Beşiktaş

Fenerbahçe

Galatasaray

Locations of Big Three in Istanbul

The Big Three (Turkish: Üç Büyükler) is the colloquial name given to Beşiktaş J.K., Fenerbahçe S.K. and Galatasaray S.K., the three most successful sports clubs in Turkey. They all are based in Istanbul.

Galatasaray is the team with the most championships in Turkey with 23 championships. Fenerbahçe have won 19 championships and Beşiktaş have won 16 Turkish championships. None of the trio have been relegated since 1959. The worst places the side have finished in league history were 10th for Fenerbahçe in 1980–81, 11th for Beşiktaş in 1975–76, and 13th for Galatasaray in 2021–22.^[1]

The big three started to compete in Europe after the 1950s. Galatasaray is only Turkish team to have won a European trophy, having won both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000.

A reported 90% of the fans in Turkey support the Big Three. A survey by a fan-token platform showed support for Galatasaray in 60 out of 81 provinces of Turkey while its crosstown rival Fenerbahçe had the highest number of fans in 17 provinces, and Beşiktaş, the other member of Turkish football's "Big Three", had more fans than other clubs only in the eastern province of Iğdır. According to the survey, 37.6% of the fans support Galatasaray, 32.3% support Fenerbahçe and 20.8% support Beşiktaş.^[2][3]

The three-way rivalry

Beşiktaş Stadium

Rams Park

Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium

As of 24 December 2023

Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray

Fenerbahçe vs. Beşiktaş

Beşiktaş vs. Galatasaray

Statistics

League placements

Head-to-head ranking in Süper Lig

• Total: Fenerbahçe with 25 higher finishes, Galatasaray with 25 higher finishes, Beşiktaş with 15 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2022–23 season).

Honours comparison

As of June 11, 2023

Note: Calculated based on official tournaments. Preparatory and special tournaments are not included.

European competitions

As of 24 October 2023

UEFA 5-year Club Ranking of the Big Three

Ranking [7]	Team	18/19	19/20	20/21	21/22	22/23	Total Points
55	Galatasaray S.K.	8.00	6.00	2.50	15.00	-	31.500
56	Fenerbahçe S.K.	8.00	-	-	5.00	17.00	31.000
109	Beşiktaş J.K.	5.00	3.00	2.00	4.00	-	14.000

Players who have played for the three clubs

As of 19 July 2022:^[8]

• Refik Osman Top (Beşiktaş 1912–1913, 1923–1924, Fenerbahçe 1913–1915 and 1923, Galatasaray 1915–1917, 1921–1922, 1923 and 1924)
• Ali Soydan (Galatasaray 1951–1957, Fenerbahçe 1959–1960, Beşiktaş 1963–1964)
• Saffet Sancaklı (Beşiktaş 1987–1991, Galatasaray 1994–1995, Fenerbahçe 1996–1998)
• Sergen Yalçın (Beşiktaş 1991–1997 and 2002–2006, Fenerbahçe 1999–2000, Galatasaray 2000 and 2001–02)
• Ahmet Yıldırım (Fenerbahçe 1993–1994, Galatasaray 1999–2001, Beşiktaş 2001–2005)
• Emre Aşık (Fenerbahçe 1993–1996, Galatasaray 2000–2003 and 2006–2010, Beşiktaş 2003–2006)
• Mehmet Yozgatlı (Galatasaray 1999–2000, Fenerbahçe 2004–2007, Beşiktaş 2007–2008)
• Burak Yılmaz (Beşiktaş 2006–2008 and 2019–2020, Fenerbahçe 2008–2010, Galatasaray 2012–2016)
• Caner Erkin (Galatasaray 2009–2010, Fenerbahçe 2010–2016 and 2020–2021, Beşiktaş 2016–2020)
• Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray 2006–2010, Fenerbahçe 2012–2019, Beşiktaş 2021–2022)

Managers who have managed the three clubs

As of 26 June 2021:^[8][9]

• Mustafa Denizli (Galatasaray 1987–1989, 1990–1992, 2015–2016, Fenerbahçe 2000–2002, Beşiktaş 2008–2010)