The English Premier League (EPL) is the most-watched tournament in the world. Every year, over 920 million homes in over 180 countries come together to watch their favorite teams battle it out for the title. Yet, despite its popularity, not everyone is familiar with how the EPL works. Today, we answer the oft-asked question of how many teams play in the tournament and look at other key features like qualification criteria and points.
What is the EPL?
The English Premier League, or simply the Premier League, is an annual football tournament that brings together clubs from across England. As the first tier of English football, it is the highest-level competition in the region with the most prestigious titles. Teams in the EPL are often sponsored by top brands like Betway, where fans can bet on ongoing matches.
The EPL has existed since 1992/93 and has been played every year since. The games run from August to May and span over 380 matches.
Who plays in the EPL?
Twenty teams play in the EPL every year. When the tournament was founded in 1992, the number was 22, but it was reduced during the 1994/95 season and has remained that way since.
All 20 teams play each other twice during the tournament, each having a home and away game. In total, all the teams play 38 matches per season. Popular teams synonymous with the EPL include:
- Manchester United
- Arsenal
- Liverpool
- Manchester City, and
- Chelsea
The 20 member clubs in the EPL in any given year are the tournament’s shareholders and owners.
How does the EPL award points?
For every game an EPL team plays, it earns three points for winning, one for drawing, and zero for losing. The tournament winner is the team with the most points at the end of the season. The EPL maintains and updates teams' scores throughout the season in a standard table called the standings. These standings rank the teams depending on number of points earned. If two teams have the same number of points, the EPL uses their goal difference to rank them.
At the end of the EPL season, the bottom three teams are relegated to the second tier of English football, the Championship. The top three teams in this league are then promoted to the EPL to compete in the next season.
Which teams have won the EPL?
Over the years, 51 different teams have competed in the EPL. Luton Town became team number 51 in the 2023/24 season.
Only 6 teams have played in every tournament season since it began: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton.
Manchester United has won the title 13 times, which is the current record. Other teams that have won are Manchester City (8), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (2), Blackburn Rovers (1), Leicester City (1), and Liverpool (1). Manchester City holds the record for the largest margin win in the EPL, with 19 points (2017/18).
You can bet on EPL games
The best part about all of this is that you can join the action in addition to following the matches. Sportsbooks like Betway set up betting lines where you can follow and predict the outcomes of individual EPL matches. This is arguably the best part of the game because it includes you directly. So now that you know how the EPL works, open a betting account and get to betting.
