Who Are The Biggest Teams To Be Relegated In Football History?
Whilst the prospect of the relegation of a Rich Six football club was considered to be unthinkable, Tottenham Hotspur are at serious risk of being relegated and wearing their kits in the EFL Championship in 2026/27.
Despite beating bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to a late-game winner, Spurs were still in the Relegation Zone, with just four more chances to escape it and avoid being one of the most shocking relegations in football history.
However, even in shocking failure, Spurs have some tough competition to beat.
Manchester United (1973/74)
The closest comparison in the English top flight is Manchester United’s shock relegation in 1974, following the departure of Matt Busby, the ageing of the Busby Babes and the departure of George Best.
When former United lynchpin Denis Law scored against them in the last game of the season, it capped off a truly shocking low point for the club.
Whilst they quickly bounced back, they remained a strong cup team until Alex Ferguson became manager in the 1980s and built a monolith.
Leeds United (2003/04)
The collapse of Leeds United was so shocking that it spawned the creation of the term “doing a Leeds” to describe such cataclysmic mismanagement that it nearly caused the club to cease to exist.
Despite their relatively lowly status now, Leeds United had reached a UEFA Champions League semi-final, but the debt they accumulated to do so led to a death spiral.
They sold their best players (which led to the Korean term “Leeds Days” thanks to Alan Smith) and spent nearly two decades in the wilderness battling for survival.
Rangers (2011/12)
The blue part of the Old Firm of Glasgow seemed to be an unsinkable giant, but financial mismanagement, spending too much on big signings, and a huge tax evasion case forced the club into administration and subsequent liquidation.
They returned as a phoenix club and would eventually win the Scottish Premier League again, but not before starting at the very bottom of the Scottish Football League.