How Many Professional Football Teams Are In London?
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How Many Professional Football Teams Are In London?

How Many Football Teams Are In London

London. The English capital that is also known to be home to 16 professional football teams. With these clubs sparsely spread across the city, this blog will aim to guide you throughout all these professional level sides, detailing each club before occupying you with a list of even more semi-pro level clubs.

How Many Premier League Clubs Are Based In London

At the time of writing, there are 7 Premier League football teams based in London. From title-contenders to relegation candidates, the English capital has been well-represented at the top level of the game for a great number of years.

Arsenal

Ever-present Premier League occupants, we had to start off with The Gunners. Arguably the most historic club in the capital, who were originally founded in a royal arms factory as Dial Square. Arsenal have been the most successful club in London in terms of trophies with 13 league titles to their name, as well as 13 FA Cups as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Their best achievement known to many, came in their incredible “invincibles” campaign during the 2003-04 season, where they won 26 games, drawing the remaining 12 whilst playing in the utterly iconic Highbury Stadium. To this day, this record seems like it is a long time away from being matched.



Brentford

The second of our Premier League seven is The Bees. Founded in 1889, they moved from their historic Griffin Park to the Gtech Community Stadium in 2020. They spent 20 years floating between the equivalent of League One and Two before then spending seven seasons in the Championship.

Following their epic promotion in the 2020-21 play-off final against Swansea City, they have cemented their Premier League status as mainstays since. After only four years in the most prestigious English division, they are already standing their ground against England’s elite.


Chelsea

Next up is the club which stands tallest upon all London clubs in terms of European success. Founded in 1905, the Stamford Bridge occupants are our second of just three London clubs to have never parted ways with the Premier League, nor have they ever looked likely to, following Roman Abramovich’s takeover in 2003.

Since then, The Blues have mastered Europe, winning the Champions League and Europa League twice, and following their 2025 UEFA Conference League title, have become the only club (therefore also London club) to have conquered all 4 European titles. Despite being in a transition phase under new owners, their European pedigree seems to be cemented in their blood, and the future looks bright for the Blues with a Champions League return on the horizon.



Crystal Palace

The Eagles were also founded in 1905, however, do not follow the same success as the club before them. The South London outfit were named after the crystal palace which was built for an 1851 world exhibition.

In recent years, Crystal Palace are a name synonymous with the top flight, and The Eagles even achieved their first ever major trophy following their historic FA Cup victory under the Wembley arch against Manchester City, so may be winging it if The Eagles get their chance in Europe in the 2025-26 season.


Fulham

The Cottagers were founded in 1879 and are the oldest side from London to partake in the Premier League. Although they are older and just a 15-minute drive from Stamford Bridge, a rivalry between the clubs does not really exist. This south-west London derby lacks much hatred due to numerous historical factors.

The Craven Cottage outfit have come close to glory twice, however, just missed out in the 1975 FA Cup final against London rivals West Ham and more recently, in what could have been the greatest run in European history, narrowly missed out on the Europa League trophy against Atlético Madrid in 2010 while defeating other major European names like Juventus and Hamburg along the way.



Tottenham Hotspur

Our final London side to play in all 33 Premier League campaigns, it is Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites were founded in 1882. Spurs and Arsenal hold arguably the fiercest rivalry in London if not England. Like Brentford, they have also recently become the inhabitants of a new stadium, leaving White Hart Lane after a memorable 118 years.

A fun fact about the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is that it can be used as a skywalk and you can pay to walk up the side of the stadium and be within touching distance of the famous golden Cockerel. This past season, now sacked manager Ange Postecoglou brought Spurs fans not just their first piece of silverware in their new stadium, but their first trophy in 17 years, after defeating Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final in Bilbao.


West Ham United

Our final Premier League club from London is West Ham. The Claret and Blue outfit were founded in 1895 under the name Thames Ironworks. West Ham have been a very solid, consistent club in the Premier League, and the East London outfit have only missed four seasons since the rebrand in 1992.

The Irons have enjoyed domestic success through winning three FA Cups, and have also found success on the European stage, becoming the first London-based club to win the Conference League in 2023, beating Italian side Fiorentina in the final.



How Many EFL Clubs Are Based In London

We have taken you through the London clubs competing in the top division of English football, now we will move on to London clubs who play in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as the National League. Rather than going in full alphabetical order, we will go through the list by clubs in order of each division.


Millwall

Founded in 1885, Millwall are a side which are fierce rivals with West Ham, fighting with the North London Derby for the most ferocious one in the capital. Known most commonly as a second to third division side, The Den occupants played in the first division in the late 1980s, where they achieved their best ever football league finish of 10th.

The Lions’ biggest achievement was reaching the 2004 FA Cup final under Chelsea legend Dennis Wise, in which allowed them to enter the 2004/05 UEFA Cup. Unfortunately for The Lions, they were knocked out before the group stages, losing to Hungarian side Ferencvaros 4-2 on aggregate.


Queens Park Rangers

The Hoops were founded in 1882, and their iconic Loftus Road Stadium is located in West London. They are a club which has consistently fluctuated between the second and third tiers in English football.

They have spent three seasons in the Premier League and were the team who Sergio Aguero scored that iconic Premier League-winning goal against in 2012. Aside from that, their biggest club achievement was lifting the League Cup in 1967, coming from behind to beat West Brom 3-2 in the final, whilst being in Division 3.



Charlton Athletic

Our next and final Championship side is Charlton Athletic. We will count them as a Championship outfit, following The Addicks’ recent promotion from League One, beating (spoilers!) the next team on our list in Leyton Orient in the play-off final.

Another iconic London stadium, Charlton plays at The Valley. The ground in south-east London enjoyed hosting Premier League football between 2001 and 2007. The Valley outfit has only seen The Addicks lift silverware once, in the FA Cup in 1947 where the beat Burnley 1-0. Since their Premier League relegation, Charlton have been stuck floating between the Championship and League One.


Leyton Orient

Our first of two League One sides, and as we have learned, Orient could have been a Championship side next season after a successful campaign under Richie Wellens. The O’s play their football in East London at the Matchroom Stadium and have played most of their football in Leagues One and Two since 2000, with a brief spell out of the English Football League between 2017 and 2019.


AFC Wimbledon

The story of AFC Wimbledon is fascinating and in short, four fans split apart from the old FC Wimbledon whose owners moved 55 miles away from south London to Milton Keynes in 2002 and renamed to MK Dons. Their name is synonymous with the iconic tennis tournament, however, in football, their home is the Cherry Red Records Stadium, where they have been bouncing around from League One to the National League South since 2009.

In their short history, they have picked up a number of smaller titles at semi-pro level which includes a Conference League South trophy. So, although they have not been the same squad which once marched into Premier League territory during the ‘90s, but having just been promoted to League One this season, things could be looking up for the south London outfit.



Barnet

Located in North London and founded in 1888. The Bees have just had their status upgraded from a non-league club to an EFL club for next season following their National League title victory, amassing over 100 points in the process.

They play their home games at The Hive Stadium and have won several non-league trophies, with the 1946 FA Amateur Cup and the 1989 Conference Cup partnering their three National League titles.


Bromley

Bromley is another club which recently achieved promotion to the football league- for them, however, it was the first time. The Ravens came up through the play-offs and recently landed mid-table in League Two on 66 points. They are one of London’s oldest clubs, founded in 1892 and are located in South-East London.

The London club plays their games at Hayes Lane, and their best achievement was their FA Trophy victory in 2022- a competition which is contested by clubs from step 1 to step 4 of the National League system.



Sutton United

Our first of two current non-league sides on this list, yet both clubs are professional teams from London. Sutton United were founded in 1898, and they play their games at the Borough Sports Ground.

The U’s are located in South London, and they have just spent their first season back in the National League following a magical three-year adventure in the football league. This adventure was almost made historical, following their EFL Trophy final appearance in 2022, however, they were defeated in extra time at Wembley by Rotherham.



Wealdstone

The last professional London football club we are detailing in this list is Wealdstone. Also the lowest-ranked side on the list, Wealdstone are located in North London and play at St George’s Stadium. The Royals were founded in 1899 and have spent the past five campaigns at the National League level, following their National League South title in the infamous 2019/20 Covid season.

Their highest finish at step 1 was achieving 13th place, and in order to get to the National League, they have won both the Isthmian League Premier and National League South titles.


How Many Semi-Pro Clubs Are Based In London

Now we have gone through all the professional clubs competing in London, we are now going to take a brief look at some of the clubs in London who compete at semi-pro level. The following clubs compete in Steps 2-3 of the National League system.

  • Dagenham & Redbridge

  • Enfield Town

  • Hampton & Richmond Borough

  • Hornchurch

  • Carshalton Athletic

  • Cheshunt

  • Cray Valley PM

  • Cray Wanderers

  • Dulwich Hamlet

  • Hendon

  • Welling United

  • Wingate & Finchley

  • Hanwell Town

  • Hayes & Yeading United

In conclusion, we have taken you through the seven London clubs which play in the Premier League, the three sides who contest the Championship, and the two sides who each participate in League One, League Two and the National League repsectively. Finally, the list above provides you with the 14 London clubs who currently ply their trade in steps 2 and 3 of the National League pyramid.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Ben Growdon

Content Writer

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