13 Professional London Football Clubs

England’s top division, the Premier League, is arguably the biggest league in the world, with 20 teams competing each season for its title, as well as Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League qualification.

Out of the 20 clubs that compete each season, England’s capital, London, tends to have a stronghold on the division. In fact, London tends to be the most represented region in the Premier League each year, with three of the “top 6” clubs all being from the region (Arsenal, Chelsea & Tottenham).

In this article, we’re going to outline all 13 professional football clubs in London who are playing in either the Premier League, Championship, League One or League Two. If you want to be an expert on football teams in London, we suggest reading on.

Who Are the 13 Professional London Football Clubs?

As of 2023, there are 13 professional football clubs in London, these are:

1. Arsenal (Premier League)
2. Brentford (Premier League)
3. Chelsea (Premier League)
4. Crystal Palace (Premier League)
5. Fulham (Premier League)
6. Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
7. West Ham United (Premier League)
8. Millwall (Championship)
9. Queens Park Rangers (Championship)
10. Charlton Athletic (League One)
11. Leyton Orient (League One)
12. AFC Wimbledon (League Two)
13. Sutton United (League Two)

London Football Clubs in the Premier League

Firstly, let’s look at the London Premier League teams. There are currently 7 London football clubs playing in the Premier League, and this accounts for 35% of the division. These clubs are Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Club	Stadium	Stadium Capacity	Founded
Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	60,704	1886
Brentford	Brentford Community Stadium	18,250	1889
Chelsea	Stamford Bridge	40,343	1905
Crystal Palace	Selhurst Park	25,486	1905
Fulham	Craven Cottage	29,600	1879
Tottenham Hotspur	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium	62,850	1882
West Ham United	London Stadium	62,500	1895

1. Arsenal

The first of the London Premier League teams is Arsenal, who are proud owners of the nickname “The Gunners” and are the most successful London club in terms of the number of honours won. Based in North London, the club are one of the Premier League’s “top 6” clubs. With an incredibly passionate fanbase, their constant demand for success is rife.

They’ve been able to attract brilliant, technically gifted footballers over the years, including Thierry Henry, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Dennis Bergkamp and Cesc Fàbregas. Furthermore, they are the holders of a particularly unique record, having played a full Premier League season without experiencing a defeat. This took place during the 2003/04 season, and the club were subsequently given the nickname “The Invincibles”. The record still stands today.

Although they are technically the most successful club in London, they’ll be hoping for a more fortuitous experience in Europe moving forward, as Arsenal have never won a Champions League trophy before.

2. Brentford

Out of all the football clubs in London, Brentford Football Club has the most fairytale story behind them, after the club rose from non-league to returning to the Premier League after a 74-year wait in 2021. They are now one of the most well-run clubs in the division, having been early advocates of football data and xG analysis, which has allowed them to make great signings for a number of years.

Club owner Matthew Benham comes from a gambling background, which is why he ensures his club has data at the forefront of their strategy. They won the Championship play off final in 2021 to seal their place in England’s top flight after beating Swansea City 2-0 at Wembley Stadium. They’ve been playing in the Brentford Community Stadium since 2020, which holds 18,250 fans.

3. Chelsea

When you think of football clubs in London, it’s highly likely that Chelsea Football Club will be one of the first teams you think of. Founded in 1905, the West Londoners play their football at Stamford Bridge, which holds 40,343 fans.

The club have had a decorated past, after winning the following trophies:

• UEFA Champions League (2012, 2021)
• First Division/Premier League (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017)
• 8x FA Cup (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018)
• 5x League Cup (1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015)
• 2x UEFA Europa League (2013, 2019)
• 2x UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1971, 1998)
• 1x FIFA Club World Cup (2021)
• 2x UEFA Super Cup (1998, 2021)
• 4x Charity/Community Shield (1955, 2000, 2005, 2009)

This means that Chelsea are the only London football club to have won the Champions League, Europe’s highest honour. They’ve had various elite level managers and players represent the club, including José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and many more.

4. Crystal Palace

Selhurst Park is home to South-East club Crystal Palace, which holds 25,486 fans. After being founded in 1905, the club have experienced spells in various leagues, but have predominantly been a London Premier League team.

They’re referred to as “The Eagles” and in more recent times have their fans have enjoyed a plethora of young talent playing for their club including Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi. The club play in an iconic blue and red kit, which is truly unique to them with regard to other Premier League clubs.

5. Fulham

West Londoners Fulham Football Club are the oldest professional football club in London, having been founded all the way back in 1879. They play their home matches at the iconic Craven Cottage Stadium, which holds 29,600 fans.

They are based in a wealthy area of England’s capital, and their season ticket prices reflect this. For the 2023/24 Premier League season, the club are charging up to £3,000 for a season ticket, which puts them top of the list for the most expensive season tickets, ahead of all the “top 6” clubs.

Although they are charging a lot of money to watch their games, Fulham don’t have a decorated past, having missed out on silverware on the following two occasions:

• Lost the 1975 FA Cup final to West Ham 2-0.
• Lost the 2010 Europa League final to Atlético Madrid 2-1.

6. Tottenham Hotspur

The second half of the North London Derby is North-Londoners Tottenham Hotspur. They are the third London Premier League team to be part of the “top 6” and reached the Champions League final in 2019, losing 2-0 to fellow Premier League compatriots, Liverpool.

In 2019, the club moved into their new £1 billion stadium, which holds 62,850 fans. Owner Daniel Levy is a shrewd businessman, who is renowned for being tough in transfer negotiations. This has allowed him to hold onto key assets and sell them at the right times, a great example of this being England striker Harry Kane.

7. West Ham United

Out of all the London Premier League teams, West Ham United are one of the most iconic. “The Hammers” play in a memorable claret and blue kit, and have signed many impressive players over the years including Paolo Di Canio, Bobby Moore, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and more recently, Declan Rice.

In 2016 the club moved from the Boleyn Ground (known to many as Upton Park) to the London Stadium, which was used for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The ground holds 62,500 fans on match day.

Their latest trophy came during the 2022/23 season, as they lifted the Europa Conference League title after beating Italian side Fiorentina 2-1. Forward Jarrod Bowen scored the winning goal.

Championship Teams in London

The second tier of English football is the Championship, and there are currently two Championship teams in London, they are Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. The Championship has 24 clubs competing, with London Championship teams making up 8.3% of the division.

Club	Stadium	Stadium Capacity	Founded
Millwall	The Den	20,146	1885
Queens Park Rangers	Loftus Road	18,439	1882

8. Millwall

The first of our Championship London football clubs is Millwall Football Club. They are the fierce rivals of West Ham United, and this was depicted well in the famous film ‘Green Street’. Millwall were founded in 1885 and play their football at The Den, which has a stadium capacity of 20,146.

The club has spent the majority of its time in the second and third tiers of English football, and its biggest achievement was reaching the 2004 FA Cup final, which they lost 3-0 to Manchester United. Although they lost the final, they were able to compete in Europe the following season, as Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League.

9. Queens Park Rangers

The second of our Championship teams in London is Queens Park Rangers, otherwise referred to as QPR. This is arguably one of the poshest club names in English football. Playing their football at Loftus Road, the club was founded in 1882.

Their biggest achievement to date was winning the 1967 League Cup after beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at Wembley Stadium. This was a mammoth achievement, as “the R’s” became the first third division side to lift the trophy.

League One London Teams

Likewise to the Championship, 24 clubs compete in England’s third tier of football, League One. Currently, there are just two League One London football clubs, and these are Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient. These clubs make up 8.3% of the division.

Club	Stadium	Stadium Capacity	Founded
Charlton Athletic	The Valley	27,111	1905
Leyton Orient	Brisbane Road	9,271	1881

10. Charlton Athletic

The first of our League One London teams is Charlton Athletic. You might be wondering in which area of London they are based. Well, they play their football in the South-east of London from The Valley Stadium, which holds 27,111 fans. They go by the nickname “The Addicks” and won their only major honour in 1947 after winning the FA Cup. They beat Burnley 1-0 at Wembley Stadium to secure the trophy.

The club experienced a rich vein of form between 2001 and 2007 when they were playing Premier League football, and even finished in 7th place during the 2003/04 season. Unfortunately, they were relegated from England’s top flight in 2007 and have since been playing in the second and third tiers.

11. Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient are a London football club on the up, after securing promotion to League One for the 2023/24 season. This was after manager Richie Wellens led them to League Two glory, winning 91 points from 46 matches, meaning they finished the season as champions.

The club were founded in 1881, and play at Brisbane Road, where 9,271 fans can watch them at one time. They have competed in various tiers of English football including the second, third, fourth and fifth, but never the first.

League 2 London Clubs

In the fourth tier of English football, League Two, you’ll also find 24 teams competing. Likewise, to League One, there are two League 2 London clubs currently and these are AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United.

Club	Stadium	Stadium Capacity	Founded
AFC Wimbledon	Plough Lane	9,300	1889 (2002 as AFC Wimbledon)
Sutton United	Gander Green Lane	5,032	1898

12. AFC Wimbledon

The first of our League 2 London Clubs is AFC Wimbledon, they play at Plough Lane and have a stadium capacity of 9,300. The club is currently the proud holder of the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches in English senior football. They played 78 consecutive league games without a defeat between February 2003 and December 2004.

The club has never played higher than step 3 in the English football pyramid after securing promotion to League One for the 2017/18 season. They won the League 2 play-offs, beating Plymouth Argyle 2-0 in the final.

13. Sutton United

Sutton United are the second of the League 2 London clubs, and this is the highest tier of football that they have ever played in. They secured promotion out of the National League in 2020/21 season. The club was founded in 1898 and the side are nicknamed “The U’s”.

They play at the Gander Green Lane, which has a capacity of 5,032.

Conclusion

There are many football teams in London, however there are only currently 13 professional London clubs playing in the top 4 tiers of English football. Each club had a unique history, and some of these London clubs share the fiercest rivalries within the English Pyramid.

Ever since football began, London has been heavily involved, and it’s unlikely that its influence on English football is going to weaken anytime soon.

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