How Many Teams Have Played in the Premier League?

The English Premier League is considered as the most exciting football league in the world by many. These claims can be backed up by worldwide television audiences being greater than any other division.

Television revenues have hit an all-time high as well as the Premier
League signed a record £5.14 billion deal back in February 2015 that kicked in at the start of this season. Neither the Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga or French Ligue 1 come close to matching these figures.

The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992, initially with 22 teams. Since then a total of 47 clubs have played in the English top flight over 24 seasons.

Newcastle United were the first team to be promoted to the newly-formed Premier League under the management of Kevin Keegan, followed by West Ham United and playoff winners Swindon Town.

Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest were the first-ever team relegated during the inaugural 1992-93 season. Joining them would be Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace, though each would be promoted back to the top flight within a couple of seasons

Crystal Palace are currently in their fifth Premier League spell, a record, having been relegated in each of their first four seasons. Leicester City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Norwich City have all had four separate spells.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were the first-ever Premier League champions as Aston Villa faded off towards the end of the season. The last-ever old Division One winners, Leeds United, finished in a terrible 17th place only two points above the relegation zone.

Chelsea’s Ian Porterfield became the first-ever Premier League manager to lose his job, as late as February 1993. It’s as if some things never change with Roman Abramovich bringing in and dismissing managers willy-nilly over the past decade or so.

Fast forward to 2015 and Bournemouth became the 47th and latest team to be promoted to the Premier League, winning the Championship on the final day of the season.

In Europe’s big five leagues, only Italy can boast more teams to have played in their top flight since the formation of the Premier League as Crotone’s promotion to Serie A became the 48th team.

Last year’s shock success from Leicester City saw the East Midlands club become the sixth different Premier League winner – following Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Liverpool are looking to become the seventh different winner this year and their Premier League betting odds are currently at 9/2 with Paddy Power.

Only France’s Ligue 1 can boast more league champions than the Premier League since 1992 – with 10 in all. Germany have seen six different champions, though Bayern Munich have won it on 14 occasions. Spain and Italy have only seen five different champions over the past 24 seasons.

Manchester United have been Premier League champions on 13 different occasions, followed by Chelsea four times, Arsenal three, Manchester City twice, and Blackburn and Leicester once each.

There is lots more exciting information from the past 25 years of football in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France on the below graphic: