The following is a list of clubs who have played in the Premier League since its formation in 1992.
Over that span, 51 teams have played in the Premier League, two of which (Cardiff City and Swansea City) are located in Wales; they play in the English football league system for practical and historical reasons.
Preston North End are the only former top-flight First Division champions who have never played in the Premier League;[1] they are among a group of fourteen clubs, twelve of which are active, that have played in the old First Division but not in the Premier League. By contrast, Barnsley, Bournemouth, Hull City, Reading, Swindon Town and Wigan Athletic never played in the old First Division before being promoted to the Premier League.
Thirteen of the 22 founder members of the Premier League are competing in the 2026–27 season. Six (Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur) have contested every season of the Premier League. The remaining seven (Aston Villa, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest), were also founder members, though each team has been relegated at least once in the past. Two clubs, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, are not founding members of the Premier League, but have not been relegated since making their debuts in the Premier League after promotion in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
Table
[edit]All statistics here refer to time in the Premier League only, with the exception of 'Most Recent Finish' (which refers to all levels of play) and 'Last Promotion' (which refers to the club's last promotion from the second tier of English football). For the 'Top Scorer' column, those in bold still play in the Premier League for the club shown. Premier League teams playing in the current season or confirmed for the next season are indicated in bold, while founding members of the Premier League are shown in italics. A 'spell' refers to a number of consecutive seasons within the league, uninterrupted by relegation. If the longest spell is the current spell, this is shown in bold, and if the highest finish is that of the most recent season, then this is also shown in bold.
| Club | Location | Total seasons |
Total spells |
Longest spell |
Most recent promotion |
Most recent relegation |
Total seasons absent |
Seasons | Current spell | Most recent finish (2025–26) |
Highest finish |
Top scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | London (Holloway) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1914–15[a] | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 1st | 1st | Thierry Henry (175) |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham (Aston) | 32 | 2 | 24 | 2018–19 | 2015–16 | 3 |
|
8 | 4th | 2nd | Ollie Watkins (91) |
| Barnsley | Barnsley | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 34 | 1997–1998 | 0 | League One 15th |
19th (relegated) | Neil Redfearn (10) |
| Birmingham City | Birmingham (Bordesley) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2008–09 | 2010–11 | 28 |
|
0 | Championship 10th |
9th | Mikael Forssell (29) |
| Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | 18 | 2 | 11 | 2000–01 | 2011–12 | 17 |
|
0 | Championship 20th |
1st | Alan Shearer (112) |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 34 | 2010–2011 | 0 | League One 13th |
19th (relegated) | DJ Campbell (13) |
| Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | 13 | 3 | 11 | 2000–01 | 2011–12 | 22 |
|
0 | League One 5th (promoted) |
6th | Kevin Davies (68) |
| Bournemouth | Bournemouth | 10 | 2 | 5 | 2021–22 | 2019–20 | 25 |
|
5 | 6th | 6th | Joshua King (48) |
| Bradford City | Bradford | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1998–99 | 2000–01 | 33 | 1999–2001 | 0 | League One 4th |
17th | Dean Windass (13) |
| Brentford | London (Brentford) | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2020–21 | Never relegated | 29 | 2021– | 6 | 9th | 9th | Yoane Wissa (45) |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2016–17 | Never relegated | 25 | 2017– | 10 | 8th | 6th | Danny Welbeck (46) |
| Burnley | Burnley | 10 | 5 | 6 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | 25 |
|
0 | 19th (relegated) | 7th | Chris Wood (49) |
| Cardiff City | Cardiff | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 33 |
|
0 | League One 2nd (promoted) |
18th (relegated) | Jordon Mutch (7) |
| Charlton Athletic | London (Charlton) | 8 | 2 | 7 | 1999–2000 | 2006–07 | 27 |
|
0 | Championship 19th |
7th | Jason Euell (34) |
| Chelsea | London (Fulham) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1988–89 | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 10th | 1st | Frank Lampard (147) |
| Coventry City | Coventry | 10 | 2 | 9 | 2025–26 | 2000–01 | ||||||
| Derby County | Derby | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 28 |
|
0 | Championship 8th |
8th | Dean Sturridge (32) |
| Everton | Liverpool (Vauxhall) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1953–54 | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 13th | 4th | Romelu Lukaku (68) |
| Fulham | London (Fulham) | 20 | 4 | 13 | 2021–22 | 2020–21 | 15 |
|
5 | 11th | 7th | Clint Dempsey (50) |
| Huddersfield Town | Huddersfield | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2016–17 | 2018–19 | 33 | 2017–2019 | 0 | League One 9th |
16th | Steve Mounié (9) |
| Hull City | Kingston upon Hull | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2025–26 | 2016–17 | 29 |
|
1 | Championship 6th (promoted) |
16th | Nikica Jelavić (12) |
| Ipswich Town | Ipswich | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 28 |
|
1 | Championship 2nd (promoted) |
5th | Marcus Stewart (25) |
| Leeds United | Leeds | 17 | 3 | 12 | 2024–25 | 2022–23 | 18 |
|
2 | 14th | 3rd | Mark Viduka (59) |
| Leicester City | Leicester | 18 | 5 | 9 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 17 |
|
0 | Championship 23rd (relegated) |
1st | Jamie Vardy (145) |
| Liverpool | Liverpool (Anfield) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1961–62 | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 5th | 1st | Mohamed Salah (191) |
| Luton Town | Luton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 34 | 2023–2024 | 0 | League One 7th |
18th (relegated) | Carlton Morris (11) |
| Manchester City | Manchester | 30 | 3 | 25 | 2001–02 | 2000–01 | 5 |
|
25 | 2nd | 1st | Sergio Agüero (184) |
| Manchester United | Manchester (Old Trafford) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1974–75 | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 3rd | 1st | Wayne Rooney (183) |
| Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | 15 | 4 | 11 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 20 |
|
0 | Championship 5th |
7th | Hamilton Ricard (31) |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | 32 | 3 | 16 | 2016–17 | 2015–16 | 3 |
|
10 | 12th | 2nd | Alan Shearer (148) |
| Norwich City | Norwich | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 25 |
|
0 | Championship 9th |
3rd | Chris Sutton (33) |
| Nottingham Forest | West Bridgford | 10 | 4 | 5 | 2021–22 | 1998–99 | 25 |
|
5 | 16th | 3rd | Chris Wood (38) |
| Oldham Athletic | Oldham | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1990–91 | 1993–94 | 33 | 1992–1994 | 0 | League Two 10th |
19th | Graeme Sharp (16) |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2002–03 | 2009–10 | 28 | 2003–2010 | 0 | Championship 18th |
8th | Yakubu (28) |
| Queens Park Rangers | London (Shepherd's Bush) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 28 |
|
0 | Championship 15th |
5th | Les Ferdinand (60) |
| Reading | Reading | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 32 |
|
0 | League One 12th |
8th | Kevin Doyle (19) |
| Sheffield United | Sheffield (Highfield) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 29 |
|
0 | Championship 13th |
9th | Brian Deane (15) |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield (Owlerton) | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1990–91 | 1999–2000 | 27 | 1992–2000 | 0 | Championship 24th (relegated) |
7th | Mark Bright (48) |
| Southampton | Southampton | 25 | 3 | 13 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 10 |
|
0 | Championship 4th |
6th | Matt Le Tissier (100) |
| Stoke City | Stoke-on-Trent | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2007–08 | 2017–18 | 25 | 2008–2018 | 0 | Championship 17th |
9th | Peter Crouch (45) |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | 18 | 5 | 10 | 2024–25 | 2016–17 | 17 |
|
2 | 7th | 7th | Kevin Phillips (61) |
| Swansea City | Swansea | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2010–11 | 2017–18 | 28 | 2011–2018 | 0 | Championship 11th |
8th | Gylfi Sigurðsson (34) |
| Swindon Town | Swindon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 34 | 1993–1994 | 0 | League Two 9th |
22nd (relegated) | Jan Åge Fjørtoft (12) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | London (Tottenham) | 35 | 1 | 35 | 1977–78 | Never relegated | 0 | 1992– | 35 | 17th | 2nd | Harry Kane (213) |
| Watford | Watford | 8 | 4 | 5 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 27 |
|
0 | Championship 16th |
11th | Troy Deeney (47) |
| West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | 13 | 5 | 8 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 22 |
|
0 | Championship 21st |
8th | Peter Odemwingie (30) |
| West Ham United | London (Stratford) | 30 | 3 | 14 | 2011–12 | 2025–26 | 5 |
|
0 | 18th (relegated) | 5th | Michail Antonio (68) |
| Wigan Athletic | Manchester (Wigan) | 8 | 1 | 8 | 2004–05 | 2012–13 | 27 | 2005–2013 | 0 | League One 16th |
10th | Hugo Rodallega (24) |
| Wimbledon[b] | London (Wimbledon[c]) | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1985–86 | 1999–2000 | 27 | 1992–2000 | 0 | Relocated to MK Dons | 6th | Dean Holdsworth (58) |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolverhampton | 12 | 3 | 8 | 2017–18 | 2025–26 | 23 |
|
0 | 20th (relegated) | 7th | Raúl Jiménez (40) |
The 2006–07 season marked the first occasion former Premier League members were in all three divisions of the Football League following the relegation of Swindon Town to League Two. Since then, other former Premier League clubs relegated to League Two have included Bradford City, Portsmouth, Blackpool, Coventry City, Oldham Athletic and Bolton Wanderers. Oldham became the first former Premier League club to be relegated to the National League during the 2022–23 season.[2]
Norwich City have had the most separate spells in the Premier League, with six, which have lasted from one to three seasons in length.
Three clubs – Luton Town, Notts County and West Ham United – were in the top flight in 1991–92, and so took part in the original negotiations in 1991 that led to the formation of the Premier League, resigning their membership of The Football League along with the other 19 clubs in the top flight. However, the clubs were relegated that season and were thereby not founding Premier League members. West Ham won promotion to the Premier League the following season. Notts County has not returned to the top flight since, even dropping to the National League in 2019. Luton Town also dropped to the National League in 2009, but managed to return to the Football League in 2014 and won promotion to the Premier League in 2023 after play-offs.
Chart
[edit]
Location of all clubs who have competed in the Premier League
[edit]Where a club has played at multiple locations, the current location is shown (if they are a current Premier League member), or the location played at during the most recent Premier League season they competed in (if they are currently in the lower divisions).
  North West England (5) West Midlands (5) Yorkshire (6) |
Clubs that have competed in the top flight First Division, but not the Premier League
[edit] |
| Club | Town or city | Highest First Division finish |
Total seasons | Last relegation |
Current status (2026–27) |
Level in pyramid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accrington[d] | Accrington | 6th | 5 | 1892–93 | Defunct | – |
| Bradford Park Avenue | Bradford (Horton Park) | 9th | 3 | 1920–21 | Northern Premier League Division One East | 8 |
| Bristol City | Bristol (Ashton Gate) | 2nd | 9 | 1979–80 | Championship | 2 |
| Bury[f] | Bury | 4th | 22 | 1928–29 | Northern Premier League | 7 |
| Carlisle United | Carlisle | 22nd | 1 | 1974–75 | National League | 5 |
| Darwen[g] | Darwen | 14th | 2 | 1893–94 | North West Counties League | 10 |
| Glossop North End | Glossop | 18th | 1 | 1899–1900 | North West Counties League | 9 |
| Grimsby Town | Cleethorpes | 5th | 12 | 1947–48 | League Two | 4 |
| Leyton Orient | London (Leyton) | 22nd | 1 | 1962–63 | League One | 3 |
| Millwall | London (New Cross) | 10th | 2 | 1989–90 | Championship | 2 |
| Northampton Town | Northampton | 21st | 1 | 1965–66 | League Two | 4 |
| Notts County | Nottingham | 3rd | 30 | 1991–92 | League Two | 4 |
| Oxford United | Oxford | 18th | 3 | 1987–88 | League One | 3 |
| Preston North End | Preston | 1st | 46 | 1960–61 | Championship | 2 |
Overall number of seasons in First Division and Premier League
[edit]The number of seasons that each team has played in the top division between 1888–89 and 2026–27. A total of 65 teams have competed in at least one season of the top division. No team has participated in all 128 seasons; Everton have been absent for the fewest seasons, missing just four for a total of 124 seasons in the top flight. Teams in bold participate in the 2026–27 Premier League. Teams in italic have never competed in the Premier League, only the old First Division.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Arsenal finished 5th in Division Two in the 1914–15 season, but the Football League was then suspended until 1919–20 due to the First World War. After the war, Division One was expanded from 20 to 22 clubs and Arsenal was elected to the First Division for the 1919–20 season.
- ↑ Wimbledon relocated from London to Milton Keynes in 2003, and renamed themselves Milton Keynes Dons a year later.
- ↑ For the entirety of their time in the Premier League, Wimbledon played their home games at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace.
- ↑ The Accrington Stanley club competing today in League Two, as well as its 1891 predecessor, are unrelated to the original Accrington club.
- ↑ The original Bury F.C. was expelled from the EFL on 27 August 2019.[3] Bury A.F.C. was formed as a phoenix club in December of the same year. Following FA approval of a June 2023 merger between Bury F.C. and Bury A.F.C., the two teams' histories were combined, retroactively counting Bury A.F.C.'s seasons as seasons for Bury F.C.
- ↑ The original Darwen F.C. was wound up in May 2009.[4] A.F.C. Darwen was formed as a phoenix club the same month.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Football Trivia Question of the Day January 2012 Historic". My Football Facts & Stats. January 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ↑ "Oldham drop out of Football League after 115 years amid fierce protests". The Guardian. 23 April 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ↑ "Bury expelled by English Football League after takeover collapses". BBC Sport. 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ↑ "Final bid to save Darwen FC fails after High Court hearing". Lancashire Telegraph. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
