Back to the Record Books

English football champions by year

Champions of the English top flight, by the year the season finished.

127 years listed, 1889 to 2026.

Earliest year listed: Preston North End (1889).

Latest year listed: Arsenal (2026).

24 different club names appear on the list, 1889 to 2026.

Every English football champion since 1889, year by year

English football champions in the 2020s

Year

Champion

2026

Arsenal

2025

Liverpool

2024

Manchester City

2023

Manchester City

2022

Manchester City

2021

Manchester City

2020

Liverpool

English football champions in the 2010s

Year

Champion

2019

Manchester City

2018

Manchester City

2017

Chelsea

2016

Leicester City

2015

Chelsea

2014

Manchester City

2013

Manchester United

2012

Manchester City

2011

Manchester United

2010

Chelsea

English football champions in the 2000s

Year

Champion

2009

Manchester United

2008

Manchester United

2007

Manchester United

2006

Chelsea

2005

Chelsea

2004

Arsenal

2003

Manchester United

2002

Arsenal

2001

Manchester United

2000

Manchester United

English football champions in the 1990s

Year

Champion

1999

Manchester United

1998

Arsenal

1997

Manchester United

1996

Manchester United

1995

Blackburn Rovers

1994

Manchester United

1993

Manchester United

1992

Leeds United

1991

Arsenal

1990

Liverpool

English football champions in the 1980s

Year

Champion

1989

Arsenal

1988

Liverpool

1987

Everton

1986

Liverpool

1985

Everton

1984

Liverpool

1983

Liverpool

1982

Liverpool

1981

Aston Villa

1980

Liverpool

English football champions in the 1970s

Year

Champion

1979

Liverpool

1978

Nottingham Forest

1977

Liverpool

1976

Liverpool

1975

Derby County

1974

Leeds United

1973

Liverpool

1972

Derby County

1971

Arsenal

1970

Everton

English football champions in the 1960s

Year

Champion

1969

Leeds United

1968

Manchester City

1967

Manchester United

1966

Liverpool

1965

Manchester United

1964

Liverpool

1963

Everton

1962

Ipswich Town

1961

Tottenham Hotspur

1960

Burnley

English football champions in the 1950s

Year

Champion

1959

Wolverhampton Wanderers

1958

Wolverhampton Wanderers

1957

Manchester United

1956

Manchester United

1955

Chelsea

1954

Wolverhampton Wanderers

1953

Arsenal

1952

Manchester United

1951

Tottenham Hotspur

1950

Portsmouth

English football champions in the 1940s

Year

Champion

1949

Portsmouth

1948

Arsenal

1947

Liverpool

English football champions in the 1930s

Year

Champion

1939

Everton

1938

Arsenal

1937

Manchester City

1936

Sunderland

1935

Arsenal

1934

Arsenal

1933

Arsenal

1932

Everton

1931

Arsenal

1930

Sheffield Wednesday

English football champions in the 1920s

Year

Champion

1929

Sheffield Wednesday

1928

Everton

1927

Newcastle United

1926

Huddersfield Town

1925

Huddersfield Town

1924

Huddersfield Town

1923

Liverpool

1922

Liverpool

1921

Burnley

1920

West Bromwich Albion

English football champions in the 1910s

Year

Champion

1915

Everton

1914

Blackburn Rovers

1913

Sunderland

1912

Blackburn Rovers

1911

Manchester United

1910

Aston Villa

English football champions in the 1900s

Year

Champion

1909

Newcastle United

1908

Manchester United

1907

Newcastle United

1906

Liverpool

1905

Newcastle United

1904

Sheffield Wednesday

1903

Sheffield Wednesday

1902

Sunderland

1901

Liverpool

1900

Aston Villa

English football champions in the 1890s

Year

Champion

1899

Aston Villa

1898

Sheffield United

1897

Aston Villa

1896

Aston Villa

1895

Sunderland

1894

Aston Villa

1893

Sunderland

1892

Sunderland

1891

Everton

1890

Preston North End

English football champions in 1889

Year

Champion

1889

Preston North End

Most English league titles since 1889

How we counted: each line in the year by year tables counts for the club name exactly as the table writes it, so a club the table writes two ways counts separately under each. The table does not always use the name of the day, so a renamed club may sit under one name or several. Nothing is listed for 1916 to 1919 and 1940 to 1946, so no title is counted for those years.

Out in front: Liverpool and Manchester United, 20 titles each.

Club

Titles under this name

Years

Liverpool

20

1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2020, 2025

Manchester United

20

1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

Arsenal

14

1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2026

Manchester City

10

1937, 1968, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Everton

9

1891, 1915, 1928, 1932, 1939, 1963, 1970, 1985, 1987

Aston Villa

7

1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1981

Chelsea

6

1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017

Sunderland

6

1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, 1936

Newcastle United

4

1905, 1907, 1909, 1927

Sheffield Wednesday

4

1903, 1904, 1929, 1930

Blackburn Rovers

3

1912, 1914, 1995

Huddersfield Town

3

1924, 1925, 1926

Leeds United

3

1969, 1974, 1992

Wolverhampton Wanderers

3

1954, 1958, 1959

Burnley

2

1921, 1960

Derby County

2

1972, 1975

Portsmouth

2

1949, 1950

Preston North End

2

1889, 1890

Tottenham Hotspur

2

1951, 1961

5 more club names appear once.

Play with this history

Champ or Not

Name Them All

How the Champions League works

Champions League format history: every shape the European Cup and the Champions League have taken since 1955, season by season, each checked against two sources.

Where this comes from

Each table was verified against at least two independent sources, and the checks run on every build: winner lists are audited answer by answer, split titles and vacated seasons are pinned so they can never quietly change, and a blank cell means the detail was never verified rather than papered over. Spot something that looks wrong anyway? The Report a bug button below lands straight in our inbox.

More record books

Super Bowl winners since 1967, year by year

NBA champions since 1947, year by year

World Series winners since 1903, year by year

Stanley Cup winners since 1915, year by year

WNBA champions since 1997, year by year

College football national champions since 1981, year by year

Men's NCAA basketball champions since 1939, year by year

VFL/AFL premiers since 1897, year by year

Brownlow Medal winners since 1924, year by year

Dally M Medal winners since 1979, year by year

NRL/NSWRL premiers since 1908, year by year

The Record Books, with the latest seasons of every competition