List of unrelegated association football clubs
Several football clubs succeed in playing at the highest level without being relegated. This page lists the clubs that managed to stay in top flight for an extended period of time, and those that have never been relegated from their current top-tier league.
Contents
Historical considerations
More often than not, football clubs have played in more than one top-tier competition. It is therefore possible that teams relegated at one point in their history, but have not done so in the competition in which they currently compete. This is the case for multiple teams in countries where football was played in regional leagues prior to the creation of a unified national league. In such countries, a national champion was previously declared by means of a play-off tournament between teams that qualified through their regional tournaments. In Germany, for instance, seven teams have never been relegated from the Bundesliga (some joining more recent), but three of them found themselves expelled from the older Oberligen. Only Hamburg has played continuously in the top tier of the German football system since the end of World War I.[1] In the Netherlands, football used to be organised in regional competitions as well. The unified Eredivisie was born in 1956, and four teams have continuously played at this highest national level since then.[2]
Even before the establishment of regional competitions, football was played in league systems. The very first football championships in Europe were often organised on a local level. Taking these smaller competitions into account, Austria Wien and Rapid Wien can claim to have played at the highest possible level since competition began in Austria in 1911.[1] At that time however, the only organised football was played in the league of Lower Austria,[3] which was then located in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and only teams from Vienna took part.[4] Later, Austrian teams competed in the German football system for several years, which made it possible for Rapid Wien to become German champion in 1941.[5] The current Austrian Bundesliga was only established in 1974,[6] and to this point a total of five teams never relegated from that competition.[7]
In Greece and Turkey, competitive football was organised in even smaller leagues. In both countries, city-leagues were the highest level for quite some time.[8][9] In 1959, a unified Hellenic championship was founded, and Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK have played in every season of it.[1] However, these teams were already high-flyers in the preceding city-leagues. The same applies to Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in Turkey.[1]
In Russia, football too was first played at city-level. The St. Petersburg Football League was established in 1901, and its Moscowian counterpart followed in 1909. The latter championship was won by Dynamo Moscow between 1910 and 1914.[10] Many years later, in 1936, the Soviet Top League was formed. This competition ceased to exist when the Soviet Union fell, and new leagues were formed in the fifteen successor states. As a result, many teams entered a top division for the first time in their history. In Estonia, for example, the new Meistriliiga was composed of clubs that never participated in the top flight before.[11][12] As these are relatively new competitions, many clubs can claim to have never been relegated from the top-level. But only Dynamo Moscow, Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Tbilisi have always played at the highest possible level.[1]
Besides the Soviet, also the Czechoslovak and Yugoslav football leagues split into multiple competitions in the early 90’s. A total of eight teams have not been relegated from the national championships of the Czech Republic[13] and Slovakia,[14] but no team managed to achieve this in Czechoslovak times. In Bosnia and Herzegovina football became divided alongside ethnical lines, and competition was held in three different leagues, before the establishment of a national division in 2000. In Kosovo, a national league also exists, although not recognised by UEFA or FIFA (and therefore not included in the list below). In all, three clubs - Red Star Belgrade, Partizan Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb - play at the highest level since the creation of socialist Yugoslavia. And Hajduk Split have never relegated since they first played in the championship of the now long gone Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.[1] But many more teams never relegated from their current national championships.
In still many other instances, new top-tier leagues were created to replace existing national championships. In England, seven teams have been present in every season of the Premier League, which was founded in 1992.[15] None of them however had an uninterrupted run in the preceding First Division.[16] In Scotland, only Celtic and Aberdeen have never experienced relegation since 1890 and 1905, respectively.[1] But in 2013, the Scottish Premiership replaced the Scottish Premier League, which itself was created just fifteen years before. Thus, a great number of teams can claim to have never been relegated from these particular competitions. Similarly, Cliftonville, Glentoran and Linfield have the unique distinction of having played at the top flight in Northern Ireland for 125 years,[1] but five more teams have been present in every season of the NIFL Premiership, which was only established in 2008.[17]
There are however leagues that have been running for a long time. Not surprising, fewer clubs manage to stay on top the longer a competition runs. The Spanish Primera División was born in 1929, and only Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have been present ever since. The same year the Italian Serie A became a round-robin tournament, and only Inter Milan has continuously played at the highest level from that moment forward - even doing so since their formation in 1908. And finally, no team that plays in the Swiss Super League – established in 1897 – has not been relegated at one point in their history.[1]
Unrelegated for three quarters of a century
This table lists all clubs that have continuously played at the highest level for 75 years or more. Taken into account are all the leagues that formed the highest level at the time each club played in them. Competitions that were organised on sub-regional levels are excluded though. This is the reason no clubs from Greece or Turkey are listed, as in those countries football was played in city-level competitions up until 1959.
The large number of Brazilian football clubs on this list can be explained by the fact that these clubs were dominant in the relatively small state leagues, which formed the highest tier of competition in Brazil for more than half a century. The Taça Brasil, which existed between 1959 and 1968, is not considered a top-tier tournament for the purpose of this list, as it was a knockout competition between the different state champions, and no team took part in every edition.
As of 2015, the majority of the teams listed below continue to play at the top, although a few have ended their uninterrupted spell. Note also that some teams have been relegated (and promoted back) before the start of their record spell.
*AC Milan withdrew from the 1908 Italian Championship.
**Santos withdrew from the 1920 Paulistão and the 1979 Brasileirão.
***Corinthians and São Paulo withdrew from the 1979 Brasileirão.
Source: RSSSF and RSSSF Brasil
Unrelegated from current national top-level
This is a list of football clubs which have never been relegated from their current national top-level league and have played at least ten seasons at this level.
It should be noted that new clubs debut at the highest level almost every season. In 2015, teams like Bournemouth in England, Ingolstadt in Germany and Carpi in Italy, joined the elite for the first time. Quite often, these hopefuls relocate back to a lower division after one or more seasons. The purpose of this list is to provide an overview of clubs that proved to be successful over an extended period of time. Therefore, only clubs that manage to stay around for a minimum of ten years are included in this list.
The year before the name of each team indicates when they began their uninterrupted run. Clubs that are in bold are founding members of their current league.
<templatestyles src="Column/styles.css"/>
Kategoria Superiore - Albania[1]
- 1929: KF Tirana
Primera División - Argentina[1]
- 1913: Boca Juniors
- 2002: Arsenal de Sarandí
Premier League - Armenia[19]
- 1992: FC Shirak
- 2000: FC Mika
- 2000: Ulisses FC
- 2001: FC Pyunik
Bundesliga - Austria[7]
- 1974: FK Austria Wien
- 1974: SK Rapid Wien
- 1974: SK Sturm Graz*
*Sturm Graz relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Bundesliga.
Premyer Liqası - Azerbaijan[1]
- 1992: Neftchi PFK*
- 1992: Qarabağ FK
- 1999: Inter Baku PIK
- 2004: Khazar Lankaran FK
- 2005: AZAL PFK
- 2006: Gabala
*Neftchi relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premyer Liqası.
Vysheyshaya Liga - Belarus[20]
- 1992: FC Dinamo Brest
- 1992: FC Dinamo Minsk*
- 1992: FC Neman Grodno
- 1992: FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk
- 1998: FC BATE Borisov
*Dinamo Minsk relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Vysheyshaya Liga.
Pro League - Belgium[1]
- 2005: S.V. Zulte Waregem
Premijer Liga - Bosnia and Herzegovina[21]
- 2000: NK Čelik Zenica*
- 2000: FK Sarajevo*
- 2000: NK Široki Brijeg
- 2000: FK Željezničar Sarajevo*
- 2000: HŠK Zrinjski Mostar**
- 2004: FK Slavija Sarajevo***
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premijer Liga.
**Zrinjski played in the wartime league of the Independent State of Croatia. Between 1945 and 1992, they were banned by the Yugoslav communist government.
***Slavija played in the top-tier league of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but relegated multiple times. They were disbanded in 1945. After their rebirth, Slavija competed one season in the First League of the Republika Srpska, which then was a top-tier competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 1987: Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
- 1987: Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
- 1987: Sport Club Internacional
- 1987: Santos FC*
- 1987: São Paulo FC*
*Santos and São Paulo withdrew from the 1979 Série A.
- 1937: Levski Sofia
Campeonato Nacional - Chile[1]
- 1933: Colo-Colo
Categoría Primera A - Colombia[1]
- 1948: Atlético Nacional
- 1948: Independiente Santa Fe
- 1948: Millonarios F.C.
- 2004: Boyacá Chicó F.C.
- 1991: GNK Dinamo Zagreb
- 1991: HNK Hajduk Split
- 1991: NK Osijek*
- 1991: HNK Rijeka*
- 1997: NK Slaven Belupo
*Osijek and Rijeka relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Prva HNL.
First Division - Cyprus[1]
- 1934: APOEL FC*
- 1953: AC Omonia*
- 1957: Apollon Limassol
*Before 1974, APOEL and Omonia played in the Greek top-level league when they became Cypriot champion.
First League - Czech Republic[13]
- 1993: AC Sparta Prague*
- 1993: SK Slavia Prague*
- 1993: FC Slovan Liberec
- 1994: FK Baumit Jablonec*
- 1996: FK Teplice*
- 2004: FK Mladá Boleslav
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the First League.
Superligaen - Denmark[22]
- 1991: AaB Fodbold*
- 1991: Brøndby IF
- 1992: F.C. Copenhagen**
- 2000: FC Midtjylland**
- 2002: FC Nordsjælland
*AaB relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Superligaen.
**Copenhagen and Midtjylland are the successors of clubs that have relegated from a top-tier league.
- 1957: Barcelona Sporting Club
Premier League - Egypt[1]
- 1948: Al Ahly SC
- 1948: Zamalek SC
Premier League - England[2][16]
- 1992: Arsenal FC*
- 1992: Chelsea F.C.*
- 1992: Everton F.C.*
- 1992: Liverpool FC*
- 1992: Manchester United*
- 1992: Tottenham Hotspur*
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premier League.
Meistriliiga - Estonia[11]
- 1992: FC Flora
- 1992: JK Narva Trans
- 1999: FC Levadia Tallinn
- 2005: Tartu JK Tammeka
Veikkausliiga - Finland[1]
- 2005: IFK Mariehamn
- 1974: Paris Saint-Germain F.C.*
*In 1972 PSG split into two. The professional branch continued to play at the highest level under the name Paris FC, while the other section kept the name PSG but assumed amateur status. Two years later, the latter section promoted back to the top tier, while Paris FC relegated to the second level.[23]
Umaglesi Liga - Georgia[24]
- 1990: FC Dinamo Tbilisi
- 1995: FC Sioni Bolnisi
Bundesliga - Germany[1]
- 1963: Hamburger SV
- 1965: FC Bayern München*
- 1979: Bayer 04 Leverkusen*
- 1997: VFL Wolfsburg*
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Bundesliga.
Premier League - Ghana[1]
- 1958: Asante Kotoko SC
- 1958: Accra Hearts of Oak SC
- 1986: Ashanti Gold SC
- 2003: Heart of Lions F.C.
Superleague - Greece[1]
- 1959: Olympiacos F.C.
- 1959: Panathinaikos F.C.
- 1959: PAOK FC
- 1989: Skoda Xanthi F.C.
Liga Nacional - Honduras[1]
- 1965: C.D. Marathón
- 1965: C.D. Motagua
- 1965: Club Deportivo Olimpia
- 1965: Real C.D. España
- 1965: C.D.S. Vida
League of Ireland - Ireland[1]
- 1921: Bohemian F.C.*
- 1951: St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
*Bohemians relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the League of Ireland.
- 1909: Inter Milan
- 1960: Africa Sports d'Abidjan
- 1960: ASEC Mimosas
- 1993: Kashima Antlers*
- 1993: Nagoya Grampus Eight*
- 1993: Yokohama F. Marinos*
- 2004: Albirex Niigata
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the J1 League.
Premier League - Kazakhstan[27]
- 1992: FC Irtysh Pavlodar
- 1992: FC Shakhter Karagandy
- 2001: FC Atyrau
Kyrgyzstan League - Kyrgyzstan[28]
- 2003: FC Abdish-Ata Kant
- 1999: FC Dordoi Bishkek
- 1991: Skonto FC
- 1997: FK Ventspils
- 2003: FK Šiauliai
- 1992: FK Vardar*
- 1998: FK Rabotnički*
- 2005: FK Renova
*Vardar and Rabotnički relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the 1. MFL.
Premier League - Malta[1]
- 1946: Hibernians F.C.
- 1946: Valletta F.C.
- 1943: Club América
- 1943: C.D. Guadalajara
- 1953: Deportivo Toluca F.C.
- 1962: Club Universidad Nacional
- 1964: Cruz Azul
- 1988: Santos Laguna
- 2002: Chiapas F.C.*
*Although a system of promotion and relegation exists,[31] clubs in Mexico often gain promotion or avoid relegation through the buying of other clubs.[32] Club de Fútbol Jaguares de Chiapas entered the Liga MX in 2002 after buying the Irapuato franchise. In 2013, Jaguares de Chiapas was sold to Querétaro, which otherwise would have been relegated. In turn, the San Luis franchise was taken over and converted into Chiapas Fútbol Club.[33]
Divizia Națională - Moldova[34]
- 1992: FC Zimbru Chișinău*
- 1998: FC Sheriff Tiraspol
- 2002: FC Dacia Chișinău
*Zimbru Chișinău relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Divizia Națională.
The Montenegrin First League was formed in 2006. As of 2015, six teams have played in every season of this competition.
*Podgorica and Nikšić relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the 1. CFL.
Eredivisie - Netherlands[2]
- 1956: AFC Ajax*
- 1956: PSV Eindhoven*
- 1956: Feyenoord**
- 1970: FC Utrecht***
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Eredivisie.
**In 1917 a new regional top-tier, the Eerste klasse West B, was created under pressure from clubs in the second tier, including Feyenoord. However, this league was considered inferior to the other regional top-tier competitions.[36] After only two years, the Eerste klasse West B was abolished and replaced by the Overgangsklasse, a intermediate level between the first and second tier. In 1921, Feyenoord finally entered the top flight.[37]
***VV DOS played in every season of the Eredivisie before merging into FC Utrecht in 1970.
NIFL Premiership - Northern Ireland[17]
The NIFL Premiership was formed in 2008. As of 2015, eighth teams have played in every season of this competition.
- Ballymena United F.C.*
- Cliftonville F.C.
- Coleraine F.C.*
- Crusaders F.C.*
- Dungannon Swifts F.C.
- Glenavon F.C.*
- Glentoran F.C.
- Linfield F.C.
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the NIFL Premiership.
Eliteserien - Norway[1]
- 1975: Lillestrøm SK
Primera División - Paraguay
- 1906: Club Guaraní[citation needed]
- 1906: Club Olimpia[citation needed]
- 1913: Cerro Porteño[citation needed]
Primera División - Peru[1]
- 1928: Club Universitario de Deportes*
- 1955: Sporting Cristal[38]
- 2004: Club Deportivo Universidad de San Martín de Porres
*In 1947, Universitario finished in last place, but refused to play a relegation playoff.[39]
Primeira Liga - Portugal[1]
- 1934: S.L. Benfica
- 1934: FC Porto
- 1934: Sporting Clube de Portugal
- 1947: FC Dinamo București
- 1947: FC Steaua București
Football Championship - Russia[1]
- 1992: PFC CSKA Moscow*
- 1992: FC Lokomotiv Moscow*
- 1992: FC Spartak Moscow*
- 2003: FC Rubin Kazan
- 2004: FC Amkar Perm
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Football Championship.
Premiership - Scotland[40]
The Scottish Premier League existed between 1998 and 2013, when it was replaced by the Scottish Premiership. As of 2015, five teams have played in every season of both competitions.
*These teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premier League.
The Serbian SuperLiga was formed in 2006. As of 2016, three teams have played in every season of this competition.
*Vojvodina relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the SuperLiga.
Super Liga - Slovakia[14]
- 1997: MFK Ružomberok
- 1991: NK Celje
- 1991: ND Gorica
- 1991: NK Maribor*
*Maribor relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the 1. SNL.
Primera División - Spain[1]
- 1928: Athletic Bilbao
- 1928: FC Barcelona
- 1928: Real Madrid C.F.
Tajik League - Tajikistan[43]
- 1992: CSKA Pomir Dushanbe*
- 1992: Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda
- 1992: Vakhsh Qurghonteppa
- 1997: FK Khujand
- 2004: Parvoz Bobojon Ghafurov
*Pomir Dushanbe relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Tajik League.
- 1955: Club Africain
- 1955: Espérance Sportive de Tunis*
- 1955: Étoile Sportive du Sahel*
- 1955: CS Sfaxien
- 1955: Stade Tunisien
*Although ES Sahel and ES Tunis did not relegate, they did not participate in 1961-62 and 1970-71, respectively.
- 1959: Beşiktaş J.K.
- 1959: Fenerbahçe S.K.
- 1959: Galatasaray S.K.
- 1974: Trabzonspor
- 2005: Sivasspor
Ýokary Liga - Turkmenistan[44]
- 1992: Balkan FK
- 1992: Merw FK
- 1994: Şagadam FK
- 2004: FC HTTU
Premier League - Ukraine[1]
- 1992: FC Dynamo Kyiv
- 1992: FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk*
- 1992: FC Shakhtar Donetsk*
- 1996: FC Vorskla Poltava
- 1997: FC Metalurh Donetsk
*Both teams relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Premier League.
Primera División - Uruguay[1][16]
Uzbek League - Uzbekistan[45]
- 1992: Navbahor Namangan
- 1992: Neftchi FK
- 1992: Pakhtakor Tashkent FK*
- 1997: FC Nasaf
- 1998: PFK Metallurg Bekabad
- 2000: Qizilqum Zarafshon
*Pakhtakor Tashkent relegated from a top-tier league prior to the establishment of the Uzbek League.
Premier League - Wales[1]
- 1992: Aberystwyth Town F.C.
- 1992: Bangor City F.C.
- 1992: Newtown A.F.C.
- 1993: The New Saints F.C.
- 1996: Carmarthen Town A.F.C.
- 2000: Port Talbot Town F.C.
- 2004: Airbus UK Broughton F.C.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Includes Campionato Federale (1898-1904), Prima Categoria (1904-1922), Prima Divisione (1921-1926) and 1921–22 Prima Divisione (C.C.I.), Divisione Nazionale (1926-1929), Serie A (1929-1945 and 1946-present) and, for the second time, the Divisione Nazionale (1945-1946).
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
