Ranking the Worst Premier League Teams Ever

The English media focuses a lot on the best teams and players, but not many bat an eye towards the worst Premier League teams, and that is quite an interesting list. It is obvious that the Premier League, which is the best league in the world, often yields a lot of dominant and challenging teams; however, it does the very opposite as well. These teams often disappoint on the biggest stage, which is the Premier League itself, and have cemented themselves in the list of the worst Premier League teams.

Some of the teams mentioned on our list have done well in their domestic competitions, but we have compiled our list by picking the 10 worst PL teams from a particular season. This post also features a bonus section of some of the worst teams of the Premier League this season. But before we get into that, we have justified our rankings with a criteria section that helped us choose the 10 worst Premier League teams of all time.

What Defines the Worst Team in Premier League History?

The top 10 worst football teams in the Premier League will be ranked fairly on the basis of a few ranking factors. The ranking factors are as mentioned below:

Failing To Meet Expectations: Some Premier League teams are amongst the best in the world, however, they fail to live up to their expectations and underperform way more than expected. This factor is crucial and more important since teams of big reputations, legacy and accolades often under perform as well and their campaign is usually deemed worse than the teams which get relegated or are expected to perform poorly.

Lowest Statistical Finish: The teams which finish in 18th, 19th and 20th position are usually the worst football teams in the Premier League since they are relegated. However some of these teams are barely able to garner a few wins and points and have a very poor GD and at times have a lot of losses as well.

10 Worst Premier League Teams in EPL History

10) Swindon Town – 1993-1994 Season

Swindon Town attained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history in the 1993-1994 season, and as expected from the name of this list, they were heavily underprepared. They had to wait until November to get their first Premier League win. Swindon Town were remembered for a few poor reasons, one being the fact that they finished last (22nd) in 42 42-game season, winning only five matches.

The worst part is that they even let in 100 goals during the season. Ultimately, they were relegated since they garnered only 30 points out of a possible 126, winning only five games, drawing 15, and losing 22.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
22	Swindon Town	42	30	–53

9) Watford – 2021-2022 Season

Watford made many signings ahead of the 2021-2022 Premier League season, having signed Mattie Pollock, Moussa Sissoko, Imran Louza, and Kwadwo Baah. At that time, Xisco Munez led them to promotion from the Championship and was meant to take the helm in the Premier League as well. Under Xisco, Watford even beat Aston Villa on the opening day however, Munez was sacked after seven games in October 2021.

After this, Claudio Ranieri was hired to fill in his boots, and he then went on to win only two matches against Everton and Manchester United from October till January. Due to this poor record, Ranieri was sacked as well and then Roy Hodgson was brought in to salvage whatever was left of the remainder of the season.

The club’s poor management and inability to keep faith in a single manager, which led to hiring three managers in a single PL season, ruined everything. Watford finished in 19th place in the 2021-2022 PL season with only 23 points, winning only five matches, drawing six, and losing a staggering 27.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
19	Watford	38	23	-43

8) Huddersfield Town – 2018-2019 Season

Huddersfield Town had just attained promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-2018 season and managed to just survive finishing in 16th place avoiding relegation. However they failed horribly to repeat this again and had a very poor showing in the 2018-2019 season. Their coach David Wagner had led them to promotion to the Premier League was perhaps undeservedly sacked mid season and it did not yield a good result for Huddersfield.

Huddersfield finished in 20th position in the 2018-2019 season with just 16 points to their name winning only three games, drawing seven and losing a staggering 28. They have not managed to come close to qualifying for the Premier League ever since.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Huddersfield Town	38	16	-54

Also Read: Top 10 Richest Club in Premier League | 2025

7) Sheffield United – 2023-2024 Season

The Blades broke a lot of new records in the 2023-2024 Premier League season but none of them actually mattered since these are the worst records one can break. Sheffield United set a new record for the most goals conceded (104) in a Premier League season consisting of 38 matches. They also became the first team in the history of English football to concede five goals in four consecutive games across all competitions. They lost 6-0 at Arsenal then proceeded to sustain heavy defeats to Brighton, Aston Villa and then Brighton again in the FA Cup.

Unfortunately for them their 6-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal was not even their worst defeat in that season since they lost 8-0 to Newcastle United at their home stadium Bramall Lane early on as well. Out of the 106 goals Sheffield United conceded in that season, 57 goals were at their home stadium Bramall Lane. This is the highest goals conceded by a team in a season at their home stadium. Eventually, Sheffield United finished in 20th position with just 16 points winning only three matches, drawing seven and losing a staggering 28.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Sheffield United	38	16	–69

6) Ipswich Town – 1994-1995 Season

Ipswich Town had the worst start to the season in the 1994-1995 PL campaign and this is surely their worst campaign ever. Ipswich lost 11 of their first 15 matches after which manager John Lyall was sacked in December after four years of leading them. Ipswich Town then hired George Burley and even he could not save them from their inevitable doom.

They ended up finishing bottom of the table with just 27 points and their 93 goals conceded is the third most in the history of the Premier League. To make things worse, this includes a humiliating 9-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
22	Ipswich Town	42	27	-57

5) Aston Villa – 2015-2016 Season

Villa are a club who have won the UEFA Champions League and other titles as well in their history and have a great legacy. However the 2015-2016 season tarnished their legacy a bit since it was arguably their worst season ever. Aston Villa were doing well in the late 2000s under Martin O’Neill since they were contending regularly for the top four. After Martin’s departure, Aston Villa’s performances just kept declining and they were at their lowest during the 2015-2016 season.

Firstly key players namely Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke were sold and the club failed to replace them. Tim Sherwood was the manager at first who was later replaced by Remi Gerde, a French manager who did well at Lyon. Unfortunately, Remi failed to do well at Aston Villa and quickly became unpopular with the fans especially after dropping a young rising Jack Grealish from the squad.

Remi Gerde was sacked in March after which Eric Black took over the reins but could not do much since the damage was done and Villa’s fate was sealed. Aston Villa finished bottom of the table with only three wins and 17 points and their relegation saw them losing their status of one of the ever present clubs of the Premier League.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Aston Villa	38	17	–49

4) Bradford City – 2000-2001 Season

Bradford City had survived against all odds in the 1999-2000 season in which they even beat Liverpool 1-0 in a famous victory. However they were dealt with a fatal blow when manager Paul Jewell resigned and assistant manager Chris Hutchins took his place. He could not save Bradford City and lost his job in November after a poor start.

They had signed experienced strikers namely Benito Carbone and Stan Collymore and still managed to become the lowest scorers in that season. Ultimately Bradford City finished bottom of the table with just 26 points winning only five games.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Bradford City	38	26	–40

Also Read: Ranking the Ten Best Premier League Players | All Time

3) Sunderland – 2005-2006 Season

The 2002-2003 season was a nightmare for Sunderland but the 2005-2006 season ended up being even worse. Sunderland had appointed Mick McCarthy in the 2002-2003 season and he was in charge during the relegation phase in that season but helped them work their way up in the 2005-2006 season. Sunderland were not prepared at all for the 2005-2006 season and they lost 29 matches this time and won only thrice.

Once again, since there were no signs of their form getting better, Sunderland sacked McCarthy in February to bring in Kevin Ball who was a former Sunderland player. Kevin was unable to provide any impact but the club did win their first home game of the season on the last matchday against Fulham. Ultimately Sunderland finished in last place with 15 points in the 2005-2006 season and broke their own record of lowest points ever which was 19 in the 2002-2003 season.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Sunderland	38	15	–43

2) Southampton – 2024-2025 Season

The 2024-2025 season for Southampton has been disappointing and this campaign is surely their worst Premier League season ever. Their loss to Tottenham Hotspur on April 6th relegated them and this is the earliest a team has ever been relegated from the Premier League. Southampton failed to deliver with the likes of Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsdale under performing as well.

Currently there are four games left in the 2024-2025 season but three of those games are against difficult opponents namely Everton and especially Manchester City and Arsenal. Southampton have garnered only 11 points winning two games, drawing five and losing 27.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Southampton	34	11	–55

1) Derby County – 2007-2008 Season

The transition from the Championship to the Premier League takes a toll on many teams, with some adapting well and some not able to adapt at all. Derby County’s 2007-2008 season was arguably the worst example of how to adapt to the Premier League, as this campaign made them the worst team ever in the Premier League. Billy Davies led the club from the Championship to the Premier League but was sacked and replaced by Paul Jewell in November.

Derby won 2-1 against Newcastle United in November, which was their sole victory in the entire season. The club brought in experienced players such as Danny Mills, Roy Carroll, Robbie Savage, and Alan Stubbs to bolster their ranks. Even the new signings could not do much, and Derby ended the season in last place with a record low of 11 points, winning only one match, drawing eight, and losing 29.

Position	Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
20	Derby County	38	11	–69

Also Read: Best Attacking Midfielders in Premier League History

5 Worst Teams In The EPL Right Now

5) Manchester United

The Red Devils are one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of legacy, titles, and more. It is quite obvious that the bare minimum for them is to contend for the Premier League title and at least finish in the top four each season. However, their standards have fallen off each season ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left, and now Manchester United are in their worst form ever in the 2024-2025 Premier League season.

On paper, they have the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo,and Casemiro amongst a few others. Although their current squad is not good enough to contend with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsena,l they still have a great squad.

Contrary to this, Manchester United are currently in 14th place with just 39 points and are closer to the relegation zone than to the top 10, let alone the top four. United have lost more games (15) than won (10) this season and have nine draws. The worst part is this is their first season under reputed manager Ruben Amorim, who was doing extremely well with Sporting CP.

Despite a new manager and new signings brought in last season and this season as well, United have been a disappointment throughout. Their worst highlight of the season is their inconsistency since they have managed to draw or even win against Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal this season, but have lost to Crystal Palace, Fulham, and relatively weaker sides.

4) Tottenham Hotspur

Ange Postecoglou finished in 5th place in his first season with 66 points at Tottenham Hotspur in the 2023-2024 season. They were just two points away from a UEFA Champions League spot, and much was expected from them, considering they had such a great season. Unfortunately, Ange could not repeat the trick, and a season ridiculed with injuries and inconsistency has led to Spurs in 16th place currently with 37 points in 34 games. They have won only 11 games, drawn four, and have lost 19 matches. They are yet to face Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Brighton, and Arsenal and can possibly even finish in 17th place.

The worst part is they have majority of the players they did last season when they finished in 5th place. Their current squad consists of some big players namely Son, Tel, Maddison, Kulusevski, Richarlison and others as well.

3) Ipswich Town

One of the stand out teams in the Championship was Ipswich Town which finished in second place with 96 points and just one point behind first place Leicester City. Unfortunately they are set to go back to the Championship since they are confirmed to be relegated after a poor showing in the 2024-2025 PL season. Ipswich Town are in 18th place with just 21 points winning only four games, drawing nine and losing 21.

2) Leicester City

The Foxes have been a mixed bag of results over the last five seasons. They finished in 5th place in the 2019-2020 season, again 5th place in the 2020-2021 season, 8th place in the 2021-2022 season, relegated in the 2022-2023 season, and again relegated in the 2024-2025 season. This is arguably their worst performance in recent years since they are in 19th place with just 18 points, winning four games, drawing six, and losing 28. On paper, they have a decent squad with the likes of Jamie Vardy, Cordova Reid, El Khannouss, Ndidi Ayew, and a few others as the star players.

1) Southampton

The 2024-2025 season for Southampton has been pathetic, and this campaign is surely their worst Premier League season ever. Their loss to Tottenham Hotspur on April 6th relegated them ,and this is the earliest a team has ever been relegated from the Premier League. Southampton failed to deliver with the likes of Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsdale underperforming as well. Currently ,there are four games left in the 2024-2025 season, but three of those games are against difficult opponents, namely Everton and especially Manchester Cit,y and Arsenal. Southampton has garnered only 11 points, winning two games, drawing five, and losing 27.

List Of the Worst Premier League Teams Ever

Rank	Team
1	Derby County 2007–2008
2	Sheffield United 2023–2024
3	Sunderland 2005–2006
4	Sunderland 2002–2003
5	Aston Villa 2015–2016
6	Huddersfield Town 2018–2019
7	Watford 2021–2022
8	Southampton 2024–2025
9	Chelsea 2022–2023
10	Manchester United 2024–2025

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