Severalassociation football clubs succeed in playing at the highest level of their domestic league without beingrelegated for several years, if at all. This page lists the clubs that managed to stay in top flight for an extended period of time, and those that have never been relegated from their current top-tier league.
More often than not, football clubs have played in more than one top-tier competition. It is therefore possible that teams relegated at one point in their history, but have not done so in the competition in which they currently compete. This is the case for multiple teams in countries where football was played in regional leagues prior to the creation of a unified national league. In such countries, a national champion was previously declared by means of a play-off tournament between teams that qualified through their regional tournaments. In Germany, for instance, seven teams have never been relegated from theBundesliga (some joining more recently), but three of them found themselves expelled from the olderOberligen.Hamburg played continuously in the top tier of the German football system from the end of World War I until 2018.[1][2] In the Netherlands, football used to be organised in regional competitions as well. The unifiedEredivisie was born in 1956, and four teams have continuously played at this highest national level since then.[3]
Even before the establishment of regional competitions, football was played in league systems. The very first football championships in Europe were often organised on a local level. Taking these smaller competitions into account,Austria Wien andRapid Wien can claim to have played at the highest possible level since competition began in Austria in 1911.[1] At that time however, the only organised football was played in the league ofLower Austria,[4] which was then located in theAustro-Hungarian Empire, and only teams fromVienna took part.[5] Later, Austrian teams competed in theGerman football system for several years, which made it possible for Rapid Wien to become German champion in 1941.[6] The currentAustrian Bundesliga was only established in 1974,[7] and to this point a total of five teams have never been relegated from that competition.[8]
In Greece and Turkey, competitive football was organised in even smaller leagues. In both countries, city-leagues were the highest level for quite some time.[9][10] In 1959, a unified Hellenic league was founded, andOlympiacos,Panathinaikos andPAOK have played in every season of it.[1] However, there was a Panhellenic Championship from 1927 to 1959, a top-tier that connected the city-leagues, and titles won in that are considered valid and equal to the modern league by the Hellenic Football Federation.Beşiktaş,Fenerbahçe andGalatasaray were also in city-leagues before the unified Turkish league was founded in 1959, but there was no clear and undisputed top-flight like the Panhellenic Championship in Greece, and the Turkish Football Federation does not recognise pre-1956 titles, while the recognised Federation Cup from 1956 to 1958 was a knockout competition.[1]
In Russia, football too was first played at city-level. TheSt. Petersburg Football League was established in 1901, and its Moscovite counterpart followed in 1909. Many years later, in 1936, theSoviet Top League was formed. This competition ceased to exist when the Soviet Union fell, and new leagues were formed in the fifteen successor states. As a result, many teams entered a top division for the first time in their history. In Estonia, for example, the newMeistriliiga was composed of clubs that never participated in the top flight before.[11][12] As these are relatively new competitions, many clubs can claim to have never been relegated from the top-level, but onlyDynamo Kyiv andDinamo Tbilisi have always played at the highest possible level.[1] On the other hand,Dynamo Moscow played in every season of the Soviet Top League but was relegated from theRussian Premier League in the2015–16 season.
Besides the Soviet, also theCzechoslovak andYugoslav football leagues split into multiple competitions in the early 1990s. A total of eight teams have not been relegated from the national championships of theCzech Republic[13] andSlovakia,[14] but no team managed to achieve this in Czechoslovak times. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, football became divided alongside ethnic lines and competition was held inthree different leagues, before the establishment of anational division in 2000. In Kosovo, anational league also exists, although it was not recognised byUEFA orFIFA until 2016. In all, three clubs –Red Star Belgrade,Partizan Belgrade andDinamo Zagreb – have played at the highest level since the creation ofsocialist Yugoslavia, whilstHajduk Split have never been relegated since they first played in the championship of the now long goneKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.[1]
In many instances, new top-tier leagues were created to replace existing national championships. In England, six teams have been present in every season of thePremier League, which wasfounded in 1992.[15] None of them had an uninterrupted run in the precedingFirst Division.[16] Thus, a great number of teams can claim to have never been relegated from newer competitions. In Northern Ireland, the teams ofCliftonville,Glentoran andLinfield have played at the top-tier for 135 years,[1] but another five have been present in every season of theNIFL Premiership, which was established in 2008.[17]
In Scotland,Aberdeen[18] andCeltic have never been relegated. Until 2012Rangers had participated in every top-tier season since 1890,[1] but were removed and admitted to the fourth tier of Scottish football amid afinancial crisis (climbing back to the top by 2016), so do not have an unbroken run but have never been relegated due to on-field performance, remaining the only Scottish club to never finish below 6th. This contrasts with Celtic and Aberdeen, remaining at the top continuously despite the former finishing below 6th seven times and the latter finishing bottom twice.
Many leagues have been running for a long time. Unsurprisingly, fewer clubs manage to stay on top the longer a competition runs. The SpanishPrimera División was born in 1929, and onlyAthletic Bilbao,FC Barcelona andReal Madrid have been present ever since. The same year the ItalianSerie A became a round-robin tournament, and onlyInter Milan has continuously played at the highest level from that moment forward – even doing so since 1909 (thoughJuventus FC, since its debut in the top-tier league in 1900, only ever spent a single season outside of itdue to an administrative decision in 2006). Out of theFIFA World Cup-winning nations, France is the only one that has no unrelegated clubs from the current top-tier league, despite the latter having existed since 1930 (thoughParis Saint-Germain, since its creation in 1970, was only ever relegated fromLigue 1 due to an administrative decision in 1972). Similarly, no team that plays in theSwiss Super League – established in 1897 – has not been relegated at one point in their history.[1]
This table lists all clubs that have continuously played at the highest level for 75 years or more. Taken into account are all the leagues that formed the highest level at the time each club played in them. Competitions that were organised on sub-regional levels are excluded though. This is the reason no clubs from Turkey are listed, as football was played in city-level competitions up until 1959, with national competitions that preceded that time having their champions unrecognised today.
The large number of Brazilian football clubs on this list can be explained by the fact that these clubs were dominant in the relatively smallstate leagues, which formed the highest tier of competition in Brazil for more than half a century. TheTaça Brasil, which existed between 1959 and 1968, is not considered a top-tier tournament for the purpose of this list, as it was a knockout competition between the different state champions, and no team took part in every edition.
As of 2025, the majority of the teams listed below continue to play at the top, although a few have ended their uninterrupted spell. Some teams had been relegated (and promoted back) before the start of their record spell.
The clubs inbold have ongoing spells playing in their respective top-flight divisions.
This is a list of football clubs which have never been relegated from theircurrent national top-level league and have played at leastten seasons at this level. The year in the third column indicates when they began their uninterrupted run. If the club has never been relegated while also having a streak that precedes the formation of their current top league, then it is noted in the observations.
| League | Club | Since | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria | JS Kabylie | 1969 | |
 Andorra | FC Santa Coloma | 1994 | |
 Argentina[1][23] | Boca Juniors | 1913 | |
| Defensa y Justicia | 2014 | ||
 Austria[8] | Austria Wien | 1974 | Since 1911 |
| Rapid Wien | |||
| Sturm Graz | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Bundesliga | ||
| Wolfsberger AC | 2012 | Relegated at lower divisions but never from a top-tier | |
 Azerbaijan[1] | Neftçi | 1992 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premyer Liqası |
| Qarabağ | |||
 Belgium | Standard Liège | 1921 | |
| Anderlecht | 1935 | ||
 Belarus[24] | Dynamo Brest | 1992 | |
| Dinamo Minsk | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Vysheyshaya Liga | ||
| Neman Grodno | |||
| BATE | 1998 | ||
 Bolivia | The Strongest | 1950 | |
| Oriente Petrolero | 1977 | ||
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | 2000 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premijer Liga |
| Široki Brijeg | |||
| Željezničar | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premijer Liga | ||
| Zrinjski Mostar | Played in the wartime league of theIndependent State of Croatia. Between 1945 and 1992, they were banned by the Yugoslav government | ||
 Brazil[1][16] | Flamengo | 1971 | Since 1912 when considering the Carioca, 1967 when considering official national top-tier |
| São Paulo | Absent but never relegated. Since 1930 when considering the Paulista, 1967 when considering official national top-tier | ||
 Bulgaria[1] | Levski Sofia | 1937 | |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2011 | ||
 Chile[1] | Colo-Colo | 1933 | |
 China | Beijing Guoan | 1991 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Chinese Super League |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 1982 | ||
 Colombia | Atlético Nacional | 1948 | |
| Millonarios | |||
| Santa Fe | |||
| Deportivo Cali | Absent but never relegated | ||
| Independiente Medellín | |||
| Junior | |||
| Once Caldas | |||
| La Equidad | 2007 | ||
| Águilas Doradas | 2011 | ||
 Costa Rica | Alajuelense | 1921 | |
| Herediano | |||
| Saprissa | 1949 | ||
| Pérez Zeledón | 1991 | ||
 Croatia[1] | Dinamo Zagreb | 1991 | |
| Hajduk Split | |||
| Osijek | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Prva HNL | ||
| Rijeka | |||
| Slaven Belupo | 1997 | ||
| Lokomotiva | 2009 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Prva HNL | |
 Cyprus[1] | APOEL | 1934 | Before 1974, played in the Greek top-level league when they became Cypriot champion |
| Anorthosis | 1948 | Before 1948, withdrew from the top-level league twice but they were never relegated | |
| Omonia | 1953 | Before 1974, played in the Greek top-level league when they became Cypriot champion | |
| Apollon | 1957 | ||
 Czech Republic[13] | Sparta Prague | 1993 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the First League |
| Slavia Prague | |||
| Slovan Liberec | |||
| Jablonec | 1994 | ||
| Teplice | 1996 | ||
| Mladá Boleslav | 2004 | Relegated at lower divisions but never from a top-tier | |
 Denmark[25] | Brøndby | 1982 | |
| Copenhagen | 1992 | Successors of clubs that have been relegated from a top-tier league | |
| Midtjylland | 2000 | ||
| Nordsjælland | 2002 | ||
 Ecuador[1] | Barcelona | 1957 | |
| Independiente del Valle | 2010 | ||
 Egypt[1] | Al Ahly | 1948 | Since 1922 when considering the Cairo League |
| Zamalek | |||
| ENPPI | 2002 | ||
| Tala'ea El Gaish SC | 2004 | ||
| Smouha | 2010 | ||
 England[3][16] | Arsenal | 1992 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premier League |
| Chelsea | |||
| Everton | |||
| Liverpool | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | |||
 Estonia[11] | Flora | 1992 | |
| Narva Trans | |||
| FCI Levadia | 1999 | ||
| Tartu Tammeka | 2005 | ||
| Nõmme Kalju | 2008 | ||
| Paide Linnameeskond | 2009 | ||
 Faroe Islands[1] | Havnar Bóltfelag | 1942 | |
| Víkingur Gøta | 2008 | ||
 Finland[1] | HJK | 1990 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Veikkausliiga |
| IFK Mariehamn | 2005 | ||
 Georgia[26] | Dinamo Tbilisi | 1990 | |
 Germany[1] | Bayern Munich | 1965 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Bundesliga |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1979 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 1997 | ||
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 2008 | ||
| FC Augsburg | 2011 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Bundesliga | |
| RB Leipzig | 2016 | ||
 Ghana[1] | Asante Kotoko | 1958 | |
| Hearts of Oak | |||
| Aduana Stars F.C. | 2009 | ||
 Greece[1] | Olympiacos | 2006 | Since 1929 |
| Panathinaikos | |||
| PAOK | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Super League Greece | ||
| Asteras Tripolis | 2007 | ||
 Guatemala | CSD Municipal | 1942 | |
| Comunicaciones F.C. | 1950 | ||
 Honduras[1] | Marathón | 1965 | |
| Motagua | |||
| Olimpia | |||
| Real España | |||
 Hungary | Paksi FC | 2006 | |
 Indonesia[1] | Persija Jakarta | 1951 | |
| PSM Makassar | PSM withdrew from the qualifying stage for financial reasons in 1952 and played in the breakaway LPI 2010/11–2013, but they were never relegated | ||
 Republic of Ireland[1] | Bohemians | 1921 | |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 1951 | ||
 Iran[27] | Persepolis | 1970 | |
 Iraq[28] | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 1974 | Formerly Al-Tayaran |
| Al-Shorta | Formerly Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili | ||
| Al-Talaba | 1975 | Formerly Al-Jamiea | |
| Al-Zawraa | |||
| Al-Naft | 1985 | ||
| Al-Najaf | 1987 | ||
 Israel | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1931 | |
 Italy[16][29] | Inter Milan | 1929 | Since 1909 |
 Ivory Coast[1] | ASEC Mimosas | 1960 | |
| FC San Pédro | 2016 | ||
 Japan[30] | Kashima Antlers | 1993 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the J1 League |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | |||
 Kazakhstan[31] | Atyrau | 2001 | |
 Kuwait | Al-Qadsia | 1961 | Withdrew from the league in1996–97, but they never got relegated. |
 Kyrgyzstan[32] | FC Dordoi | 1999 | |
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 2003 | ||
 Libya | Al-Madina Tripoli | 1963 | |
 Luxembourg | FC UNA Strassen | 2015 | |
| Union Titus Pétange | 2016 | ||
 Malaysia | Selangor | 2005 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Malaysia Super League |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2006 | ||
 Malta[1] | Hibernians | 1932 | Absent but never got relegated |
 Mexico[1][N 1] | América | 1943 | |
| Guadalajara | |||
| Toluca | 1953 | ||
| UNAM | 1962 | ||
| Cruz Azul | 1964 | ||
| Santos Laguna | 1988 | ||
| Club Tijuana | 2011 | ||
 Montenegro[34] | FK Budućnost Podgorica | 2006 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the 1. CFL |
| OFK Petrovac | |||
| FK Sutjeska Nikšić | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the 1. CFL | ||
 Morocco | Raja CA | 1956 | |
| Wydad AC | |||
| ASFAR | 1959 | ||
 Netherlands[3] | Ajax | 1956 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Eredivisie |
| PSV | |||
| Feyenoord | |||
| FC Utrecht | 1970 | VV DOS played in every season of the Eredivisie before merging into FC Utrecht in 1970 | |
 Nigeria[35] | Enugu Rangers | 1972 | |
 Northern Ireland[17] | Cliftonville | 2008 | Since 1890 |
| Glentoran | |||
| Linfield | |||
| Dungannon Swifts | Since 2002 | ||
| Ballymena United | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premiership | ||
| Coleraine | |||
| Crusaders | |||
| Glenavon | |||
 North Macedonia[1] | FK Rabotnički | 1998 | |
| KF Shkupi | 2015 | ||
 Paraguay | Guaraní | 1906 | |
| Olimpia | |||
| Cerro Porteño | 1913 | ||
 Panama | Plaza Amador | 1988 | |
| Tauro | |||
| San Francisco | 1992 | Formerly Deportivo La Previsora | |
| Árabe Unido | 1996 | ||
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1997 | ||
| Universitario (Panama) | 2001 | Formerly Chorrillo FC | |
 Peru[1] | Universitario | 1928 | |
| Sporting Cristal[36] | 1956 | Direct successor of Club Sporting Tabaco, which was relegated from the top-tier league[37] | |
| Sport Huancayo | 2009 | ||
 Portugal[1] | Benfica | 1934 | |
| Porto | |||
| Sporting CP | |||
 Romania | FCSB | 1947 | |
| Botoșani | 2013 | ||
 Russia[1] | CSKA Moscow | 1992 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Football Championship |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | |||
| Spartak Moscow | |||
| FC Krasnodar | 2011 | ||
 Saudi Arabia[38] | Al-Hilal | 1975 | All of these are mostly state-owned via thePublic Investment Fund |
| Al-Ittihad | |||
| Al-Nassr | |||
 Scotland[22] | Celtic | 2013 | Since 1890 |
| Aberdeen | Since 1905, absent for two though relegation was suspended at the time and league membership was maintained | ||
| Motherwell | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Scottish Premiership | ||
| Rangers | 2016 | On league position, never relegated since 1890. In 2012, as a result of a financial crisis, membership for the then top tier, theScottish Premier League, was revoked. The club spent 4 years in the lower leagues before promotion to the new top tier, theScottish Premiership, which was established in 2013 | |
 Serbia[39] | Partizan | 2006 | Since 1946 |
| Red Star Belgrade | |||
| FK Vojvodina | 2006 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the SuperLiga | |
| FK Spartak Subotica | 2009 | ||
 Slovakia[14] | MFK Ružomberok | 1997 | |
| MFK Zemplín Michalovce | 2015 | ||
 Slovenia[40] | NK Celje | 1991 | Relegated at lower divisions but never from a top-tier |
| NK Maribor | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the PrvaLiga | ||
| NK Olimpija Ljubljana | 2009 | ||
 South Africa | Kaizer Chiefs | 1996 | |
| Orlando Pirates | |||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the South African Premiership | ||
| Supersport United | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the South African Premiership. Sold prior to the start of the2025–26 South African Premiership season. | ||
 South Korea | Pohang Steelers | 1983 | |
| FC Seoul | 1984 | ||
| Ulsan HD | |||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1995 | ||
 Suriname | Transvaal | 1923 | Current top-tier league founded in 2024 |
 Spain[1] | Athletic Bilbao | 1929 | |
| FC Barcelona | |||
| Real Madrid CF | |||
 Syria[1] | Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo | 1966 | |
 Tajikistan[41] | CSKA Pamir Dushanbe | 1992 | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Tajik League |
| FK Khujand | 1997 | ||
 Tunisia[1] | CS Sfaxien | 1955 | |
| Club Africain | |||
| Espérance de Tunis | Did not participate in 1970–71 | ||
| Étoile du Sahel | Did not participate in 1961–62 | ||
 Turkey[1] | Beşiktaş | 1959 | |
| Fenerbahçe | |||
| Galatasaray | |||
| Trabzonspor | 1974 | ||
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2015 | Never relegated after re-organization | |
| Alanyaspor | 2016 | Relegated at lower divisions but never from a top-tier | |
 Turkmenistan[42] | Nebitçi FT | 1992 | |
| Merw FK | |||
| Şagadam FK | 1994 | ||
 Ukraine[1] | Dynamo Kyiv | 1992 | Since 1936 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premier League | ||
 United Arab Emirates | Al Ain FC | 1974 | |
| Al-Nasr SC | |||
| Al-Wasl FC | |||
| Al Wahda | 1985 | ||
| Al Jazira | 1988 | ||
 Uruguay[1] | Peñarol | 1900 | |
| Nacional | 1901 | ||
| Boston River | 2016 | ||
 Uzbekistan[43] | Navbahor Namangan | 1992 | |
| Pakhtakor Tashkent | Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Uzbek League | ||
| Nasaf Qarshi | 1997 | ||
| Qizilqum Zarafshon | 2000 | ||
 Venezuela | Deportivo Táchira | 1975 | |
| Caracas | 1985 | ||
| Deportivo La Guaira | 2009 | ||
 Vietnam | Song Lam Nghe An | 2000 | Formerly Song Lam Nghe Tinh Ranked 14th in the 2021 season but did not relegate due to the remainder of the season getting cancelled |
| Hoang Anh Gia Lai | 2003 | Formerly Gia Lai - Kon Tum | |
| Becamex Binh Duong | 2004 | Formerly Song Be and Cao Su Binh Long Relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the V.League 1 | |
| Dong A Thanh Hoa | 2007 | Formerly FLC Thanh Hoa, Lam Son Thanh Hoa and Thanh Hoa FC Originally finished 14th in the 2009 season, they merged into Viettel - Thanh Hoa FC (formerly The Cong FC), then finished 9th, and re-established as Lam Son Thanh Hoa FC, therefore escaped relegation | |
| Hanoi FC | 2009 | Formerly Ha Noi T&T and T&T Ha Noi | |
 Wales[1] | The New Saints | 1993 | Formerly Llansantffraid F.C. and Total Network Solutions |
| Bala Town F.C. | 2009 |
The United States and Canada have a franchise system and therefore do not have relegation and promotion in that system.
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