What Is the Premier League and Who Is In It?

Hundreds of countries around the world have soccer leagues, known as "club soccer," but England's Premier League is widely considered the best. It's filled with World Cup stars like Erling Haaland, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

There are 20 teams in the Premier League. But this is actually only the top tier in England's football system, which includes four professional tiers and more below that vying to join the professional English Football League. Below the Premier League is the Championship, then League 1 and League 2. Heard of a Welsh team called Wrexham who are owned by two Hollywood stars? They're in the Championship.

These teams are based in places across England. There are three cities with more than one Premier League team: six are in London (Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur), two are in Manchester (Manchester United and Manchester City), and two are in Liverpool (Liverpool and Everton).

Each year, three of the 20 teams get relegated to the tier below, while three win promotion up into the Premier League. The three teams that just came up this season are: Ipswich, Hull and Coventry City.

How Long Is the Season and What Is the Format?

The Premier League season starts in August and continues through the end of May. Unlike major leagues in the U.S., there are no playoffs. You win the league by finishing at the top of the table with the most points.

Each Premier League team plays every other Premier League team twice — once at home and once away. You earn three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero for a loss, much like the World Cup group stage.

There are tiebreakers for league position: goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded), then goals scored, then head-to-head record, and finally away goals in head-to-head games. Remarkably, if all of those are level and there is a decisive issue at stake — like the title, a European place, or relegation — a one-off playoff game is held at a neutral venue. This has never happened in the Premier League.

What Is "Europe" in the Context of Premier League Teams?

The top teams in the Premier League each season also qualify for "Europe" — the European continental tournaments. The UEFA Champions League is the top tier, the Europa League is the second tier, and the Conference League is the third. Sunderland, for example, will compete in the Europa League this season.

This year's draw for the Champions League tournament is Thursday, August 27, at 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET in Monaco. The draw includes 36 teams across Europe, with each club playing eight games against different opponents — four home and four away.

Key Storylines to Watch This Season

The current champions are Arsenal, who finally broke through after years of near-misses. Now all they have to do is defend it. Only three managers have won back-to-back titles. Can Arsenal's Mikel Arteta do it?

Meanwhile, nine clubs have new managers or head coaches for the start of the season. Most notably, the legendary Pep Guardiola, who transformed English soccer, has left Manchester City. His former assistant coach Enzo Maresca — previously of Chelsea — is taking over.

In other words: plot twists ahead. And as for Erling Haaland — he won last year's Golden Boot with the most goals in the Premier League, but he's got a LOT of competition this year. Can he make it another? Let's watch together.