Since its inauguration for the 1992/93 season, the Premier League has proven to be one of the most fickle, yet entertaining and competitive around Europe.
There have been some particularly interesting trends as well, especially when thinking about the different types of players that have come and gone, the most sought-after positions each year, how systems have gone out of then come back into fashion.
Arguably one of the most illuminating talking points though is when you start looking at the different clubs that have been relegated and how often.
Teams relegated from the Premier League since 1992
| Season | Relegated Teams |
|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough#, Crystal Palace |
| 1993–94 | Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic, Swindon Town# |
| 1994–95 | Crystal Palace#, Norwich City, Leicester City#, Ipswich Town |
| 1995–96 | Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers, Bolton Wanderers# |
| 1996–97 | Sunderland#, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest |
| 1997–98 | Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley#, Crystal Palace |
| 1998–99 | Charlton Athletic#, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest |
| 1999–2000 | Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Watford# |
| 2000–01 | Manchester City#, Coventry City, Bradford City |
| 2001–02 | Ipswich Town, Derby County, Leicester City |
| 2002–03 | West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion#, Sunderland |
| 2003–04 | Wolverhampton Wanderers#, Leeds United, Leicester City# |
| 2004–05 | Norwich City#, Crystal Palace#, Southampton |
| 2005–06 | Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland# |
| 2006–07 | Sheffield United#, Charlton Athletic, Watford# |
| 2007–08 | Reading, Birmingham City#, Derby County# |
| 2008–09 | Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion# |
| 2009–10 | Burnley#, Hull City, Portsmouth |
| 2010–11 | West Ham United, Blackpool#, Birmingham City |
| 2011–12 | Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 2012–13 | Wigan Athletic, Reading#, Queens Park Rangers |
| 2013–14 | Norwich City, Fulham, Cardiff City# |
| 2014–15 | Hull City, Burnley#, Queens Park Rangers |
| 2015–16 | Newcastle United, Norwich City#, Aston Villa |
| 2016–17 | Hull City#, Middlesbrough#, Sunderland |
| 2017–18 | Swansea City, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion |
| 2018–19 | Cardiff City#, Fulham#, Huddersfield Town |
| 2019–20 | Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich City# |
| 2020–21 | Fulham#, West Bromwich Albion#, Sheffield United |
| 2021–22 | Burnley, Watford#, Norwich City# |
| 2022–23 | Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton |
| 2023–24 | Luton Town#, Burnley#, Sheffield United# |
| 2024–25 | Leicester City#, Ipswich Town#, Southampton# |
| 2025–26 | -, -, – |
Note: Teams marked with # were relegated in the season immediately after promotion.
Over the years, there have been a lot of clubs that have played in the English top flight, while there have been many intriguing stories. Two of the original clubs (and often forgotten by many), Swindon Town and Oldham Athletic following both clubs’ relegation in the 1993/94 season were very much considered a League One or League Two side by the mid-2000s.
Many of a certain age will remember ‘vogue’ clubs of the nineties – most notably Blackburn Rovers who, in stunning fashion, won the Premier League in the 1994/95 season, though were relegated four seasons later.
Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City and Charlton Athletic are others that many die-hard football fans will remember. And, Wimbledon doesn’t even exist anymore. A club that were relegated in the 1999/2000 season and then suffered a downward spiral.
Teams Relegated From The Premier League More Than Once
| Club | Relegations | Seasons Relegated |
|---|---|---|
| Norwich City | 6 | 1994–95, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2021–22 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 5 | 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2017–18, 2020–21 |
| Burnley | 4 | 2009–10, 2014–15, 2021–22, 2023–24 |
| Crystal Palace | 4 | 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2004–05 |
| Leicester City | 4 | 1994–95, 2001–02, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
| Middlesbrough | 4 | 1992–93, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2016–17 |
| Sunderland | 4 | 1996–97, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2016–17 |
| Watford | 4 | 1999–2000, 2006–07, 2019–20, 2021–22 |
| Birmingham City | 3 | 2005–06, 2007–08, 2010–11 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 3 | 1995–96, 1997–98, 2011–12 |
| Fulham | 3 | 2013–14, 2018–19, 2020–21 |
| Hull City | 3 | 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17 |
| Ipswich Town | 3 | 1994–95, 2001–02, 2024–25 |
| Nottingham Forest | 3 | 1992–93, 1996–97, 1998–99 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 3 | 1995–96, 2012–13, 2014–15 |
| Sheffield United | 3 | 2006–07, 2020–21, 2023–24 |
| Southampton | 3 | 2004–05, 2022–23, 2024–25 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 1998–99, 2011–12 |
| Cardiff City | 2 | 2013–14, 2018–19 |
| Charlton Athletic | 2 | 1998–99, 2006–07 |
| Leeds United | 2 | 2003–04, 2022–23 |
| Manchester City | 2 | 1995–96, 2000–01 |
| Newcastle United | 2 | 2008–09, 2015–16 |
| Reading | 2 | 2007–08, 2012–13 |
| West Ham United | 2 | 2002–03, 2010–11 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 2003–04, 2011–12 |
While there are only six clubs to have never been relegated from the Premier League (Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham), there are those that have suffered this fate on more than one occasion.
Perennial ‘yo-yo’ clubs (for a time at least), Norwich City (six relegations) and West Bromwich Albion (five relegations) are two clubs that many will remember for this, while Fulham and Southampton (essentially established Premier League clubs for many), have endured this fate three times.
Heavyweights Leeds United were relegated in 2004/05 and then endured the pain of another drop into the third tier of English football for the first time in their history, before gradually building themselves back up.
Their emotional promotion in the 2019/20 campaign under maverick boss Marcelo Bielsa after a 16 year wait, was greeted with enthusiasm by many football fans, with the club surprising many. The club lasted three seasons only, before being promoted again a couple of campaigns later.
PL Relegation Trivia
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Most points & still relegated (42-game era) | Crystal Palace — 49 pts (1992–93) |
| Most points & still relegated (38-game era) | West Ham United — 42 pts (2002–03) |
| Fewest points by any PL team | Derby County — 11 pts (2007–08) |
| Most goals scored by a relegated team | Blackpool — 55 goals (2010–11) |
| Fewest goals scored by a relegated team (record) | Derby County — 20 (2007–08); equalled by Sheffield United — 20 (2020–21) |
| Most goals conceded in a PL season (record) | Sheffield United — 104 conceded (2023–24) |
| Worst goal difference (record) | −69 — Derby County (2007–08) & Sheffield United (2023–24) |
| Fewest clean sheets in a PL season | Sheffield United — 1 (2023–24) |
| Fewest points to survive (17th place) | Nottingham Forest — 32 pts (2023–24, after 4-pt deduction) |
| Earliest confirmed relegation (by games remaining) | Southampton — relegated with 7 matches left (6 Apr 2025) |
| All three promoted clubs relegated | Happened three times — 1997–98; 2023–24; 2024–25 |
| Most Premier League relegations by a club | Norwich City — 6 relegations |
| Won the FA Cup & relegated in same season | Wigan Athletic (2012–13) |
Notes: The Premier League had 42 matches per team from 1992–93 to 1994–95, then 38 thereafter.
There are some particularly eye-catching statistics, as you can see, that have been recorded by relegated clubs over the years. Those of a certain age will likely remember an entertaining Blackpool side who came up under Ian Holloway, playing a great brand of attacking football. The club has the record for the most goals scored by a relegated side, when they went down in the 2010/11 season, with 55 netted.
At the other end of the scale, when Sheffield United went down in the 2023/24 season, they got the record for the most number of goals (104) conceded. They also got the record for the fewest clean sheets (one), during that campaign.
In a bizarre event, unlikely to ever be repeated, Wigan Athletic (we had to give them a mention somewhere), were relegated during the 2012/13 season, but also won the FA Cup – meaning that there was a club in the Championship playing (albeit briefly), European football!