West Ham United

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Lore & Background

West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. It moved to the Boleyn Ground, which remained its home ground for more than a century, in 1904. The team initially competed in the Southern League and Western League before joining the Football League in 1919. It was promoted to the top flight in 1923, when it was also losing finalist in the first FA Cup final held at Wembley. In 1940, the club won the inaugural Football League War Cup. West Ham United has won five major honours in its history. Domestically, it has been winner of the FA Cup three times (1964, 1975 and 1980) and runner-up twice (1923 and 2006). In European competitions, the club has reached three major European finals winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, finishing runner-up in the same competitions in 1976, and winning the second edition of the Conference League in 2023. The club has also won one minor European trophy by winning the Intertoto Cup in 1999. West Ham United is one of eight clubs never to have fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 68 of 100 league seasons in the top flight, up to and including the 2025–26 season. The club's highest league position to date came in 1985–86, when it achieved third place in the then First Division. Three West Ham players were members of the 1966 World Cup finals-winning England team: captain Bobby Moore and goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Millwall, and the fixture has gained notoriety for frequent incidents of football hooliganism. West Ham adopted their claret, sky blue and white colour scheme in the early 1900s, with the most common iteration of a claret shirt and sky blue sleeves first emerging in 1904.

In Their Own Story

On 18 August, West Ham began their European campaign by playing Danish team Viborg in the first leg of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round. Manager David Moyes, captain Declan Rice and defender Aaron Cresswell were all suspended following disciplinary incidents against Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous season's Europa League semi-final. The Hammers won 3–1, with Gianluca Scamacca scoring his first goal for the club. The second leg on 25 August finished 3–0, with an aggregate scoreline of 6–1, as West Ham qualified comfortably for the group stage. On 8 September, West Ham began their group stage campaign against FCSB at London Stadium, winning 3–1. The game contained multiple tributes to long-reigning British queen Elizabeth II, whose death had been announced earlier that day. West Ham officially sealed their place in the Conference League knockout stages on 13 October with a 2–1 win over Anderlecht. They secured their place in the round of sixteen with a 1–0 win over Silkeborg on 27 October.

Reader's Guide

The earliest generally accepted incarnation of West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks won the West Ham Charity Cup in 1895, then won the London League in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 upon entering the Southern League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt. In June 1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. was disbanded, then almost immediately relaunched as West Ham United F.C. on 5 July 1900. West Ham United joined the Western League for the 1901 season while also continuing to play in the Southern Division 1. In 1907, West Ham were crowned the Western League Division 1B Champions, and then defeated 1A champions Fulham 1–0 to become the Western League Overall Champions. The reborn club moved to the Boleyn Ground stadium in 1904. In 1919, West Ham gained entrance to the Football League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division in 1923, also making it to the first ever FA Cup final to be held at the old Wembley Stadium. In 1932, the club was relegated to the Second Division. In June 1940 the club won its first major trophy, winning the War Cup. The club spent most of the next thirty years in the second division. Ron Greenwood was appointed as manager in 1961 and soon led the club to two major trophies, winning the 1964 FA Cup Final. West Ham also won the European Cup Winners' Cup the following year.

Did You Know?

• West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900.
• The club's highest league finish was third place in the First Division in 1985–86.
• Three West Ham players were part of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team: Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, and Martin Peters.
• West Ham won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 and the Conference League in 2023.
• The club's home ground is the London Stadium, having moved from the Boleyn Ground in 2016.