The Premier League, often referred to outside the UK as the English Premier League, or sometimes the EPL, (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the top level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL). Seasons run from August to May with each team playing 38 matches (playing all 19 other teams both home and away). Most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The competition was founded 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, founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal. The deal was worth around £1 billion a year domestically as of 2013–14, with Sky and BT Group securing the domestic rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively. The league is a corporation in which the member clubs act as shareholders, and generates €2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. Clubs were apportioned central payment revenues of £2.4 billion in 2016–17, with a further £343 million in solidarity payments to English Football League (EFL) clubs.
The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. For the 2018–19 season average Premier League match attendance was at 38,181, second to the Bundesliga's 43,500, while aggregated attendance across all matches is the highest of any league at 14,508,981. Most stadium occupancies are near capacity. The Premier League ranks second in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons as of 2021, only behind Spain's La Liga. The English top-flight has produced the second-highest number of UEFA Champions League/European Cup titles, with five English clubs having won thirteen European trophies in total.
Forty-nine clubs have competed since the inception of the Premier League in 1992: forty-seven English and two Welsh clubs. Seven of them have won the title: Manchester United (13), Chelsea (5), Manchester City (4), Arsenal (3), Blackburn Rovers (1), Leicester City (1) and Liverpool (1).
Clubs[]
2023-24 season teams[]
Club | Location | Stadium |
---|---|---|
Arsenal | London (Holloway) | Emirates Stadium |
Aston Villa | Birmingham (Aston) | Villa Park |
Bournemouth | Bournemouth | Dean Court |
Brentford | London (Brentford) | Brentford Community Stadium |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton | Falmer Stadium |
Burnley | Burnley | Turf Moor |
Chelsea | London (Fulham) | Stamford Bridge |
Crystal Palace | London (Selhurst) | Selhurst Park |
Everton | Liverpool (Walton) | Goodison Park |
Fulham | London (Fulham) | Craven Cottage |
Liverpool | Liverpool (Anfield) | Anfield |
Luton Town | Luton | Kenilworth Road |
Manchester City | Manchester (Bradford) | City of Manchester Stadium |
Manchester United | Manchester (Old Trafford) | Old Trafford |
Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | St James' Park |
Nottingham Forest | West Bridgford | City Ground |
Sheffield United | Sheffield (Highfield) | Bramall Lane |
Tottenham Hotspur | London (Tottenham) | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
West Ham United | London (Stratford) | London Stadium |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolverhampton | Molineux Stadium |
Relegated teams[]
Club | Location | Stadium | Most recent relegation |
---|---|---|---|
Barnsley | Barnsley | Oakwell | 1997-98 |
Birmingham City | Birmingham (Bordesley) | St Andrew's | 2010-11 |
Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | Ewood Park | 2011-12 |
Blackpool | Blackpool | Bloomfield Road | 2010-11 |
Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | University of Bolton Stadium | 2011-12 |
Bradford City | Bradford | Valley Parade | 2000-01 |
Cardiff City | Cardiff, Wales | Cardiff City Stadium | 2018-19 |
Chalton Athletic | London (Charlton) | The Valley | 2006-07 |
Coventry City | Coventry | Coventry Building Society Arena | 2000-01 |
Derby County | Derby | Pride Park Stadium | 2007-08 |
Huddersfield Town | Huddersfield | John Smith's Stadium | 2018-19 |
Hull City | Kingston upon Hull | MKM Stadium | 2016-17 |
Ipswich Town | Ipswich | Portman Road | 2001-02 |
Leeds United | Leeds | Elland Road | 2022-23 |
Leicester City | Leicester | King Power Stadium | 2022-23 |
Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 2016-17 |
Norwich City | Norwich | Carrow Road | 2021-22 |
Oldham Athletic | Oldham | Boundary Park | 1993-94 |
Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 2009-10 |
Queens Park Rangers | London (Shepherd's Bush) | Loftus Road Stadium | 2014-15 |
Reading | Reading | Select Car Leasing Stadium | 2012-13 |
Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield (Owlerton) | Hillsborough Stadium | 1999-2000 |
Southampton | Southampton | St Mary's Stadium | 2022-23 |
Stoke City | Stoke-on-Trent | bet365 Stadium | 2017-18 |
Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 2016-17 |
Swansea City | Swansea, Wales | Swansea.com Stadium | 2017-18 |
Swindon Town | Swindon | County Ground | 1993-94 |
Watford | Watford | Vicarage Road | 2021-22 |
West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns | 2020-21 |
Wigan Athletic | Wigan | DW Stadium | 2012-13 |
Broadcasters[]
Country | Broadcaster(s) |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
United Kingdom | Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime Video, BBC Sport |
Africa | |
Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport, Canal+ Afrique |
South Africa | SABC Sport |
Asian broadcasters | |
Central Asia Philippines |
Setanta Sports |
Indian subcontinent | Star Sports |
Bangladesh | Rabbithole |
Cambodia | TrueVisions, CTN |
China | iQIYI, Migu, CCTV |
Hong Kong | Now TV |
Indonesia | Emtek |
Japan | SPOTV, Abema |
Macau | iQIYI |
Malaysia | Astro SuperSport |
Mongolia | UniSports |
Myanmar | Sky Net |
Pakistan | PTV Sports, Tapmad Sports, Daraz |
Singapore | StarHub |
South Korea | SPOTV |
Taiwan | ELTA |
Tajikistan | Varzish TV, TV Football |
Thailand Laos |
TrueVisions |
Vietnam | K+ |
Europe | |
Albania | SuperSport |
Armenia | Setanta Sports, Vivaro Sports |
Azerbaijan | İTV, Setanta Sports |
Belarus Georgia Moldova Ukraine |
Setanta Sports |
Belgium | Play Sports, VOO Sport World |
Bosnia & Herzegovina Croatia Montenegro North Macedonia Serbia Slovenia |
Arena Sport |
Bulgaria | Diema Sport |
Cyprus | CytaVision |
Czech Republic Slovakia |
Canal+ Sport |
Denmark Estonia Finland |
Viaplay |
France | Canal+ |
Germany Austria Liechtenstein |
Sky Sport |
Greece | Nova Sport |
Hungary | Spíler TV, Arena4 |
Iceland | Síminn |
Ireland | Premier Sports |
Italy San Marino |
Sky Sport |
Latvia Lithuania Netherlands Norway Sweden |
NENT |
Luxembourg | Sky Sport, VOO Sport World |
Malta | Total Sports Network |
Poland | NENT, Canal+ |
Portugal | Eleven Sports |
Romania | Digi Sport, Prima Sport, Orange Sport |
Spain Andorra |
DAZN |
Switzerland | Sky Sport, Canal+ |
Turkey | beIN Sports |
Latin America | |
Brazil | ESPN |
South America | ESPN |
Central America Mexico |
Paramount+ |
Middle East and North Africa | |
Middle East and North Africa | beIN Sports |
North America | |
Canada | fuboTV |
Caribbean | VertiCast |
United States Puerto Rico |
NBC Sports |
Oceania | |
Australia | Optus Sport |
New Zealand | Sky Sport |
Pacific Islands Papua New Guinea |
Digicel |