English League (2nd tier)
Football League Second Division (1892–1992)
Football League First Division (1992–2004)
Football League Championship (2004–2016)
EFL Championship (2016–present)
Country
England
England
Founded
1892
Number of teams
24 (2022–23 season)
Current champions
Burnley (2022–23)
Most successful club
Leicester City and Manchester City
(7 championships each)

A national second tier of English league football was established in 1892–93, at the demise of Football Alliance, as the Second Division. In 1992, with the departure of the then First Division clubs to become the Premier League, the second tier became known as the First Division. In 2004 it was re-branded as the Football League Championship before it was renamed the EFL Championship in 2016.

Football League Second Division (1893–1992)

Season Winners Runners-up Third qualifiers Fourth qualifiers
1892–93 Small Heath* Sheffield United Darwen
1893–94 Liverpool Birmingham City
1894–95 Bury Notts County*
1895–96 Liverpool (2) Manchester City*
1896–97 Notts County Newton Heath*
1897–98 Burnley Newcastle United
1898–99 Manchester City Glossop North End
1899–1900 Sheffield Wednesday Bolton Wanderers
1900–01 Grimsby Town Small Heath
1901–02 West Bromwich Albion Middlesbrough
1902–03 Manchester City (2) Small Heath
1903–04 Preston North End Woolwich Arsenal
1904–05 Liverpool (3) Bolton Wanderers
1905–06 Bristol City Manchester United
1906–07 Nottingham Forest Chelsea
1907–08 Bradford City Leicester City
1908–09 Bolton Wanderers Tottenham Hotspur
1909–10 Manchester City (3) Oldham Athletic
1910–11 West Bromwich Albion (2) Bolton Wanderers
1911–12 Derby County Chelsea
1912–13 Preston North End (2) Burnley
1913–14 Notts County (2) Bradford Park Avenue
1914–15 Derby County (2) Preston North End Arsenal
1915–16 to 1918–19 League suspended due to World War I
1919–20 Tottenham Hotspur Huddersfield Town
1920–21 Birmingham City (2) Cardiff City
1921–22 Nottingham Forest (2) Stoke City
1922–23 Notts County (3) West Ham United
1923–24 Leeds United Bury
1924–25 Leicester City Manchester United
1925–26 Sheffield Wednesday (2) Derby County
1926–27 Middlesbrough Portsmouth
1927–28 Manchester City (4) Leeds United
1928–29 Middlesbrough (2) Grimsby Town
1929–30 Blackpool Chelsea
1930–31 Everton West Bromwich Albion
1931–32 Wolverhampton Wanderers Leeds United
1932–33 Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur
1933–34 Grimsby Town (2) Preston North End
1934–35 Brentford Bolton Wanderers
1935–36 Manchester United Charlton Athletic
1936–37 Leicester City (2) Blackpool
1937–38 Aston Villa Manchester United
1938–39 Blackburn Rovers Sheffield United
1939–40 to 1945–46 League suspended due to World War II
1946–47 Manchester City (5) Burnley
1947–48 Birmingham City (3) Newcastle United
1948–49 Fulham West Bromwich Albion
1949–50 Tottenham Hotspur (2) Sheffield Wednesday
1950–51 Preston North End (3) Manchester City
1951–52 Sheffield Wednesday (3) Cardiff City
1952–53 Sheffield United Huddersfield Town
1953–54 Leicester City (3) Everton
1954–55 Birmingham City (4) Luton Town
1955–56 Sheffield Wednesday (4) Leeds United
1956–57 Leicester City (4) Nottingham Forest
1957–58 West Ham United Blackburn Rovers
1958–59 Sheffield Wednesday (5) Fulham
1959–60 Aston Villa (2) Cardiff City
1960–61 Ipswich Town Sheffield United
1961–62 Liverpool (4) Leyton Orient
1962–63 Stoke City (2) Chelsea
1963–64 Leeds United (2) Sunderland
1964–65 Newcastle United Northampton Town
1965–66 Manchester City (6) Southampton
1966–67 Coventry City Wolverhampton Wanderers
1967–68 Ipswich Town (2) Queens Park Rangers
1968–69 Derby County (3) Crystal Palace
1969–70 Huddersfield Town Blackpool
1970–71 Leicester City (5) Sheffield United
1971–72 Norwich City Birmingham City
1972–73 Burnley (2) Queens Park Rangers
1973–74 Middlesbrough (3) Luton Town Carlisle United
1974–75 Manchester United (2) Aston Villa Norwich City
1975–76 Sunderland Bristol City West Bromwich Albion
1976–77 Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) Chelsea Nottingham Forest
1977–78 Bolton Wanderers (2) Southampton Tottenham Hotspur
1978–79 Crystal Palace Brighton & Hove Albion Stoke City
1979–80 Leicester City (6) Sunderland Birmingham City
1980–81 West Ham United (2) Notts County Swansea City
1981–82 Luton Town Watford Norwich City
1982–83 Queens Park Rangers Wolverhampton Wanderers Leicester City
1983–84 Chelsea Sheffield Wednesday Newcastle United
1984–85 Oxford United Birmingham City Manchester City
1985–86 Norwich City (2) Charlton Athletic Wimbledon
1986–87 Derby County (4) Portsmouth
1987–88 Millwall Aston Villa Middlesbrough
1988–89 Chelsea (2) Manchester City Crystal Palace
1989–90 Leeds United (3) Sheffield United Sunderland
1990–91 Oldham Athletic West Ham United Sheffield Wednesday Notts County
1991–92 Ipswich Town (3) Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers

Football League First Division (1992–2004)

Season Winners Runners-up Play-off winners
1992–93 Newcastle United (2) West Ham United Swindon Town
1993–94 Crystal Palace (2) Nottingham Forest Leicester City
1994–95 Middlesbrough (4) Reading* Bolton Wanderers
1995–96 Sunderland (2) Derby County Leicester City
1996–97 Bolton Wanderers (3) Barnsley Crystal Palace
1997–98 Nottingham Forest (3) Middlesbrough Charlton Athletic
1998–99 Sunderland (3) Bradford City Watford
1999–2000 Charlton Athletic Manchester City Ipswich Town
2000–01 Fulham (2) Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers
2001–02 Manchester City (7) West Bromwich Albion Birmingham City
2002–03 Portsmouth Leicester City Wolverhampton Wanderers
2003–04 Norwich City (3) West Bromwich Albion Crystal Palace

Football League Championship/EFL Championship (2004 onwards)

Season Winners Runners-up Play-off winners
2004–05 Sunderland (4) Wigan Athletic West Ham United
2005–06 Reading Sheffield United Watford
2006–07 Sunderland (5) Birmingham City Derby County
2007–08 West Bromwich Albion (3) Stoke City Hull City
2008–09 Wolverhampton Wanderers (3) Birmingham City Burnley
2009–10 Newcastle United (3) West Bromwich Albion Blackpool
2010–11 Queens Park Rangers (2) Norwich City Swansea City
2011–12 Reading (2) Southampton West Ham United
2012–13 Cardiff City Hull City Crystal Palace
2013–14 Leicester City (7) Burnley Queens Park Rangers
2014–15 Bournemouth Watford Norwich City
2015–16 Burnley (3) Middlesbrough Hull City
2016–17 Newcastle United (4) Brighton & Hove Albion Huddersfield Town
2017–18 Wolverhampton Wanderers (4) Cardiff City Fulham
2018–19 Norwich City (4) Sheffield United Aston Villa
2019–20 Leeds United (4) West Bromwich Albion Fulham
2020–21 Norwich City (5) Watford Brentford
2021–22 Fulham (3) Bournemouth Nottingham Forest
2022–23 Burnley (4) Sheffield United Luton Town

Number of titles overall

Clubs in bold are competing in the 2023–24 EFL Championship.

Rank Club Winners Winning seasons
1 Leicester City 7 1924–25, 1936–37, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1970–71, 1979–80, 2013–14
Manchester City 7 1898–99, 1902–03, 1909–10, 1927–28, 1946–47, 1965–66, 2001–02
3 Norwich City 5 1971–72, 1985–86, 2003–04, 2018–19, 2020–21
Sheffield Wednesday 5 1899–1900, 1925–26, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1958–59
Sunderland 5 1975–76, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2006–07
6 Birmingham City 4 1892–93, 1920–21, 1947–48, 1954–55
Burnley 4 1897–98, 1972–73, 2015–16, 2022–23
Derby County 4 1911–12, 1914–15, 1968–69, 1986–87
Leeds United 4 1923–24, 1963–64, 1989–90, 2019–20
Liverpool 4 1893–94, 1895–96, 1904–05, 1961–62
Middlesbrough 4 1926–27, 1928–29, 1973–74, 1994–95
Newcastle United 4 1964–65, 1992–93, 2009–10, 2016–17
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4 1931–32, 1976–77, 2008–09, 2017–18
14 Bolton Wanderers 3 1908–09, 1977–78, 1996–97
Fulham 3 1948–49, 2000–01, 2021–22
Ipswich Town 3 1960–61, 1967–68, 1991–92
Nottingham Forest 3 1906–07, 1921–22, 1997–98
Notts County 3 1896–97, 1913–14, 1922–23
Preston North End 3 1903–04, 1912–13, 1950–51
West Bromwich Albion 3 1901–02, 1910–11, 2007–08
21 Aston Villa 2 1937–38, 1959–60
Chelsea 2 1983–84, 1988–89
Crystal Palace 2 1978–79, 1993–94
Grimsby Town 2 1900–01, 1933–34
Manchester United 2 1935–36, 1974–75
Queens Park Rangers 2 1982–83, 2010–11
Reading 2 2005–06, 2011–12
Stoke City 2 1932–33, 1962–63
Tottenham Hotspur 2 1919–20, 1949–50
West Ham United 2 1957–58, 1980–81
31 Bournemouth 1 2014–15
Blackburn Rovers 1 1938–39
Blackpool 1 1929–30
Bradford City 1 1907–08
Brentford 1 1934–35
Bristol City 1 1905–06
Bury 1 1894–95
Cardiff City 1 2012–13
Charlton Athletic 1 1999–2000
Coventry City 1 1966–67
Everton 1 1930–31
Huddersfield Town 1 1969–70
Luton Town 1 1981–82
Millwall 1 1987–88
Oldham Athletic 1 1990–91
Oxford United 1 1984–85
Portsmouth 1 2002–03
Sheffield United 1 1952–53

References

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