EFL Championship · Championship · Leicester, Leicestershire, England · King Power Stadium
Leicester City FC
Authors of the greatest fairy tale in sporting history when they won the Premier League title at 5000-1 odds in 2015-16, Leicester City have since experienced the full spectrum of football emotion — from Champions League nights to two relegations — and now face the Championship challenge of building a path back to the top flight.
1884–2010
The Steady Foxes
Over a century of honest endeavour
Leicester City were founded as Leicester Fosse in 1884 and joined the Football League in 1894. For over a century, they were the archetypal yo-yo club - competitive enough to spend long periods in the top flight but rarely threatening the elite. They reached four FA Cup finals between 1949 and 1969 but lost all four, earning a reputation as bridesmaids of English football.
The club's finest pre-miracle period came under Martin O'Neill in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Leicester won the League Cup twice (1997 and 2000) and regularly competed in the top half of the Premier League. O'Neill's teams, featuring players like Emile Heskey, Neil Lennon, and Muzzy Izzet, played with an energy and spirit that made the club a neutrals' favourite.
Relegation in 2004 began a difficult period. The club dropped to League One in 2008, but clawed their way back under Nigel Pearson. The move from Filbert Street to the Walkers Stadium (later the King Power Stadium) in 2002 provided modern facilities, but the club remained a modest mid-table outfit until a transformative change of ownership.
Key Facts
- Founded as Leicester Fosse in 1884
- Won the League Cup in 1997 and 2000 under Martin O'Neill
- Reached four FA Cup finals without winning (1949-1969)
- Moved to the King Power Stadium in 2002
2010–Present
The Miracle and Beyond
5000-1, the FA Cup, and resilience
The purchase of Leicester City by the Srivaddhanaprabha family's King Power Group in 2010 began the most remarkable chapter in the club's history. Promotion from the Championship in 2014 was followed by the most extraordinary Premier League season ever seen.
Under Claudio Ranieri, Leicester won the 2015-16 Premier League title at odds of 5000-1. Jamie Vardy scored in eleven consecutive Premier League matches, breaking a record that had stood since 2003. N'Golo Kante's tireless midfield performances earned him a move to Chelsea. Riyad Mahrez won the PFA Player of the Year award. The title was confirmed when Tottenham drew at Chelsea, and Leicester's players watched from Jamie Vardy's living room as the impossible became reality.
The years that followed brought further highs and painful lows. Leicester reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016-17 and won the FA Cup for the first time in 2021, with Youri Tielemans' stunning goal defeating Chelsea at Wembley. But financial pressures mounted, and a breach of PSR rules contributed to relegation in 2022-23. The Foxes responded by winning the Championship title in 2023-24, earning an immediate return to the Premier League. The tragic death of chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in October 2018 united the city in grief and strengthened the bond between club and community.
Key Facts
- Won the 2015-16 Premier League title at 5000-1 odds
- Jamie Vardy scored in 11 consecutive Premier League matches
- Won the FA Cup for the first time in 2021
- Won the Championship title in 2023-24 after relegation