Tottenham Hotspur’s last relegation came in the 1976-77 season, and that answer sits at the center of who has been relegated from the premier league discussion. They finished 22nd in the Football League First Division and dropped to the Football League Second Division, then returned quickly and have not gone down again.
Tottenham and 1976-77
That season remains the last time Tottenham were sent out of the top flight. They finished third the following season and secured an immediate return, starting the streak that has now reached 48 consecutive seasons in England’s top division.
The run covers the full Premier League era, which began in 1992. Tottenham came closest to another drop in 2024-25, when they finished 17th in the Premier League standings, yet the club still stayed up.
Premier League company
Tottenham’s place on the all-time first-division endurance list sits behind Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United. Arsenal lead with 106 straight seasons since 1919, Everton have 72 since 1954, Liverpool have 64 since 1962 and United have 51 since 1975, with Tottenham fifth on 48 since 1978.
The historical path is more uneven than the current streak suggests. Tottenham first entered English league competition in the 1896-97 season in the Southern Football League, joined the Football League Second Division in 1908, reached the First Division one year later, and later suffered relegations in 1915, 1928 and 1935 before the last one in 1977.
Tottenham’s league record
Those earlier setbacks also show how rare the modern run has been. The longest spell Tottenham spent in the second division came after the 1935 relegation, when they needed 15 years to return to the First Division, a far different recovery than the quick turnaround after 1976-77.
Tottenham also avoided relegation to the EFL Championship by winning or drawing against Everton in a hard-fought match. That result kept the club in the same tier it has occupied since 1978, even as the margin in 2024-25 narrowed to 17th place.
