The Big Six is an informal term used to collectively refer to six football clubs in the Premier League, namely, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.[1] They are known as the most successful clubs in the history of the Premier League.
Manchester United and Arsenal were recognized as Big Two clubs in the late 1990s to the mid-2000s for their dominance and rivalry.[2] [3] This designation then expanded as the Big Four to incorporate Chelsea and Liverpool, as the four clubs regularly placed in the top four of the Premier League between the mid and late 2000s.[4] Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were later integrated into the Big Six, in the early 2010s, for their consistent successes and high-ranking finishes in the league.[5]
The Big Six clubs are often referred to as "the most successful group in modern day football".[6] They accounted for 57.5% of the total annual revenues of all Premier League clubs, according to a financial analysis report in 2019,[7] and in 2022 and 2023, the Big Six clubs each generated an annual revenue between £372 million to £713 million.[8] In 2021, the Big Six clubs' average spending on transfers was £50.9 million, more than twice the amount spent by any other club in the league.[9]
A breakaway competition, the European Super League (ESL), was founded in 2021 with the purpose of replacing the UEFA Champions League, composing of twelve founding members including the Big Six clubs.[10] After receiving backlash from the UK government, the Football Association and the Premier League, the Big Six clubs withdrew their memberships from the ESL and were fined a total of £22 million by the latter two organizations, in addition to being subjected to potential penalties including a 30-point deduction and a fine of £25 million for future attempts of joining a similar league.[11] An independent "fan-led" regulatory body was formed by the UK government as a result of the ESL participation by the Big Six clubs, who were also given the task of funding the body.[12]
| Stadium | City | Manager | Honours | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Emirates Stadium | London | Mikel Arteta | 13 | 14 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | London | Enzo Maresca | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Liverpool | Anfield | Liverpool | Arne Slot | 19 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| Manchester City | Etihad Stadium | Manchester | Pep Guardiola | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Manchester United | Old Trafford | Manchester | Ruben Amorim | 20 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | London | Ange Postecoglou | 2 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | ||
| League champions Champions League Europa League Conference League | |||||||