Premier League

The world's most-watched sports league.

The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest 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 usually run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches: two against each other team, one home and one away. Most games are played on weekend afternoons, with occasional weekday evening fixtures.

Lore & Background

The competition was founded as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992, after First Division clubs broke away from the English Football League. The league is a corporation governed by its member clubs and managed by a chief executive. The Premier League has a £6.7 billion domestic television rights deal, with Sky and TNT Sports showing at least 215 and 52 games, respectively. In the 2022–2025 cycle, the Premier League's international broadcast rights were worth £5.3 billion, surpassing £5.1 billion domestic rights for the first time.

As of 2023–24, clubs received £2.8 billion in central payments, with additional solidarity payments made to relegated clubs. The Premier League is the world's most-watched sports league, broadcast in 212 territories to a potential audience of 4.7 billion people. More than 1.4 billion watched live games during the 2024–25 season. The league has the highest average match attendance in association football, at 40,421 per game, with most stadiums near full capacity.

The Premier League is ranked first in the UEFA coefficient rankings based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons, ahead of Italy's Serie A. English clubs have won the second-highest number of European Cup / UEFA Champions League titles, with a record six clubs winning fifteen European cups in total. Fifty-one clubs have competed in the Premier League since its inception in 1992: 49 from England and two from Wales. Seven have won the title: Manchester United (13), Manchester City (8), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (4), Liverpool (2), Blackburn Rovers (1) and Leicester City (1).

Only seven clubs have played in every season to date: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Did You Know?

The first Premier League goal was scored by Brian Deane of Sheffield United in a 2–1 win against Manchester United.
Manchester United won the inaugural edition of the new league, ending a twenty-six year wait to be crowned champions of England.