An explainer of the Premier League, the top flight of English Football

The Premier League is the highest level of English football and attracts players from all over the world. It’s generally considered to be the best league on the planet due to its competitiveness and unfathomable global audience of nearly 1B households across 189 countries.

• It’s made up of 20 teams, who play each other twice from August to May — once at home and once away.

• Teams earn points for each game: three for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. At the end of the season, a champion is crowned based on whichever squad has accumulated the most points. That’s right, no playoffs — Coach Lasso was surprised too.

In addition to no postseason, one of the biggest differences between European and North American leagues is a phenomenon known as relegation. Here’s how it works:

• Teams that finish in the bottom three of the Premier League are relegated to the second division league, the Championship. Meanwhile, the top two teams (and a third through a playoff) from the Championship, are promoted to the Premier League.

• This up-and-down system means that teams aren’t going through the motions toward the end of the season. Relegation vs. promotion can also mean the difference between hundreds of millions of Euros for clubs. Every point matters.

In addition to relegation, there are even more ways to win (and lose) in English football. The top-four Premier League finishers receive an automatic bid to the UEFA Champions League — a 10-month, mid-week tournament featuring the top club teams from all over Europe.

The Champions League is a true continental competition and a way for English teams to see how they stack up against other European giants. Winning this tournament is considered the pinnacle of club soccer. NBD.

And if that wasn’t enough football, there are also country-specific cups. The Football Association (FA) Cup has been played for over 150 years and includes teams from up to 10 tiers of English football. The best part? This tourney is known for its upsets.

• The Carabao Cup is another in-season tournament and features only the top four leagues of the English football system. It’s less majestic than the FA Cup, but is the first trophy a team can win in their quest for a quadruple campaign.

Speaking of, Premier League teams have the potential to win four trophies — a feat that no men’s team has ever accomplished in the modern iteration of European football. A treble (winning the Premier League, Champions League, and country cup) alone puts teams in elite company.

There are no guarantees in the Premier League, but it typically comes down to the following clubs, known as the Big Six.

🩵 Manchester City: The four-time defending champions are coached by the genius Pep Guardiola and boast a roster that reads like a cheat code. While they’re always near the top of the table, they’re also knee-deep in a financial investigation. Watch this space.

💣 Arsenal: Last season’s second-place finishers are hoping this is the year they can end their title drought. With a formidable defense and major starpower up front, manager Mikel Arteta just might have all the pieces in place to finally surpass his mentor and former boss Guardiola.

🔴 Liverpool: Oddsmakers have the Reds as one of the favorites, but their fans aren’t so sure. After the departure of their long-time manager Jürgen Klopp, top players passed over signing with Liverpool. Maybe incoming bench boss Arne Slot can prove the haters wrong and be the breath of fresh air they need to compete at the top of the table.

🦢 Tottenham: The Spurs have plenty of starpower but no championships…yet. Much of last year revolved around filling the Harry Kane void after the superstar left for German club Bayern Munich, but, with plenty of young talent and newly-signed forward Dominic Solanke up front, it could be an exciting season for Spurs fans.

🦁 Chelsea: The Blues were on the wrong side of history last year, setting a club record for most goals allowed under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino. With Pochettino now, most likely, headed across the pond to helm helm the USMNT, new manager Enzo Maresca has inherited a bit of a mess, meaning just qualifying for the Champions League would be considered a W.

😈 Manchester United: Speaking of messy manager situations, Erik ten Hag was out for the Red Devils before they pulled off an improbable FA Cup win to put a surprise cherry on top of their worst ever league finish last year. Now with a bevy of new signings and a solid midfield group, here’s hoping they can conjure up the winning vibes of old.

💪 Erling Haaland, Manchester City: The striker is known for scoring goals in bunches and looking to add a third consecutive scoring title to his trophy case. His speed, height, and clinical finishing have been a nightmare for Premier League defenders, with the Norwegian tallying a staggering 63 goals in 66 matches in his two seasons with City.

🤩 Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa: After scoring the goal of the summer for the English national team, Watkins is primed to steal even more headlines after his club finished fourth last year. Everyone loves a good Villan.

🚀 Bukayo Saka, Arsenal: Another English standout, Saka showed a new maturity in addition to his goal-scoring prowess, helping lead his national team to the 2024 men’s Euro final. Now, the 22-year-old will have his sights set on bringing a trophy to his childhood club.

🧠 Rodri, Manchester City: Considered one of the best midfielders in the world, Rodri is the glue for Man City. He led the league in touches and passes completed last season, and, prior to City’s FA Cup loss to United, had gone 74 games and 474 days without losing for his club. As steady as they come.