Top 10 Most Successful British Football Clubs by Major Trophies
Updated: Sep 27
British football has produced some of the most successful clubs in European football history. England and Scotland have provided league champions, domestic cup winners and European giants, with clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic and Rangers building trophy cabinets over generations.
But which British clubs have actually won the most major trophies? Counting honours is not always straightforward because different clubs and sources include different competitions.
For this list, the focus is on major men's trophies: top-flight league titles, the principal domestic cups and major UEFA club competitions. Community Shields, UEFA Super Cups, the FIFA Club World Cup, lower-division championships and regional competitions are not included.
Using that approach gives us a consistent comparison between the leading clubs from England and Scotland.
The 10 Most Successful British Football Clubs by Major Trophies
10. Tottenham Hotspur – 18 Major Trophies
Tottenham Hotspur have a long history of success in English football, with their trophy cabinet including league titles, FA Cups, League Cups and European honours.
Spurs have won two top-flight league titles, eight FA Cups and four League Cups. Their European record includes the 1963 European Cup Winners' Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League triumphs.
The most recent of those European successes came when Tottenham won the Europa League, adding another major honour to a trophy cabinet that had waited many years for fresh silverware.
Tottenham's official honours list records the club's two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, one European Cup Winners' Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League victories.
Tottenham's European history is particularly interesting because they became the first British club to win a major European trophy when they lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
9. Aberdeen – 19 Major Trophies
Aberdeen may not have the enormous trophy count of Celtic or Rangers, but their place among Britain's most successful clubs is built on a remarkable period of Scottish football history.
The Dons have won four Scottish league titles, eight Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups. Their greatest achievement came in Europe. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 by beating Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time.
They followed that by winning the European Super Cup later that year, although that competition is excluded from this particular ranking.
Aberdeen's 1980s team remains one of the great stories in British football, particularly because they managed to challenge the traditional dominance of Scotland's two Glasgow giants.
8. Aston Villa – 21 Major Trophies
Aston Villa are one of the oldest and most decorated clubs in English football. Villa have won seven top-flight league titles and seven FA Cups, while their five League Cup victories include a particularly successful period during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Their greatest achievement came in 1982. Villa won the European Cup by beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam, becoming European champions for the first time.
More than four decades later, the club added another major European trophy by winning the Europa League in 2026 under Unai Emery, taking their total under this methodology to 21.
Aston Villa described the victory as their first trophy in 30 years. That European success adds another chapter to a club whose history stretches back to the Victorian era.
7. Chelsea – 26 Major Trophies
Chelsea's modern success has made them one of the most decorated clubs in English football. Their major honours include six top-flight league titles, eight FA Cups and five League Cups.
In Europe, Chelsea have won the Champions League twice, the Europa League twice, the European Cup Winners' Cup twice and the Conference League once. That last success gave Chelsea an unusual place in European football history.
Their Conference League victory made them the first club to win each of UEFA's five major men's club competitions. Chelsea's European collection has therefore become almost as significant as their domestic record.
The club's success has also been spread across different eras, from the FA Cup-winning sides of earlier generations to the Champions League-winning teams of the 21st century.
6. Manchester City – 29 Major Trophies
Manchester City's rise over the past two decades has transformed their place in English football. The club now has 10 top-flight league titles, eight FA Cups and nine League Cups, along with the Champions League and European Cup Winners' Cup.
City's greatest European achievement came in 2023 when they finally won the Champions League as part of a historic Treble. Their domestic trophy haul has continued to grow.
The club won both the FA Cup and League Cup during the 2025/26 campaign, taking their total of major trophies under this definition to 29.
Manchester City's own records confirm those 2025/26 cup victories and the club's six Premier League titles under Pep Guardiola alone.
City's trophy cabinet now reflects success across several generations, although the scale of their modern era has dramatically accelerated that growth.
5. Arsenal – 31 Major Trophies
Arsenal's history is built around consistency. The Gunners have won 14 top-flight league titles and a record 14 FA Cups, alongside two League Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
The club's most famous league achievement came in 2003/04 when Arsène Wenger's team completed an entire Premier League season unbeaten. That side became known as the Invincibles.
Arsenal's 2026 league triumph added another top-flight title to the club's record, taking their total under this methodology to 31.
The club's official honours record lists 13 league titles, 14 FA Cups, two League Cups and one European Cup Winners' Cup, with the additional league title taking the total to 31.
The club's trophy history includes some of the most influential teams and managers in English football, from Herbert Chapman and Arsène Wenger to the generations that followed.
4. Manchester United – 44 Major Trophies
Manchester United have enjoyed periods of dominance unlike almost any other English club. Their 20 top-flight league titles remain an English record shared with Liverpool, while they have also won 13 FA Cups and six League Cups.
On the European stage, United have won three European Cups/Champions Leagues, one European Cup Winners' Cup and one Europa League. Their greatest domestic era came under Sir Alex Ferguson.
United won 13 Premier League titles during Ferguson's reign, including the famous Treble in 1999 when they became the first English club to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.
The club's official trophy room records 20 league titles, 13 FA Cups, six League Cups and three Champions League trophies, alongside their other European successes.
The names associated with United's trophy-winning history are equally impressive, from Sir Matt Busby and George Best to Ferguson, Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
3. Liverpool – 47 Major Trophies
Liverpool's trophy cabinet is one of the most impressive in British football. The club has won 20 top-flight league titles, eight FA Cups and a record 10 League Cups. Their European record is even more striking.
Liverpool have won the European Cup/Champions League six times and the UEFA Cup/Europa League three times. That gives them nine major European titles under the methodology used here.
Liverpool's 20th league title arrived under Arne Slot, who guided the club to the Premier League championship in his first season as head coach.
The club's European history includes the dramatic 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul and the 2019 victory over Tottenham in Madrid.
Liverpool's combination of domestic and European success places them firmly among the most decorated clubs in British football.
2. Rangers – 118 Major Trophies
Rangers have built an extraordinary record in Scottish football. The club has won 55 top-flight league titles, 34 Scottish Cups and 28 Scottish League Cups.
They have also won the European Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Dynamo Moscow in the 1972 final. That gives Rangers 118 major trophies under the methodology used for this article.
The club's published records confirm the 55 league titles, 34 Scottish Cups, 28 League Cups and the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup. Their domestic record is particularly outstanding.
Rangers became the first club to reach 50 Scottish league titles and have maintained a place at the heart of Scottish football throughout their history. The club's trophy haul also reflects the extraordinary scale of the Old Firm rivalry.
1. Celtic – 122 Major Trophies
Celtic sit atop this table with 122 major trophies. Their record includes 56 Scottish league titles, 43 Scottish Cups and 22 Scottish League Cups.
They have also won the European Cup, becoming the first British club to lift the trophy in 1967. That famous team became known as the Lisbon Lions after beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the final in Portugal.
Celtic's most successful periods have produced remarkable domestic runs, with the club repeatedly combining league and cup success.
The 2025/26 season added further silverware as Celtic won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, while their official honours record now lists 56 league titles, 43 Scottish Cups and 22 League Cups.
Adding their European Cup triumph gives Celtic a total of 122 major trophies under the criteria used here.
Table: The 10 Most Successful British Football Clubs Ranked
Rank | Club | Major trophies |
1 | Celtic | 122 |
2 | Rangers | 118 |
3 | Liverpool | 47 |
4 | Man United | 44 |
5 | Arsenal | 31 |
6 | Man City | 29 |
7 | Chelsea | 26 |
8 | Aston Villa | 21 |
9 | Aberdeen | 19 |
10 | Tottenham | 18 |
How Are the Trophy Totals Calculated?
Trophy comparisons can become confusing because clubs count different competitions in different ways.
For this ranking, the totals include:
Top-flight league championships
FA Cup or Scottish Cup
League Cup
European Cup/Champions League
UEFA Cup/Europa League
European Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Conference League
The following are excluded:
FA Community Shield and Scottish equivalent
UEFA Super Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
Lower-division league titles
Regional and other minor competitions
The aim is not to produce the only possible trophy table. It is to use one consistent definition across the British clubs being compared.
Which British Clubs Have Won the Most European Trophies?
Liverpool lead English clubs for major European honours, with six European Cups/Champions Leagues and three UEFA Cup/Europa League victories. Their official honours record confirms six European Cups and three UEFA Cups.
Among Scottish clubs, Celtic's European Cup triumph in 1967 remains one of the most important achievements in British football history. Rangers and Aberdeen have also lifted major European trophies, with both clubs winning the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Chelsea have developed one of the most varied European records, winning the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup and Conference League.
Why Are Celtic and Rangers So Far Ahead?
The answer is largely domestic dominance. Celtic and Rangers have spent much of their histories competing at the top of Scottish football and have accumulated extraordinary numbers of league and domestic cup victories.
The two Glasgow clubs have won the vast majority of Scotland's top-flight titles between them, while their long-running rivalry has also produced a huge number of domestic cup successes.
Their European trophy totals are much smaller than their domestic figures, but their consistency in Scotland explains why their overall trophy counts are so far ahead of the leading English clubs.
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