Both clubs are located in northern France, though in different departments: Lille in the Nord and Lens in the Pas-de-Calais.

The name can refer to matches involving Lille and Valenciennes as both clubs are located within the Nord department; however, the name historically applies mainly to matches involving Lille and Lens.

As a result, the Lille–Valenciennes match is sometimes referred to as the Petit Derby du Nord.

The two cities first met in 1937 when Lille were playing under the Olympique Lillois emblem.

Historically, the Derby du Nord is underpinned by social and economic differences, since the city of Lens is known as an old, working-class, industrial city and Lille as a middle-class, modern, internationally oriented one.