With the season ending, we look at the teams to have the most Premier League title wins, plus the clubs with the most titles in English top-flight history, because football didn’t begin in 1992, you know…
Teams with the Most Premier League Titles
13 – Manchester United
7 – Manchester City
5 – Chelsea
3 – Arsenal
1 – Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City
Manchester United won the inaugural Premier League season in 1992-93, with this their first top-flight league title in 26 years. Alex Ferguson oversaw the Red Devils for this title victory, with the trophy coming seven years after he arrived at the club from Scottish side Aberdeen in November 1986.
All 13 of Man Utd’s Premier League titles came under Ferguson, with his last season as a manager in 2012-13 providing their most recent league championship.
Ferguson led United to more Premier League titles than United had won before the inception of the competition in 1992 (7) and his total of 13 title wins in England is more than double that of any other manager, with George Ramsay and Bob Paisley’s six each the next highest.
Pep Guardiola is on the cusp of equalling Ramsay and Paisley’s totals, with Manchester City on course to win the 2023-24 Premier League title. That would be his sixth league crown in just eight years at Man City, with them dominating the league since his arrival.
Chelsea have won the Premier League on five occasions, with José Mourinho’s arrival at the club securing the first two of those in 2004-05 and 2005-06, before he came back to Stamford Bridge and sealed a third in 2014-15. Their other Premier League titles came under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009-10 and Antonio Conte in 2016-17.
Mikel Arteta is looking to end 20 years of hurt for Arsenal, who haven’t won the Premier League since 2003-04 under Arsène Wenger. That campaign saw the Gunners labelled as ‘The Invincibles’ after they went the entire league season without a single defeat – just the second club to do so in the English top flight after Preston in 1888-89.
The Frenchman led Arsenal to three league titles in total, with other Premier League trophies secured in 1997-98 and 2001-02.
Liverpool won the Premier League title in 2019-20 under Jürgen Klopp, with the German bringing the English league trophy back to Anfield for the first time in 30 years, while Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn upset the odds in 1994-95 – the final 42-game Premier League season – by winning the title on the final day ahead of Man Utd.
Arguably the greatest Premier League surprise was Leicester City’s title success in 2015-16. Claudio Ranieri led them to the title against all odds – their only English top-flight success so far – after the previous season had seen them avoid relegation late on.
Teams with the Most English Top-Flight League Titles
20 – Manchester United
19 – Liverpool
13 – Arsenal
9 – Manchester City, Everton
7 – Aston Villa
6 – Sunderland, Chelsea
4 – Newcastle United, Sheffield Wednesday
3 – Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers
2 – Preston North End, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Burnley, Portsmouth
1 – Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City
Of course, the English top flight didn’t begin with the inception of the Premier League in 1992-93.
There have been 126 seasons with 126 league champions before 2023-24 began back in August, so which clubs have been the most successful in English top-flight history?
Overall, 24 different clubs have won the English top flight, with Manchester United leading the way with 20, only just ahead of Liverpool’s tally of 19.
A strong period in the 1970s and 1980s saw Liverpool collect 11 titles across the two decades (if you include 1989-90), and they led rivals United as the most successful English league club. However, Ferguson’s reign at Man Utd saw them collect 13 titles in the Premier League era to overtake Liverpool with 20 top-flight league titles to their 18. Success in 2019-20 saw Liverpool reduce the deficit to one, but they remain in second place behind United.
Arsenal’s three Premier League titles topped up their 10 won before 1992. They won the league in four successive decades (1970s, 80s, 90s and 00s) but that run came to an end in the 2010s.
Everton and Man City have both won nine top-flight English titles, but City look set to surpass the Toffees’ total this season. The blue half of Merseyside last won the league title in 1986-87, and at that time were seven league titles ahead of City.
Aston Villa are the sixth-most successful top-flight English club, having won the league title on seven occasions, the last coming in 1980-81. However, six of their league titles came between 1894 and 1910, while only Liverpool (15) and Man Utd (17) have finished seasons as runners-up more often than Villa (10). Arsenal are currently level with them on 10 second-place finishes in the top flight, but they could move ahead with an 11th runners-up berth in 2023-24.
The original ‘Invincibles’ were Preston North End in 1888-89, who won the first-ever English Football League crown, before they sealed their second in 1889-90. They’ve not won it since.
Five teams have won the English top-flight league title in three successive seasons: Huddersfield (1923–1926), Arsenal (1932–1935), Liverpool (1981–1984), Man Utd (1998–2001 and 2006–2009) and Man City (2020–2023). City and Guardiola have the chance to create history in 2023-24 with a fourth consecutive title.
Spare a thought for the nearly men. Across English top-flight history, eight teams have finished in second place without ever having won a title: Bristol City (1906–07), Oldham Athletic (1914–15), Cardiff City (1923–24), Charlton Athletic (1936–37), Blackpool (1955–56), QPR (1975–76), Watford (1982–83) and Southampton (1983–84).
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