Football is, first and foremost, about winning.
Stringing together a series of victories throughout any given season often leads to silverware, and since the sport’s codification in England, we’ve seen a plethora of clubs achieve glory at home and on the European continent. Some have even gone on to create a dynasty.
Below is a table documenting those achievements. However, not all trophies are equal. Take the Community Shield, for example. That curtain-raising accolade is nominally contested by the English champions and FA Cup winners. It’s effectively a Super Cup in that whoever is contesting has not played through multiple knockout rounds to reach the final.
The same goes for the Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and Uefa’s very own, though European football’s governing body doesn’t classify that prize as one of its major competitions.
| Club | FD/PL | FAC | LC | EC/CL | UC/EL | CWC | UCL | Total |
| Liverpool | 19 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 3 | – | – | 46 |
| Man Utd | 20 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 44 |
| Arsenal | 13 | 14 | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | 30 |
| Man City | 10 | 7 | 8 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 27 |
| Chelsea | 6 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | 25 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 20 |
| Tottenham | 2 | 8 | 4 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 17 |
| Everton | 9 | 5 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 15 |
| Newcastle | 4 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Blackburn | 3 | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Nottingham Forest | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | 9 |
| Wolves | 3 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Sunderland | 6 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 |
| Sheffield Wed | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 8 |
| WBA | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 7 |
| Leeds United | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Sheffield Utd | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Wanderers | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| West Ham | – | 3 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Bolton | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Huddersfield | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Portsmouth | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| PNE | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Burnley | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Derby County | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 3 |
| Bury | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Old Etonians | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Birmingham | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Norwich City | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Cardiff City | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Swindon Town | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Blackpool | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Charlton | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Wigan | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Swansea City | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Luton Town | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Wimbledon | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Coventry City | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Oxford United | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Southampton | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Stoke City | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| QPR | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Barnsley | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Bradford City | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Notts County | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Blackburn Olympic | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Old Carthusians | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Clapham Rovers | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Royal Engineers | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Oxford University | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
FD/PL – First Division/Premier League | ||||||||
Following the criteria we’ve laid out, Liverpool is English football’s most decorated club, but their lead isn’t as wide as they would hope. The Reds are one ahead of Manchester United, who, under legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson, shortened the gap (winning 13 of their total 20 league titles). It will be fascinating to see how these North-West rivals fare in seasons to come, especially in this all-conquering Manchester City era.
Which English men’s club has the most European Cup trophies?
Liverpool is head and shoulders above its domestic rivals when it comes to playing in Europe, with six European Cups under its belt. Man Utd (3), Nottingham Forest (2), and Chelsea (2) follow suit. Aston Villa and Man City round off the honours list.
Speaking of whom, it feels like a lifetime ago when Manchester’s other club languished in the lower tiers of English football. They’re now arguably first among equals. Since their seismic takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, they’ve gone on a winning spree—reminiscent of their neighbours in the 1990s—which had seen them level with Chelsea, another side that went from dormant to experiencing untold riches in the 21st century.
Which English men’s club has the most domestic trophies?
As touched upon, Man Utd have earned the right to call themselves English champions the most times, but their accumulative total is one more than Liverpool’s, which, under Jurgen Klopp, ended a near three-decade drought. Arsenal are the FA Cup king with 14 titles, while Liverpool has lifted the League Cup on a record ten occasions.