Which English Club Has Won the Most Trophies? The All-Time Ranking

Liverpool and Manchester United sit at the top of English football's honours table, but the battle to be the country's most decorated club is far from settled.

Counting trophies in English football is less straightforward than it sounds. If we include awards like the Community Shield and the numbers change significantly. And if we’re including second-tier titles the picture shifts again. 

On any reasonable measure of major honours, the race for the most trophies an English football club has ever accumulated comes down to two sides. Liverpool and Manchester United’s trophies dominate the all-time table, and have done for decades. 

Here is the definitive ranking of which English club has won most, and how the race looks heading into the post-2026 era.

How do we count trophies in English football?

For the purposes of this article, major honours means the top-flight league title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Champions League/European Cup, the Europa League/UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. 

Community Shields, Super Cups and Club World Cups are excluded. This is the standard used by most football historians and produces the most meaningful comparison between clubs.

On that basis, Liverpool lead the all-time table with 52 major trophies. Manchester United are second with 43. The gap between second and third is significant.

Liverpool: the most decorated English club?

On the major honours count, yes. Liverpool's 52 trophies break down as 20 league titles (equal with United), eight FA Cups, ten League Cups (a competition record), six Champions Leagues (more than any other English club) and three UEFA Cup/Europa League wins.

Their most recent league title came in 2024-25 under Arne Slot, their 20th, which drew them level with Manchester United's long-standing record. Their most recent Champions League win came in 2019. The 2025-26 season was a difficult one domestically, with Arsenal winning the title and Liverpool finishing fifth.

Manchester United's trophy cabinet vs Liverpool's

United's 43 major trophies consist of 20 league titles, 13 FA Cups (second only to Arsenal's 14), six League Cups, three Champions Leagues and one Cup Winners' Cup. The bulk of their modern haul was built under Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 of those league titles between 1993 and 2013.

United trail Liverpool on European trophies by a significant margin, and three Champions Leagues to six is a gap that is difficult to close. United have not won the league since Ferguson's retirement in 2013. Under Michael Carrick in 2025-26, they finished third in the Premier League, their best result since 2017, but are still well short of where their trophy haul suggests they should be.

Arsenal's haul: the FA Cup kings

Arsenal hold the all-time FA Cup record with 14 wins. 

Arsenal's 14th came when they won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2025-26 under Mikel Arteta, their first league title in 22 years.Their total major trophy count sits around 30, which places them third among English clubs. 

The FA Cup record is the standout stat. What has eluded Arsenal for their entire history is the Champions League, a trophy they have reached the final of once, in 2006, losing to Barcelona.

Manchester City's rapid rise up the honours table

A generation ago, Manchester City were not in this conversation. The Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008 changed everything. Under Pep Guardiola since 2016, City have accumulated trophies at a rate that has moved them from outside the top four historically to legitimate contenders. 

In 2025-26 alone, City won the FA Cup and the League Cup, completing a domestic cup double. Their total of 10 league titles, nine League Cups, eight FA Cups and one Champions League gives them around 35 major honours in total. The pace of accumulation under Guardiola is without precedent in English football.

Chelsea's trophy count since Roman Abramovich

Before 2003, Chelsea had won one league title, two FA Cups and two League Cups across their entire history. The Abramovich era transformed that entirely. Between 2005 and 2022, Chelsea won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions Leagues.

Their all-time total sits around 25 major honours. The post-Abramovich era has been chaotic, though the 2025-26 FA Cup final appearance against City represents continued presence in major occasions even without the same financial dominance.

Could any club ever overtake the current leaders?

Manchester City represent the most credible long-term threat to Liverpool's position. At their current rate of trophy accumulation, they could surpass United's total within a decade, though Liverpool's continued European strength makes closing the overall gap difficult.

No other club currently combines the finances, the coaching stability and the squad quality to threaten the top two in the near term. Liverpool has the most trophies for an English football club and for the time being, that’s not likely to change. 

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