The English football pyramid is one of the most extensive in the world and covers every blade of grass in the country. The football league system fuels the professional leagues. At the pinnacle of it all is the Premier League.
We break down the entire English football league system to give you an understanding of each club and league’s small parts in a much vaster picture.
Read on for the full breakdown.
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What does EFL stand for?
EFL stands for English Football League and was the first football league pyramid of its kind, acting as a template for nations worldwide to adopt and evolve into the major leagues they are today.
Who founded the EFL?
William McGregor is considered by most to be the father of modern-day football and the founder of the English Football League.
He pioneered what is considered to be the original football league competition. In 1888 he pushed for 12 of the most prominent clubs in the country to come together in a league and arrange both home and away fixtures on a season-by-season basis.
How many English leagues are there?
There are a total of 57 different leagues in England, featuring 84 different English Football League divisions that provide a feeder to the pyramid.
What are the different football leagues?
Football leagues in England are broken down into different tiers of football; professional, semi-professional and amateur leagues, the top of which is the Premier League. After that, the Championship, League One and League Two are the remaining professional leagues.
After League Two, there is the National League, which is the first of the semi-pro leagues. There are two steps in the National League: The National League and the second step, the National League North/South, which cover the two halves of the country.
Next is step seven, which is made up of leagues covering the four regional corners of the country
- The Northern Premier League
- Southern League Central Division
- Southern League South Division
- Isthmian League Premier Division
After step seven, there are semi-pro and countless amateur leagues that span the entire country.
Premier League
- Tier one
- 38 matches per season
- Most titles – Manchester United – 13
- Iconic moment – Sergio Aguero wins the league for Manchester City for the first time 2011/12
Discover more Premier League information here
Championship
- Tier two
- 46 matches per season
- Most titles – Newcastle, Norwich, Sunderland, Reading, Wolves – 2 each
- Iconic moment – Troy Deeney winner, play-off semi-final 2012/13
League One
- Tier three
- 46 matches per season
- Most titles – Wigan – 3
League Two
- Tier four
- 46 matches per season
- Most titles – –Chesterfield, Swindon – 2 each
National League
The remaining tiers in English football feed the National League: the last before the professional leagues.
- Tier five
- 46 matches per season
National League North / South
- Tier six
- 46 matches per season
Northern & Southern Premier / Isthmian Premier
- Tier seven
- 42 matches per season
Northern & Southern Premier Division 1 / Isthmian Premier Division 1
- Tier eight
- 38 matches per season
Tier nine
What are the main football leagues in England?
The main football leagues in England are the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two and the National League.
You may be wondering how many games there are in a league like the Championship. Read on for answers to some frequently asked questions.
FAQ’s
How many games in the Championship?
Generally speaking, teams competing in the EFL play each other twice a season. That means The Championship has a season of 46 games for each of the 24 teams that participate. It is one of the world’s longest and hardest-fought leagues and is considered one of the most difficult to achieve promotion in Europe.
How many EFL teams get promoted?
In the Premier League, three teams are relegated every season. In the Championship, three teams get relegated, and three get promoted every season, with the top two an automatic place and the winner of the third-sixth place playoff, given the third promotion spot.
In League One, the top two are automatically promoted, with the next four competing in play-offs to determine the third promoted side. The bottom four are relegated.
In League Two, the top three are automatically promoted, with the next four competing in play-offs to determine the fourth promoted side. The bottom two are relegated.
In the National League, the bottom four teams are relegated, with the champion achieving promotion and the second – seventh place teams competing in a playoff, the winner of which fills the second promotion spot.
What is needed for a team to join/qualify for the league?
A team qualifies for a league by getting promoted and joins the league below by getting relegated. This is decided on a points basis, with the teams gaining the most points likely to be promoted and the teams with the least likely to be relegated.
A brand new team must get in touch with the FA to determine what league they will qualify for, though it will likely be low down on the pyramid.
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