Introduction
Many clubs can only dream of achieving promotion and generations of supporters pass by without ever seeing their side elevate itself to the next level.
For others, a promotion challenge seems to happen regularly.
Here, we take a look at those teams who have achieved the most promotions within the English Football League structure. For those teams that are tied on promotions, the club with the least relegations has been placed higher.
10) Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley – 12
Sheffield Wednesday has a rich history and have achieved multiple promotions within the English Football League. Founded in 1867, they were a founding member of the Football Alliance and joined the Football League in 1892.
One of their earliest notable promotions came in the 1899–1900 season when they won the Second Division to return to the top flight. The club’s status fluctuated in the early and mid-20th century, with further promotions in 1925–26 and 1951–52, marking returns to Division One following relegation.
A key promotion occurred in 1955–56, as Wednesday won the Second Division title, as they did again in 1958–59.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, under Howard Wilkinson and later Ron Atkinson and Trevor Francis, the Owls re-established themselves as a top-tier club, gaining promotion to the First Division in 1983–84.
More recently, after dropping into League One, they returned to the Championship in 2011–12. Their latest promotion came in the 2022–23 season, via a dramatic League One play-off final victory over Barnsley, marking their return to the second tier.
Burnley, established in 1882 and a founding member of the Football League, has also has a long history of promotions. Their early successes include winning the Second Division in 1897–98 and again in 1912–13. They were promoted to the First Division in 1946–47 and crowned champions of England in 1959–60.
After a decline in the late 20th century, Burnley hit a low point in the 1980s with relegation to Division Three and then again to Division Four. In the early 1990s, they began to recover with two quick-fire promotions leading them back to Division One (at that point, the second tier due to the advent of the Premier League).
A significant promotion came in 2008–09 when they won the Championship play-off final, securing a return to the top flight for the first time in 33 years.
They earned automatic promotion in 2013–14 and again in 2015–16. Following relegation in 2022, they bounced back immediately, winning the Championship title under Vincent Kompany in 2022–23.
9) Rotherham United, Lincoln City and Hull City – 12
Rotherham United was formed in 1925 and has had a fluctuating existence between the second, third, and fourth tiers. One of their earliest notable promotions came in 1950–51 when they won the Third Division North, earning a place in the Second Division.
In more recent decades, Rotherham has earned multiple promotions, often bouncing between League One and the Championship. Notably, under Ronnie Moore in 1999–2000 and 2000–01, they achieved back-to-back promotions from the fourth to the second tier.
More recently, they have been promoted to the Championship in 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2022, largely through automatic promotion.
Lincoln City, founded in 1884, have spent much of their time in the lower divisions. After joining the Football League in 1892, they experienced periodic promotions.
perhaps the most notable coming in the 1975–76 season when they won the Fourth Division title, as Graham Taylor’s side set a points record that was only beaten by Birmingham City last season.
The club’s modern resurgence began under Danny Cowley, who led them back into the EFL by winning the National League in 2016–17. This was followed by promotion from League Two in 2018–19 as champions. These successes marked a strong comeback after their relegation from the EFL in 2011.
Hull City, established in 1904, has had a more dramatic rise in recent decades. After fluctuating between the second and third tiers during much of the 20th century, they achieved promotion to the Championship in 2004–05 and then to the Premier League in 2007–08 for the first time in the club’s history.
Further promotions to the Premier League followed in 2012–13 and via the play-offs in 2015–16. Following relegations, Hull won League One in 2020–21 to return to the Championship.
8) Manchester City and Norwich City – 12
Manchester City were founded in 1880 and joined the Football League in 1892, earned their first major promotion in the 1898–99 season by winning the Second Division.
Throughout the 20th century, City moved between divisions several times, with notable promotions in 1903, 1928, and 1947.
Under Joe Mercer in 1965–66, City won the Second Division, beginning a golden era which included a First Division title in 1967–68.
After a turbulent 1990s period, City dropped to the third tier in 1998 but achieved back-to-back promotions in 1999 and 2000. Although briefly relegated in 2001, they returned immediately by winning the First Division in 2001–02.
Since then, the club has remained in the Premier League, becoming a dominant force in English football.
Norwich City joined the Football League in 1920. Their first promotion to the Second Division came in 1933–34 after winning the Third Division South.
A major breakthrough came in 1971–72 when they won the Second Division, securing their first promotion to the top flight. Norwich achieved further top-tier promotions in 1981–82, 1985–86, and 2003–04.
More recently, they have earned promotion to the Premier League in 2010–11 under Paul Lambert, 2018–19 under Daniel Farke by winning the Championship, and again in 2020–21, also as champions.
7) Cardiff City and Sheffield United – 13
Sheffield United quickly became a major force in English football, winning the First Division championship was in 1897–98.
After relegations in the mid-20th century, they were promoted to the First Division in 1960–61 and again in 1970–71.
A major resurgence occurred under manager Dave Bassett, who guided the Blades from the Third Division to the First Division with back-to-back promotions in 1988–89 and 1989–90.
Following relegations in the Premier League era, they earned promotion to the top flight in 2005–06 under Neil Warnock. Most recently, Sheffield United secured promotion to the Premier League in 2018–19 under Chris Wilder and again in 2022–23, demonstrating their resilience and ambition to compete at the highest level.
Cardiff City have spent decades shifting between divisions. A key promotion came in 1982–83 when they returned to the Second Division. In the 21st century, Cardiff began climbing again—securing promotion to the Championship in 2002–03 and narrowly missing Premier League promotion in several play-off campaigns.
Their persistence paid off in 2012–13 when they won the Championship under Malky Mackay, reaching the Premier League for the first time. After relegation, they returned once more in 2017–18 under Neil Warnock, who has achieved eight promotions as a manager.
6) Luton Town – 13
Luton Town Football Club, founded in 1885, has a long and eventful history within the English Football League, marked by several key promotions.
The club joined the Football League in 1897, though they briefly left and rejoined in 1920. Their first significant promotion came in the 1936–37 season when they won the Third Division South, earning a place in the Second Division.
After several near misses, Luton achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history in the 1954–55 season, finishing as runners-up in the Second Division. They spent a handful of seasons in the First Division, even reaching the FA Cup Final in 1959, before being relegated.
In the 1967–68 season, Luton earned promotion from the Fourth Division, and by 1974–75 they had climbed back to the First Division.
Another notable promotion came in 1981–82 when David Pleat led them to the First Division again, initiating a strong spell in the top flight that lasted until 1992.
During this period, Luton won the 1988 League Cup and regularly competed at a high level.
However, financial troubles in the 2000s led to successive relegations, and in 2009 the club dropped out of the Football League for the first time. After five seasons in the National League, Luton earned promotion back to League Two in 2013–14.
Their rise continued: in 2017–18, Luton was promoted to League One, and the following season, they won the League One title, earning a spot in the Championship.
In 2022–23, Luton completed an extraordinary journey by winning the Championship play-offs and securing promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
5) Notts County – 14
Notts County, founded in 1862 and recognised as the world’s oldest professional football club, has experienced numerous promotions throughout its history.
The club was a founding member of the Football League in 1888 and has spent much of its existence moving between divisions.
One of their earliest promotions came in the 1896–97 season when they won the Second Division and returned to the First Division.
Throughout the early 20th century, Notts County experienced multiple relegations and promotions, reflecting their status as a competitive but inconsistent side. A notable promotion came in the 1913–14 season when they again topped the Second Division.
In the post-war era, the club continued to fluctuate. In the 1949–50 season, Notts won the Third Division South, securing promotion to the Second Division.
They repeated this feat in 1980–81, finishing second in the Second Division to gain promotion to the top tier for the first time since the 1920s.
One of the club’s most memorable rises came in the late 1980s and early 1990s under manager Neil Warnock(again!).
In successive seasons, 1989–90 and 1990–91, Notts County won back-to-back promotions from the Third Division to the First Division via the play-offs, returning briefly to the top flight just before the formation of the Premier League.
In more recent history, after a decline that saw the club fall to the National League in 2019—the first time in their history outside the Football League—they earned promotion back to League Two in the 2022–23 season via the National League play-offs, defeating Chesterfield in a dramatic final.
4) Bolton Wanderers – 14
Bolton Wanderers were one of the founding members of the Football League. The club spent much of its early history in the top two divisions.
One of their most notable promotions came in the 1934–35 season, when they finished second in the Second Division, securing a return to the top-flight.
After World War II, Bolton maintained a solid top-flight presence before experiencing relegation in the 1963–64 season. They returned to the First Division in 1977–78 under manager Ian Greaves, finishing as Second Division champions.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Bolton fell to the lower tiers, even spending time in the Fourth Division.
However, the club began a revival in the early 1990s. Under Bruce Rioch, they were promoted from the Third Division in 1992–93 and then reached the Premier League for the first time in 1995 via a dramatic 4–3 play-off final win over Reading. Though relegated the following season, they bounced back by winning the First Division title in 1996–97.
Further promotion came in 2000–01, when Sam Allardyce guided the Trotters back to the Premier League through the play-offs. This marked the beginning of a golden era, with Bolton enjoying 11 consecutive seasons in the Premier League, including European qualification.
Following relegation in 2012, Bolton’s fortunes declined, and they fell to League One in 2016. However, they secured promotion back to the Championship in 2016–17. After financial troubles and a further drop, they were promoted again from League Two in the 2020–21 season under Ian Evatt.
3) Birmingham City and Doncaster Rovers – 14
Birmingham City has a long and varied history in the English Football League system, after being founded in 1875. Birmingham City were one of the founding members of the Second Division on its inception in 1892.
Birmingham City has experienced multiple promotions to the top flight of English football (now the Premier League). Their first major promotion came in the 1893–94 season when they won the Second Division, earning elevation to the First Division.
Throughout the 20th century, Birmingham oscillated between divisions, with notable promotions including the 1947–48 season when they won the Second Division title again.
More recently, Birmingham secured promotion to the Premier League twice via the play-offs, in 2002 and 2007, highlighting their ability to compete at higher levels despite financial challenges.
Birmingham’s most recent promotion came at the end of last season as they regained their Championship status by winning League One with a record number of points.
Doncaster Rovers were established in 1879 and joined the Football League in 1901 following promotion from the Midland League.
Rovers spent the next 35 years fluctuating between the Second Division and the Midland League before being promoted in 1935 and becoming an established Football League club.
The club has achieved promotions primarily from the third and fourth tiers of English football. Notably, Doncaster won the Fourth Division (now League Two) title in the 1965–66 season and secured promotion from the Third Division several times, including the 1968–69 and 2003–04 campaigns.
The club’s recent golden period was in the mid-2010s when they won League One in the 2012–13 season, earning promotion to the Championship. Doncaster’s ability to bounce back after relegations has been a defining feature, underscoring their resilience and ambition within the competitive EFL structure.
2) Leicester City – 14
Incredibly, 13 of Leicester’s 14 promotions have earned them a place in the Premier League, or the top division in England at the time. The Foxes have won the second tier on eight occasions, gaining two further promotions via the playoffs and the final three have come as runners-up.
Having been formed as Leicester Fosse in 1884, the club gained entry into the Second Division of the football pyramid in 1894 and achieved its first promotion to the top flight in 1908 with a second-place finish.
They would be immediately relegated and wouldn’t return to the top tier until 1925, this time after winning the Second Division. The Foxes would add more Second Division titles in 1937, 1954 and 1957, the latter signalling a 12-year stay in the top division.
A Second Division title won in 1971 led to the club claiming the Charity Shield after victory against Liverpool after Arsenal were unable to participate in the season curtain raiser.
The 1980s saw two more promotions to, and relegations from, the top flight before entering a golden decade in the 1990s.
The Foxes made seven trips to Wembley in a nine-year spell that saw them gain two further promotions to the top flight and also add the 1997 League Cup to their trophy cabinet.
In 2008, Leicester City suffered relegation to League One for the first time in their history. What this disappointment did allow was for City to add yet another promotion to their impressive résumé, this time in the shape of third-tier champions.
The Foxes would once again be back in the top flight as Championship winners in 2014 and remained until their relegation at the end of the 2022-23 season. During that nine-season spell, The Foxes managed one of the greatest of great escapes and followed that up by producing one of football’s most miraculous miracles!
Enzo Maresca brought them straight back to the Premier League with an eighth second-tier title that was earned with 97 points. Ruud van Nistelrooy now has the task of earning a ninth Championship title or, at the very least, adding a 15th promotion.
1- Grimsby Town – 15
With 15 EFL promotions, Grimsby Town are perhaps the surprise name at the top of this list.
The Mariners have enjoyed a storied history from their formation as Grimsby Pelham in 1878. Grimsby moved to Blundell Park in 1899 and won their first league title in 1901, being crowned champions of the Second Division, which we now know as the Championship.
Grimsby have spent a total of 12 seasons in English football’s top flight, with their longest spell running from 1934 to 1949 during which they achieved a 5th-place finish in 1935.
Famous names, such as the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, have led the Mariners throughout their history, although Shankly’s side fell just short of promotion.
Allenby Chilton, a former Manchester United defender and First Division winner, led the club to the Division Three North title in 1956. In doing so, Grimsby became the first team to go from seeking re-election to winning a championship in successive seasons.
Town would go on to enjoy title wins under the likes of Lawrie McMenemy, and George Kerr and back-to-back promotions under Alan Buckley with the last promotion coming in 2022 when they were promoted back to the Football League via the playoffs.
