England · Tier 1 · 20 clubs

Premier League

In US-sports termsThe NFL of England — 20 teams, best record wins the title, no playoff. Except finish in the bottom 3 and you're literally kicked out of the league.

What it is

England's top flight. 20 clubs, August–May, everyone plays everyone home and away. No playoffs, no conferences — most points wins.

How you get in

Finish top-17 the season before, or come up from the Championship (top 2 automatic + playoff winner).

What it feeds

Top 4 → Champions League (a 5th spot when English clubs ball out in Europe, via UEFA's coefficient bonus). 5th → Europa League. 6th–7th can reach the Conference League via the cascade rule. Bottom 3 → relegated to the Championship. The champion also meets the FA Cup winner in the Community Shield.

The league position lines on this map are the main event — the cups are the side doors.

See it on the England map →Translate the jargon →