London remains a key battleground for the Premier League in the 2024-25 season, with seven teams representing the city: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
Geographical distribution of London teams
In North London, Arsenal are located in the borough of Islington (10), while Tottenham Hotspur are rooted in the borough of Haringey (29). West London has two teams – Chelsea and Fulham – both in the Hammersmith & Fulham borough (4), while Brentford in outer west London are in the borough of Hounslow (14). East London’s West Ham United are situated in the borough of Newham (27), while Crystal Palace in the south are in the borough of Croydon (19).
The Championship also has two teams in London: Queen’s Park Rangers (QPR) are located in the West London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (4) and Millwall are in the South London borough of Southwark (7).
In addition, there are two teams in London in each of League One and League Two. League One has Leyton Orient, located in the North London borough of Waltham Forest (28); Charlton are in the East London borough of Greenwich (22). League Two, on the other hand, includes AFC Wimbledon, located in the southwestern borough of Merton (17); and Bromley, located in the southeastern borough of Bromley (20).
London’s professional soccer map
There are 13 teams in London spread across four divisions: the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two. In addition, four teams play in the fifth tier of the National League: Barnet in the north-western borough of Harrow (32), Dagenham in the eastern borough of Barking Dagenham (25), Sutton United in the south-western borough of Sutton (18), and Shield in the westernmost borough of Hillingdon (33). These 17 teams form the core of professional soccer in London.
It is worth noting that Wembley Stadium, the iconic landmark of London soccer, is located in the northwestern borough of Brent (12). Of these 17 teams, the closest to Wembley is QPR’s home ground, Loftus Road.
London’s amateur soccer scene
In addition to the professional leagues, London has a large number of teams active in the lower divisions. There are three teams in the Sixth Division, ten in the Seventh and as many as 22 in the Eighth. In total, London has 52 teams in the top eight divisions of England.
History and Honors
Fulham is London’s oldest club, founded in 1879, while Real Arsenal became London’s first professional team in 1891. Arsenal won the top flight for the first time in the 1930-31 season and made London soccer history by becoming Premier League champions in 1997-98.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are the only London team to have won the Champions League, having won the Big Ears Cup in the 2011-12 season, and have also won the Club World Cup, setting a number of all-time records.
Arsenal were the first London team to reach a Champions League final, but unfortunately they lost to Barcelona in 2005-06. And although Tottenham Hotspur defeated Liverpool in the 2018-19 Champions League final, they had won the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1962-63 season, becoming the first team in London, and indeed in England, to win a European trophy.
The unique phenomenon of London soccer
It’s interesting to note that despite the number of professional teams in London, none of them are named after “London”. In contrast, capital cities such as Madrid, Rome, Paris and Berlin all have teams named after their cities. This phenomenon reflects the cultural diversity of the London community – no one team represents the whole of London, but each team has roots in its own area and shines.
Although London’s name doesn’t appear directly in any of the teams’ names, it is still a soccer capital dotted with soccer stadiums. From top leagues to grassroots tournaments, London’s soccer culture is everywhere, showcasing the city’s unique charm.
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