We Ranked Every Harry Potter Quidditch Match at Hogwarts, from Forgettable to Legendary

Quidditch in Harry Potter is the perfect storm: loud, fast, and barely fair. Harry makes it look personal because it is. He makes the team in year one, becomes the youngest Seeker Hogwarts has seen in a century, and then proceeds to miss a ton of games thanks to fainting spells, broken bones, Dementors, and one spectacularly petty ban from Dolores Umbridge. When he does play? It matters. He only gets nine matches in total, but they tell a whole story about Harry, his friends, and the chaos of Hogwarts sports.

'Youngest Seeker in a hundred years' sounds like hype, but he backs it up nine times over.

Let’s go match by match, from the roughest outings to the ones that belong in the Hogwarts trophy case forever.

Harry's nine Quidditch matches, ranked

1. Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, Half-Blood Prince — Harry’s worst day as captain, and it isn’t even close. With Ron in the Hospital Wing after that very near-death poisoning, Harry plugs in Cormac McLaggen at Keeper. McLaggen immediately decides he’s everyone’s coach, wanders out of position, and then grabs a Beater’s bat and absolutely drills Harry in the skull. Harry wakes up in the Hospital Wing again, finds out he couldn’t even finish the match, and hears that Hufflepuff walked off with the glory. It’s also the year Hogwarts shutters things after Dumbledore’s death, which makes the season’s end feel muddled on purpose. Either way, a disaster from the jump. (Book: Half-Blood Prince | Year: 1996-1997 | Inter-house winner: Canceled due to Dumbledore’s death, with Hufflepuff credited as taking the Cup in some tellings)

2. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Order of the Phoenix — The one game Harry gets to play that season somehow ends in both a win and a lifetime ban. He nabs the Snitch, Slytherin melts down, Draco goes for the ugliest taunts he can find, and a brawl breaks out. Umbridge, now the High Inquisitor and always looking for an excuse, drops the hammer on Harry, Fred, and George. Gryffindor wins, but there’s no victory lap when you lose your sport on the spot. (Book: Order of the Phoenix | Year: 1995-1996 | Inter-house winner: Gryffindor)

3. Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, Prisoner of Azkaban — This game was never supposed to happen first. Slytherin ducked the opener because Draco Malfoy claimed Buckbeak injured him, so Gryffindor draws Hufflepuff in a raging storm. Harry and Cedric Diggory can barely see the Snitch, and then the Dementors show up. Harry faints midair, the Nimbus Two Thousand gets obliterated by the Whomping Willow, and Gryffindor loses. Bad weather, worse vibes. (Book: Prisoner of Azkaban | Year: 1993-1994 | Inter-house winner: Gryffindor)

4. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Chamber of Secrets — Harry vs Draco, Round 1. It should be fun. Instead, a rogue Bludger won’t stop trying to take Harry’s head off. Later we find out Dobby jinxed it to keep Harry out of harm’s way by, well, injuring him. It works halfway: the Bludger breaks Harry’s arm, but not before he catches the Snitch and wins the match. Then Gilderoy Lockhart 'heals' him by removing all the bones. A win wrapped in body horror. (Book: Chamber of Secrets | Year: 1992-1993 | Inter-house winner: Canceled)

5. Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw, Prisoner of Azkaban — Harry only faces Ravenclaw once, ever, which is the kind of nerdy trivia your brain weirdly keeps. Stakes are high: after the Dementor fiasco vs Hufflepuff, Gryffindor needs this to stay in the Cup race, and it’s Oliver Wood’s last shot at silverware. Harry rolls out on a brand-new Firebolt and outpaces Cho Chang to the Snitch. Clean, fast, decisive. Bonus oddity: this great match never made it into the films. (Book: Prisoner of Azkaban | Year: 1993-1994 | Inter-house winner: Gryffindor)

6. Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff, Sorcerer’s Stone — Harry’s second-ever match comes with extra pressure: Draco is chirping nonstop that Harry’s debut was just luck, and Professor Snape is the referee. Harry decides to end the conversation quickly and does, spotting the Snitch early and ending it in about five minutes. Snape’s presence, a few iffy calls, and still a statement win. (Book: Sorcerer’s Stone | Year: 1991-1992 | Inter-house winner: Slytherin)

7. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Half-Blood Prince — The last time Harry ever plays Slytherin, and honestly, everything clicks. Harry captains. Ron’s back between the hoops with actual confidence after helping win the Cup the previous year, plus he thinks he’s on Felix Felicis. He isn’t, but the placebo does its job: Ron saves everything, Slytherin gets stomped, and the team looks unbeatable. (Book: Half-Blood Prince | Year: 1996-1997 | Inter-house winner: Canceled due to Dumbledore’s death)

8. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Sorcerer’s Stone — Harry’s first match ever, and it’s a legend-maker. Draco isn’t on the team yet, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to rattle the new kid. Meanwhile, someone is cursing Harry’s broom from the stands. Hermione takes care of the ground game; Harry handles the sky and ends it by catching the Snitch with his mouth. Gryffindor wins the day, even if Slytherin still takes the Cup that year. (Book: Sorcerer’s Stone | Year: 1991-1992 | Inter-house winner: Slytherin)

9. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Prisoner of Azkaban — The best Quidditch match Harry ever plays is the only true final he gets. Winner takes the Cup, and Gryffindor needs more than a straightforward win; they have to beat Slytherin by over 50 points. That forces Harry to mark Draco, let his team pile on goals, and time the Snitch catch perfectly. He nails it, ends Gryffindor’s drought, and caps off the only year he plays every game. That’s how you close a season. (Book: Prisoner of Azkaban | Year: 1993-1994 | Inter-house winner: Gryffindor)

A few quick notes that make the list make more sense

Harry only plays nine matches across six school years because, well, Hogwarts. Dementors crash games, Lockhart removes bones, schedules get shuffled because Draco says a hippogriff hurt him, and Umbridge bans children for fighting bullies. He also never returns for year seven, so Half-Blood Prince is his last season.

Got a favorite? I’m partial to the Firebolt game vs Ravenclaw just because it’s the cleanest showcase of how good he is with the right broom. But you can’t beat the finale vs Slytherin for pure stakes.

If you want to rewatch the chaos, the Harry Potter films are currently streaming on HBO Max.