The Big Three () is the colloquial name given to Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, the three most successful sports clubs in Turkey. They are all based in Istanbul.
Galatasaray is the team with the most championships with 26. 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.
During the late 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, Trabzonspor won six times the Turkish league throughout nine seasons. In that period, the "Big Three" were expanded to a Big Four, with the Trabzon club among the Istanbul trio.
Nevertheless, due to Trabzonspor long lack of league titles between 1984 and 2022, the so-called "Big Four" gradually became again the Big Three. They all 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 65 out of 81 provinces of Turkey while its crosstown rival Fenerbahçe had the highest number of fans in 18 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, 40% of the fans support Galatasaray, 35% support Fenerbahçe and 20% support Beşiktaş.
The three-way rivalry
Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray
+Team PlWDLGFGAFenerbahçe405150125130546505Galatasaray405130125150505546
Fenerbahçe vs. Beşiktaş
+Team PldWDLGFGAFenerbahçe36613897131507466Beşiktaş36313097136463503
Beşiktaş vs. Galatasaray
+Team PldWDLGFGAGalatasaray360129115116501473Beşiktaş360116115129473501
Statistics League placements Club 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th10th11th12th13thTotalTop 3Galatasaray26111634321116853Fenerbahçe192785421116854Beşiktaş1614151155226843
Head-to-head ranking in Süper Lig P.59606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798990001020304050607080910111213141516171819202122232425261111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222233333333333333333333333333333333333333334444444444444444444455555555555555666666666667788889999101011111111121313141516171819202122 • Total: Galatasaray with 28 higher finishes, Fenerbahçe with 25 higher finishes, Beşiktaş with 15 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2025–26 season).
Honours comparison
Numbers with this background indicate the record in the competition. OrganizationGalatasarayFenerbahçeBeşiktaşNationalSüper Lig261916Turkish Cup19711Turkish Super Cup 171010Turkish Football Championship—32Turkish National Division163Prime Minister's Cup586Spor Toto Cup—13Atatürk Cup—1150th Anniversary Cup1——Aggregate685552LocalIstanbul Football League151613Istanbul Football Cup212Aggregate171715EuropeUEFA Super Cup 1 -—UEFA Europa League 1 -—Aggregate2——Total887267 Note: Calculated based on official tournaments. Preparatory and special tournaments are not included.
European competitions Honours
ClubUEFA Super CupEuropean Cup / UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Cup / Europa LeagueUEFA Europa Conference League / Conference LeagueUEFA Cup Winners' CupWinnerSemi-finalistQuarter-finalistWinnerSemi-finalistQuarter-finalistQuarter-finalistQuarter-finalistGalatasaray200019891963, 1970, 1994, 2001, 20132000 - - -1992Fenerbahçe - -2008 -2013 -20241964Beşiktaş - -1987 - -2003, 2017 - -
Standings
RankingClubPldWDLGFGAPtsGD1Galatasaray33912190128468514453−462Fenerbahçe30011865117409423419−143Beşiktaş2589750111348395341−47
UEFA 5-year Club Ranking of the Big Three Ranking Team21/2222/2323/2424/2525/26Total Points40Fenerbahçe5.0017.0014.00 11.2510.5057.7547Galatasaray15.00 -8.0012.7517.7553.50123Beşiktaş4.00 -3.006.002.5015.50
Players who have played for the three clubs
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) Michy Batshuayi (Beşiktaş 2021–2022, Fenerbahçe 2022–2024, Galatasaray 2024-2025) Yağmur Uraz (Beşiktas 2018–2022, Galatasaray 2022–2023, Fenerbahçe 2023–)
Uraz is the first woman to play for all three clubs.
Yalçın and Yılmaz did also had play for Trabzonspor, a club seen as big as the trio in the 1970s and 1980s.
Managers who have managed the three clubs
Mustafa Denizli (Galatasaray 1987–1989, 1990–1992, 2015–2016, Fenerbahçe 2000–2002, Beşiktaş 2008–2010)
See also Big Three (Belgium) Big Three (Costa Rica) Big Three (Greece) Big Three (Italy) Big Three (Netherlands) Big Three (Peru) Big Three (Portugal) Big Three (Spain) Big Three (Sweden) Big Four (Mexico) Big Five (Argentina) Big Six (Premier League) Big Twelve (Brazil)
References