Premier League’s Big Six still wealthy, but losing their grip on top places

The Premier League’s traditional “Big Six” still command the biggest financial resources, but their grip on the league’s top places has loosened, BBC Sport reports. In only one of the six seasons before the 2025-26 campaign did Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham all finish in the top six. [1]

The shift is visible in recent results. Tottenham finished 17th in each of the previous two seasons, while five of the top-six places over the past three years went to clubs outside the traditional group. At the time of the BBC report, Brighton, Brentford and Everton were among the top six, though the season was still at an early stage. [1]

The six remain prominent financially: all were among the world’s ten highest-revenue clubs, according to the BBC’s account of Deloitte’s football money league. But the article points to other clubs’ investment and recruitment as factors in a more competitive contest. Newcastle rose from 11th in 2021-22 to fourth the following season after its 2021 takeover, while Brighton has pursued a data-led approach to recruitment. [1]

The label itself has changed over time. English football’s influential group was once described as a “Big Five”, then a “Big Two” and a “Big Four”. The current six first occupied the Premier League’s top six together in 2010-11, and did so again four times before 2019. [1]

So the “Big Six” still makes sense as a shorthand for a wealthy group of clubs, but no longer guarantees a place among the league’s leading finishers. The BBC notes that a title winner is still likely to come from one of them; its evidence points instead to a less exclusive race for the top positions. [1]