Seasons In Top Flight

By Paul Yarden · 1 min read

Seasons Spent in the Top Flight of English Football by Clubs from 1888-89 to 2026-27

This page ranks the clubs with the most seasons in the top flight of English football, covering every campaign from 1888-89 to 2026-27. The clubs that have spent the longest time in the English top flight are Everton with 124 seasons, Aston Villa with 113, Liverpool with 112 and Arsenal with 110. It also lists the ever-present Premier League clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — all of which have featured in every season since the competition’s inaugural 1992-93 campaign. Below you’ll find the full ranking of clubs by total top-flight seasons, plus a separate table showing the consecutive seasons in the top flight for the current Premier League sides.

Seasons in English Top Flight 1888-89 to 2026-27 (128 Seasons)

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No.	Club	Badge	Seasons
1	Everton		124
2	Aston Villa		113
3	Liverpool		112
4	Arsenal		110
5	Manchester United		102
6	Manchester City		98
7	Newcastle United		95
8	Tottenham Hotspur		92
9	Chelsea		92
10	Sunderland		88
11	West Bromwich Albion		81
12	Bolton Wanderers		73
13	Blackburn Rovers		72
14	Wolverhampton Wanderers		71
15	West Ham United		68
16	Sheffield Wednesday		66
17	Derby County		65
18	Sheffield United		63
19	Stoke City		62
20	Nottingham Forest		61
21	Burnley		61
22	Middlesbrough		61
23	Birmingham City		57
24	Leicester City		56
25	Leeds United		55
26	Southampton		47
27	Preston North End		46
28	Coventry City		35
29	Portsmouth		33
30	Fulham		32
31	Huddersfield Town		32
32	Notts County		30
33	Ipswich Town		28
34	Blackpool		28
35	Crystal Palace		27
35	Norwich City		27
37	Charlton Athletic		26
38	Queens Park Rangers		23
39	Bury		22
40	Luton Town		17
41	Cardiff City		17
42	Brighton and Hove Albion		14
43	Watford		14
44	Wimbledon FC		14
45	Oldham Athletic		12
46	Bradford City		12
47	Grimsby Town		12
48	Brentford		11
49	AFC Bournemouth		10
50	Bristol City		9
51	Swansea City		9
52	Wigan Athletic		8
53	Hull City		6
54	Accrington (Th' Owd Reds)		5
55	Bradford Park Avenue		3
56	Oxford United		3
57	Reading		3
58	Darwen		2
59	Millwall		2
60	Glossop		1
61	Carlisle United		1
62	Swindon Town		1
63	Northampton Town		1
64	Leyton Orient		1
65	Barnsley		1

Consecutive Seasons in Top Flight for Current Season’s Premier League Clubs 

No.	Club	Badge	Dates	Seasons
1	Arsenal*		1919-20	101
2	Everton		1954-55	73
3	Liverpool		1962-63	65
4	Manchester United		1975-76	52
5	Tottenham Hotspur		1978-79	49
6	Chelsea		1989-90	38
7	Manchester City		2002-03	25
8	Crystal Palace		2013-14	14
9	Brighton and Hove Albion		2017-18	10
10	Newcastle United		2017-18	10
11	Aston Villa		2019-20	8
12	Brentford		2021-22	6
13	Fulham		2022-23	5
14	AFC Bournemouth		2022-23	5
15	Nottingham Forest		2022-23	5
16	Leeds United		2025-26	2
17	Sunderland		2025-26	2
18	Coventry City		2026-27	1
19	Ipswich Town		2026-27	1
20	Hull City		2026-27	1

*Arsenal were “elected” to the Top Flight in season 1919-20.

They remain the only club since the formation of the Football League in 1888-89 who never earned their place on merit.

BOLD = Premier League club season 2026-27

About the author: Paul Yarden

Paul Yarden founded MyFootballFacts (MFF) in April 2009, after decades of collecting football data and statistics. A devout football fan, Paul follows the beautiful game around the world. As MFF’s main statistician and chief editor, he creates data reviews, daily football quizzes, and writes numerous articles. Renowned for his ability to spot trends, Paul is often described as a walking…

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