The Most Successful English Football Clubs (By Number of Trophies)
English Football Clubs ranked by Number of Trophies Won
Who are the most successful English clubs in Football history?
We have created a list of English football clubs and ranked them by trophies won. Only 50-odd clubs in English football history have ever won a ‘major’ trophy.
The Most Successful English Clubs
Since Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City in 2016, the Sky Blues have overtaken Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur on the list of most successful English clubs.
City have won five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and one Champions League crown in the last seven years, so no club comes close to them for trophy success in the last decade.
Aston Villa monopolised the 1890s, Huddersfield Town were dominant in the 1920s, Arsenal were superb in the 1930s and early 2000s, Wolverhampton Wanderers were exceptional in the 1950s, Nottingham Forest had their time in the late 1970s.
Liverpool were the team to beat in the 1980s, Manchester United had a strangle hold on the 1990s, Arsenal and Chelsea were top teams in the early 2000s, and City have been the best since the 2010s, but who makes the top-five?
5th Man City – 32 trophies
9 First Division/Premier League titles
7 FA Cups
8 League Cups
6 Community Shields
1 Champions League
1 Euro Cup Winners Cup
Only three English clubs boast more top-flight titles than City, but it’s worth noting that seven of them have come in the last 11 years.
The Sky Blues were founded in 1880s and yo-yoed between the top two divisions in their early years, becoming First Division mainstays for decades without a title.
It took City more than 50 years since their inception to win the top-flight crown and then another 31 years to win a second. They actually had more silverware from being in the Second Division at the time, so their modern-day success couldn’t be more contrasting to their humble beginnings.
The 2008 takeover changed the fortunes of the club, with City winning 20 of their 32 trophies during Sheikh Mansour’s reign, but it can’t be forgotten that they were yo-yoing between the Premier League and Championship until 2002.
4th Chelsea – 34 trophies
6 First Division/Premier League titles
8 FA Cups
5 League Cups
4 Community Shields
2 Champions Leagues
2 Europa Leagues
2 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups
2 Full Members’ Cups
2 UEFA Super Cups
1 FIFA Club World Cup
Chelsea have existed as a club since 1905 but are another side that won most of their trophies after being taken over by a wealthy businessman in 2003. In the last twenty years, Chelsea won 21 of their 34 pieces of silverware.
Before Roman Abramovich, Chelsea only had one top-flight title, three FA Cups, two League Cups, two Community Shields and European honour that wasn’t the Europa League or Champions League. They were in the second tier back in 1989 and were a midtable Premier League side until the mid-to-late 90s too.
It can’t be ignored that Preston North End, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Portsmouth, Derby County, Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town had more top-flight titles than Chelsea up until 2003, but the Blues made up for the lowly haul post-millennium.
3rd Arsenal – 48 trophies
13 First Division/Premier League titles
14 FA Cups
2 League Cups
16 Community Shields
1 Football League Centenary Trophy
1 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
Arsenal haven’t been prolific regarding trophies in the last decade, but they are a legacy team in England. The Gunners have more top-flight titles before the inception of the Premier League than after it was founded and 35% of their FA Cups were won before 1993 too.
They also haven’t fallen out of the top flight since 1913/14.
Arsenal were founded in 1886 and won the First Division title 45 years later. The Gunners smashed the 1930s with five league crowns, two FA Cups and five Community Shields, and they would win major honours in nearly every decade that followed.
Arsenal won a title in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s while only winning domestic cups in the 2010s and 2020, so it’s no surprise why they’re the third most successful English club.
They came close to winning the league in 2022/23, finishing second behind Manchester City, but the 2020s could be the decade that sees them finally rule the roost.
2nd Man Utd - 67 trophies
20 First Division/Premier League titles
12 FA Cups
6 League Cups
21 Community Shields
3 Champions League
1 Europa League
1 UEFA Super Cup
1 FIFA Club World Cup
1 Intercontinental Cup
1 Euro Cup Winners Cup
Arsenal are football royalty in England for their success over the decades, but Manchester United are Premier League elite.
The Red Devils won a First Division just 20 years after their creation in the 1880s and shone in the 1950s, but no side has come close to their 1990s dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.
It’s also worth noting that they haven’t dipped out of the top flight since 1974/75.
The Premier League’s inaugural season was 1992/93 and United won the title. They successfully defended their crown the following campaign and went on to win six more titles in the nine seasons that followed.
Chelsea’s rise in the early-to-mid 2000s presented United with a challenge, but they responded with three titles on the bounce between 2007 and 2009. But since Ferguson retired in 2013, the Red Devils haven’t managed to win a title.
1st Liverpool – 68 trophies*
19 First Division/Premier League titles
8 FA Cups
9 League Cups
16 Community Shields
6 UEFA Champions Leagues
4 UEFA Super Cups
3 UEFA Europa Leagues
1 FIFA Club World Cup
1 Football League Super Cup
Liverpool are ahead of Man Utd as the most successful English club based on trophies if we include the 1906 Sheriff of London Charity Shield, but they were overtaken on top-flight titles when the Red Devils won the league in 2011.
And even though Liverpool won the 2019/20 crown themselves, they still find themselves one behind their fierce rivals.
Liverpool won titles in the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s but went 30 years without another league crown.
They’ve won an impressive six European Cups/Champions Leagues, which is bettered only by Real Madrid (14) and AC Milan (7), while winning FA Cups in every decade from the 1960s to the 2020s, except the 2010s.
The Reds haven’t fallen out of the top-flight since 1954/55 either, so they’ve been the real deal for a long time.
A List of English Clubs, ranked by Number of Trophies Won
| FIFA and UEFA | FA, EFL and PL (top-qualifying) | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Cups | Super cups | Total | League | Cups | Super cups | Total | League | Cups | Super cups | Total |
| Liverpool | 10 | 4 | 14 | 19 | 18[a] | 17[b] | 54 | 19 | 28 | 21 | 68 |
| Manchester United | 6 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 59 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 67 |
| Arsenal | 2 | — | 2 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 46 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 48 |
| Chelsea | 7 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 25 | 6 | 22 | 6 | 34 |
| Manchester City | 2 | — | 1 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 28 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 29 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9[c] | 23 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 26 |
| Aston Villa | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 3[d] | 22 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 25 |
| Everton | 1 | — | 1 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 24 |
| Newcastle United | 2 | — | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 14 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 13 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 |
| Blackburn Rovers | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| Sunderland | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 2[e] | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Leeds United | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| West Bromwich Albion | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| Leicester City | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| West Ham United | 2 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Sheffield United | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Huddersfield Town | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Portsmouth | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Burnley | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Wanderers | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | — | 5 | — | 5 |
| Bolton Wanderers | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 5 | — | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Preston North End | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 |
| Derby County | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| Corinthian | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Birmingham City | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Bury | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Norwich City | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Old Etonians | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Cardiff City[f] | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Swindon Town | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Wigan Athletic | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Swansea City[g] | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Crystal Palace | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Luton Town | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Reading | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Wimbledon | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Coventry City | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Oxford United | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Southampton | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Stoke City | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Queens Park Rangers | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Blackpool | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Charlton Athletic | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Barnsley | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Bradford City | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Notts County | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Blackburn Olympic | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Old Carthusians | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Clapham Rovers | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Royal Engineers | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Oxford University | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Queens Park[h] | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
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