Black Country derby: History, date, venue and how to watch

The Black Country derby is the name given to the fixture between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers and it is one of the most famous derbies in English football.

The name has also been used for fixtures involving those teams as well as Walsall, but it is most commonly used for matches between the Baggies and Wolves due to Walsall's lower standing in the English Football League.

Only 17 miles separate the home stadiums of West Brom and Wolves, and while the rivalry is not as fierce as the Second City derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City, it is still a passionate affair when both clubs collide.

Black Country Derby Date

The next Black Country derby clash will take place on Sunday 28th January, as West Brom host Wolves in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Carlos Corberan's West Brom beat Aldershot Town 4-1 in the third round, while Wolves needed two legs to overcome fellow Premier League side Brentford. Gary O'Neil's side were held to a 1-1 draw by the Bees a the Gtech Community Stadium, but they won 3-2 after extra time in the replay at Molineux.

This month's derby will be the first between the two teams since May 2021, when the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns.

West Brom were relegated that season, finishing 19th, 14 points from safety.

Black Country Derby Time

The latest Black Country derby kicks off at 11:45, as organisers have adjusted kick-off times to ensure the match can be televised.

Championship side West Brom are the 11/4 outsiders for this upcoming contest, while the draw is 13/5. Wolves have defied pre-season expectations in the top-flight under O'Neil, and they are the 10/11 favourites as they look to continue their recent good form.

The early kick-off time should also help local authorities as, due to the hostile atmosphere between the two fanbases, there has not been a Saturday kick-off at 15:00 featuring these two sides since 1996.

Black Country Derby Venue/Location

The upcoming tie will take place at the home of West Brom, The Hawthorns. When the two teams are in the same division, they will each play at their respective home stadiums, so the other fixture would be hosted by Wolves at Molineux.

Black Country Derby How to watch

The upcoming FA Cup fourth round tie will be broadcast by ITV1 and ITVX.

Black Country Derby History

The first Black Country derby took place in January 1886, before the formation of the English Football League.

Both West Brom and Wolves were founding members of the Football League in 1888, so the Black Country derby is one of the oldest derbies in world football.

The rivalry reached new heights in the 1950s when both were competing at the top of the First Division and in the FA Cup. Wolves won the First Division three times between 1949 and 1965, while they also won the FA Cup twice during this spell.

West Brom also lifted the FA Cup in 1954, and that season, the two clubs finished as the top two clubs in the country for the first and only time in history.

Both teams collided on a regular basis for the rest of the century, but they did not meet for five years between 1984 and 1989, as the two sides competed in different divisions.

In recent times, both teams have competed in the Premier League and Championship, but there have been long spells without a league meeting between the two. 

West Brom and Wolves met in the Premier League during the 2010/11 campaign, which marked the first top-flight derby in nearly 27 years. Wolves' demise to League One also resulted in a lack of meetings with their old foes, although they did meet Walsall in a rare third-tier Black Country derby in the 2013/14 campaign.

Wolves' last win between the two sides came in 2011, and it is West Brom that have dominated the fixture in recent years.

They have lost just three of the last 23 matches between the two sides.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.