American fans will recognise the phrase “double double” as a basketball term, but to fans in Manchester, it means something a whole lot more special — and rare.
Manchester City are seeking the first-ever domestic double defence as they contest the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday, and there’s a lot of historic bragging rights on the line between the two sides.
Only eight teams in English football history have ever won the league title and FA Cup in the same season, accomplished on 13 different occasions by those clubs. What’s more, no club has ever done so in back-to-back seasons.
As he continues to rewrite the English football record books, Pep Guardiola hopes to achieve yet another first in Saturday’s derby showdown. The Sporting News has all you need to know about who has won the English domestic double and why Saturday’s game is so important and unique from a rivalry perspective.
MORE: A look at the rarity of consecutive Premier League titles after Man City secure record fourth straight
Clubs to have won the English domestic double
Across the 136 seasons of English football, only eight clubs have won the English domestic double. The first to do so was Preston North End in the very first season of First Division football in 1888, while less than a decade later Aston Villa did the same. It then took 64 years for another team to accomplish the feat, with Tottenham breaking that drought in 1961.
The two clubs with the most doubles are Manchester United and Arsenal, each sporting three, with five of those six double seasons coming since the formation of the modern Premier League in 1992.
However, that could change as Pep Guardiola aims to win a third domestic double since taking charge of Man City, which would bring the club level with the all-time leaders.
ClubDoublesSeasonsMan United31993/94, 1995/96, 1998/99Arsenal31970/71, 1997/98, 2001/02Man City22018/19, 2022/23Chelsea12009/10Liverpool11985/86Tottenham11960/61Aston Villa11896/97Preston North End11888/89
Manchester City hoping to steal the “double double” from Man United
Adding to the spice of this match is the fact that Manchester City are hoping to steal one of Manchester United’s most memorable achievements from under their noses.
Red Devil fans often refer to the mid-90’s run of domestic domination under Sir Alex Ferguson as the “double double” when they won the Premier League and FA Cup in the same season twice in a three-year span, becoming the first English side to win the domestic double twice.
However, while that achievement lives within Manchester United supporter lore, it hasn’t gained wider traction amongst the larger English football fanbase for one simple fact — the doubles weren’t won in consecutive seasons, it’s not really a true “double double” in the literal understanding of the phrase.
With a win here on Saturday against Erik ten Hag’s side, City would become the first English club to win a true domestic “double double” across consecutive seasons, essentially stealing that bit of history straight from the grasp of their cross-town rivals.
Other Big 5 European clubs to win a domestic double
While the parity in English football has, for much of its history, been strong enough to keep the domestic double a relatively rare occurrence, it’s a far more common thing amongst other Big 5 European leagues in which a few clubs have historically dominated proceedings.
In France, for example, PSG’s recent rise to financial domination has seen the club win four doubles within the past decade, leaving them level atop the French double charts with Saint-Etienne. In Germany, it’s even more lopsided, as the only club with multiple doubles in its history since the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 is Bayern Munich, who sport an incredible 13 league and DFB-Pokal doubles.
Spain’s list, however, may speak to just how difficult it is to win a domestic double — even within a league history mostly dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid for the last half-century, Real Madrid (who, we’ll remind you, are the most successful side in the history of European football) have still only ever won four La Liga and Copa del Rey doubles ever, and none in the past 30 years. This despite having won a Spanish-best 36 top-flight titles and 20 Copas del Rey, proving just how difficult it is to win both in the same year.
SpainClubDoublesSeasonsBarcelona81951/52, 1952/53, 1958/59, 1997/98, 2008/09, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18Athletic Bilbao51929/30, 1930/31, 1942/43, 1955/56, 1983/84Real Madrid41961/62, 1974/75, 1979/80, 1988/89Atletico Madrid11995/96ItalyClubDoublesSeasonsJuventus61959/60, 1994/95, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18Inter22005/06, 2009/10Lazio11999/00Napoli11986/87Torino11942/43Germany
Since formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.
ClubDoublesSeasonsBayern Munich13Last: 2019/20Borussia Dortmund12011/12Werder Bremen12003/04FC Koln11977/78FranceClubDoublesSeasonsPSG42014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2019/20Saint-Etienne41967/68, 1969/70, 1973/74, 1974/75Lille21945/46, 2010/11Marseille21971/72, 1988/89Olympique Lyon12007/08Auxerre11995/96Bordeaux11986/87AS Monaco11962/63Stade de Reims11957/58OGC Nice11951/52RC Paris11935/36Sete*11933/34
* Club was liquidated in 2023 and is no longer active.