12 oldest football clubs in the world | OneFootball

Football can trace its origins back to the middle of the 19th century. The Football Association was formed in 1863 and by that point, several clubs across England were already playing the sport and would continue to do so until the present day. The first-ever FA Cup was held eight years later and several of its participants still play football week in, week out in 2023. However, it would take thirteen years for an established modern-day team to emerge as victors of the tournament, when Blackburn Rovers lifted the trophy in 1884.

The Lancashire outfit were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League when it was established in 1888, which makes up the professional football pyramid in this country that we know today. However, only two of those teams are included on the list of the 12 oldest football clubs in the world. Football was a sport created in United Kingdom, so it's only natural that every entry on this list are British clubs, but only nine are based in England, with two clubs from north of the border in Scotland and one from Wales finding their way into the top 12.

Ranking factors

Our evaluation criteria for the football clubs mentioned below is solely based on their foundation year. This criterion will help us determine the age of each club, which is an important factor in understanding their history and legacy in the world of football. It's important to also note that this does not include football clubs that have since liquidated. For instance, Crystal Palace FC was founded in 1861 but was then dissolved in 1876, and is not identical to the club that we know today.

12 Maidenhead United

Formed in 1870, Maidenhead United finished in 20th place in the National League in the 2022/23 season. Their ground, York Road was opened a year after the club's formation and is regarded as the oldest ground used solely for football in the world.

The Magpies were one of the teams who participated in the inaugural FA Cup and still exist as they reached the second round where they were beaten by Crystal Palace, a team that the modern Crystal Palace football club claim was linked to them, which would mean they were officially founded in 1861. However, this idea is disputed by historians and so the Eagles have been left off this list.

11 Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock are the second-oldest professional football club in Scotland and finished 10th in the Scottish Premiership in the 2022/23 season, making them the oldest club competing in the top flight as of 2023. Killie were established in 1869 and became one of the first clubs to join the Scottish Football Association when it was created four years later.

The Ayrshire outfit have played their home matches at Rugby Park since 1899 but, despite their rich history, have only finished top of the top flight on one occasion, in 1965. However, they have also collected several Scottish cups and a Scottish League Cup (2012) to add to their trophy cabinet.

10 Sheffield Wednesday

The Wednesday football club was formed in 1867 as an offshoot of the Wednesday Cricket Club in Sheffield, which got its name from the fact they played their matches on Wednesday afternoons. The football club became professional in 1887 and joined the Football League five years later, before winning the FA Cup in 1896.

The city was added to their official name in 1929 and by that point in their history, they had won three league titles and two FA Cups. The Owls would add another league title, another FA Cup and a League Cup in the subsequent years and, as of 2023, ply their trade in the Championship after sealing promotion in the summer.

9 Queen's Park

Queen's Park are the oldest football club in Scotland and have a very proud history. The club were established in 1867 and are regarded as the pioneers of Scottish football, leading the campaign for a Scottish football association and making up the entire Scotland national team that competed in the very first international football match against England in 1872.

Queen's Park were frequently invited to compete in the FA Cup, twice finishing as runners-up, and enjoyed dominance in the first years of the Scottish cups, but have never won the top flight in Scotland. They were the only amateur football club within the Scottish football league pyramid until 2019 when their fans voted in favour of going full-time, which yielded a rapid rise up the leagues and saw them finish in third place in the Scottish Championship during the 2022/23 season.

8 Nottingham Forest

As of 2023, Nottingham Forest are the oldest football club playing in the top flight of English football, after sealing promotion to the Premier League the year before. They were founded in 1865 and joined the Football League in 1892 after their application to become a founder member four years before had been rejected.

The club won two FA Cups in 1898 and 1959, but it was in the 1970s, under the guidance of legendary manager Brian Clough, that the club enjoyed the most glory. They won the league title and League Cup in 1977/78 and followed that up with two consecutive European Cups, becoming one of only two English clubs to ever achieve such a feat.

7 Brigg Town

Brigg Town are one of the oldest football clubs in England, with reports of their first ever match taking place in 1864, but have never come close to reaching the upper echelons of the Football League pyramid. They reached the final of the inaugural Lincolnshire Senior Cup in 1882 and became founder members of the Lincolnshire League in 1948.

Having won eight league titles, they were elected to the English league system in 1976 and have won two league titles and two FA Vases since then, as well as reaching the first round of the FA Cup in 2002, where they were beaten 4-1 by League One side Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park. In 2022/23, Brigg finished in ninth place in the Northern Counties East League Division One, at level 10 in the English football pyramid.

6 Wrexham

Wrexham is a club and a town that is fiercely proud of its history, as anyone who has watched the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series will know. Founded in 1864, they are the oldest football club in Wales and their home, the Racecourse Ground is considered the world's oldest international football stadium.

The Red Dragons joined the English Football League system and reached the second tier in 1977, but were relegated again in 1982. After thirteen years in the National League, the club were famously taken over by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021 and returned to the Football League in 2023 after winning the league title with a records point total of 111.

5 Stoke City

Stoke City claim they were founded in 1863, as is shown on their crest, although there is no record of the club playing a match until 1868. At that time, they were known as the Stoke Ramblers, before changing their name to simply Stoke in 1878 and then becoming Stoke City in 1925, when Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status.

The Potters were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, but finished bottom of the table in both of the first two seasons and were not re-elected in 1890. However, they quickly returned to the Football League and have remained in the professional football pyramid since 1919, finishing in 16th place in the Championship in the 2022/23 season.

4 Notts County

Founded in 1862, Notts County are the oldest professional football club in the world, predating the Football Association itself. The club were one of the founder members of the Football League in 1888 and their black and white stripes were adopted by Juventus in 1903.

Despite being a constant presence in the first thirty years of the English top flight, the Magpies' highest-ever league finish was third in the 1890/91 campaign and their only major honour to date is the 1894 FA Cup. They have only spent four seasons in the top flight since 1926 and were promoted back into the Football League pyramid in 2023 after four years in non-league for the first time in their history.

3 Hallam

Hallam were founded in 1860 and played their first-ever match that same year against local side Sheffield FC, a fixture which is regarded as the oldest fixture in world football. Their ground Sandygate, which they have shared with Halland Cricket Club since they were first established, is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest football stadium in the world, having opened in 1804.

The Yorkshire club also boast the feat of winning the oldest-ever football competition in the form of the Youdan Cup, which was played under Sheffield Rules, and saw Hallam beat Norfolk in the final in 1867. Despite this historic start to life as a football club, the rest is comparatively modest and in 2023, they finished in sixth place in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, which is part of the ninth tier of the English football pyramid.

2 Cray Wanderers

Cray Wanderers claim to have first been formed as a football club in 1860, when railway workers would spend their leisure time kicking a ball around in the village of St Mary Cray in Bromley, London. They spent a brief time as a professional club between 1895 and 1907, but have since operated on a semi-professional basis.

As of 2023, they have never reached the Football League, but currently compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division, which is one division below the National League South. They currently play their games at National League side Bromley's Hayes Lane and are managed by Neil Smith, whose moderately successful playing career featured clubs such as Fulham and Reading.

Having been founded in October 1857, Sheffield FC are recognised by FIFA as the oldest football club in the world. Despite the club's name, they actually play their matches in a town called Dronfield in Derbyshire, having moved grounds multiple times throughout their history.

The club became members of the Football Association in 1863, but continued to play Sheffield rules until 1878, and their matches with Hallam are known as the Rules Derby. In 2004, they were one of only two clubs to receive the FIFA Order of Merit, alongside Real Madrid, and they finished the 2022/23 season in ninth place in the Northern Premier League Division One East, at level 8 on the English football pyramid.