The English football champions are the winners of the top-level league in English men's football, which since the 1992–93 season has been called the Premier League.
The league's early years were dominated by teams from the North and Midlands, where professionalism had been embraced more readily than in the South of England.[4] It was teams such as Preston North End, Aston Villa and Sunderland that held the league title in monopoly. Its status as the country's pre-eminent league was strengthened in 1892, when the rival Football Alliance was absorbed into the Football League.[5] Former Alliance clubs comprised the bulk of a new Second Division, from which promotion to the top level could be gained. It was not until 1931 that a Southern club were crowned champions, when Herbert Chapman's Arsenal secured the title.[6]
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.[7] Financial considerations became an even bigger influence from 1992, when the teams then in the First Division defected to form the FA Premier League. This supplanted the Football League First Division as the highest level of football in England,[8] and due to a series of progressively larger television contracts, put unprecedented wealth into the hands of top flight clubs.[9] The first five champions in the Premier League era – Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United – had all won the title at least once prior to 1992. Leicester City were champions for the first time in 2016, becoming the first team to win the Premier League without having previously won the First Division. Other than inaugural league champions Preston North End, Ipswich Town remain the only club to win the top flight division at their first attempt in the 1961–62 season.[10]
All the clubs which have ever been champions are still in existence today and all take part in the top four tiers of the English football league system. Sheffield Wednesday are the only club who have ever changed their name after winning a league title, having been known as The Wednesday for the first three of their four titles. The name change took place in 1929.[citation needed]
Manchester United have won twenty titles (both English First Division and Premier League titles),[11] the most of any club.[12]United's rivalsLiverpool are second with nineteen. Liverpool dominated during the 1970s and 1980s (winning eleven league titles between 1973 and 1990), while Manchester United dominated in the 1990s and 2000s under manager Alex Ferguson (eleven league titles between 1993 and 2009). Arsenal are third with thirteen titles, having dominated during the 1930s (five league titles between 1931 and 1938). Manchester City are fourth with ten titles, of which eight have been won in the 2010s and 2020s. Everton are fifth with nine titles. Aston Villa (seven) and Sunderland (six) secured the majority of their titles before the 1920s. Chelsea (six) won the majority of their titles in the 21st century (between 2005 and 2017).[citation needed] Manchester City became the first men's team to win the league title in four consecutive seasons in 2024.[13] 24 clubs have won the top level title in English football.
All figures are correct as of the end of the 2023–24 season.
There are 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).[citation needed]
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 and 1973–2011), Manchester United (1967–1971 and 2009–present) and Everton (1970–1971).[citation needed]
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. Cardiff are also the only club from outside England to finish in the top two of the elite English football championship.[citation needed]Portsmouth are the only team ever to be crowned champions of England (twice) but never having finished runner-up.
The longest current wait for former winners to regain their title as English league champions stands at 134 years, for current EFL Championship side, Preston North End F.C., winners of the first two editions of the Football League, and never champions of England since. The longest gap between winning titles is the 81 years between the 1913–14 Football League title and the 1994–95 FA Premier League title, both won by Blackburn Rovers F.C.
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