- Man City broke the European record of 18 unbeaten games when they beat Young Boys
- Three English clubs are the only ones to have won 16 consecutive games in Europe
- West Ham held the record for most wins in Europa Conference League
In European football, only Spanish and Italian clubs can boast of more continental cup victories than English teams.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have all won on the biggest stages, but they have not been unbeaten.
Manchester City won the Champions League in 2022/23, while West Ham had a historical run and took home the Europa Conference League.
The longest winning streaks of English teams in Europe.
Tottenham Hotspur – 16 games
13 December 1967 – 8 November 1973
Tottenham defeated Wolves in 1972 UEFA Cup Final / Evening Standard/GettyImages
The 16 games of unbeaten European play by Tottenham Hotspur spanned over five years in two different competitions.
Bill Nicholson’s team began its impressive streak by defeating Lyon 4-3 in 1967. Even though they lost the first match, the very best of the ‘pass-and-run’ style still had to leave the European Cup Winners’ Cup with away goals.
Olympiacos defeated Spurs 1-0 at the UEFA Cup in 1972/73. Tottenham won it the previous year.
After several years outside Europe, the Lilywhites beat AC Milan before beating Wolverhampton Wanderers to win their only European trophy of 1971/72.
Leeds United 16 Games
6 September 1967 to 27 November 1968
Leeds United went 16 games unbeaten / Evening Standard/GettyImages
Don Revie’s Leeds was the first European team to go 16 unbeaten games in two years in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, from 1967-1968. In the 1966/67 competition final, Dinamo Zagreb and Leeds drew at 0-0. The Croatian team had however won the first-leg 2-0, and so claimed the Cup.
Napoli, an Italian team, eventually defeated Leeds in the second-round of the competition. Leeds beat Napoli 2-0 at Elland Road, but they lost the match by the same margin in Naples. The Whites were able to qualify for the third-round after winning a coin flip. Yes, really.
Leeds won the Fairs Cup 1967/68 in that same run. They beat Ferencvaros, a Hungarian team, 1-0 over two legs. This is their sole European trophy.
West Ham United – 17 matches
18 August 2022 to 5 October 2023
David Moyes led West Ham United to European glory in the last season. / Eddie Keogh/GettyImages
West Ham have won the first European trophy since 1965 when they defeated Fiorentina at the Europa Conference League Final last season. Their joy is not slowing down this year either.
The unbeaten streak began in August last year with the victory against Viborg during Conference League Play-off Round. It reached 17 matches after their victory over Freiburg. Olympiacos defeated David Moyes and ended the good times in Greece.
Manchester City – 18 matches (6 September 2022 to 7 November 2023)
Man City was the record holder in November 2023. Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Manchester City won the European unbeaten record with their victory against Young Boys, in November. They now have 18 matches without losing in Europe.
Pep Guardiola’s team last lost in Europe in the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid in May 2022. They went unbeaten last season on their way towards the trophy.
Last season, the stretch started with a 4-0 win over Sevilla during their first group match in Champions League. Pep Guardiola and his team were unstoppable, even when they faced Inter, Bayern Munich Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, etc.
City has won its first four games in 2023/24, while RB Leipzig and Red Star Belgrade have yet to defeat the treble-winners.
