The Long Wait: Charting Every Premier League Club's Trophy Drought

How long has it been? For some Premier League outfits, the answer is almost too painful to contemplate. We've ranked every top-flight club by their most extended spell without a major trophy—and yes, we're talking about the proper stuff. No second-tier titles, no Zenith Data Systems play-offs, and certainly no vanity cups. Just the silverware that actually matters.

20. Fulham (147 years and counting)

The Cottagers have made a habit of showing up late to the party. Since their Division One crown in 2001, they've managed precious little of note—a couple of lower-league titles and the 2002 Intertoto Cup comprise their recent highlights. Two major finals have come and gone: a 1975 FA Cup loss to West Ham and that 2010 Europa League final thrashing by Atlético Madrid. Marco Silva has coaxed them to quarter-finals and a semi-final, but the big prize remains elusive.

19. Brentford (136 years and counting)

Spending most of your existence outside the top flight has its drawbacks. The Bees have reached the Football League Trophy final on three separate occasions and failed each time. Still, you can't fault their recent trajectory—they were Championship regulars just five years ago when they made the Carabao Cup semi-finals before Tottenham sent them packing.

18. Bournemouth (127 years and counting)

The Cherries have at least got a Football League Trophy to their name—they beat Hull in 1984—but genuine silverware has been conspicuously absent. Despite periods of genuine competence under Eddie Howe and Andoni Iraola, they've never even reached a semi-final in the FA Cup or League Cup.

17. Brighton (124 years and counting)

Multiple lower-league titles dot their history, and there's a 1910 Charity Shield win over Aston Villa when that competition apparently meant something. The Seagulls did reach the 1983 FA Cup final, forcing Manchester United to a replay at Wembley before Liverpool's Jimmy Melia watched them lose 4-0 in the decider. A 2019 semi-final appearance against Manchester City's treble-chasing side ended in a respectable 1-0 defeat.

16. Crystal Palace (119 years)

Oliver Glasner's FA Cup triumph last season ranks among modern football's greatest shocks. The Eagles had managed only a Zenith Data Systems Cup in their entire existence before claiming both the FA Cup and Community Shield, plus a Europa Conference League final berth. A remarkable turnaround for a club that seemed destined for perpetual near-misses.

15. Burnley (66 years and counting)

When Burnley lifted the First Division in 1960, nobody imagined it would be their final trophy for at least six decades. Owen Coyle remains the last manager to steer them to a domestic cup semi-final—a fact that should probably concern current boss Steven Gerrard.

14. Nottingham Forest (61 years)

The European Cup holders have experienced curious extremes. Between their 1898 and 1959 FA Cup victories, a pair of world wars intervened. Since then: four League Cups, a league title, and two actual European Cups—but no more FA Cups. Their 36-year drought could end in the Europa League, though that's relatively modest compared to some historical stretches.

13. Newcastle (56 years)

The Magpies ended a 14-year wait in 1969 with the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, beating Ujpest. Over five decades later, they shocked Liverpool to finally get their hands on the Carabao Cup.

12. Sunderland (53 years and counting)

Discounting second-tier titles, play-off wins, and the Football League Trophy, the Black Cats find themselves in one of football's more peculiar droughts. That 1973 FA Cup remains their sole major trophy, a memory growing hazier by the season.

11. Wolves (46 years and counting)

They won the FA Cup in 1908, then had to wait 41 years for the next one in 1949. Their current drought stretches back to the 1980 League Cup victory over Nottingham Forest—and there's little suggestion it'll end soon.

10. West Ham (43 years)

The last non-top-flight team to win the FA Cup, West Ham caught Arsenal off-guard in 1980 when Trevor Brooking popped up with the winner. They've picked up the Second Division title and a League Cup runner-up finish since, plus a 1999 Intertoto Cup win over Metz. Steven Gerrard happened to them in the 2006 final, though Jarrod Bowen did score a rather significant goal against Fiorentina in 2023.

9. Aston Villa (37 years)

Leeds fell to Villa in the 1996 League Cup final—their most recent piece of silverware. Before that, they endured 37 years of misery following their 1920 FA Cup triumph, with Peter McParland's double in 1957 providing temporary respite against Matt Busby's Manchester United. With Unai Emery at the helm, a Europa League semi-final against a relegation-battling opponent could be their moment. Or it could be Arsenal's history repeating itself.

8. Manchester United (37 years)

Matt Busby ended United's own 37-year drought in 1948, when Blackpool were outclassed at Wembley by a side finishing second in the First Division for the third consecutive season. United had spent time in the second tier since Ernest Mangnall's 1911 title, but have accumulated silverware at a prodigious rate since.

7. Manchester City (35 years)

United's banner at Old Trafford—first unfurled in 2002—helpfully reminded City how long it had been. The clock ticked to 35 years before Yaya Touré settled matters with single-goal victories in both the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final, setting the stage for Scott Carson's moment of glory.

6. Leeds (34 years and counting)

Recent Championship titles notwithstanding, Leeds have endured a barren spell in genuine top-tier honours. Their FA Cup semi-final this season marked their first domestic cup semi-final appearance since losing the 1996 League Cup final. Two European semi-finals during their O'Leary era represented their closest calls—and that was as one of the Premier League's best teams never to win a trophy.

5. Everton (31 years and counting)

Since their 1995 FA Cup win, Everton have reached just one final—and managed the remarkable feat of scoring after 25 seconds before losing anyway. Ouch.

4. Tottenham (30 years)

Spurs haven't historically endured lengthy trophy droughts. Ange Postecoglou delivered their first silverware in 17 years and was subsequently sacked, though dreadful Premier League form apparently contributed to the decision. Their genuine longest barren period stretched between the 1921 FA Cup and 1951 First Division title—though a world war did interrupt proceedings.

3. Chelsea (26 years)

Chelsea will surely never approach another 26-year drought, even when it feels like they might. Their last 18 trophies have been collected by eight different managers. Between Dave Sexton's 1971 Cup Winners' Cup and Ruud Gullit's 1997 FA Cup triumph, they accumulated 13 pieces of silverware in just over two and a half decades.

2. Liverpool (24 years)

When half of Liverpool's longest trophy drought coincided with the Second World War, you begin to grasp their historical excellence. They beat Sunderland for their third league title in 1923, then pipped Manchester United to their fourth in 1947. Try imagining 24 years without a title. Genuinely mortifying.

1. Arsenal (17 years)

Arsène Wenger's nine-year personal drought felt interminable before he finally ended it with the 2014 FA Cup in suitably chaotic fashion. Arsenal themselves had endured almost twice as long between trophies: between the 1953 First Division title (claimed on goal average over Preston) and the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, when they recovered from a 3-1 first-leg deficit to beat Anderlecht.