Big clubs that suffered relegation
The world's biggest clubs are more used to battling out at the top of the table, but many have suffered relegation over the years. A look at some famous examples...
Relegation is painful. Losing your place in a league, especially the top flight, can bring heartbreak and also mockery from rival fans.
For some, though, it is a relief. Many match-going supporters of smaller sides will say they prefer to watch their team in a lower division: it's cheaper, less commercial, and a win is more likely – which often makes for a more fun day out.
But for the biggest clubs of all, relegation is unthinkable. And also humiliating.
Yet it is also fairly common. Many of the world's top clubs have dropped down a division or even two at some point in their history. Here, a look at some of the most famous examples...
32. Everton
Historically, Everton are one of England's most successful sides and the Toffees won two First Division titles and a European Cup Winners' Cup in the mid-1980s.
Recent times have been more of a struggle for the Liverpool-based club, but the Blues have still not been relegated since finishing 22nd in the Old First Division in 1950/51. They were promoted again in 1953/54, which was the year Liverpool went down.
31. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have never been relegated from the Bundesliga and are far and away the most successful side in Germany. Between 2012 and 2023, the Bavarians won the title 11 times in a row.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
But even Bayern were relegated once. It happened way back in 1955, when Die Roten finished 16th in the old Oberliga Sud (Premier League South) after just six wins from their 30 games. They won promotion the following season.
30. Sampdoria
Sampdoria enjoyed great success in the late 1980s and 1990s, winning Serie A, three Coppa Italia crowns and a European Cup Winners' Cup in that period.
The Genoa-based club also reached the European Cup final in 1992, losing to Barcelona at Wembley. But recent times have been more tough, with relegation from Serie A in 1999, 2011 and again in 2023.
29. Monaco
Monaco are one of France's biggest and most successful sides and memorably reached the final of the Champions League in 2004.
But the Red and Whites were relegated to Ligue 1 after finishing 18th in a disastrous campaign in 2010/11 and they took two years to return to the top flight. Four years after that, with a young Kylian Mbappe in their ranks, Monaco won the Ligue 1 title.
28. Schalke
One of Germany's most successful sides in modern times, Schalke have won seven German championships and lifted the UEFA Cup in the 1996/97 season.
The club regularly attracts over 60,000 fans to their home games in the Bundesliga, but recent times have been difficult, with relegation from Germany's top tier in 2021 and 2023. In total, Schalke have gone down five times.
27. Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest famously won the European Cup twice under Brian Clough in a hugely memorable era at the City Ground. But recent times have been more difficult.
Forest last dropped out of England's top flight in 1998/99 and even lost their status as a Championship team in 2003/04, but returned to the Premier League after a long hiatus in 2022.
26. Hamburg
Six-time German champions and European Cup winners in 1983, Hamburg were one of Europe's strongest sides in the 1970s and 1980s.
HSV were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 2017/18, but continued to attract huge crowds for their home matches, with more than 50,000 regularly in attendance at the Volksparkstadion.
25. AEK Athens
AEK Athens are one of Greece's "big three" football clubs along with local rivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.
In April 2013, AEK were relegated for the first time in their history after the Athens club were docked three points for a pitch invasion by their fans in a game against Panthrakikos. In June, AEK opted to become an amateur club and self-relegated to Greece's third tier, eventually returning to the Super League in 2015.
24. Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are one of Germany's biggest, best-supported and most successful clubs, but BVB had a difficult time in the 1970s and much of the 1980s.
Blighted by financial problems, Dortmund lost their Bundesliga status in 1972 and spent four seasons in Germany's second tier before returning to the top flight in 1976. The Black and Yellow almost went down again in 1986, eventually surviving after three play-off matches against Fortuna Koln.
23. Marseille
Winners of the inaugural Champions League in 1992/93, Marseille also finished first in the French First Division that season, but were stripped of the title and relegated to the second tier for the 1994/95 campaign.
That was after a match-fixing scandal in the last match of the 1992/93 season, when three Valenciennes players were asked to underperform and allow OM an easy win to clinch the title and avoid exertion ahead of the Champions League final. Two accepted the bribe, but midfielder Jacques Glassman did not and later revealed the scandal publicly. Marseille, previously relegated three times, returned to the top flight after two years.
22. Sevilla
Sevilla are one of Spain's biggest clubs these days and the Andalusians have dominated the Europa League especially, winning the competition seven times between 2005 and 2023.
Over their history, Sevilla have been relegated from Spain's top flight four times, with the last of those in 1999/2000 – also the last time Atletico Madrid went down.
21. Palmeiras
One of Brazil's best-supported and most successful sides, Palmeiras have also had some difficult times since the start of the millennium.
Relegated for the first time in their history in 2002, Palmeiras went down again in 2012, but bounced back straight away to Brazil's Serie A on both occasions.
20. Arsenal
Arsenal have spent more than 100 years consecutively in England's top flight, longer than any other club, and the Gunners have been relegated just once in their entire history.
That happened way back in 1912/13. Playing as Woolwich Arsenal and based in south London, the Gunners picked up just 18 points from 38 games and went down along with Notts County. In 1914/15, Arsenal dropped Woolwich from their name and returned to the top flight at the second time of asking.
19. Newcastle United
Newcastle United's four league titles and six FA Cups may have been won a long time ago, but the Magpies remain a huge club – especially in the North East.
Two of Newcastle's six relegations from the top flight happened relatively recently – in 2008/09 and 2015/16. The Magpies won promotion back to the Premier League straight away on both occasions.
18. Roma
Roma are one of Italy's biggest clubs and the Giallorossi have consistently finished in Serie A's top six or seven teams over the past 40 years.
Scudetto winners in 1982/83 and 2000/01, Roma have been relegated just once in their history. The capital club finished 19th out of 20 teams in 1950/51 and went down along with Genoa. They returned to Serie A the following season.
17. Valencia
Valencia came close to losing their top-flight status in 2023, but rallied towards the end of the season and eventually finished in 16th place.
The Mestalla outfit have only been relegated from La Liga once in their history and that happened in 1985/86, also after finishing 16th (out of 18 teams back then). They returned to La Liga straight away after winning the Segunda Division in 1986/87.
16. Aston Villa
Aston Villa won the First Division title in 1981 and followed up that success by claiming the European Cup the following season.
But the Birmingham-based club were relegated just a few years later, in 1986/87, and went down again in 2015/16 after a campaign which yielded only 17 points. In total, the Villans have gone down six times.
15. Fiorentina
Fiorentina have been relegated from Italy's Serie A just four times – but the last two of those happened relatively recently.
The Florence-based club lost their top-flight status after finishing 16th in 1992/93 and went down again after coming 17th in 2001/02. After filing for bankruptcy that summer, Fiorentina were demoted to Italy's third tier. La Viola returned to Serie A for the 2004/05 season after back-to-back promotions.
14. Liverpool
Almost all of England's biggest clubs have been relegated at some stage and that includes Liverpool.
The Reds have suffered the drop just three times in their entire history: in 1895, 1903 and 1954. On the last of those, the Anfield club finished 22nd and went on to spent eight seasons in Division 2 before returning to the top flight in 1962.
13. Napoli
Serie A winners with the great Diego Maradona in their team in 1987 and 1990, Napoli clinched the Scudetto again in 2023 after a 33-year wait.
But there have been some lows along the way, including five Serie A relegations overall. The last of those occurred in 2001, but worse was to come as Napoli also dropped down to Italy's third tier in 2003/04. They returned to Serie A in 2007.
12. Santos
Just under a year after the passing of club legend Pele, Santos were relegated to Brazil's Serie B for the first time in their 111-year history.
Relegation was confirmed in December 2023 after a 2-1 defeat at home to Fortaleza saw Santos drop into the bottom three on the final day of the season. The club later vowed not to use Pele's famous number 10 until their return to Brazil's Serie A.
11. Rangers
Rangers have dominated Scottish football along with Celtic and the two Glasgow giants share one of the game's greatest rivalries.
In 2011/12, Rangers finished 20 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but the Light Blues were relegated to the nation's fourth tier after going into administration and entering proceedings to be liquidated. Under a different structure, they worked their way back up and returned to the SPL in 2016.
10. Lazio
Lazio are one of Italy's biggest teams and the capital club share a huge rivalry – as well as their Stadio Olimpico home – with city rivals Roma.
The Biancocelesti were not relegated to Italy's second tier until 1961, but went down again in 1967 and in 1971. Then, in 1980, the club was downgraded to Serie B along with AC Milan as a result of a scandal over illegal bets on their own matches. They returned to the top flight in 1983 and were relegated again in 1984/85.
9. Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur have been ever-present in the Premier League and are one of England's biggest clubs – even if that has not been reflected by trophies in recent times.
Spurs were relegated in 1977 after finishing bottom of the old First Division, but bounced back the following season despite ending the campaign in third place. World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa arrived for the Lilywhites' return to the top flight in 1978.
8. Corinthians
Corinthians are Brazil's second-most popular club after Flamengo and the Sao Paulo giants won the Serie A title for the fourth time in 2005.
But after losing the likes of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, Corinthians were relegated for the first time in 2007. The Timão bounced back as Serie B winners in 2008.
7. Manchester City
Manchester City have been a dominant force in the Premier League in recent years and the Sky Blues secured a historic treble triumph under Pep Guardiola in 2022/23.
City have been relegated 11 times from England's top flight and even dropped down to the third tier in 1998, eventually working their way up to become one of the most successful sides in the country in the 2010s and early 2020s.
6. Chelsea
Modern football fans will know Chelsea as one of the world's biggest clubs, but the Blues have been relegated six times in their history.
The west London club went down in 1910, 1924, 1962, 1975, 1979 and 1988. The Blues returned to the top flight in 1989, just three years before the start of the Premier League, and have been one of England's most successful sides since then.
5. AC Milan
One of Italy's biggest and most successful sides, AC MIlan were relegated twice in the early 1980s and struggled after that until Silvio Berlusconi bought the club in 1986.
Defending champions in 1979/80, Milan finished third but lost their top-flight status due to their involvement in the Totonero match-fixing scandal. The Rossoneri returned as Serie B winners the following season, but were relegated again after finishing 14th (out of 16 teams) in 1981/82.
4. Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have been challenging Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of LaLiga in recent times, but it was not so long ago that the Rojiblancos were relegated.
Just four years after winning a league and cup double in 1996, Atletico dropped down to Spain's Segunda Division after a disastrous campaign in which they lost 18 of their 38 matches. The Rojiblancos finished 19th and eight days after their relegation was confirmed, they also lost the Copa del Rey final to Espanyol. Atleti returned to the top flight at the second time of asking, as champions of Segunda in 2001/02.
3. River Plate
Along with fierce rivals Boca Juniors, River Plate are one of Argentina's two biggest and most historic clubs. Relegation in 2011 was therefore a huge deal.
River had been in bad shape for a while and finally lost their place in the top flight for the first time in their 110-year history following a 1-1 draw at home to Belgrano de Cordoba. The match had to be abandoned in the final minute as fans invaded the pitch and there were riots on the streets of Buenos Aires after the game. River won the title and returned to Primera in 2012.
2. Juventus
Juventus finished first in Serie A in 2005/06 but the Bianconeri were later stripped of the title due to the Calciopoli scandal and downgraded to 20th place.
Wire tappings uncovered conversations in which some clubs were accused of selecting favourable referees. Only Juventus were demoted and bounced back straight away after a season in Serie B, but didn't win the Scudetto again until 2011/12.
1. Manchester United
Manchester United may be England's biggest and most popular club, but even the Red Devils have suffered the ignominy of relegation.
United have been relegated five times in total since the club was founded in 1978, once under their original name Newton Heath LYR FC. The last time came in 1973/74, just over five years after their maiden European Cup win in 1968, when they finished in 21st place after losing 20 matches. They returned to the top flight as champions in 1975.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
