Winning trophies is the ultimate goal of any soccer club. Success is the reason that players play the game and why thousands, or even millions for the very top clubs, of fans around the world tune in to every single game. There are some clubs that have had more success over the years than others and in the case of close geographic rivals then the ability to brag about having more trophies than the other team is just part of the overall fan experience.
This article will look at the trophy history of the two most successful London clubs of the Premier League era in Arsenal and Chelsea.
Who has won more trophies between Chelsea and Arsenal? Arsenal has won 63 trophies over the course of their history. However this includes wins of trophies like the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup (1958/59). Taking just the major trophies into account (Premier League/Old First Division, European (all), FA Cup, and League Cup) then Arsenal has won 30 trophies. Using the same metrics, Chelsea has won 34 overall trophies and 28 major trophies. Therefore Arsenal has won 2 more major trophies than Chelsea.
Let’s break those trophy wins down by competition, always starting with the team with the most wins.
League Titles: Arsenal – 13, Chelsea – 6
This is a category that easily goes to the Gunners as their 13 league titles far outshine the six of Chelsea. The Gummers are proud of the fact that they were winning trophies before the Blues were even founded as a club, but that trophy was the Kent Senior Cup in 1889/90 and doesn’t count to this list.
Their first league championship came in the old First Division back in 1930/31. The 30s were a dominant period for the team as they claimed five league titles during the decade. Sporadic success later led to one First Division title in every decade other than the 60s. Arsenal had the second most league title wins in the history of the First Division, winning the trophy 10 times (Liverpool won 18) before the dawn of the Premier League.
Their penultimate title win in 1988/89 was epic. The Gunners needed to beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield on the final day to pip the Reds to the trophy. Arsenal had not beaten Liverpool in 15 years away from home and Liverpool hadn’t lost by two goals in three seasons. Michael Thomas was Sergio Aguero years before he won the title for Manchester City as the Arsenal midfielder put the Gunners 2-0 up in stoppage time to win the title in ludicrously dramatic fashion.
Chelsea won just one First Division title in 1954/55. The Blues were generally a mid to lower First Division team for most of their history, occasionally dropping down into the second flight. The Premier League era, however, has seen them have more success than the Gunners. Arsenal won the Premier League twice under Arsene Wenger with their Invisibles season of 2003/04 when they didn’t lose a single game being the last time they won the league.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have gone from strength to strength with Roman Abramovich backing the team to five Premier League titles. Jose Mourinho and his squad that was led by the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard became a Premier League force, but the way that Chelsea have continued to win while chopping and changing managers so often is perhaps the most impressive part of how they have tackled the Premier League. Title wins at the end of the 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, and 2017 seasons show that the Blues have been a dominant player in the English game so far this century.
FA Cup: Arsenal – 14, Chelsea – 8
This one is a little closer, but Arsenal has been FA Cup specialists throughout the years and that shows here. Their 14 wins are the most of any team in FA Cup history and their battle for North London supremacy against Spurs in the competition over the decades (when the FA Cup meant much more)are legendary. They won their first final in 1930 and their last in 2020 under Mikel Arteta.
Chelsea sit in joint third all-time in FA Cup wins as their eight put them level with Liverpool and Spurs (Man United have 12). Chelsea didn’t win their first FA Cup until 1970, but have quickly caught up to Arsenal in this competition. The 2022 losing finalists have the dubious distinction (along with Man United again) of losing the most FA Cup finals with eight defeats in the Wembley showpiece.
League Cup: Chelsea – 5, Arsenal – 2
The League (EFL) Cup didn’t come into existence until 1961 and in many ways this might be a fairer representation of the strength of Arsenal and Chelsea over the last half a century or so because of that. Arsenal has just a pair of league Cup wins, including a famous one in 1993 when they beat Sheffield Wednesday in both the League and FA Cup finals in the same season.
Chelsea has won this competition on five occasions. The first time was in 1965 and the most recent was in 2015. The 2015 win over Spurs was watched by the highest League Cup final crowd since the terraces were removed from Wembley and was the first trophy for Mourinho during his second stint at the club. Chelsea would go on to also win the league at the end of that season.
Europe: Chelsea – 8, Arsenal – 1
For all their success domestically, Arsenal have not been good in European competition. Their sole win was in the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup at the end of the 1994 season. Chelsea, meanwhile, have attacked Europe hard. They have a pair of Cup Winners’ Cup wins from 1971 and 1998, Europa League wins in 2013 and 2018, UEFA Super Cup wins in 1998 and 2021, and (most impressively) a couple of Champions League wins in 2012 and 2021.
The 2021 win over Manchester City was surprising, but it was the 2012 win that put Chelsea on the soccer map globally. The Blues beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of 120 minutes of play. This was the last game for Chelsea for Didier Drogba and he not only scored the equalizing goal with a header but then won the game with the final kick of his Chelsea career from the spot.
International: Chelsea -1, Arsenal – 0
The only international club trophy for either club was won in 2021 when Chelsea won the World Club Cup. The Blues beat Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the semifinals before defeating Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time to win the trophy.
Arsenal has more trophies historically than Chelsea but the Blues are catching up quickly and have certainly had more success over the past couple of decades.