The highest points tallies in Championship history after Leeds United and Burnley’s record-breaking success

Add as preferred source on Google

With the season now over, it’s time to look back at the highest points tallies in Championship history to see where Leeds United and Burnley’s 100-point haul puts them in the ranking.

Championship fans were treated to a fascinating three-horse race for the title this season, which lasted right until the final couple of weeks thanks to the efforts of Sheffield United, Burnley, and Leeds United.

The Clarets and the Whites are heading for the Premier League now after racking up triple figures this year, and they will go down in history as two of the best sides to battle it out in the second tier.

Click to subscribe to the podcast

40:00

There is a fair argument to be made that this season has proved the Championship to be the best league in the world thanks to its competitiveness and unpredictable nature.

But, over the course of history, who are the best teams in the division? Here are the ten teams with the highest points tallies in Championship seasons gone by.

• READ MORE: QPR and Coventry fans revealed as big winners in fascinating Championship statistic, Sheffield Wednesday struggled

The highest points tallies in Championship history

As we dive into this list, we just have one caveat: While the Championship officially formed in 2004, we are counting points tallies from the previous years when it was referred to as the old Division One, too.

There are some incredible teams in the top ten, including entries from Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester City. Meanwhile, the most recent team to make their mark on the rankings were Vincent Kompany’s Burnley team of 2022/23, but even they couldn’t take top spot.

It’s also worth mentioning Wolves, whose 99-point haul in the 2017/18 campaign would have had them on this list before this season, but based on goal difference, they slip out of the top ten.

10. Chelsea – 99 points (1988/89)

Yes, Chelsea were once in the second tier, a very long time ago. Long before the lavish Londoners had the money of Roman Abramovich or Ted Boehly to lean on, they had to break the Division One record to make it to the Premier League.

The Blues finished 17 points clear at the top of the table, an achievement made even more impressive by the fact they didn’t win a single one of their first six games in the 1988/89 campaign.

9. Man City – 99 points (2001/02)

Another giant of English football, Man City once had to endure an incredibly difficult period of time during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including a chaotic run of promotions and relegations before finally achieving top flight status again.

Kevin Keegan was the manager of a highly entertaining City team that was quite literally capable of losing 4-3 one week and then winning 6-2 just days later. They scored a huge 108 goals throughout the season, but also conceded 52, more than any other team in the top six that year.

8. Burnley – 100 points (2024/25)

Scott Parker’s Burnley side may have finished second in the league this season, but they were relentless and scarily efficient all year. Burnley kept 30 clean sheets, and never conceded more than one goal in any of the 46 matches across the season.

The fact they missed out on the Championship title on goal difference alone says it all, really. Burnley were solid as a rock at the back, and started to become prolific up top just a little too late to secure the top prize, but they firmly established themselves in the Championship history books with 100 points.

7. Leeds United – 100 points (2024/25)

Leeds United won the title this year essentially thanks to the fact they are one of the highest-scoring Championship teams of all time. Their incredible return of 95 goals, twinned with an impressive defence, was enough to clock a whopping +65 goal difference, and pip Burnley to the top spot come the end of the season.

Daniel Farke’s men had that slight blip in the back end of the season, but picked themselves up brilliantly to storm through to the final day and hit that magical 100-point mark.

6. Burnley – 101 points (2022/23)

Burnley are the only team to appear twice in this top ten, with another huge showing in the 2022/23 season as Vincent Kompany was handed his first opportunity as a manager in English football with recently-relegated Burnley.

He struggled in the early days, but soon established his slick style of play as the Clarets went on to secure the title by April, and his team lost just three games all season (interestingly, Parker’s men lost just two, but Kompany’s side were able to register more wins).

5. Fulham – 101 points (2000/01)

Fulham, who were owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed and managed by Jean Tigana, managed to storm to promotion with five games to spare at the turn of the millennium.

This was largely thanks to an astounding return of 27 goals from star striker Louis Saha, while Chris Coleman and Steve Finnan gave the Cottagers a solid defence to lean on, too.

4. Leicester City – 102 points (2013/14)

It’s crazy to think that, just two seasons before their epic Premier League title win, Leicester City were going for promotion in the Championship. Thankfully, they eased to promotion, and the rest is history.

The Foxes, led by Nigel Pearson, managed to win nine games in a row at one point in 2013/14, and introduced the world to Riyad Mahrez with his signing in the January window, too.

3. Newcastle United – 102 points (2009/10)

Everyone was shocked to see Newcastle United relegated from the Premier League in 2009, but they didn’t waste much time in the second tier, and proved they were far too good to be there.

That immediate success was built on the prolificacy of a number of players in the Magpies’ squad, with Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan both bagging 17 goals, while Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi also hit double figures.

2. Sunderland – 105 points (1998/99)

They may have missed out on the top spot in this list by just one point, but many would argue the Sunderland side of 1998/99 is the best to ever grace the second tier.

Manager Peter Reid was able to choose from a formidable attacking roster of Michael Bridges, Danny Dichio, Niall Quinn, and Kevin Phillips, with the latter forming one of the most productive strike forces in Football League history.

Incredibly, that Black Cats team also managed to make it to the League Cup semi-final that season, as well as registering a then-record points haul in Division One.

1. Reading – 106 points (2005/06)

Based on numbers alone, you cannot look past the Reading team of 2005/06 if you’re wanting to pin down the best Championship side of all time. Under Steve Coppell, the Royals posted a 106-point tally, winning 31 of their 46 games, losing just two along the way.

A squad formed of iconic 2000s players like Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Stephen Hunt, and Leroy Lita, Reading finished 14 points above second-placed Sheffield United that year. Sadly, they are now slumming it in League One, but a lot changes in 20 years.

• READ MORE: Burnley set to break 15-year Championship record this season with one player three games away from historic feat

Leeds United and Burnley did something incredible this season

Leeds and Burnley may have missed out on the opportunity to register the highest points tallies in Championship history, but the fact the two teams made it onto this list is impressive enough.

It speaks volumes for the levels of quality they both brought to the second tier this season, and it set another record, with no team ever hitting 100 points and not winning the title (sorry, Burnley).

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	46	29	13	4	95	30	65	100
2	BurnleyBurnley	46	28	16	2	69	16	53	100
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	46	28	8	10	63	36	27	90
4	SunderlandSunderland	46	21	13	12	58	44	14	76
5	CoventryCoventry	46	20	9	17	64	58	6	69
6	Bristol CityBristol City	46	17	17	12	59	55	4	68

Now, the two sides will need to defy the odds and establish themselves in the Premier League, something that is becoming increasingly difficult given the immense gulf between the top flight and the Championship.

Meanwhile, we wait and see what the 2025/26 campaign brings for the Championship. Could we see more records broken by relegated sides like Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton? Or, perhaps newly-promoted Birmingham City will look to break their own points record next year.