Teams who have never been relegated | OneFootball

Highlights

It doesn't matter how big your team is, at the start of every new season the threat of relegation is always a possibility. Even some of the biggest clubs in the game have suffered that indignity at some point during their history.

Take, for instance, Premier League sides like Manchester United and Liverpool, who have both faced the drop on multiple occasions. Or Italian outfits AC Milan and Juventus who both went down for breaking the rules. From Bayern Munich to Santos, there are giants across the globe who have gone down before.

And yet, there are some teams to have played in the top flight for a number of years without ever being relegated. We know so because we've just compiled a list for you to enjoy! To fit the criteria, teams must have continuously played at the highest level for 75 years or more. It should also be noted that sides from Greece or Turkey are not listed as football in those countries was played in city-level competitions up until 1959.

Argentina

Boca Juniors

Starting alphabetically, we have Boca Juniors on our list. The Argentine giants have been Primera Divisiónor for a total of 110 seasons now, first starting in 1913. In that time, they've seen legends such as Diego Maradona, Carlos Tevez, and Juan Román Riquelme all represent the club.

They've won the Argentine first division on 35 different occasions. That feat is only bettered by River Plate (38) but Boca can at least enjoy the fact that their rivals were relegated in 2011, while Independiente also went down just two years later. Both those teams had also spent a century in the top flight before eventually facing the drop.

Austria

Austria Wien, Rapid Wien

Austria Wien and Rapid Wien have been playing top-flight football in Europe for exactly the same amount of time. Indeed, starting way back in 1911, they competed in the 1. Klasse, then the Gauliga Ostmark, Staatsliga, and Nationalliga before the league became known as the Austrian Bundesliga in 1974.

In the 112 years of competing with one another at the highest domestic level, Rapid Wien have won the league a record 32 times, Austria Wien come in second with 24 titles, while Red Bull Salzburg – who were founded in 1933 as SV Austria Salzburg and taken over by Red Bull in 2005 – lead the chasing pack with 17 titles.

Belgium

Anderlecht, Standard Liège

Standard Liège stand alone as the Belgian club who have spent the longest without ever being relegated from the Pro League, going 99 consecutive seasons, starting in 1921. In that time, they've only won the division 10 times.

Anderlecht have also never been relegated from the Belgian top flight. However, they didn't play at that level until 1935 but they have made their time count, winning the title a record 34 times in their 88 campaigns.

Brazil

Flamengo, São Paulo

In Brazil, giants such as Atlético Mineiro, Botafogo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama and most recently Santos all played in the top flight from the early 20th century but then have crashed out since the start of the 2000s. This leaves Flamengo and São Paulo as the only teams left standing.

Starting in 1912, Flamengo have gone 111 seasons at the highest level, playing in the Campeonato Carioca and Taça de Prata before Série A was formed in 1971. Instead of Campeonato Carioca, São Paulo were in Campeonato Paulista in 1930, before moving to Taça de Prata and then Série A. This is because teams initially played in smaller state leagues which were equally regarded as the highest tier of competition in Brazil for more than half a century.

Bulgaria

Levski Sofia

Between 1924 and 1994, the top flight of Bulgarian football was known as the State Football Championship. Levski Sofia joined in 1937 and were never relegated, even after the division changed to become referred to as A Group.

With their earliest first division title coming in 1933, Levski Sofia have managed that honour a total of 26 times. However, they have not enjoyed such success since the 2008/09 season.

Colombia

Most impressively, in Colombia, seven different teams have done enough to avoid the drop over the last 75 years. Each side first took part in the Primera Division upon its formation in 1948 and have remained there ever since.

Santa Fe won the very first one, and have gone on to achieve that success on eight more occasions. Of the teams listed above, Atlético Nacional lead the way with 17 titles, while Millonarios are just one behind.

Costa Rica

Alajuelense, Herediano

Both Alajuelense and Herediano have graced the top flight of Costa Rican football for over 100 years now. They were there 102 years ago when the Liga de Fútbol de Primera División (Liga FPD) – or the Primera División of Costa Rica – was formed in 1921.

However, Saprissa have the most title wins (38) but only entered the league in 1949 so haven't made the 75-year threshold to be on this list (although have never been relegated). Alajuelense are on 30 and Herediano are just one behind on 29.

Chile

Colo-Colo

Colo-Colo may not be a name too familiar for European football fans, but they are held in high esteem by anyone who follows South American football. After all, they were the first Chilean team to win the prestigious Copa Libertadores when they triumphed in 1991.

They dominate domestically too having won the Chilean Primera División, Campeonato Nacional, a record 33 times since first taking part in 1933. In all that time, 90 years to be exact, Colo-Colo have managed to faultlessly avoid the drop.

Croatia

Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split

Incredibly, there are two teams in Croatia who have both been playing top-tier domestic football for exactly a century now. Indeed, starting in 1923, Hajduk Split entered what was the Yugoslav First League, and have not left it to this day (with it now being referred to as Prva HNL).

Dinamo Zagreb, who famously produced Luka Modrić, have the most league titles with 28, despite joining the league later in 1946. Hajduk Split are a little way behind in second with 15 wins, with their most recent success coming back in the 2004/05 season.

Cyprus

APOEL FC, Anorthosis

APOEL often fly the flag for Cypriot teams in Europe, regularly featuring in either the Champions League or Europa League over the past few decades. They do so off the back of sustained success in the national league.

They've been in the Cypriot First Division, currently known as the Cyta Championship for sponsorship reasons, since 1934. With 28 titles, they are the most dominant side and have done well not to get relegated over the years, especially as three of the 14 sides go down each season in the current format of the league. Anorthosis arrived a little later in 1948 and have won the league title 13 times.

Egypt

Al Ahly, Zamalek

Having won the CAF Champions League 11 times, Al Ahly are not only one of the biggest teams in Egypt but also in the whole of Africa. Domestically they have won a record 43 Egyptian Premier League titles.

This success dates way back to the 1948/49 season when they lifted their first league title. However, they had already been playing in the first division for a number of years at that point, after first joining in 1922. They've since gone 101 seasons without being relegated. Zamalek have been around in the top flight for just as long without going down, and have won the title on 14 different occasions.

Faroe Islands

Havnar Bóltfelag

Sandwiched between Nicaragua and Kuwait, Faroe Islands sit 135th in FIFA's world rankings for men's teams.

For that reason, we'll forgive you if you don't know much about their football, and specifically Havnar Bóltfelag.

What you know now, however, is that they've never been relegated from the top flight. This run began 81 years ago in 1942. Since then, they have won a record 24 titles.

Georgia

Dinamo Tbilisi

The average fan probably won't know much about Georgian football – apart from appreciating the talents of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – but Dinamo Tbilisi have been a powerhouse in that part of the world for some time. In the 20th century, they played in the Soviet Top League, along with Dynamo Kyiv and Dynamo Moscow.

Those three teams were never relegated from that competition and after Georgia created the Erovnuli Liga (or Umaglesi Liga) in 1990, Dinamo Tbilisi maintained that record. They've been a top-flight side for 87 years now, starting in 1936.

Guatemala

Municipal

If you are familiar with great goalscorers, you may have heard of Carlos Ruiz. With 66 goals in 118 games for Guatemala, only nine players have scored more international goals than him since the turn of the century. Unsurprisingly, then, he played for Municipal, one of his nation's best football clubs.

Municipal have played in Liga Nacional since 1942, winning the competition on 31 different occasions. This ties them level with Comunicaciones, and both teams just so happen to have been runners-up 26 times each as well.

Indonesia

Persija Jakarta

Persija Jakarta, full name Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta, were formed 95 years ago. They were initially known as Voetbalbond Boemipoetera when the Dutch were still colonizing Indonesia.

They joined the Perserikatan (first division) in 1930 and have not been relegated in the 93 years since. In that time, the league name was changed to Liga Indonesia Premier Division, before settling on being rebranded Liga 1 in 2017.

Israel

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv were founded 117 years ago and initially played in the Palestine League between 1931 and 1948 before that became the Israeli League. Since 1999, they've played in what is now known as the Israeli Premier League.

They are the only side to have never been relegated from the Israeli Premier League (a spell which has lasted 92 years). On top of that, they are one of only three Israeli teams to have played in the Champions League group stage, doing so in 2004/05 and 2015/16 – although that didn't always work out so well.

Italy

Inter Milan

Over in Italy the idea of relegation unfortunately has strong connotations with the idea of foul play, as opposed to poor play. After all, giants such as AC Milan and Juventus have both been shamefully demoted from Serie A following their involvement in match-fixing scandals.

Inter Milan, on the other hand, have avoided any such punishment and so remain the only Italian side to have never been relegated from the first division. They arrived in the top flight in 1909 (nine years later than AC and Juventus) and have stayed up ever since, for a total of 114 years.

Malta

Hibernians, Valletta

If the name seems somewhat familiar, that's because Hibernians are named as a nod to Scottish side Hibernian after being founded in 1922 as a pro-British Constitutional Party (originally named Constitutionals FC). They initially had to wait for a place to open up in the Maltese Premier League but have been there ever since.

This run began in 1932 and has been maintained for 91 years now. Valletta joined 12 years later in 1944 but have had more success. Indeed, Hibernians have won the league 13 times, but Valletta have done so 25 times. Sliema Wanderers (26) and Floriana (26) beat them both on that front but haven't spent as long in the top flight.

Mexico

América, Guadalajara

América and Guadalajara have a pretty fierce rivalry and when you consider that they are the only two Mexican teams to have never been relegated from the top flight, this makes more sense. What's more, América have won Liga MX 13 times, which is one more than Guadalajara, showing just how tight things are between the teams.

To add to the fantastic history, both teams entered the first division in 1943 and have been going toe-to-toe for 80 years since. No wonder the game is labelled El Súper Clásico whenever they meet.

Netherlands

Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven

In Dutch football, we have a relatively rare situation where three sides have never been relegated. This is made all the more impressive when you consider this is one of Europe's higher-quality leagues, ranking seventh in the world as per Opta.

PSV Eindhoven have been in the top flight just shy of 100 years (98), since arriving in 1926, then it's Feyenoord who maintained their status for 102 years, but they are four years behind Ajax. Interestingly enough, since the introduction of professional football in the Netherlands in 1954/55, the aforementioned ‘Big Three’ of Dutch football have failed to win the top-flight title in just seven seasons.

Northern Ireland

Cliftonville, Glentoran, Linfield

Cliftonville, Glentoran, and Linfield are three Northern Irish clubs to have never faced the drop, having all started playing top-flight football in 1890, 133 years ago when the Northern Ireland Football League, known historically as the Irish League, was formed.

Rivals such as Arfs, Glenavon, Lisburn Distillery, and Portadown have also spent over 75 years at that level, but each of these has been relegated at some point during the past 30 years. The top teams currently compete in the NIFL Premiership, formed in 2008, and Linfield have the most title wins in that iteration of the competition (eight).

Paraguay

Cerro Porteño, Guaraní, Olimpia

Up until 1998, there were four teams in Paraguay who had never been relegated but a 92-year spell in the top flight came to an end for Club Libertad. They lost a 4-3 thriller to rivals Guaraní on the last matchday of the season, on the exact same day as fellow giants Nacional. However, three sides remain unblemished in this regard.

Cerro Porteño, Guaraní, and Olimpia have all been in the Primera División for over 100 years. Olimpia have the most league titles with 46, Cerro Porteño are second on 34 and, despite their longevity, Guaraní have just 11 (the fourth highest in Paraguay, 13 behind the previously relegated Libertad.

Peru

Universitario

Playing in the Primera División of Peru, Universitario were formed in 1924 and took just four years to establish themselves in the top flight. Since then, they have gone 94 years without suffering the drop.

It actually took them just one year to win their first title, in 1929. This was the first of many, as Universitario have now won twenty-seven first-division titles in total. This makes them the most successful club in Peru, while they were also the first Peruvian club to reach the Copa Libertadores final (doing so in 1972).

Portugal

Benfica, Porto, Sporting CP

Benfica sold Joao Felix for around €125m

Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP are undoubtedly three of the biggest clubs in Portugal. They have won 87 league titles between them, and only two other teams have lifted the Liga Portugal trophy since it was formed in 1934.

This was 89 years ago, and the three aforementioned teams were there at the league's creation. None of them have ever been relegated from the top flight since. Of the five teams to have won the division in its entire history, Benfica lead the way with 38 titles.

Republic of Ireland

Bohemians

Bohemians are best known within the world of football right now for being the club that produced Evan Ferguson. He actually played for them against Chelsea when he was still only 14 years old.

However, the Irish club are significant beyond that, especially within their own country. After all, they remain the only side to have never been relegated from the first division, which they've won 11 times since first competing in 1921. They also happen to be the oldest League of Ireland club in continuous existence.

Scotland

Aberdeen, Celtic

Over in Scotland, many would expect Rangers to be on this list. However, they were of course relegated in 2012 due to financial reasons. They were actually forced to drop into the fourth tier of professional football but have since risen back to the top flight.

This leaves Aberdeen and Celtic as the only permanent fixtures at the peak of the game. Despite both teams bever facing the drop, the Dons were 15 years behind the Bhoys in joining what was then known as the Scottish Football League, and so have only spent 118 years at the highest level, compared to 113.

Serbia

Partizan, Red Star Belgrade

Interestingly enough, both Partizan and Red Star Belgrade were formed in 1945. The following year, they were enrolled in the Yugoslav First League which ran between 1923 and 1992.

Red Star Belgrade, or Crvena Zvezda as they are also known as, are the most successful club from the Balkans, being the only side to win both the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup. Both teams currently play in the Serbian Super League, which was formed in 2006. Partizan have won this eight times, while Red Star have done so nine times.

Spain

Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, Real Madrid

Most supporters would probably guess Barcelona and Real Madrid would end up on this list, but it's interesting to see that Athletic Bilbao are the third team to have never been relegated from the Spanish top flight. This is made all the more impressive due to a 110-year transfer policy that restricts the club's recruitment to players born or raised in the Basque Country.

All three sides entered what is now known as La Liga in 1929 and all three sides have won the competition in the years since. Los Blancos have lifted the league trophy 35 times, Barca 27 times, and Bilbao just eight.

Suriname

Transvaal

Sport Vereniging Transvaal, or S.V. Transvaal, are one of the most successful clubs in Suriname, having won their first league title way back in 1925. This came two years after they joined SVB (Surinaamse Voetbal Bond) Eerste Divisie when it was formed.

They have won a total of 19 league titles, which is just one behind the winningest team in their country, Robinhood. That team, however, was relegated to the Eerste Klasse (second division) in 2014 having been in the first division since 1948.

Ukraine

Dynamo Kyiv

In Ukrainian professional football, only one team has perpetually remained in the top flight and this is Dynamo Kyiv. You might expect to see Shakhtar Donetsk on this list alongside them but they have actually been relegated three times.

First appearing in the then-Soviet Top League in 1936, Dynamo Kyiv have spent 87 years at the highest level. Since 1991, this has been known as the Ukrainian Premier League. During this time, they have won the title more times than anyone else with 16 victories. Shakhtar follow closely behind on 14.

Uruguay

Peñarol, Nacional

And to end our list we have two teams from Uruguay in Peñarol and Nacional. Interestingly enough, only one year separates the duration these South American clubs have been in the top flight.

Peñarol joined in 1900, while Nacional arrived in the Primera División a year later. Even so, both teams have spent over 120 years at that level. And the former side have made that extra time count, having won the title on 51 occasions, which is two more than the 49 triumphs Nacional have managed.