List of English football champions

The English football champions are the annual winners of the top-tier competition in the English football league system. Following the codification of professional football by the Football Association in 1885, the Football League was established in 1888, after meetings initiated by Aston Villa director William McGregor.

The new league's inaugural season was 1888–89, and the first club to be crowned champions was Preston North End, whose team completed its fixtures unbeaten. 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 the North or the Midlands. Professionalism had been embraced more readily in those areas than in the South of England. The Football League expanded its membership in 1892 when it absorbed the rival Football Alliance. With 28 members, the league was split into two divisions. Most of the former Alliance clubs joined the new Second Division, while the original league became the First Division, with promotion and relegation between the two.

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. Financial considerations became an even bigger influence from 1992, when the clubs then in the First Division defected to form the FA Premier League, which became the new top tier. A series of progressively larger television contracts has put unprecedented wealth into the hands of top flight clubs.

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) and Manchester City, with the latter being the only club to have won four successive titles.

List of champions by season

List of champion clubs by titles won

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 were Leicester City (2015–16 champions) and before that, Nottingham Forest (1977–78) and Derby 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) and Everton (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) and Southampton (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.

By region

By historic county

By city/town

See also

• List of football clubs in England by competitive honours won
• List of English football championship-winning managers

Notes

References

Specific

Sources

• Inglis, Simon (1988). League Football and the Men Who Made It. Willow Books. ISBN 978-0-00-218242-3.

General

• "Past winners". The Football League. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
• "England – List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
• "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2009.