Relegation is the ultimate heartbreak in soccer. It’s the gut-wrenching moment when months of hard work, last-minute goals, and desperate fights for survival come crashing down.
When the final whistle blows on the last day of the season and your club’s name is sealed in the bottom three, there’s no escaping the reality: the Premier League dream is over, at least for now.
For some clubs, relegation is a rare and painful detour. For others, it becomes an all-too-familiar cycle. These are the teams that dance on the edge of survival season after season, often falling just short.
They’re known as “yo-yo clubs”, sides that bounce between the top flight and the Championship so frequently, the heartbreak almost becomes routine.
Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, countless teams have been tested at the highest level, but only a few have found themselves trapped in this relentless promotion-relegation loop.
Some have struggled to bridge the gap in quality. Others have simply fallen victim to the brutal competitiveness of English football’s top division.
Today, we’ll take a look at the 10 teams that have experienced relegation from the Premier League more than anyone else.
From last-day heartbreaks to record-breaking disasters, these clubs know exactly how it feels to drop through the trapdoor.
10. Birmingham City – 3 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2010/11
Longest Premier League Stay: 7 seasons (2002–06, 2007–08, 2009–11)
Birmingham City might not be the first club that springs to mind when you think of the Premier League today, but once upon a time, they were a fixture in English football’s top tier.
The Blues have suffered relegation three times during the Premier League era, with their last demotion coming at the end of the 2010/11 season.
What makes their 2011 relegation especially remarkable is that it came in the same season they experienced one of the club’s greatest triumphs.
Under the management of Alex McLeish, Birmingham lifted the League Cup, defeating Arsenal at Wembley thanks to a late winner from Obafemi Martins. That victory earned them a spot in the Europa League the following season, a rare moment of European adventure for a club enduring one of its lowest points.
Since then, Birmingham have struggled to re-establish themselves as a Premier League club, battling financial instability and managerial changes as they continue their Championship journey.
9. Bolton Wanderers – 3 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2011/12
Longest Premier League Stay: 11 seasons (2001–12)
Once a Premier League mainstay with a reputation for physical, never-say-die football, Bolton Wanderers are another side to have experienced the bitter taste of relegation three times.
During the Sam Allardyce era in the early 2000s, the Trotters were punching well above their weight, even qualifying for Europe.
Talents like Jay-Jay Okocha, Youri Djorkaeff, and Nicolas Anelka passed through the Reebok Stadium as Bolton enjoyed their best Premier League years.
But after Allardyce’s departure, the club gradually lost its way. Their final relegation came in 2011–12, ending an 11-year stay in the top flight.
Things only worsened from there, with off-field financial problems sending them tumbling as far down as League Two. While they have started to rebuild in recent years, their Premier League glory days now seem a distant memory.
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8. Sunderland – 4 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2016/17
Longest Premier League Stay: 10 seasons (2007–17)
Sunderland’s story in the Premier League is a rollercoaster of emotions, full of desperate survivals, inevitable collapses, and a few moments of genuine brilliance.
The Black Cats have been relegated four times since the league’s formation, making them one of the most relegated clubs in its history.
Their reputation for dramatic last-ditch escapes became part of the Premier League folklore. Yet for all those memorable survival missions, they’ve also been on the wrong end of some humiliating campaigns.
Perhaps the most painful of all came in the 2005–06 season, when Sunderland set a new record for the lowest points tally in Premier League history, just 15 from 38 games. That record stood until Derby County’s abysmal 11-point season in 2007–08.
Except for a couple of strong seasons under Peter Reid, when Kevin Phillips fired them to back-to-back seventh-place finishes, Sunderland have spent most of their Premier League existence fighting relegation.
The drop has become an all-too-familiar feeling for the fans at the Stadium of Light.
7. Burnley – 4 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2022/23
Longest Premier League Stay: 6 seasons (2016–22)
For much of their modern Premier League life, Burnley were the underdogs who defied the odds. Under Sean Dyche’s pragmatic and organized system, the Clarets consistently punched above their weight, securing their place in the league despite limited resources and a small squad.
But even the most resilient underdogs can’t avoid the drop forever.
Burnley have been relegated four times in the Premier League era. Their most recent fall came during the 2023–24 season, after an ambitious but ultimately flawed transition under Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian manager transformed Burnley into a slick, possession-based team in the Championship, but the same style failed to deliver results in the Premier League.
Burnley’s story is the perfect example of how difficult the jump from the second tier to the Premier League can be, and how brutal the division is for any club struggling to adapt.
6. Watford – 4 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2021/22
Longest Premier League Stay: 5 seasons (2015–20)
If there’s one club that defines the phrase “yo-yo club,” it’s Watford. Since their first promotion to the Premier League in 1999, the Hornets have been relegated four times.
Watford’s time in the top flight has been characterized by instability, especially in the manager’s office. The club became notorious for its revolving door of head coaches under owner Gino Pozzo, with some seasons seeing multiple managerial changes.
While this cutthroat approach occasionally sparked short-term improvements, it was never enough to establish long-term security.
Despite some flashes of quality, including a memorable FA Cup final appearance in 2019, Watford’s habit of sliding back to the Championship has become a painful cycle.
Their highest Premier League finish came in 2018–19 (11th), but too often, they’ve been locked in the scrap for survival.
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5. Sheffield United – 4 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2023/24
Longest Premier League Stay: 4 seasons (2019–21, 2023–24)
Sheffield United fans have endured more than their fair share of Premier League heartbreak.
The Blades’ fourth relegation arrived in the 2023–24 season, once again confirming their status as a club caught between two worlds: too strong for the Championship, but rarely able to survive in the Premier League.
Their first relegation came back in the league’s second-ever season, in 1993–94.
They wouldn’t return until 2006, only to suffer another relegation in their comeback campaign. After a long spell in the lower leagues, the Blades finally climbed back to the Premier League under Chris Wilder in 2019.
In their first season back, Sheffield United thrilled neutrals by pushing for a European place, ultimately finishing 9th — but the following season saw them crash back to reality with a dismal 20th-place finish.
Their inability to consolidate after promotion has been the story of their Premier League life so far.
4. Middlesbrough – 4 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2008/09
Longest Premier League Stay: 11 seasons (1998–2009)
Middlesbrough is another club whose name has become synonymous with Premier League relegation. The Teessiders have suffered the drop four times, but their story isn’t as gloomy as it might seem on the surface.
During the early years of the Premier League, Boro became a household name. The club signed global stars like Juninho, Emerson, Fabrizio Ravanelli, and later the likes of Gaizka Mendieta and Mark Viduka.
Despite these bold moves, relegation came calling in 1997, a cruel outcome, especially as the club had also reached both domestic cup finals that season.
After bouncing back quickly, Middlesbrough eventually established themselves in the Premier League for a solid run from 1998 to 2009. During this period, they lifted the League Cup (2004) and made an unlikely run to the UEFA Cup final (2006), losing to Sevilla.
But since their 2009 relegation, only one brief return (2016–17) has broken up their Championship spell.
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3. West Brom – 5 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2020/21
Longest Premier League Stay: 8 seasons (2010–18)
For nearly two decades, West Bromwich Albion have been the textbook definition of a yo-yo club. Since the early 2000s, the Baggies have earned promotion and suffered relegation five times, making them one of the most relegated sides in the Premier League era.
The club will always be remembered for one of the league’s greatest escapes: in the 2004–05 season, West Brom became the first club to survive relegation despite being bottom of the table at Christmas.
Bryan Robson’s side pulled off the impossible on the final day, as results elsewhere went their way and they climbed from 20th to 17th.
But that dramatic season aside, West Brom have struggled to maintain consistency at Premier League level. Often too strong for the Championship, but ill-equipped for the top tier, the Baggies have endured an exhausting cycle of promotion and relegation.
2. Leicester City – 5 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2022/23
Longest Premier League Stay: 9 seasons (2014–23)
Leicester City’s modern-day reputation as a Premier League success story, crowned, of course, by their astonishing 2015–16 title win, masks a long history of struggles in the top flight.
Before their fairytale triumph, Leicester had a habit of slipping out of the Premier League, with five relegations across their history in the division.
Their most recent drop in 2022–23 was arguably the most shocking. Having gone from champions to regular European contenders, the Foxes’ fall from grace was both sudden and severe.
That relegation also reinforced the fact that, in the Premier League, no club, no matter how recent their success, is immune to trouble.
For Leicester fans, the pain of the drop has become all too familiar, even if it’s now balanced against the memory of their unforgettable title win.
1. Norwich City – 6 Relegations
Last Relegation: 2021/22
Longest Premier League Stay: 3 seasons (2011–14, 2015–16, 2019–22)
No club in Premier League history has been relegated more times than Norwich City. The Canaries have fallen through the trapdoor six times, earning them the unwanted crown of England’s ultimate yo-yo club.
Throughout the Premier League era, Norwich has carved out a reputation as a team that dominates in the Championship but consistently struggles to survive at the top level.
Their last few promotions and relegations have almost followed a set script: they storm the Championship, get promoted with style, struggle in the Premier League, and return to the second tier just as quickly.
The Norfolk club’s inability to bridge the gap between the two divisions has left their fans stuck on a permanent emotional rollercoaster.
Despite investing in new talent and adjusting strategies, the same story has played out time and time again.
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