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Universitario 7 2 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2020 1969, 2005
Alianza Lima 6 4 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2017, 2023 1999, 2002, 2003, 2018
Sporting Cristal 4 7 2003, 2015, 2018, 2021 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2019, 2023

Clausura / Fase 2 seasons

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Alianza Lima 7 4 1997, 1999, 2003, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 1998, 2002, 2014, 2018
Sporting Cristal 6 4 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2016 2000, 2008, 2020, 2021
Universitario 2 6 2000, 2023 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2016, 2019

Regional seasons (1984–1991)

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Universitario 4 3 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990–II 1989–II, 1990–I, 1991–I
Sporting Cristal 3 0 1989–I, 1991–I, 1991–II —
Alianza Lima 0 2 — 1986, 1990–II

Descentralizado seasons (1984–1988)

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Alianza Lima 2 0 1986, 1987 —
Universitario 1 1 1985 1988
Sporting Cristal 1 0 1988 —

Parallel tournaments

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Sporting Cristal 4 1 1992 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1994 Apertura, 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 2018 Torneo de Verano 1993 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores
Alianza Lima 3 0 1993 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1994 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1996 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores —
Universitario 0 4 — 1969 Apertura, 1981 Regional, 1996 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores

Total Half-year / Short tournaments by club

Club Total Half-year tournaments
Torneo Apertura
(1997–)		 Torneo Clausura
(1997–)		 Fase 1
(2020–2021)		 Fase 2
(2020–2021)		 Torneo Regional
(1984–1991)		 Torneo Descentralziado
(1984–1988)		 Torneo de Verano
(2017–2018)
Sporting Cristal 15 3 6 1 0 3 1 1
Alianza Lima 15 6 6 0 1 0 2 0
Universitario 14 6 2 1 0 4 1 0

National Cups and Supercups

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Alianza Lima 2 1 1919 Copa de Campeones del Perú, 2014 Torneo del Inca 2015 Torneo del Inca
Universitario 1 1 1970 Copa Presidente de la República 1989 Torneo Plácido Galindo
Sporting Cristal 1 0 2021 Copa Bicentenario —

Total International Participations by club

As of 6 October 2023
Club Total International Participations
Copa Libertadores
(1961–)		 Copa Sudamericana
(2003–)		 Recopa Sudamericana
(1970–)		 Copa CONMEBOL
(1992–1999)		 Copa Merconorte
(1998–2001)		 Copa de Campeones
(1948)		 Copa Ganadores de Copa
(1970–1971)
Sporting Cristal 48 39 4 0 1 4 — —
Universitario 48 34 8 0 2 4 — —
Alianza Lima 39 30 4 0 1 4 — —

Performances by club

Performance in international cups by club
Team Winners Runners-up Years won Years lost
Universitario 0 1
—
 1972
Sporting Cristal 0 1
—
 1997

See also

References

  1. ^ "Universitario, Alianza Lima y Cristal: ¿qué equipo llevó más público en su presentación?". Depor.com. 27 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Alianza, Universitario o Cristal: ¿Qué equipo llevó más hinchas a su presentación?". La10.pe. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Alianza Lima, Universitario y Cristal: los mejores grafitis de los clubes capitalinos (FOTOS)". RPP.pe. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
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