The Big Three () is the nickname of the three most successful sports clubs in Peru. The football teams of Alianza Lima, Sporting Cristal, and Universitario de Deportes have historical rivalries and usually are the main contenders for the title.

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. In recent years, the chief competitors of the three are Melgar, Cienciano and Cusco.

Titles by club ClubTotalLiga de Lima (1912–21)Amateur eraLima & Callao (1926–50)Professional era (1951–) Lima & Callao(1951–65)Descentralizado(1966–2018)Liga 1(2019–) Universitario de Deportes 29 — 7 3 16 3 Alianza Lima 25 2 6 6 9 2 Sporting Cristal 20 — — 2 17 1

ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsUniversitario de Deportes 29 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, 2024, 2025 1928, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1955, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2020Alianza Lima 25 25 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 1914, 1917, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1943, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1964, 1971, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2023Sporting Cristal 20 15 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, 2024

Title definitions List of finals YearWinnerScoreRunner-upVenue1987Universitario de Deportes1–0Alianza LimaEstadio Nacional1988Sporting Cristal2–1Universitario de DeportesEstadio NacionalYearWinnerAgg.Runner-up1st leg2nd leg3rd leg1998Universitario de Deportes3–3 (penalty shootout 4–2)Sporting Cristal1–22–1–1999Universitario de Deportes3–1Alianza Lima3–00–1–2003Alianza Lima2–1†Sporting CristalSingle match2004Alianza Lima0–0 (penalty shootout 5–4)Sporting CristalSingle match2009Universitario de Deportes2–0Alianza Lima1–01–0–2018Sporting Cristal7–1Alianza Lima4–13–0–2020Sporting Cristal 3–2Universitario de Deportes2–11–1–2021Alianza Lima 1–0Sporting Cristal1–00–0–2023 Universitario de Deportes3–1Alianza Lima1–12–0–

Other definitions These matches were played when teams were tied for first in the general league or in a specific tournament. YearWinnerScoreRunner-upVenueIn contention1928Alianza Lima1–1Federación UniversitariaStadium Nacional1928 Campeonato de Selección y CompetenciaReplayAlianza Lima2–0Federación UniversitariaStadium Nacional1935Universitario de Deportes2–1Alianza LimaStadium Nacional1934 Torneo de Primeros Equipos1955Alianza Lima2–1Universitario de DeportesEstadio Nacional1955 Campeonato Profesional de Lima1961Sporting Cristal2–0Alianza LimaEstadio Nacional1961 Campeonato Profesional de Lima1990Universitario de Deportes1–0Alianza LimaEstadio Nacional1990 Torneo Regional II1991Sporting Cristal1–1 (penalty shootout 7–6)Universitario de DeportesEstadio Nacional1991 Torneo Regional II1998Sporting Cristal1–0Alianza LimaEstadio Nacional1998 Torneo Clausura2001Alianza Lima2–1Sporting CristalEstadio Nacional2001 Torneo Apertura2002Universitario de Deportes1–00–0Alianza LimaEstadio MonumentalEstadio Mansiche2002 Torneo Apertura2014Sporting Cristal1–0Alianza LimaEstadio UNSA2014 Torneo Clausura

Half-year / Short tournaments Torneo Apertura / Fase 1 seasons ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsUniversitario de Deportes 9 2 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2025 1969, 2005Alianza Lima 7 5 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2017, 2023, 2026 1999, 2002, 2003, 2018, 2025Sporting Cristal 4 8 2003, 2015, 2018, 2021 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024

Torneo Clausura / Fase 2 seasons ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsAlianza Lima 7 5 1997, 1999, 2003, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 1998, 2002, 2014, 2018, 2024Sporting Cristal 6 4 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2016 2000, 2008, 2020, 2021 Universitario de Deportes 4 6 2000, 2023, 2024, 2025 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2016, 2019

Torneo Regional seasons (1984–1991) ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsUniversitario de Deportes 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

Torneo Descentralizado seasons (1984–1988) ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsAlianza Lima 2 0 1986, 1987 — Universitario de Deportes 1 1 1985 1988 Sporting Cristal 1 0 1988 —

Torneo Zona Metropolitana seasons (1984–1991) ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsUniversitario de Deportes 6 0 1984, 1987, 1988 Grupo A, 1989–II, 1990–I, 1991–II —Alianza Lima 3 3 1985, 1989–I, 1990–II 1984, 1986, 1990–ISporting Cristal 2 2 1986, 1991–I 1989–I, 1989–II

Parallel tournaments ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsSporting Cristal 4 1 1992 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1994 Apertura, 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 2018 Torneo de Verano 1993 Liguilla Pre-LibertadoresAlianza Lima 3 0 1993 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1994 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1996 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores —Universitario de Deportes 0 5 — 1969 Apertura, 1981 Regional, 1989 Torneo Plácido Galindo, 1996 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores

Total Half-year / Short tournaments by club ClubTotalHalf-year tournaments Torneo Apertura(1997–) Torneo Clausura(1997–) Torneo Regional(1984–1991) Torneo Descentralizado(1984–1988) Torneo Zona Metropolitana(1984–1991) Torneo de Verano(2017–2018) Liguilla Pre-Libertadores(1992–1997) Apertura(1994) Universitario de Deportes 24 9 4 4 1 6 0 0 0 Alianza Lima 22 7 7 0 2 3 0 3 0 Sporting Cristal 20 4 6 3 1 2 1 2 1

National Cups and Supercups ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunners-up yearsAlianza Lima 4 1 1919 Copa de Campeones del Perú, 1928 Torneo Interligas, 2014 Torneo del Inca, 2018 Supercopa Movistar 2015 Torneo del IncaUniversitario de Deportes 1 0 1970 Copa Presidente de la República —Sporting Cristal 1 0 2021 Copa Bicentenario —

Total International Participations by club

ClubTotalInternational 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 51 41 5 0 1 4 — — Universitario de Deportes 50 36 8 0 2 4 — — Alianza Lima 42 32 5 0 1 4 — —

Performances by club +Performance in international cups by club TeamWinnersRunners-upYears wonYears lostUniversitario de Deportes011972 Sporting Cristal011997

See also Big Three (Belgium) Big Three (Costa Rica) Big Three (Greece) Big Three (Italy) Big Three (Netherlands) Big Three (Portugal) Big Three (Spain) Big Three (Sweden) Big Three (Turkey) Big Four (Mexico) Big Five (Argentina) Big Six (Premier League) Big Twelve (Brazil)

References