| Premier League | |
| |
| Country |  England Wales
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 20 February 1992 |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Relegation to | Championship |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup League Cup |
| UEFA cup(s) | Champions League Europa League Europa Conference League |
| Current champions | Liverpool (2nd title) (2024–25) |
| TV | Sky Sports TNT Sports (live matches) Sky Sports BBC (highlights, via Match of the Day) |
| Website | Official website |
 2025–26
| |
The Premier League is an English professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL; known as "The Football League" before 2016–17). Welsh clubs that compete in the English football league system can also qualify.
The Premier League is a corporation in which the 20 member clubs act as shareholders. Seasons run from August to May. Teams play 38 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away), totalling 380 matches in the season. Most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons; others during weekday evenings. It is colloquially known as the Premiership and outside the UK it is commonly referred to as the English Premier League (EPL).
The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from the Football League, which was originally founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal. The deal was worth £1 billion a year domestically as of 2013–14, with BSkyB and BT Group securing the domestic rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively. The league generates €2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. In 2014/15, teams were apportioned revenues of £1.6 billion.
The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. In the 2014–15 season, the average Premier League match attendance exceeded 36,000, second highest of any professional football league behind the Bundesliga's 43,500. Most stadium occupancies are near capacity. The Premier League ranks third in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons.
While 47 clubs have competed since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, only six have won the title: Manchester United (13), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (3), Manchester City (6), Blackburn Rovers (1), Leicester City (1) and Liverpool (1). The current champions are Manchester City, who won the title in the 2021-22 Premier League.
2025–26 season[]
Twenty clubs are competing in the 2024–25 season – top seventeen from the previous season and three promoted from the Championship.
| 2024–25 Club |
2023–24 Position |
First season in top division |
First season in Premier League |
Seasons in top division |
Seasons in Premier League |
First season of current spell in top division |
No. of seasons of current spell in Premier League |
Top division titles |
Most recent top division title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2nd | 1904–05 | 1992–93 | 108 | 33 | 1919–20 (99 seasons) | 33 | 13 | 2003–04 |
| Aston Villa | 4th | 1888–89 | 1992–93 | 111 | 30 | 2019–20 (6 seasons) | 6 | 7 | 1980–81 |
| Bournemouth | 12th | 2015–16 | 2015–16 | 8 | 8 | 2022–23 (3 seasons) | 3 | 0 | – |
| Brentford | 16th | 1935–36 | 2021–22 | 9 | 4 | 2021–22 (4 seasons) | 4 | 0 | – |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 11th | 1979–80 | 2017–18 | 12 | 8 | 2017–18 (8 seasons) | 8 | 0 | – |
| Chelsea | 6th | 1907–08 | 1992–93 | 90 | 33 | 1989–90 (36 seasons) | 33 | 6 | 2016–17 |
| Crystal Palace | 10th | 1969–70 | 1992–93 | 25 | 16 | 2013–14 (12 seasons) | 12 | 0 | – |
| Everton | 15th | 1888–89 | 1992–93 | 122 | 33 | 1954–55 (71 seasons) | 33 | 9 | 1986–87 |
| Fulham | 13th | 1949–50 | 2001–02 | 30 | 18 | 2022–23 (3 seasons) | 3 | 0 | – |
| Ipswich Town | 2nd (EFL) | 1961–62 | 1992–93 | 27 | 6 | 2024–25 (1 season) | 1 | 1 | 1961–62 |
| Leicester City | 1st (EFL) | 1955–56 | 1994–95 | 56 | 18 | 2024–25 (1 season) | 1 | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Liverpool | 3rd | 1894–95 | 1992–93 | 110 | 33 | 1962–63 (63 seasons) | 33 | 20 | 2024–25 |
| Manchester City | 1st | 1899–1900 | 1992–93 | 96 | 28 | 2002–03 (23 seasons) | 23 | 10 | 2023–24 |
| Manchester United | 8th | 1892–93 | 1992–93 | 100 | 33 | 1975–76 (50 seasons) | 33 | 20 | 2012–13 |
| Newcastle United | 7th | 1898–99 | 1993–94 | 93 | 30 | 2017–18 (8 seasons) | 8 | 4 | 1926–27 |
| Nottingham Forest | 17th | 1892–93 | 1992–93 | 59 | 8 | 2022–23 (3 seasons) | 3 | 1 | 1977–78 |
| Southampton | 4th playoffs (EFL) | 1966–67 | 1992–93 | 47 | 25 | 2024–25 (1 season) | 1 | 0 | – |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5th | 1909–10 | 1992–93 | 90 | 33 | 1978–79 (47 seasons) | 33 | 2 | 1960–61 |
| West Ham United | 9th | 1923–24 | 1993–94 | 67 | 29 | 2012–13 (13 seasons) | 13 | 0 | – |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14th | 1888–89 | 2003–04 | 70 | 11 | 2018–19 (7 seasons) | 7 | 3 | 1958–59 |
- Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton were relegated to the EFL Championship for the 2025–26 season, whilst Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland, as winners, runners-up and play-off final winners, respectively, were promoted from the 2024–25 season.
- Only two clubs have remained in the Premier League since their first promotion: Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, who have been in 5 and 9 season(s) (out of 34), respectively.
Sponsorship[]
From 1993 to 2016, the Premier League had title sponsorship rights sold to two companies; Barclays was the most recent title sponsor, having sponsored the Premier League from 2001 through 2016 (until 2004, the title sponsorship was held through its Barclaycard brand before shifting to its main banking brand in 2004).
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | No sponsor | FA Premier League |
| 1993–2001 | Carling | FA Carling Premiership |
| 2001–2004 | Barclaycard | FA Barclaycard Premiership |
| 2004–2007 | Barclays | FA Barclays Premiership |
| 2008–2016 | Barclays Premier League | |
| 2016– | No sponsor | Premier League |
Barclays' deal with the Premier League expired at the end of the 2015–16 season. The FA announced on 4 June 2015 that it would not pursue any further title sponsorship deals for the Premier League, arguing that they wanted to build a "clean" brand for the competition more in line with those of major U.S. sports leagues.
As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Premier League has a number of official partners and suppliers. The official ball supplier for the league is Nike who have had the contract since the 2000–01 season when they took over from Mitre.
Managers[]
- See also List of Premier League managers
Managers in the Premier League are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection and player acquisition. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the ownership of the club and the relationship of the manager with fans. Managers are required to have a UEFA Pro Licence which is the final coaching qualification available, and follows the completion of the UEFA 'B' and 'A' Licences. The UEFA Pro Licence is required by every person who wishes to manage a club in the Premier League on a permanent basis (i.e., more than 12 weeks, the amount of time an unqualified caretaker manager is allowed to take control). Caretaker appointments are managers that fill the gap between a managerial departure and a new appointment. Several caretaker managers have gone on to secure a permanent managerial post after performing well as a caretaker, including Paul Hart at Portsmouth and David Pleat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsène Wenger is the longest-serving manager, having been in charge of Arsenal in the Premier League from 1996 to his retirement at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, and holds the record for most matches managed in the Premier League with 828, all with Arsenal. He broke the record set by Alex Ferguson, who had managed 810 matches with Manchester United from the Premier League's inception to his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season. Ferguson was in charge of Manchester United from November 1986 until his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season, meaning he was manager for the last five years of the old Football League First Division and all of the first 21 seasons of the Premier League.
During the 2021-22 season, 10 managers were been sacked: Xisco and Claudio Ranieri of Watford, Steve Bruce of Newcastle, Nuno Espirito Santo of Tottenham, Daniel Farke of Norwich, Dean Smith of Aston Villa, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer of Manchester United, Rafael Benitez of Everton, and Marcelo Bielsa of Leeds.
There have been several studies into the reasoning behind, and effects of, managerial sackings. Most famously, Professor Sue Bridgewater of the University of Liverpool and Dr. Bas ter Weel of the University of Amsterdam, performed two separate studies which helped to explain the statistics behind managerial sackings. Bridgewater's study found clubs generally sack their managers upon dropping below an average of one point per match.
| Manager | Nationality | Club | Appointed | Time as manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pep Guardiola |  Spain |
Manchester City | 1 July 2016 | 9 years, 222 days |
| Mikel Arteta | Spain |
Arsenal | 20 December 2019 | 6 years, 50 days |
| Marco Silva |  Portugal |
Fulham | 1 July 2021 | 4 years, 222 days |
| Eddie Howe |  England |
Newcastle United | 8 November 2021 | 4 years, 92 days |
| Unai Emery | Spain |
Aston Villa | 1 November 2022 | 3 years, 99 days |
| Andoni Iraola | Spain |
Bournemouth | 19 June 2023 | 2 years, 234 days |
| Daniel Farke |  Germany |
Leeds United | 4 July 2023 | 2 years, 219 days |
| Oliver Glasner |  Austria |
Crystal Palace | 19 February 2024 | 1 year, 354 days |
| Arne Slot |  Netherlands |
Liverpool | 1 June 2024 | 1 year, 252 days |
| Fabian Hürzeler | Germany |
Brighton & Hove Albion | 15 June 2024 | 1 year, 238 days |
| Régis Le Bris |  France |
Sunderland | 1 July 2024 | 1 year, 222 days |
| Scott Parker | England |
Burnley | 5 July 2024 | 1 year, 218 days |
| David Moyes |  Scotland |
Everton | 11 January 2025 | 1 year, 28 days |
| Thomas Frank |  Denmark |
Tottenham Hotspur | 12 June 2025 | 241 days |
| Keith Andrews |  Ireland |
Brentford | 27 June 2025 | 226 days |
| Nuno Espírito Santo | Portugal |
West Ham United | 27 September 2025 | 134 days |
| Sean Dyche | England |
Nottingham Forest | 21 October 2025 | 110 days |
| Rob Edwards |  Wales |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 November 2025 | 88 days |
| Liam Rosenior | England |
Chelsea | 6 January 2026 | 33 days |
| Michael Carrick | England |
Manchester United | 13 January 2026 | 26 days |
2025–26 Table[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 46 | 17 | +29 | 53 | Qualification for the Champions League league phase |
| 2 | Manchester City | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 47 | |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 46 | |
| 4 | Manchester United | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 41 | |
| 5 | Chelsea | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 40 | Qualification for the Europa League league phase |
| 6 | Liverpool | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 39 | Possible qualification for the Conference League play-off round |
| 7 | Brentford | 24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 36 | |
| 8 | Sunderland | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 36 | |
| 9 | Fulham | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 35 | −1 | 34 | |
| 10 | Everton | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 27 | −1 | 34 | |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 24 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 33 | |
| 13 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 24 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 31 | |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 29 | |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 29 | −4 | 29 | |
| 16 | Leeds United | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 31 | 42 | −11 | 26 | |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 35 | −11 | 26 | |
| 18 | West Ham United | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 48 | −19 | 20 | Relegation to EFL Championship |
| 19 | Burnley | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 25 | 47 | −22 | 15 | |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 24 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 15 | 45 | −30 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs
Champions[]
|
|
Top scorers[]
- As of 21 March 2021.
| Rank | Player | Years | Goals | Apps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alan Shearer
|
1992–2006 | 260 | 441 | 0.59 |
| 2 | Wayne Rooney
|
2002–2018 | 208 | 491 | 0.42 |
| 3 | Andy Cole
|
1992–2008 | 187 | 414 | 0.45 |
| 4 |  Sergio Agüero
|
2011– | 181 | 271 | 0.67 |
| 5 | Frank Lampard
|
1995–2015 | 177 | 609 | 0.29 |
| 6 |  Thierry Henry
|
1999–2007 2012 |
175 | 258 | 0.68 |
| 7 | Robbie Fowler
|
1993–2009 | 163 | 379 | 0.43 |
| 8 | Jermain Defoe
|
2001–2003 2004–2014 2015–2019 |
162 | 496 | 0.33 |
| 9 | Harry Kane
|
2012– | 160 | 237 | 0.68 |
| 10 | Michael Owen
|
1996–2004 2005–2013 |
150 | 326 | 0.46 |
Italics denotes players still playing professional football,
Bold denotes players still playing in the Premier League.
The Premier League Golden Boot is awarded each season to the top scorer in the division. Former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer holds the record for most Premier League goals with 260. Twenty-eight players have reached the 100-goal mark. Since the first Premier League season in 1992–93, 23 players from 11 clubs have won or shared the top scorer title. Thierry Henry won his fourth overall scoring title by scoring 27 goals in the 2005–06 season. Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer hold the record for most goals in a season (34) – for Newcastle and Blackburn respectively. Ryan Giggs of Manchester United holds the record for scoring goals in consecutive seasons, having scored in the first 21 seasons of the league. Giggs also holds the record for the most Premier League assists, with 162.
See also[]
- Premier League Portal
- Premier League Hall of Fame
- Premier League Golden Boot
- List of Premier League clubs
- Premier League Clubs
- Premier League - All Time Standings
- Premier League Top Scorers By Season
- Premier League Anthems
- List of Premier League managers
- Premier League Match List
External links[]
 Premier League 2025–26
|
| Premier League seasons
|
| 1992–93 · 1993–94 · 1994–95 · 1995–96 · 1996–97 · 1997–98 · 1998–99 · 1999–00 · 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12 · 2012–13 · 2013–14 · 2014–15 · 2015–16 · 2016–17 · 2017–18 · 2018–19 · 2019–20 · 2020–21 · 2021–22 · 2022–23 · 2023–24 · 2024–25 · 2025–26 · |
| Premier League winners |
| 92-93: Manchester United · 93-94: Manchester United · 94-95: Blackburn Rovers · 95-96: Manchester United · 96-97: Manchester United · 97-98: Arsenal · 98-99: Manchester United · 99-00: Manchester United · 00-01: Manchester United · 01-02: Arsenal · 02-03: Manchester United · 03-04: Arsenal · 04-05: Chelsea · 05-06: Chelsea · 06-07: Manchester United · 07-08: Manchester United · 08-09: Manchester United · 09-10: Chelsea · 10-11: Manchester United · 11-12: Manchester City · 12-13: Manchester United · 13-14: Manchester City · 14-15: Chelsea · 15-16: Leicester City · 16-17: Chelsea · 17-18: Manchester City · 18-19: Manchester City · 19-20: Liverpool · 20-21: Manchester City · 21-22: Manchester City · 22-23: Manchester City · 23-24: Manchester City · 24-25: Liverpool |
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| Premier League winners |
| 92-93: Manchester United · 93-94: Manchester United · 94-95: Blackburn Rovers · 95-96: Manchester United · 96-97: Manchester United · 97-98: Arsenal · 98-99: Manchester United · 99-00: Manchester United · 00-01: Manchester United · 01-02: Arsenal · 02-03: Manchester United · 03-04: Arsenal · 04-05: Chelsea · 05-06: Chelsea · 06-07: Manchester United · 07-08: Manchester United · 08-09: Manchester United · 09-10: Chelsea · 10-11: Manchester United · 11-12: Manchester City · 12-13: Manchester United · 13-14: Manchester City · 14-15: Chelsea · 15-16: Leicester City · 16-17: Chelsea · 17-18: Manchester City · 18-19: Manchester City · 19-20: Liverpool · 20-21: Manchester City · 21-22: Manchester City · 22-23: Manchester City · 23-24: Manchester City · 24-25: Liverpool |
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| Premier League Golden Boot winners |
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1993: Sheringham · 1994: Cole · 1995: Shearer · 1996: Shearer · 1997: Shearer · 1998: Dublin, Owen & Sutton · 1999: Hasselbaink, Owen & Yorke · 2000: Phillips · 2001: Hasselbaink · 2002: Henry · 2003: Van Nistelrooy · 2004: Henry · 2005: Henry · 2006: Henry · 2007: Drogba · 2008: Ronaldo · 2009: Anelka · 2010: Drogba · 2011: Berbatov & Tevez · 2012: Van Persie · 2013: Van Persie · 2014: Suárez · 2015: Agüero · 2016: Kane · 2017: Kane · 2018: Salah · 2019: Aubameyang, Mané & Salah · 2020: Vardy · 2021: Kane · 2022: Salah & Son · 2023: TBD |
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