London, the iconic city and capital of England, is the powerhouse of English soccer and the soccer capital of the world. The best soccer teams in London have achieved a lot on both national and continental levels.
The bubbly greater London area is represented by 14 teams in the top four tiers of soccer in England and a whopping 6 clubs star in the paramount tier of the English soccer pyramid, The English Premier League.
These clubs boast rich histories and trophy hauls. Collectively they command a significant amount of support among soccer fans all over the world. They also make for some of the greatest rivalries in the EPL.
It is a head-cracking task to place them in any sort of order as they all are supported by highly enthusiastic fan bases who would be quick to let you know why their club comes out on top.
We will consider them in terms of their more recent performances and achievements.
Top 10 Best Soccer Teams In London
Here is a list of the top 10 soccer teams in London.
1. Chelsea Football Club
Founded in 1905, Chelsea FC is currently owned by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium and coached by Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea Football Club, known as “The Blues,” is one of the greatest soccer clubs to emanate from London.
Chelsea FC is a professional soccer club that stars in the English Premier League and is situated in Fulham in the Western part of London.
Chelsea FC plays their home game in Stamford Bridge and is supported by an eye-watering estimated 103.7million fans dubbed the blue army.
Chelsea is a formidable force in the EPL, boasting 2 Champions League titles, 2 Europa League titles, 2 Super Cup trophies, and 2 Cup winners Cup titles. Chelsea stands as the only club to have won the three major European trophies twice, with an overall trophy haul of 32, including 5 Premier League titles.
They have earned their place as the pride of London, and are undoubtedly the among the best soccer teams in London.
2. Arsenal Football Club
The North London club was established in 1886 in Islington, London, and is an established EPL giant with a lot of enviable records to its name. Arsenal are the most successful football club in London with a total of 46 trophies.
Arsenal Football Club is owned by Stan Kroenke, who is the ninth-richest sports club owner in the world and is currently coached by an ex-Arsenal player Mikel Arteta.
Although Arsenal has a poor record in European competitions with zero major European titles, their pedigree in the EPL and domestic competitions is undebatable.
Since its establishment, Arsenal Football club has won the English Premier League title 13 times, including their record-breaking unbeaten season where they played all 49 Premier League games without a single loss. They are one of the most successful football clubs in English football.
Arsenal has also won the FA Cup a record 14 times and most recently in 2020 under the stewardship of their iconic manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal has the second-highest fan base in London behind Chelsea, with an estimated 81.2 million fans called Gooners, a name derived from the club’s nickname “The Gunners .”Arsenal has undoubtedly earned its place as one of the greatest clubs in London.
3. Tottenham Hotspurs
Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club is regarded as one of the 3 giants of London, along with Arsenal and Chelsea.
Their presence in North London has created a long-standing rivalry with Arsenal Football Club in the tightly contested North London derby.
Tottenham Hotspurs FC is commonly called Tottenham or Hotspurs and nicknamed the “Lily whites.”
They were founded in 1882 and have actively competed in the English Premier League since their return from second-tier English football in the late 1970s.
The football club has played their home matches in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium since April 2019, replacing their former home ground, The White Hart Lane.
It is owned by Athletic Company Ltd and is currently coached by Antonio Conte.
A recent appearance in the European Champions League final against Liverpool FC in 2019 highlights how much of a European powerhouse they have become.
Tottenham, in recent years, has been a major contender in the English Premier League, finishing in the top four for 4 consecutive seasons under their former head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The North London-based club is not a lightweight by any means; they are a major force to reckon with in the EPL, raking up a total of 17 trophies, including 2 league titles.
Tottenham has a massive fan base and a rich history.
4. West Ham United Football Club
West Ham United Football Club, popularly known as the Hammers, is an English professional football club in Stratford, East London, that was established in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and rebranded in 1900 as West Ham United.
They are also one of the football teams that play in claret and blue, and are the fourth most successful soccer team in London in terms of trophies won (8).
West Ham United competes in the English number one competition, The English Premier League.
It is owned by a conglomerate led by co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold and coached by David Moyes.
The club currently plays its home football at the London Stadium, having moved from its former home, the Boleyn Ground, in 2016.
West Ham Football club was promoted to the EPL in 1923 and has gone on to win the FA Cup 3 times, reached 2 European finals, and won a European competition in 1964.
West Ham United enjoys the support of a strong fan base that is quite famous for its enthusiastic rendition of the iconic chorus of their team’s anthem, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.”
Some of the greatest West Ham players of all time are Paolo Di Canio, Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Geoffrey Hurst, and Trevor Booking.
5. Crystal Palace Football Club
Popularly called the Eagles, Crystal Palace is a London-based professional Football club that was formally created as a club in 1905 and is situated in Selhurst in the Borough of Croydon, South London, England.
The club’s origins go as far back as 1861, leading to some debate about it being the oldest professional football club in the world.
Crystal Palace has held its own in the English Premier League despite how fiercely competitive it gets. It is led by chairman Steve Parish and is currently managed by a head coach who is an ex-Arsenal and France footballer Patrick Vieira.
Crystal Palace plays their home football in Selhurst Park. The club has a fan base predominantly in their locality. Although they also enjoy some international support, most of their fans are from South London.
Some of the biggest names to have donned the Crystal Palace shirt include Ian Wright, Wilfred Zaha, and Jim Cannon. You can find out the greatest Crystal Palace players of all-time.
Crystal Palace recorded their highest finish in the EPL in the 1990/91 season when they finished third but have never won any major European title. The club has established a fearsome reputation for itself and is unarguably one of the best clubs in London. There also one of the many football teams that have birds on their bagdes.
6. Brentford Football Club
Brentford FC currently plies its trade in the top tier of English football, cementing its place as one of the best clubs in London.
They gained promotion to the English Premier League via playoffs at the end of 2021/22 from the championship, which is the second tier of professional English football.
Currently managed by Thomas Frank, and owned by Matthew Benham.
It is based in West London. The club is nicknamed ” The Bees” and was founded in 1889.
They played their home matches in Griffin Park from 1904 before moving to the Gtech Community stadium in 2020.
Brentford has a long-standing rivalry with fellow West London club Fulham, matches between these clubs can get so heated and in the past have been marred by violence from fans.
Finishing 13 in the EPL in the 2021/22 season, Brentford has established a reputation as a team to be taken seriously and as one of the best football clubs in London.
7. Fulham Football Club
Following a stellar performance in the last championship season, Fulham gained promotion to the English Premier League, where they would once again be able to compete against the English elite football clubs.
Established in 1879, Fulham FC is regarded as the oldest professional football club in London.
The club is located in West London and plays its home football in Craven Cottage, which has a capacity of 22,384.
Fulham FC, nicknamed “The Cottagers,” is a proud London club with a very loyal fan base.
The club has spent a total of 27 seasons in the English football top division, where they haven’t been able to establish any meaningful dominance.
Fulham is owned by Sahid Khan and is currently managed by Marco Silva.
While Fulham may not possess the most illustrious trophy portfolio, they have reached two major finals, one domestically and the other in Europe.
In 1975 they lost to West Ham in the FA Cup final, and they lost against Atlético Madrid in extra time of the Europa League final.
Being a part of the number one English competition certainly makes them one of the best football clubs in London.
8. Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers, abbreviated as QPR, is a London-based professional football club situated in Shepherd’s Bush, West London.
The club currently competes in the second tier of English football, The English Football League Championship.
QPR was founded in 1886 after the merger of two football clubs which were Christchurch Rangers and St Judes Institute, although their official establishment date is regarded as 1882, which is when Christchurch Rangers were first formed.
The football club plays their home football at the Loftus Road Stadium and are currently coached by Michael Beale.
The club’s major achievements include winning the League Cup in 1967 and finishing as runners-up in the English First Division in 1975/76.
Having featured in the English Premier League 23 times, QPR is certainly a Football club with a big reputation.
9. Millwall Football Club
Millwall Football Club is a professional football club in Bermondsey, South East London, England.
They currently compete in the EFL Championship, which is the second tier of English soccer.
The London-based football club plays on its home ground called “The Den” in tandem with the club’s nickname “The Lions.”
The football Club is managed by Gary Rowett and owned by Millwall Holdings.
While the club has spent the most time playing in the second and third tiers, it did have a brief spell in the apex domestic competition between 1988 and 1990, in which they achieved a 10th place finish which is their highest ever finish in the First Division.
It was also able to reach the FA Cup final in 2004 and booked a place in Europe for the first time in their history, taking part in the UEFA Cup.
The Football club is certainly worthy of being regarded as one of the top clubs to emanate from London.
10. Charlton Athletic
Rounding off our list of top 10 Football clubs in London is Charlton Athletic Football club.
Charlton Athletic is a Charlton-based professional football team that is in the southeast of London.
Commonly called the Addicks, Charlton Football Club is one of London’s most popular clubs.
Founded in 1905, they currently play in League one. The club is coached by Ben Garner and owned by Thomas Sandgaard.
The club began playing their home games at The Valley in 1919, 16 years after the club was founded.
Millwall and Crystal Palace are regarded as some of their biggest rivals.
Charlton has put its name on the record books also after winning the league 1 cup in the 2011/12 season and also winning the FA Cup in 1947.
Full List Of Football Clubs in London
- Chelsea F.C.
- Arsenal F.C.
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
- Crystal Palace F.C.
- Fulham F.C.
- West Ham United F.C.
- Brentford F.C.
- Queens Park Rangers F.C.
- Charlton Athletic F.C.
- Millwall F.C.
- AFC Wimbledon
- Leyton Orient F.C.
- Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.
- Barnet F.C.
- Wimbledon F.C.
- Cray Wanderers F.C.
- Barking F.C.
- Wanderers F.C.
- Corinthian F.C.
- Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- Sutton United F.C.
- Upton Park F.C.
- Bromley F.C.
- Casuals F.C.
- Hanwell Town F.C.
- Corinthian-Casuals F.C.
- Carshalton Athletic F.C.
- Edgware & Kingsbury F.C.
- Enfield Town F.C.
- Bedfont Sports F.C.
- Cray Valley Paper Mills F.C.
- Uxbridge F.C.
- Thames A.F.C.
- Romford F.C.
- Phoenix Sports F.C.
- Wealdstone F.C.
- Nunhead F.C.
- Hayes & Yeading United F.C.
- Leyton F.C.
- Croydon Common F.C.
- Kingstonian F.C.
- Yeading F.C.
- Hendon F.C.
- Northwood F.C.
- Harrow Borough F.C.
- Welling United F.C.
- Croydon Athletic F.C.
- Fisher Athletic F.C.
- Croydon Municipal F.C.
- Wingate & Finchley F.C.
