You’ve probably heard it called the M23 Derby. Or the A23 Derby. Or maybe just "that weird game where everyone seems to hate each other for no reason." Honestly, if you look at a map, it doesn't make a lick of sense. There are about 45 miles of road and several other football clubs between Selhurst Park and the Amex Stadium.
But distance isn't the point.
The Crystal Palace vs Brighton rivalry is one of the most organic, petty, and genuinely fierce feuds in English football, and it has absolutely nothing to do with geography. It’s about two guys who couldn't stand each other in the 70s and a series of matches that refused to end.
The Day the "Seagulls" Were Born
Most people think Brighton have always been the Seagulls. They haven't. Before the mid-1970s, they were actually the Dolphins.
Seriously. The Dolphins.
The change happened because of Palace fans. During a match at the Goldstone Ground in 1976, the traveling Londoners were chanting "Eagles, Eagles!" in support of their team. The Brighton fans, in a moment of inspired (or maybe just annoyed) improvisation, started chanting "Seagulls, Seagulls!" back at them. It stuck. The club officially changed the nickname and the badge, and a bird-themed arms race was born.
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Why Alan Mullery and Terry Venables Started a War
If you want to blame someone for the tension, look at Terry Venables and Alan Mullery. They were teammates at Tottenham back in the day, but there was a massive power struggle. Mullery was the captain; Venables was the vice-captain who wanted the top job.
Fast forward to 1976. Both men are young, ambitious managers in the old Third Division. Palace has Venables. Brighton has Mullery. They are both gunning for promotion, and the universe decides they need to play each other five times in a single season.
Five times.
The boiling point was an FA Cup first-round replay that had to be replayed again at Stamford Bridge because they just couldn't be separated. Palace won 1-0, but only after Brighton had a goal disallowed and were forced to retake a penalty that they eventually missed. Mullery lost his mind. He allegedly stormed toward the Palace fans, flicked them off, threw some pocket change on the floor, and shouted, "That’s all Crystal Palace are worth!"
From that second on, any hope of a "friendly" southern connection was dead.
The Modern Era: Zaha and "Poo-gate"
You can't talk about Crystal Palace vs Brighton without mentioning the 2013 Championship Play-off semi-finals. It was probably the highest-stakes version of this fixture in history. The first leg at Selhurst was a cagey 0-0. The second leg at Brighton became the stuff of legend for Palace fans and a nightmare for the Albion.
Wilfried Zaha—the ultimate pantomime villain for Brighton supporters—scored twice in front of the away end to send Palace to Wembley.
But the weirdest part? The "Poo-gate" incident. Before the game, someone had allegedly left a... mess... in the Palace dressing room. For years, conspiracy theories flew. Was it a Brighton fan? A disgruntled staff member? Eventually, it came out that it was actually the Palace bus driver who had an unfortunate "accident" and panicked. But for a few years, it added a whole new layer of "gross" to an already nasty rivalry.
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What the Numbers Say
The head-to-head record is remarkably tight. As of the 2025/2026 season, these two are neck-and-neck.
- Total Meetings: 144
- Crystal Palace Wins: 51
- Brighton Wins: 51
- Draws: 42
Looking at those stats, you can see why neither side can claim total dominance. The most recent meeting on November 9, 2025, ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park. It was a typical derby: lots of yellow cards (Jefferson Lerma for Palace; Carlos Baleba, Georginio Rutter, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Joël Veltman for Brighton) but no goals.
It’s a fixture defined by stalemates and narrow margins. Between 2019 and 2023, they played out five consecutive 1-1 draws at Selhurst Park. It's like the teams are physically incapable of letting the other one get too far ahead.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is the name "M23 Derby."
Technically, the M23 doesn't even go to Brighton. It turns into the A23 long before you hit the coast. And it doesn't start at Selhurst Park, either. Calling it the M23 Derby is basically a media invention that fans have begrudgingly accepted because "The-Road-That-Sort-Of-Connects-The-Two-Places Derby" doesn't roll off the tongue.
Another myth is that this is a "forced" rivalry. It's not. Ask any Palace fan who they want to beat most. They won't say Millwall or Charlton. They'll say Brighton. Ask a Brighton fan about their biggest rival. They don't care about Southampton or Portsmouth nearly as much as they care about "the lot from Croydon."
Key Takeaways for the Next Match
If you're planning on watching or betting on the next Crystal Palace vs Brighton clash on February 8, 2026, keep these things in mind:
- Expect Cards: These games are notoriously cagey and physical. Even if the football is poor, the tackles will be flying.
- Home Advantage is a Lie: Recently, the away team has had a strange knack for picking up points or snatching late equalizers (think Neal Maupay in 2021).
- The Under 2.5 Goal Rule: Unless there’s a massive tactical shift, these games tend to be low-scoring affairs. The tension usually overrides the creativity.
To stay ahead, keep an eye on the injury reports for Marc Guéhi and Jan Paul van Hecke. Both are central to how these teams defend in high-pressure situations. If one is missing, the clean-sheet potential for that side drops significantly. You should also check the latest disciplinary records; with the way referees are cracking down on "derby intensity" in 2026, a red card is never out of the question in this fixture.