Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC have been mainstays of the top flight of English football for well over 100 years. Both clubs have rich histories, trophy cabinets with silverware they have acquired from their exploits over the years and millions upon millions of devoted followers around the world. The two clubs are also a part of the English Premier League (EPL) “Big 6” alongside Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Who has won more trophies, Tottenham or Chelsea? Chelsea has won more trophies with over 30 cups compared to Tottenham’s 24. They include multiple EPL titles, FA Cups, European competition trophies amongst other honors.
Most of Chelsea’s trophies have been won over the last 20 years or so. Tottenham’s fortunes have unfortunately dwindled over the same period of time. The North London-based club has gone over a decade (13 years) without winning a trophy – a situation they hope to change under the leadership of current manager, Antonio Conte.
Pioneers in Their Own Right
Both Tottenham and Chelsea have been around for over 115 years. Tottenham is the older of the two clubs, having been founded in 1882 and named after where it was situated in Tottenham, London. Chelsea, on the other hand, was founded in 1905 in Fulham, West London. Since a club named Fulham FC was already in existence, the name Chelsea (in reference to a nearby borough) was chosen.
Tottenham was the first of the two clubs to win a major title. The Lilywhites bagged their first significant piece of silverware in 1901 – the FA Cup – after routing Sheffield United 3-1 in the final.
The club had not then joined The Football League, which made the feat even more impressive. Tottenham then joined the First Division in 1909 after being promoted from the Second Division, which they had been nominated to the previous season. Tottenham nevertheless had to wait until their 1950-51 season before securing their first ever league title.
Chelsea had to wait considerably longer to clinch their first major title. The closest it came to anything resembling success was reaching and losing the FA Cup final in 1915 and finishing as the second runners-up in the 1920 campaign in the first division.
The league title eluded the Blues for over four decades until they finally broke through and clinched it in their 1954/55 campaign. The club, however, boasted of one of the largest followings and the highest attendance in its first decade of existence.
Both Tottenham and Chelsea struggled to find their footing in their early years. The two clubs were relegated from and promoted back to the First Division several times through the early to mid-1900s.
Settling In
Both clubs fared better over the second half of the 20th century. Tottenham had arguably its most successful decade in club history in the 1960s under then manager, Bill Nicholson, who led the club to a double (League Title and FA Cup) in 1961 and the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in 1962 and 1963 respectively.
The latter made Tottenham the first British club to win a European trophy and set up the team for another first – the first British club to clinch two European titles after winning the UEFA Cup in their 1971-72 season.
Chelsea also had its fair share of success throughout the 1960s. The Blues remained top contenders for most of the decade but constantly fell short of the mark. Their only successful endeavor at the time was a League Cup, which they won in their 1964-65 campaign.
The early 1970s were, however, more kind to the club and kicked off with an FA Cup win in 1970. Chelsea continued to build on that success and went on to bag their first ever European title, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1971.
Trouble Comes Knocking
The remainder of the 1970s and the 1980s were trying times for both clubs. Tottenham were relegated to the Second Division after a disastrous 1976-77 campaign but valiantly fought their way back into the top flight culminating in a pair of FA Cup wins in 1981 and 1982 and another European title – the UEFA Cup – in 1984.
Chelsea had a much more difficult time throughout the 1980s, with arguably their lowest point coming in 1982 when they were sold to former owner Ken Bates for just £1. The club was twice relegated to the Second Division (1983 and 1988) but mustered their wits and managed to find their way back to the top flight.
Some much-needed expansion at the time constantly brought both clubs to the brink of bankruptcy and/or extinction – developments which caused major changes in the clubs’ ownership and leadership structures. The Spurs were however successful in adding another trophy to their tally after winning the FA Cup in their 1990-91 season.
The Premier League Era
With the birth of the Premier League in the early 1990s (1992), the top flight entered its defining period and took competition to a whole other level. Tottenham struggled to redefine themselves over the decade, constantly finishing in the middle of the standings, and only managed to win the League Cup in 1999.
Chelsea took the change in stride and had considerably more success than their counterparts. Their fortunes took a turn for the better in the latter half of the decade, where they managed to win the FA Cup in 1996 and the treble of the League Cup and UEFA Super Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998.
The 2000s separated the two clubs in terms of trophy wins. Both Tottenham and Chelsea were sold to their current owners; ENIC Sports and Roman Abramovich, in 2001 and 2003 respectively.
Tottenham’s form greatly improved but the only trophy success they had was winning the League Cup in 2008 – the club’s last major honor. Meanwhile, Chelsea, which was then under manager José Mourinho, won back-to-back EPL titles in their 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. The Blues also won two League Cups (2005 and 2007) and two FA Cups (2007 and 2009).
The 2010s brought about more improvement for Tottenham, especially during the tenure of former boss Mauricio Pochettino, but sadly, no trophies. Their closest attempts were a second-place finish in their 2016-17 EPL campaign and finishing as runners up in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final (which was won by league rivals Liverpool).
Chelsea’s “embarrassment of riches” has only since continued. The Pensioners won the double of the EPL title and FA Cup under former manager Carlo Ancelotti in their 2009-10 season. Their impressive form continued with ex-head coach Roberto Di Matteo, under whom they won their first UEFA Champions League title and the FA Cup in 2012.
The club clinched the UEFA Europa League trophy in 2013 before entering Mourinho’s second stint as manager. Under “The Special One”, Chelsea won yet another EPL title and a League Cup in 2015.
After Mourinho’s unceremonious departure from the club, the club handed the reigns to former head coach Antonio Conte, who led the club to their fifth EPL and eighth FA Cup titles respectively in 2017.
Following Conte’s departure, the club entrusted its future to former manager Maurizio Sarri, who led the Blues to their second UEFA Europa League title in 2018. The club’s last pair of silverware – a UEFA Champions League title and a UEFA Super Cup trophy – were won in 2021 under current manager Thomas Tuchel.