Introduction
Every football season tells a story. The 2025/26 Premier League was a proper drama — a 22-year wait finally ended, a decade of dominance came to a close, and on the very last day of the season, two London clubs were fighting for survival. If you want to understand English football before the World Cup, this is where you start.
Here’s everything that happened, explained from scratch.
First: What is the Premier League?
The Premier League is England’s top football division — 20 clubs playing 38 games each across a season that runs from August to May. The team with the most points at the end wins the title. The bottom three get relegated — meaning they drop down to the Championship, the division below. If you want to understand more about how it all works, read our full Premier League explainer.
The Champions: Arsenal End a 22-Year Wait
Arsenal won the Premier League title in 2025/26 — their first in 22 years. That might not sound remarkable until you understand the backstory.
The last time Arsenal won the league was 2003/04, when they went the entire season unbeaten and became known as “The Invincibles.” Since then, other clubs — especially Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola — dominated English football. Arsenal came agonisingly close in the three seasons before this one, finishing second three times in a row.
“Second again, ole ole” became an ironic chant among Arsenal fans, equal parts self-deprecating and painful. This season, finally, it was different.
Under manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal finished on 85 points — seven clear of second-placed Manchester City. They were confirmed as champions when City drew at Bournemouth in Matchweek 37, and lifted the trophy on the final day of the season after a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Key numbers
85 points — seven clear of second place
19 clean sheets — the best defensive record in the league, goalkeeper David Raya won the Golden Glove award
Fewest goals conceded of any team
New signings Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres all played major roles
What is a clean sheet? When a goalkeeper goes through an entire match without conceding a goal. See our Glossary for more terms.
The Runner-Up: Manchester City and the End of an Era
Manchester City finished second with 78 points. They also won a domestic double — the FA Cup (beating Chelsea 1-0) and the EFL Cup (beating Arsenal 2-0), with 21-year-old Nico O’Reilly scoring both goals in the cup final. But the biggest story at City was happening off the pitch.
After 10 extraordinary years, manager Pep Guardiola announced he would leave at the end of the season. Guardiola transformed City into the most successful club in English football history, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League. He leaves with 20 major trophies in 10 years.
Also leaving: captain Bernardo Silva, who played more games for Guardiola than any other player. The Etihad is entering a new era — and nobody quite knows what comes next.
Who is Pep Guardiola? Read his full profile in our Manager Profiles section.
The Drama: Relegation on the Final Day
Relegation is when a club finishes in the bottom three and gets sent down to the Championship. This season, the final relegation spot was decided on the last afternoon of the season in a story that gripped the whole country.
Going into the final day, West Ham and Tottenham were level in the table, fighting to avoid 18th place. Tottenham needed to match or better West Ham’s result. West Ham beat Leeds United 3-0 — but Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 at the same time, surviving by two points. West Ham went down, ending a 15-year stay in the Premier League.
The other two relegated clubs, Wolves and Burnley, had been confirmed earlier in the season. Wolves went down first, having endured the longest winless run in the league (19 games without a win). Burnley followed shortly after.
Relegated clubs
Wolverhampton Wanderers (20th) — relegated in April, ending an 8-year stay in the top flight
Burnley (19th) — relegated in April, back in the Championship after one season up
West Ham United (18th) — relegated on the final day, ending 15 years in the Premier League
European Qualification — Who Got What
Finishing in certain positions earns clubs a place in European competitions the following season. Here’s how it broke down this year:
Not sure what European competition means? See our European Qualification Explained page.
Champions League (top 5): Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool
Europa League (6th and 7th): Bournemouth (their first ever European qualification), Sunderland
Conference League (8th): Brighton
Crystal Palace also earned a Europa League spot as Conference League winners (see below)
Bournemouth‘s Europa League qualification is worth highlighting. Fifteen years ago the club was nearly liquidated in the lower divisions of English football. Finishing sixth and qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history is genuinely remarkable.
The Awards
Golden Boot — Top Scorer
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — 27 goals. His third Golden Boot in four seasons. A Norwegian forward who many believe is the best striker in the world, Haaland is defined by one thing: scoring goals at a rate nobody has ever quite matched in the Premier League.
Most Assists — Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) broke the Premier League record for assists in a single season with 21, beating the previous record of 20 jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. An assist is when a player’s pass or cross directly leads to a goal. Fernandes was also named Football Writers’ Player of the Year.
Young Player of the Season — Nico O’Reilly
Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) — the 21-year-old became a key player for City and scored both goals in their EFL Cup final win over Arsenal. He also made his England debut this season.
Sunderland's Remarkable Story
One of the feel-good stories of the season was Sunderland, who were promoted from the Championship before 2025/26 and finished seventh — qualifying for the Europa League in just their second season back in the Premier League after years in the lower divisions. For context, Sunderland were once one of England’s most successful clubs and their relegation to League One (three divisions below the top flight) in 2018 was seen as a catastrophic fall from grace. Their return to European football is the stuff of fairy tales.
The Leeds Return
Leeds United were promoted from the Championship and played their first Premier League season in years. They survived, which counts as a success for a newly promoted side.
