The 2025/26 Premier League season will be the 34th edition of the EPL, as well as the 127th season of top-flight English football. Liverpool are the defending champions, having won their second Premier League title (and 20th English top-flight crown overall) in the previous season. The newly promoted sides are Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland.
Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton were relegated last season.
Here, FootballOrbit profiles the newly promoted sides.
1. LEEDS UNITED
After a two-season absence, Leeds United won the Championship title to return to the EPL.
Founded on the 17th of October 1919, Leeds United Football Club is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Officially nicknamed, The Peacocks, they play their home games at the 37,645 capacity Elland Road Stadium.
The club is currently owned by the 49ers Enterprises, headed by Marie Denise DeBartolo York.
The club’s Chairman is Paraag Marathe, while the manager is Daniel Farke.
Records
Leeds have won the League Championship three times, five Second Division titles, the FA Cup once, the League Cup once, the Charity Shield twice and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice.
Moreso, the club had their most successful period under the management of Don Revie in the 1960s and 1970s, when they won the League title twice, the FA Cup once, the League Cup once and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice.
Besides, they have also been runners-up five times in the League Championship, three times in the FA Cup, once each in the League Cup, the Charity Shield, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Cup, and lost the play-off to keep the Inter-City Fairs Cup trophy.
Modern times
Financial crisis and decline (2002–2010)
One of the top sides in the Premier League, financial crises saw Leeds United shockingly got relegated in 2003/04.
Furthermore, whilst in the Championship; they entered administration in May 2007, which saw them incur a league-imposed 10-point deduction that officially relegated them to the third tier of English football.
Previously, the club had never played any lower than the second tier.
Bouncing back….
In 2010, Leeds secured promotion to the Championship as runners-up.
Promoted to the Premier League
On the 17th of July 2020, after sixteen years away from the Premier League, Leeds were promoted back to the Premier League.
The club’s first season back in the Premier League produced a top half finish, their points tally was the most by a newly promoted side since Ipswich Town two decades earlier.
In 2022/23, Leeds were relegated back into the Championship on the final day of the season, after three years in the EPL.
Leeds missed out on promotion in their first season back in the Championship after losing the play-off final to Southampton.
Undeterred, in April 2025, Leeds beat Stoke City 6-0 at Elland Road, before Burnley beat Sheffield United in a later kick off, meaning that both were promoted automatically.
However, a late win at Plymouth Argyle on the last day of the season confirmed Leeds as winners of the Championship title.
Ownership
In January 2017, Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani purchased a 50% stake in the club from Massimo Cellino.
Later, in May 2017, Radrizzani announced a 100% buyout of Leeds United, buying the remaining 50% shares from previous co-owner Cellino — with Radrizzani taking full ownership of the club.
In May 2018, 49ers Enterprises, the business arm of the San Francisco 49ers, bought shares in the club to become a minority investor.
On 18 July 2023, 49ers Enterprises, then owning 44% of the shares in the club, reached agreement with Radrizzani to purchase the remaining 56% in a complete takeover.
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Leeds share rivalries with Manchester United and Chelsea.
Additionally, the team’s traditional kit colours are white shirts, white shorts and white socks. Their badge features the White Rose of York, which is a symbol of Yorkshire.
Some of Leeds United’s notable players are Ethan Ampadu, Wilfried Gnonto, Patrick Bamford, and Daniel James.
2. BURNLEY
Burnley are back in the top flight at the first time of asking after finishing as Championship runners-up.
Burnley Football Club is based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to become professional (in 1883) and subsequently put pressure on the F.A to permit payments to players.
Nicknamed The Clarets, their home ground is the 21,944 capacity Turf Moor.
Owned by ALK Capital LLC, Burnley’s Chairman is Alan Pace, while the manager is Scott Parker.
Records
The club entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885/86 and were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888/89 — the world’s first league football competition.
Moreover, Burnley are one of only five sides to have won all four professional divisions of English football, and have twice been crowned champions of England, in 1920/21 and 1959/60.
They have won the FA Cup once, in 1913/14, and have won the FA Charity Shield twice, in 1960 and 1973. The team have also finished as runners-up in both the First Division and FA Cup on two occasions.
During the 1920/21 campaign, Burnley embarked on a 30-match unbeaten league run, setting an English record.
From the 1950s until the 1970s, under chairman Bob Lord, Burnley were renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, and were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground.
Furthermore, the majority of the team that won the 1959/60 league title had progressed through the club’s youth academy.
At the time, Burnley — with a population of 80,000 — became one of the smallest towns to produce an English first-tier champion.
Recent history
Burnley defeated Sheffield United to win the 2008/09 Championship play-off final, which meant a return to the top flight after 33 years.
But they were relegated after just a single season in the top flight.
Sean Dyche was appointed manager in October 2012. In his first full season in charge, Dyche guided Burnley back to the Premier League in 2013/14 on a tight budget and with a small squad.
Again, they got relegated after one season but won the Championship title on their return in 2015/16 — ending the season with a run of 23 league games undefeated.
Furthermore, Burnley finished seventh in the 2017/18 Premier League, which meant qualification for the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League and a return to European football after 51 years.
However, they failed to reach the group stage, as they were eliminated in the play-off round by Greek giants, Olympiacos.
In 2021/22, Burnley were relegated back to the Championship after they lost on the final matchday and finished in 18th place.
In June 2022, the Belgian Vincent Kompany was appointed Burnley’s manager, becoming the first person from outside the British Isles to manage the club.
Kompany also implemented a possession-based, attacking style of play. Burnley secured instant promotion back to the Premier League in 2022/23 with seven matches remaining — a Championship record — before winning the Championship title following a 1-0 victory at local rivals Blackburn Rovers.
Unfortunately, Burnley were immediately relegated again from the Premier League, finishing 19th with a club record low tally of 24 points.
Shortly afterwards, however, Kompany departed for Bayern Munich on a fee of £10.2 million, which made him one of the most expensive managers in history.
Promoted to the Premier League for the 2025/26 season
In 2024/25, Burnley won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt under Scott Parker, ending the season with a club record 33-match unbeaten run.
The team conceded just 16 goals in 46 matches (an average of 0.35 per game), setting the best defensive record in English league history.
Also, they kept a record 30 clean sheets, never conceded more than one goal in any fixture, and became the first side to reach a three-figure points total in the same division on two occasions (101 points in 2022/23 and 100 in 2024/25).
Despite these accomplishments, they finished second behind Leeds United on goal difference, becoming the first team in English football history to earn 100 points without winning the title.
Ownership
In December 2020, American investment company ALK Capital acquired an 84% stake in Burnley for £170 million. It was the first time the club was run by anyone other than local businessmen and Burnley supporters.
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Burnley have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Blackburn Rovers, with whom they contest the East Lancashire Derby.
Kyle Walker, Axel Tuanzebe, Michael Obafemi and Ashley Barnes are some of the Clarets’ prominent players.
3. SUNDERLAND
Sunderland finished fourth in the Championship to qualify for the Play-offs. They defeated Sheffield United in the Playoffs final to return to the Premier League after an 8-year absence.
Founded in 1879, Sunderland Football Club is based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.
They are nicknamed The Black Cats, and host their home games at the 49,000 capacity Stadium of Light, having moved from Roker Park in 1997.
Ownership
The club is jointly owned by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (64%) and Juan Sartori (36%).
The Chairman is Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, while the head coach is Régis Le Bris.
Records
Formed in 1879, Sunderland have won six top-flight titles in the First Division, and finished runners-up five times.
The club have also won the FA Cup twice, and been runners-up twice, and won the FA Charity Shield in 1936. They were also Football League Cup finalists in 1985 and 2014.
Modern history
In July 2016, Allardyce left the club for the England national team, and David Moyes was appointed as his replacement.
Under Moyes, Sunderland made the worst ever start to a Premier League season, taking just two points from their opening 10 matches.
Eventually, the club was relegated for the first time in 10 years at the end of 2016/17, finishing bottom of the table, which saw Moyes resign.
They made a terrible start to life in the Championship and suffered a second consecutive relegation, this time to League One.
In their first season in League One, they got to the final of the EFL Trophy and finished 5th and reached the play-off final, but lost to Charlton Athletic at Wembley.
After finishing fifth in League One at the end of the 2021/22 season, Sunderland qualified for the Playoffs.
In the semi-finals, they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on aggregate, and went on to beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 in the final to secure a return to the second flight of English football for the first time in four years.
Promoted back to the Premier League
Sunderland finished fourth in the 2024/25 EFL Championship, qualifying for the play-offs, where they met Coventry City.
Following a 2-1 win away in the first leg, the club drew the home leg 1-1 at home, with a goal from defender Daniel Ballard in the last minute of extra time. This meant a 3–2 win on aggregate, and qualification for the play-off final.
In the final on 24 May 2025, Sunderland came back from 1-0 down to beat Sheffield United 2-1, with goals from Eliezer Mayenda and a stoppage-time winner from Tom Watson.
This ensured the Black Cats’ belated return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence from the top division.
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Furthermore, Sunderland have a fierce long-standing rivalry with nearby Newcastle United, with whom the Tyne–Wear derby has been contested since 1898.
Also, 2025/26 will be the first season to feature the Tyne–Wear derby since 2015/16.
Some of the notable player that will feature for Sunderland are Granit Xhaka, Simon Adingra, and Patrick Roberts.
Conclusion
It rremains to be seen if the newly promoted sides can survive in the Premier League, as it has become extremely difficult for new sides to maintain top flight status in recent seasons.
The financial power of the established EPL teams has seen new sides instantly demoted back to the Championship in the last few campaigns.
