About this chart race
Preston North End won the very first Football League season in 1888–89 without losing a single match, and retained the title in 1889–90 — but they never won it again. Through the 1890s and 1900s the lead changed hands quickly between Sunderland, Everton and Aston Villa, with Villa emerging as the early record-holder: six titles by 1910, a mark no club would beat for over forty years.
Arsenal were the dominant force of the 1930s, taking five championships in eight seasons (1931–1938), and after two more in 1948 and 1953 they became the outright record-holder on seven. That lead did not survive the arrival of Liverpool, who pulled clear through the 1970s and 1980s and, by their 1989–90 title, had surged to 18 — a total that looked untouchable.
Manchester United erased it. Starting with the inaugural Premier League season in 1992–93, United won 13 titles in 21 years under Alex Ferguson, drawing level with Liverpool and reaching 20 in 2012–13. Liverpool would not win the league again until 2019–20, finally matching United on 20 with their 2024–25 title. English football's two most successful clubs now sit tied at the very top.
The steepest recent climb belongs to Manchester City. City had won just two titles in more than 120 years before 2011–12, then added eight in barely a decade to reach 10, overtaking Everton and Aston Villa. Arsenal's 2025–26 championship — their first since 2003–04 — lifted them to 14 and kept them third overall, still ahead of City.
This animated ranking shows how cumulative league titles changed across 24 series between 1889 and 2026. The bars re-order themselves as the years advance, so overtakes are visible as they happen rather than hidden inside a table. Use the list on the left to choose exactly who competes, drag the slider to jump to any year, or open the table view to read the underlying numbers.
As of 2026, Manchester United leads with 20 titles.
Included in this race
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Everton, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Preston North End, Portsmouth, Derby County, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Ipswich Town.
Source
Data from English Football League & Premier League records. Every figure shown comes from this source — nothing is estimated or generated.
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