1925–1936: The beginning

The rivalry began with a 4–2 Schalke victory on 3 May 1925. Schalke's style of play at the time was described by a newspaper of the era as a "wandering ball from man to man" in a series of short, flat passes. The Schalker Kreisel (literally: "Schalke spinning top") was born. Schalke won all three matches played in the years 1925–1927. The two teams did not meet again until the creation of the Gauliga in 1936.

1936–1944: Gauliga era

With the creation of the Gauliga in 1936, Dortmund developed its intense rivalry with Schalke. Schalke was the most successful German club of the era, six of the club's to date seven German Championships and one Cup victory date back to the years of 1933 to 1945. Schalke dominated the early meetings, winning 14 matches, and losing only once, with one match played to a draw. August Lenz's goal on 14 November 1943 secured Dortmund's first ever victory against Schalke.

1945–1947: post-war era

Dortmund win the Westphalia championship final 3–2 over Schalke, ending Schalke's domination in the region.

1947–1963: Oberliga era

The years 1947–63 continued to be a reversal of fortune for Dortmund, winning 9 of the first 13 Revierderbies during this era, and losing only 7 of 32 overall. Dortmund also won three Oberliga championships in these years.

1963–present: Bundesliga and German Cup era

The creation of the Bundesliga in 1963 began with Dortmund continuing their winning ways, by taking 8 of the first 10 meetings.

Schalke's 1–0 victory on 20 April 1968, saw the return of Schalke's fortune and the fall of Dortmund. After Dortmund's 0–3 defeat on 4 March 1972, and subsequent relegation from the league, the teams did not play each other again until 1975.

After Dortmund's return to the Bundesliga, Lothar Huber's goal in the 87th minute on 5 November 1977 gave Dortmund their first victory over Schalke in nearly ten years. The following years belonged to Dortmund, winning eleven matches to Schalke's six, culminating in a 3–2 victory in a German Cup match on 9 December 1988. Schalke's relegation after the 1987–88 season resulted in these teams not playing again until the 1991–92 campaign.

Schalke's next Revierderby was remarkable. With Schalke managing only three goals in their first four matches after returning to the Bundesliga, Dortmund seemed assured of continuing their success. On 24 August 1991, in front of over 70,000 fans, former Dortmund midfielder Ingo Anderbrügge scored in the 2nd minute to put Schalke ahead 1–0. However, Dortmund equalized in the 36th and the 1st half finished with the scored tied 1–1. In the 2nd half, Schalke exploded, stunning Dortmund 5–2. Dortmund's overall success that season eclipsed the defeat, winning the next Revierderby 2–0, and finishing the league in second place that year, tied in points, but losing out to VfB Stuttgart on goal differential.

The following years saw Schalke holding a slim advantage since 1991, winning 11, drawing 14, and losing 8 of the matches. Despite Schalke's recent Revierderby success, including losing only five derbies since 1999 (until 14. April 2012), Dortmund holds the advantage in overall success during this era, winning five Bundesliga championships (1994–95, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2010–11 and 2011–12), one German Cup (2012), one UEFA Champions League competition (1997), and one Intercontinental Cup (1997) since 1995, while Schalke won the UEFA Cup once (1997) and the German Cup three times (2001, 2002 and 2011).

Recent years have seen the first-ever Bundesliga derby aired live on free TV (January 2004, shown on ARD), as well as two famous Dortmund victories. One of these, in 2005, ended a nearly seven-year undefeated streak for Schalke in the derby, while the other, in May 2007, took on almost traumatic proportions, as Schalke lost the derby and the league lead, which they had held for three months, on the penultimate day of the season in Dortmund. After each of these victories, Borussia Dortmund took the unprecedented step of selling specially-decorated replica shirts to commemorate the occasion. In 2008, Dortmund fan groups celebrated Schalke's fifty years without a league title.

Overall match statistics

As of 11 March 2023

Head-to-head ranking in Bundesliga

• Total: Dortmund with 33 higher finishes, Schalke with 16 (as of end of 2022–23 season).

Player records