The English Premier League: Format, Promotion, Relegation and European Places Explained
What is the Premier League?
20 clubs and 38 rounds make up the Premier League season, which runs from August to May. Each team in the top division of English football plays 19 opponents twice (home and away). The Premier League has existed in its current form since 1992, when the leading clubs separated from the Football League structure.
The tournament's scope has long since expanded beyond England. Millions of fans from around the world are involved in watching and even sports betting. Matches are broadcast in over 200 countries and territories. Moreover, the league itself is considered the most commercially valuable domestic football championship in the world. The high cost of media rights, major sponsorship contracts, and global popularity make it a major business venture.
History: From the Football League to the Premier League
The first full-fledged national Football League was established in England back in 1888. Its top tier was the First Division, which determined the national champion for over a century. However, by the early 1990s, leading English clubs had become increasingly dependent on television revenue. Each sought greater control over commercial rights and, consequently, the income generated from broadcasting rights.
The turning point came in 1992, when First Division clubs left the Football League and formed a separate Premier League. New television agreements were the primary driver of this reform, allowing elite clubs to independently manage the substantial revenue generated by broadcasts.
Manchester United ushered in a new era of English football by becoming the first Premier League champion in the 1992/93 season. The club remains the Premier League record-holder with 13 titles. However, looking at the most recent 2025/26 season, Arsenal claimed the championship. This marked the fourth Premier League title for the North London club and its first in 22 years.
How the Season Works
The Premier League season runs from August to May. 20 participants play each other twice in a round-robin format, so the format is quite standard for European football. Since each team has 19 opponents, the calendar consists of 38 rounds.
As for the winter break, everything is simple: it is simply absent. The championship continues during the holiday period, unlike the 3-4 week break model discussed in our German Bundesliga guide.
It's also worth noting that the English top flight's final table format includes additional criteria for tied teams. These are applied sequentially. That is, if the previous criterion doesn't allow the teams to be separated, the next one is applied. The order is as follows:
Goal difference;
Total goals scored;
Points earned in head-to-head matches;
Number of away goals scored in matches between the teams.
This system is especially important in the fight for the title, European places, and maintaining a place in the English top flight.
How Clubs Get Promoted to the Premier League
The only way to reach the Premier League is through the EFL Championship. This is the second-strongest division in English football, and the Premier League promotion rules are based on its final table. Starting in 2026/27, the system will work as follows:
1st and 2nd places in the EFL Championship automatically qualify for England’s top division;
3rd to 8th places participate in the playoffs.
In previous seasons, the playoffs were held between the teams finishing 3rd to 6th. Starting in 2026/27, an expanded system will be used:
The 5th-placed team plays the 8th-placed team, and the 6th-placed team plays the 7th-placed team in single-leg eliminator rounds.
The clubs finishing 3rd and 4th automatically advance to the two-legged semi-finals.
The winners of the semi-final ties meet in a single decider at Wembley.
In the previous 2025/26 season, Leeds United finished first in the Championship, and Burnley finished second. Both clubs received automatic promotion to the Premier League. Sunderland secured the third promotion spot via the playoffs, and odds on the club will now also be available in the mobile app for the 2026/27 season.
Clubs from the top division do not participate in these playoffs. In this regard, the English system almost mirrors the model described in the Italian Serie A guide. The only difference from 2026/27 onward is the final stage, where in Italy the final is played over two legs.
How Relegation Works
Premier League relegation rules are structured without any intermediate playoff matches. Teams that finish the season in the bottom three positions (18th, 19th, and 20th) are automatically relegated to the Championship. There is no additional chance to retain a place, unlike in the Bundesliga relegation playoffs. If teams finish level on points, sequential additional criteria are applied, including goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head records.
After relegation, these three clubs receive parachute payments. This is intended to at least partially compensate for the loss of revenue. Exact amounts are not specified, but the approximate percentages of the basic share of television revenue are as follows:
Year 1 - 55%;
Year 2 - 45%;
Year 3 - 20% (only for clubs with 3+ PL seasons)
For example, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, and West Ham United were relegated in the 2025/26 season. During the 2026/27 season, they will receive 55% of the basic share of television revenue. As for which clubs will be relegated or win the 2026/27 Premier League season, users can make their own predictions if they join VivatBet. The platform offers a dedicated statistics section and hundreds of markets for every Championship and English top-flight match.
European Competition Spots 2026/27
The Premier League European spots distribution for the 2026/27 season was broader than the standard scheme. Thanks to the UEFA European Performance Spot (EPS), England received an additional Champions League spot. This spot is awarded to the two associations with the best aggregate results in UEFA European club competitions in the previous season. As a result, five EPL teams qualified for the Champions League: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Liverpool.
The quotas were then distributed as follows:
6th-place Bournemouth - Europa League;
7th-place Sunderland earned a Europa competition spot through a redistribution of the cup quota;
8th-place Brighton earned a spot in the Conference League;
Crystal Palace, as the winners of the 2025/26 Conference competition, qualified for the Europa League.
The final allocation can often shift because European competition spots come from several different qualification routes. However, overall, it's very similar to the one described in the Spanish La Liga guide. The difference only begins below the Champions League zone, where La Liga's structure is simpler.
Record Champions and the 2025/26 Season
Manchester United has held the Premier League record since 1992. The club currently has 13 championship titles. However, those involved in football betting will likely know that the 2025/26 season became a historic one for Arsenal. The club won its fourth Premier League title, its first in 22 years, bringing its total number of English championships to 14. Therefore, taking this into account, the list of the last five champions is as follows:
2025/26 - Arsenal;
2024/25 - Liverpool;
2023/24 - Manchester City;
2022/23 - Manchester City;
2021/22 - Manchester City.
