Burnley Football Club is a football club established in 1882. Burnley FC has experienced a variety of emotional highs and lows through the history of football, which include: enjoyment, suffering, happiness, sorrow, freedom and injustice. Burnley Football Club has won the English Champions Trophy twice and has been relegated five times. The highs and lows of Burnley F.C. form a story that is part of the football history in England, spanning over 100 years. Burnley had just enjoyed a re-promotion back to the English Premier League (EPL) for the 2025-2026 season.
In this article on the 96.com app, we provide a thorough exploration of Burnley FC and their long journey through English football, celebrating their most momentous accomplishments, league titles, cup competitions, promotions and relegations; all in a combination of modern and historical seasons.
Burnley FC: Full Record of Titles, Promotions & Relegations(Updated) 2025
| Season | Achievement / Title | Competition / Description |
| 2024–25 | Promoted to the 1st league | Promoted to the Premier League(2025-26) |
| 2023–24 | Relegated from the 1st league | Relegated from the Premier League |
| 2022–23 | English 2nd tier champion | EFL Championship Winner |
| 2022–23 | Promoted to the 1st league | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2021–22 | Relegated from the 1st league | Relegated from the Premier League |
| 2015–16 | English 2nd tier champion | EFL Championship Winner |
| 2015–16 | Promoted to the 1st league | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2014–15 | Relegated from the 1st league | Relegated from the Premier League |
| 2013–14 | Promoted to the 1st league | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2008–09 | Promoted to the 1st league | Promotion to Premier League (Play-offs) |
| 1991–92 | English 4th-tier champion | Fourth Division Champions |
| 1981–82 | English 3rd tier champion | Third Division Champions |
| 1973–74 | English Supercup Winner | FA Charity Shield Winner |
| 1972–73 | English 2nd tier champion | Second Division Champions |
| 1966–67 | Europa League Participant | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Appearance |
| 1961–62 | FA Cup Runner-up | Lost in the FA Cup Final |
| 1960–61 | English Supercup Winner | FA Charity Shield Winner |
| 1959–60 | English Champion | First Division Winners (Top-Flight) |
| 1946–47 | FA Cup Runner-up | Lost in the FA Cup Final |
| 1920–21 | English Champion | First Division Winners |
| 1913–14 | FA Cup Winner | FA Cup Champions |
| 1897–98 | English 2nd tier champion | Second Division Winners |
Promotions and Relegations Timeline
Burnley has had a challenge with their progressions back and forth between the Premier League and the Championship. Their most recent promotion to Premier League status was back (Premier League 2025-26 season) after getting promoted after last year’s successful EFL Championship 2024-25 season. Before that, in the 2023-24 season, they had a pretty bad season and were relegated from the EPL, as they had wished to remain in the Premier League to try and establish themselves in the top league.
The club did find some success in the 2022-23 season. They were champions of the Championship (EFL) and were promoted due to the commitment by the new management team to succeed. However, in the 2021-22 season, they were relegated from the Premier League and were facing a ‘tough’ rebuild.
Also Read: All Titles Won By Burnley FC Records, Stats, Honours & More
Sean Dyche’s Impact: 2015–2020
The 2015-16 season proved to be a major turning point for Burnley in their recent history; they won the Championship under manager Sean Dyche, who had previously taken Burnley to promotion in 2013-14. It was like déjà vu, as Dyche had become the poster boy for a resolute, defensive side that constantly seemed to be over-performing, especially where finance was concerned.
Looking back, their relegation from the EPL in 2014-15 feels trivial, just a blip on their route to promotion in 2015-16. The importance of this promotion cannot be understated as it would result in Burnley’s return to the English top flight for the first time since their relegation to the second tier in the early 1970s, with clear signs of recovery.
The Lower Leagues and the Climb Back Up
Burnley’s determination was perhaps best exemplified in 1991-92 when they were crowned champions of the English Fourth Tier after having been relegated from not just the English Premier League but also fallen to the lowest division of English professional football. They had previously also been crowned champions of the English Third Tier in the 1981-82 season, the earliest in an arduous and long process to regain their cherished Premier League status.
From there, the Clarets were on the route back to the Premier League, specifically due to the determined direction of the players and the leadership in local talent with strong, loyal support. The Clarets slowly reinvented themselves into the incumbents of the modern identity of a committed, competitive EPL side.
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Historic Honours: Champions and Cup Runs
Burnley is fortunate to have had their golden age early on in the professional era of the game. The club won their last league championship in 1959–60, English First Division “League champions”. The Clarets team, under legendary manager Harry Potts, was known for their tactical intelligence and for comprising so many homegrown players. They were consistently among the top five teams in the league in their first three years as champions.
Their first championship came in 1920–21. The First Division victory ranked them among teams who would be champions of England, some of the first champions during the post-World War 1 period.
A club with a proud history in cup competitions, Burnley was an FA Cup winner in 1913-14, one of the few accolades that they could use as a head start towards their claim to belong among professional clubs in the early 20th century. They were FA Cup runners-up twice – 1946-47 and 1961-62, and with a proud history like so many other clubs in cup competitions.
Super Cup Success and European Forays
Burnley won the English Supercup (Charity Shield) twice in their history, 1960-61 and 1973-74, and thus in their history have an additional piece of silverware (The charity shield is unique among domestic trophies because it is not a merit-based trophy, as it is played between the winners of the league and the FA cup). Nevertheless, they are proof of their recent achievements in the game over a certain time frame.
In the 1966-67 season, Burnley appeared for the first time in European football, and their place in the Europa League (originally the Inter-City Fairs Cup) demonstrated that they as a club had been a top club in England.
The Beginning: 1897 and the Early Titles
Burnley’s connection to competitive English football started when they became English Second Division champions in 1897 and then as Second Division leaders in 1898-99. Although in a future lifetime, they are still competing for recognition in the top division.
Final Thoughts: A Club Defined by Grit and Glory
Burnley FC have experienced a journey that has, on many occasions, included winning the First Division in 1921 and 1960, to relegation and subsequent promotion on too many occasions to count. Their journey is one of never giving up. This story is not about buying success, but about building success with loyalty and developing talent with the backing of the local community.
The Clarets are once again in the English Premier League for the 2025-26 season, where they feel they belong. After an arduous three years in the Championship, and external circumstances forcing a whole new squad of players, and with their loyal and sizeable fanbase behind them, the Clarets are ready to embark on their next adventure in the ever-changing realm of football.
