The Midlands is one of the most successful areas in English football.
When the Football League was created in 1888, five of the twelve initial members were from the Midlands, with Aston Villa director William McGregor proposing and organising the league’s formation.
From Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest’s domestic and international success to Wolves’ domination in the 1950s, both the East and West can claim to have some of the country’s best football clubs.
The list exclusively includes men’s first-team honours. Top-flight league titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and key UEFA competitions are counted, whilst lesser league titles, the Community Shield, and competitions such as the UEFA Super Cup are excluded.
In addition, when clubs are tied for major trophies, European success is considered as a tiebreaker.
With that in mind, Football League World examines the top seven most successful clubs in the East and West Midlands in terms of trophy haul.
7Birmingham City – 2 major trophies
Birmingham City is now ranked seventh in the league after winning two League Cups.
The Blues first won silverware in 1963, defeating rivals Aston Villa 3-1 over two legs.
They had to wait nearly half a century for their second win, and the day in 2011 remains one of the most memorable in the club’s history.
Taking versus Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, the Midlanders were great underdogs, but they took the lead thanks to towering forward Nikola Zigic.
The Gunners would equalise through Robin van Persie, but Obafemi Martins would give a memorable moment with an 89th-minute winner from a scramble between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny.
The Blues were relegated from the Premier League three months later and have spent the majority of their time in the second tier, with the exception of one season in League One.
6Derby County – 3 major trophies
Derby County, who have been named English champions twice and won the FA Cup once, are next on the list with three major honours.
In the first FA Cup final contested following WWII, the Rams won their first major trophy, defeating Charlton Athletic 4-1 in 1946.
However, Derby’s peak period would not occur until several decades later.
Following his hiring in 1967, Brian Clough rejuvenated the club, leading the East Midlanders to their first First Division title in 1972.
The Rams finished one point clear of Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester City that season, and Clough left in 1973. However, the Rams were crowned champions just three years later, in 1974/75, under Dave Mackay.
Derby have not won another major trophy since, but the aforementioned period remains a watershed moment in the history of football in the East Midlands, as well as Pride Park.
5Leicester City – 5 major trophies
Leicester City has had more big success in the twenty-first century than any other club on this list.
Prior to 2016, the Foxes had won three major trophies, including three League Cups.
Their most famous feat, however, has no introduction: Claudio Ranieri’s side pulled off one of the greatest shocks in English football history by winning the 2015/16 Premier League title.
Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante shone as they ended ten points ahead of Arsenal. In the years after, Leicester has established itself as a European-level team, having competed in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
They won their fifth title in 2021, when Youri Tielemans’ amazing shot won the FA Cup against Chelsea, completing England’s major domestic trophy set for the East Midlands club.
4West Bromwich Albion – 7 major trophies
West Bromwich Albion, like most Midlands clubs, had its most successful years in a different age.
However, the Baggies are an important part of English football history, and their trophy cabinet demonstrates why.
Albion has won five FA Cups, one League Cup, and one top-flight title, the latter coming in 1920, when West Brom scored 104 goals and finished nine points ahead of the First Division.
The FA Cup is where the Baggies have had the most success, winning in 1888, 1892, 1931, 1954, and 1968.
Their most recent came from the legendary Jeff Astle, who scored in extra time to defeat Everton at Wembley in 1968.
3Wolverhampton Wanderers – 9 major trophies
Wolves are one of two Midlands clubs that have won nine major trophies in our rankings, including three league crowns, four FA Cups, and two League Cups.
The majority of this would occur during a golden age under Stan Cullis.
Before Cullis took control, the Old Gold had won the FA Cup twice before, in 1893 and 1908.
Wolves won the FA Cup in 1949 before becoming England’s champions in 1953, 1958, and 1959.
At the time, skipper Billy Wright became the first player to receive 100 England caps, and he was part of a team that became one of the dominant forces in English football, with historic floodlit games against leading European opponents inspiring the European Cup.
Wolves won another FA Cup in 1960 before their last two League Cup victories in 1974 and 1980.
2Nottingham Forest – 9 major trophies
Nottingham Forest have nine titles, the same as Wolves, but their achievements on the continent have propelled them to second place in our rankings.
The Garibaldi have had a significant impact on the modern football world, having won one league title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, and, most notably, two European Cups.
Brian Clough and Peter Taylor led the club’s transition, winning the First Division title in 1978 and defeating Malmo in the 1979 European Cup Final.
A year later, John Robertson scored the winning goal against German powerhouse Hamburger SV to defend their title.
Surprisingly, Forest has won the European Championship twice, while England has only won it once. Their other noteworthy achievements include FA Cup victories in 1898 and 1959, as well as four League Cups, the most recent of which was won in 1990.
1Aston Villa – 21 major trophies
There is little disagreement about which club is at the top of this list.
Aston Villa are by far the most successful team in the Midlands, having won 21 major trophies in their history.
Since their inception in 1874, the Villans have won seven league crowns, seven FA Cups, five League Cups, and two major European trophies.
Much of the domestic success occurred during the Football League’s early years, with five league titles and three FA Cups added to the cabinet before the turn of the century.
The Second City club continued to win trophies during the decades that followed, with their best night coming in Rotterdam in 1982.
Villa, who had been named English champions the previous season, defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the European Cup final on a night that is now remembered as one of the best in club history.
For more than four decades, that was Villa’s only European victory, until May 2026.
Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia, and Morgan Rogers scored as the Villans defeated Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul, winning the Europa League and increasing their tally to 21.
Villa are the best-placed Midlands club in the modern era, having finished fourth in the Premier League last season, and they have great hopes of repeating their recent success.
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