| List of English football champions | |
|---|---|
| Football League (1888–1892) | |
| Football League First Division (1892–1992) | |
| Premier League (1992–present) | |
| Country | |
 England | |
| Founded | |
| 1888 | |
| Number of teams | |
| 24 winners | |
| Current champions | |
| Liverpool (20th title) (2024–25) | |
| Most successful club(s) | |
| Liverpool Manchester United (20 titles each) |
TheEnglishfootball champions are the annual winners of the top-tier competition in theEnglish football league system. Following the codification ofprofessional football bythe Football Association in 1885,[1] theFootball League was established in 1888, after meetings initiated byAston Villa directorWilliam McGregor.[2]
The new league's inaugural season was1888–89, and the first club to be crowned champions wasPreston North End, whose team completed its fixtures unbeaten.[3] In its first four seasons, with only twelve to fourteen clubs involved, the league was a single entity in which all the teams were from theNorth or theMidlands. Professionalism had been embraced more readily in those areas than in theSouth of England.[4] The Football League expanded its membership in 1892 when it absorbed the rivalFootball Alliance. With 28 members, the league was split into two divisions. Most of the former Alliance clubs joined the newSecond Division, while the original league became theFirst Division, withpromotion and relegation between the two.[5]
Rules stipulating a maximum wage for players were abolished in 1961. This resulted in a shift of power towards bigger clubs with more financial means.[6] Financial considerations became an even bigger influence from 1992, when the clubs then in the First Division defected to form theFA Premier League, which became the new top tier.[7] A series of progressively larger television contracts has put unprecedented wealth into the hands of top flight clubs.[8]
A total of 24 different clubs have won the English top-flight league since 1888. Only five clubs have won the title in three consecutive seasons:Huddersfield Town,Arsenal,Liverpool,Manchester United (twice) andManchester City, with the latter being the only club to have won four successive titles.
| ‡ | Winning team wonthe Double (League title and FA Cup) |
| † | Winning team also won theEuropean Cup/UEFA Champions League that season |
| ₮ | Winning team wonthe Domestic Treble (League title, FA Cup and League Cup) |
| # | Winning team wonthe Continental Treble (League title, FA Cup and European Cup/Champions League) |
24 clubs which have won the English top level title, including 7 which have won the Premier League (1992–present). The most recent to join the list wereLeicester City (2015–16 champions) and before that,Nottingham Forest (1977–78) andDerby County (1971–72).
Seven teams have at some point held first or joint first place in the number of titles won:Preston North End (1889–1895),Sunderland (1893–1899 and 1936–1953),Aston Villa (1897–1953),Arsenal (1948–1976),Liverpool (1966–1971, 1973–2011, 2025–present),Manchester United (1967–1971 and 2009–present) andEverton (1970–1971).
Eight teams have finished as runners-up without ever finishing top:Bristol City (1906–07),Oldham Athletic (1914–15),Cardiff City (1923–24),Charlton Athletic (1936–37),Blackpool (1955–56),Queens Park Rangers (1975–76),Watford (1982–83) andSouthampton (1983–84). Of these, Cardiff City came closest to winning the league, matching champions Huddersfield Town in points but losing out on goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), the precursor to goal difference.
| Region | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 66 | Manchester United (20),Liverpool (20),Manchester City (10),Everton (9),Blackburn Rovers (3),Preston North End (2),Burnley (2) |
| London | 21 | Arsenal (13),Chelsea (6),Tottenham Hotspur (2) |
| Yorkshire | 11 | Sheffield Wednesday (4),Huddersfield Town (3),Leeds United (3),Sheffield United (1) |
| West Midlands | 11 | Aston Villa (7),Wolverhampton Wanderers (3),West Bromwich Albion (1) |
| North East | 10 | Sunderland (6),Newcastle United (4) |
| East Midlands | 4 | Derby County (2),Leicester City (1),Nottingham Forest (1) |
| South East | 2 | Portsmouth (2) |
| East | 1 | Ipswich Town (1) |
| South West | 0 | |
| Wales | 0 |
| Historic County | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire | 66 | Manchester United (20),Liverpool (20),Manchester City (10),Everton (9),Blackburn Rovers (3),Preston North End (2),Burnley (2) |
| Middlesex | 21 | Arsenal (13),Chelsea (6),Tottenham Hotspur (2) |
| Yorkshire | 11 | Sheffield Wednesday (4),Huddersfield Town (3),Leeds United (3),Sheffield United (1) |
| Warwickshire | 7 | Aston Villa (7) |
| County Durham | 6 | Sunderland (6) |
| Northumberland | 4 | Newcastle United (4) |
| Staffordshire | 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (3),West Bromwich Albion (1) |
| Derbyshire | 2 | Derby County (2) |
| Hampshire | 2 | Portsmouth (2) |
| Suffolk | 1 | Ipswich Town (1) |
| Nottinghamshire | 1 | Nottingham Forest (1) |
| Leicestershire | 1 | Leicester City (1) |
| City / Town | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 30 | Manchester United (20),Manchester City (10) |
| Liverpool | 29 | Liverpool (20),Everton (9) |
| London | 21 | Arsenal (13),Chelsea (6),Tottenham Hotspur (2) |
| Birmingham | 7 | Aston Villa (7) |
| Sunderland | 6 | Sunderland (6) |
| Sheffield | 5 | Sheffield Wednesday (4),Sheffield United (1) |
| Newcastle | 4 | Newcastle United (4) |
| Blackburn | 3 | Blackburn Rovers (3) |
| Huddersfield | 3 | Huddersfield Town (3) |
| Leeds | 3 | Leeds United (3) |
| Wolverhampton | 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (3) |
| Burnley | 2 | Burnley (2) |
| Derby | 2 | Derby County (2) |
| Portsmouth | 2 | Portsmouth (2) |
| Preston | 2 | Preston North End (2) |
| Ipswich | 1 | Ipswich Town (1) |
| Leicester | 1 | Leicester City (1) |
| Nottingham | 1 | Nottingham Forest (1) |
| West Bromwich | 1 | West Bromwich Albion (1) |