M69 derby
Association football rivalry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The M69 derby is a football match played between Coventry City and Leicester City. It takes its name from the motorway that connects Coventry and Leicester, which are only 24 miles (38 km) apart.
Second Division
Leicester 1–0 Coventry[1]
EFL Championship
Coventry 2–1 Leicester
The January 2026 M69 Derby at Coventry Building Society Arena, which Coventry won 2–1. | |
| Location | Midlands |
|---|---|
| Teams | Coventry City Leicester City |
| First meeting | 27 September 1919 Second Division Leicester 1–0 Coventry[1] |
| Latest meeting | 17 January 2026 EFL Championship Coventry 2–1 Leicester |
| Stadiums | Coventry Building Society Arena (Coventry City) King Power Stadium (Leicester City) |
| Statistics | |
| Total meetings | 90[2] |
| Most wins | Leicester City (38) |
All-time series | Leicester City: 38 Drawn: 25 Coventry City: 27 |
Largest victory | Coventry 1–8 Leicester Football League Cup (1 December 1964)[1] |
  Coventry City  Leicester City | |
The M69 derby made its return during the 2023–24 season after an eleven-year hiatus, following Leicester's relegation after nine seasons in the Premier League.
The rise
Coventry and Leicester's traditional rivals have historically been considered to be Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively. However, the fixture became increasingly significant between 2001 and 2011 with both clubs' traditional rivals often being in a different league. According to a survey by The Football Pools published in 2008, this fixture is the 26th fiercest rivalry in English football.[3]
In the 2011–12 season Coventry were relegated to League One, meaning the M69 derby would not take place for the first time in eight seasons. A period of turmoil followed for The Sky Blues under their controversial former owners, London based hedge fund SISU Capital as they left their home at the Coventry Building Society Arena twice to play home games in Northampton and Birmingham respectively as well as suffering a further relegation to League Two in 2017.[4][5]
Whilst Coventry struggled to even survive as a club, Leicester flourished and entered a golden period in their history. After winning promotion back to the Premier League in 2014, The Foxes shocked the entire footballing world by winning the 2015–16 Premier League and would go on to add another trophy to their collection after a 1-0 victory against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final.[6]
Coventry's defeat to Luton Town in the 2023 EFL Championship play-off final coupled with Leicester's relegation from the 2022–23 Premier League the very next day ensured that after an 11-year hiatus the M69 derby would return in the 2023–24 season.[7]
The two sides played each other on the opening weekend of the 2023–24 EFL Championship, Coventry had looked set for a first ever win at the King Power Stadium before two late goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave The Foxes a 2-1 win.[8]
In January 2024 Coventry got their first win in the fixture since 2008 as they won a fiery encounter at The Coventry Building Society Arena. Two goals from Callum O'Hare either side of a Milan van Ewijk strike secured a comeback win after Dewsbury-Hall had put Leicester ahead.[9]
The derby was not played in the 2024–25 season as Leicester won immediate promotion back to the Premier League under the stewardship of Enzo Maresca who led them to the Championship title, however it returned again in 2025–26 as the Foxes latest foray into the top flight lasted a solitary season and they were again relegated.[10]
On 21 April 2026, Coventry secured their first second tier title since 1967 in a 5–1 win over Portsmouth. At nearly the exact same time, Leicester was assured of relegation to League One following a 2–2 draw with Hull City.
Crowd trouble
The fixture between the two clubs has historically been marred by incidents of violence. In September 1984, a pitch invasion took place two minutes into a First Division game at Highfield Road. In October 2004, trouble broke out in Coventry with police officers pelted with missiles.[11] In February 2008, up to 100 hooligans were involved in a brawl on a street nearby to the Coventry Building Society Arena.[12] On 3 March 2012, supporters of both clubs clashed on a street in Leicester, with windows on a mini-bus allegedly smashed. During the 2023–24 season, offensive banners were displayed on the M69 motorway ahead of both fixtures.[13]
Statistics
The first fixture between the two clubs was a Second Division game on 27 September 1919 which resulted in a 1–0 win for Leicester. The biggest victory resulted in an 8–1 Leicester victory in the League Cup game at Highfield Road on 4 December 1964.[1]
Coventry have been heavily beaten on two other occasions at Filbert Street, with both matches ending in a 5–1 win for Leicester. The first was in 1924–25, when Arthur Chandler scored a hat-trick, and in 1984–85, when Gary Lineker scored a brace.[1]
Since moving to their current stadium in 2002, Leicester have never been defeated by Coventry. Coventry held the same record at the Coventry Building Society Arena from 2005 to 2011. Coventry were in the Premier League when they last won at Leicester on 7 April 2001.[14]
- As of 17 January 2026
Game list (since 1984)
- Coventry City win Leicester City win Draw
Represented both clubs
Played for Coventry, then Leicester
Played for Leicester, then Coventry
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni
- Pegguy Arphexad
- David Bell
- Trevor Benjamin
- Nathan Delfouneso
- Tim Flowers
- Matt Heath
- Andy Impey
- Matty James
- Julian Joachim
- Ken Keyworth
- Tony Knapp
- Jim Melrose
- Franck Moussa
- Lilian Nalis
- James Pearson
- David Rennie
- James Scowcroft
- Jordan Stewart
- David Stockdale
- Martyn Waghorn
- Steve Walsh
- Gavin Ward
- Dennis Wise
