The Premier League's so-called 'five appearances' rule explained ahead the climatic final day
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Premier League title race has gone down to the last weekend. By 6pm on Sunday we will know if Manchester City have claimed a record-breaking fourth title in a row or if Arsenal have ended their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England.
The equation is fairly simple. If City win at home to West Ham United, they are champions. If they don’t and Arsenal beat Everton at the Emirates, the trophy is heading south. While winning has become a habit for Pep Guardiola’s team in recent years, taking home a Premier League winners’ medal will never get old for staff or players.
But how many medals do each team get? And which players or staff members could potentially miss out? Here’s a look at the rules.
How many Premier League winners’ medals do the champions get?
A Premier League winners' medal
The Premier League winners’ medal is made of silver and is 2.25in (5/7cm) in diameter. Last year’s design featured the Premier League logo on one side along with the words ‘Champions 2022/23’.
The other side has the crown that sits on top of the Premier League trophy with the words ‘Premier League Champions’ on it.
The champions will be given a total of 40 medals by the Premier League.
What are the rules for giving them out?
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City staff celebrate with the Premier League trophy in May 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)
The winners will be able to dish out the medals as they see fit to the manager, players and officials, as long as every player who has made five Premier League appearances during the title-winning season gets one.
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Going into the final weekend, 21 Arsenal players have played more than five games, while Manchester City have also used 21 players five or more times, which would leave each club with 19 more medals to hand out.
Can the champions get any more medals?
Yes, but only at the consent of the Premier League board, who will only grant that request if more than 39 players have made at least five Premier League appearances during the season.
Neither Arsenal or Manchester City would meet that criteria this season.
What about players who have played fewer than five Premier League games this season?
Cole Palmer in action for Manchester City
There are a few notable players not to hit the five-game mark.
Arsenal’s longest-serving player Mohamed Elneny has made just three substitute appearances this season, so won’t be able to hit the five-game mark. Cedric Soares has also made just three appearances off the bench, while Jurrien Timber’s opening game injury means he played just 50 minutes of football in 2023/24.
City also have some eye-catching names on their list of players who failed to reach five games. James McAtee played one minute of City’s season opener at Burnley before he was loaned out to Sheffield United, while Kalvin Phillips fell agonisingly short of the mark as he came off the bench four times for City before his loan move to West Ham.
The other name to jump out is Cole Palmer, who got ten minutes for City at Burnley in August, shortly before he signed for Chelsea. Aymeric Laporte is in the same boat, playing 11 minutes at Turf Moor before joining Al-Nassr.
Mohamed Elneny has played three times this season
In theory, all of these players could be given a winners’ medal by Arsenal or Manchester City, although they would be at the expense of a member of the coaching or backroom staff.
In reality, it would be hard to see any player who left the club after a single game be handed a medal.
Mohamed Elneny’s stature at Arsenal would likely see the Gunners give him a medal, while Kalvin Phillips would hope his popularity in the City dressing room would convince the club to make an exception in his case.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
