Tottenham Hotspur Trophies & Titles

When you are looking at the various clubs that play their football in London, there are some that barely trouble the top competitions such as Sutton United and Millwall, whilst there are others that regularly compete for the biggest trophies. In the case of Tottenham Hotspur, they are more towards the latter than the former, even if the term ‘Spursy’ has come to represent an ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. That isn’t to say that the club hasn’t won big in the past, of course. Some of the biggest competitions in the game have seen their trophies added to the club’s trophy cabinet after all.

Tottenham Hotspur have been successful in both English and European competitions at various points in the club’s history, winning both the top-flight and second tier on the pyramid as well as so-called ‘lesser’ tournaments that other clubs would be much quicker to point to as their main trophies. The good news for Spurs fans is that they barely even register on the club’s radar, with the other major competitions being the ones that they have seen the captain lift the trophy of at one point or another. Tottenham have won both big name competitive competitions as well as as smaller friendly ones; although we’ll be ignoring the latter here.

League Titles

During the club’s more formative years, Tottenham Hotspur won a number of smaller leagues that we will look at here. They are not, though, the bread and butter for the club in the modern era. Instead, Spurs’ main aim has been to challenge at the very top of the English Football League Pyramid, winning the likes of the Second Division on their way up to the top-flight. Although Tottenham improved in more recent times, the club’s decision to build a new stadium meant that money was diverted away from the on-pitch side of proceedings into the creation of a new home that looks to provide higher income in the long-term.

First Division / Premier League

The top-flight of the English game was created as the Football League in 1888, becoming the Football League First Division when teams from the Football Alliance were introduced in 1892. Around 100 years after that the clubs in the top-flight decided to leave the Football League and create the Premier League. Tottenham have won the main league at the top of the Football League pyramid on a couple of occasions, as well as finishing as runners-up in it more than once. They finished second the year after winning their initial First Division title and then again five years later, for example. There have also been several third place finishes.

Here is a look at the times that Tottenham Hotspur have won the top-flight, including the number of points that they achieved, the team that finished second and the points of the team that came in that runners-up spot:

Season	Points	Second Place	Second Place Points
1950-1951	60	Manchester United	56
1960-1961	66	Sheffield Wednesday	58

Second Division / First Division / Championship

Although Tottenham Hotspur feel like mainstays of the top-flight nowadays, that wasn’t always the case. The club made its way up through the lower divisions all the way to the First Division in the 1920s, for example, as well as at the end of the 1940s. The most notable thing about their Second Division victory at the end of the 1949-1950 season is that they then won the First Division a year later, which is the sort of thing that is all but impossible to imagine nowadays. The Second Division became the First Division by name when the Premier League launched and is known as the Championship in the modern era.

Here is how many points Spurs managed when they won the second tier of the English Football League pyramid as well as the team that came second and the points of the second place team:

Season	Points	Second Place	Second Place Points
1919-1920	70	Huddersfield Town	64
1949-1950	61	Sheffield Wednesday	52

Lesser Leagues

Nowadays, Tottenham Hotspur are an established top-flight club, regularly challenging for the likes of the Champions League places and aiming to win the Premier League itself, but that wasn’t always the case. Looking back into the club’s history you can view numerous divisions that Spurs won at one point or another. This is ignoring friendly leagues that they will have played in at one point or another. Here is a look at these lesser leagues, letting you know how many points Tottenham racked up as well as the team that came second and their points total, if that information is available:

Cups & Trophies

When it comes to Tottenham Hotspur’s largest form of success over the years then there is little question that it has been in cup competitions. Although their London rivals Arsenal hold the record for winning the FA Cup, for example, Spurs have been able to lift the trophy a few times in their own history. Similarly the club has enjoyed successful in the League Cup and has also enjoyed winning the Charity Shield, which later became the Community Shield, several time. Not only that but Tottenham have also picked up several European trophies at one point or another, which is something that few London-based clubs can claim.

Charity Shield / Community Shield

For a long time the main friendly competition between the league and FA Cup winners was known as the Charity Shield, but eventually the Football Association was called out on not donating enough money to charity for it to keep that title. Rather than up the amount donated to charity, the FA instead decided to simply rename it. Although some people would claim that it is not a major trophy that deserves to be looked at here, the qualification criteria for it means that it is absolutely something that should be discussed from the point of view of being silverware that the Spurs captain got to lift and the fans got to celebrate.

Here is a look at the times that Tottenham Hotspur have won the competition, as well as the team that they faced and the score:

Year of Final	Opposition	Score
1921	Burnley	1-0
1951	Newcastle United	2-1
1961	FA XI*	3-2
1962	Ipswich Town	5-1
1967	Manchester United	3-3**
1981	Aston Villa	2-2***
1991	Arsenal	0-0****

*In 1961 Tottenham Hotspur became the first club since Aston Villa in 1897 to win the First Division and FA Cup double. Because the Charity Shield was a tournament between the winners of those competitions, the FA put an eleven together to play Spurs.

**In 1967 the game ended as a draw but it was in the days before penalty shootouts, so the clubs shared the trophy.

***In 1981 the game ended as a draw but it was in the days before penalty shootouts, so the clubs shared the trophy.

****In 1991 the game ended as a draw but it was in the days before penalty shootouts, so the clubs shared the trophy.

FA Cup

Considered to be one of the most important trophies in English football for a time, put on a pedestal alongside the top-flight title, the FA Cup was a tournament that teams were extremely keen to win. Although it has lost its lustre somewhat in the modern era, it is still seen as a big competition that clubs who make it to the final want to emerge from victorious. It is also one that some clubs like to focus on, given the fact that the league might well be beyond them. Interestingly, Spurs had won it seven times before they ended up as losing finalists, which was in 1987.

Here is a look at the number of times that Tottenham won the FA Cup, along with the team that they faced in the final and the score:

Year of Final	Opposition	Score
1901	Sheffield United	2-2 (Spurs won Replay 3-1)
1921	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1-0
1961	Leicester City	2-0
1962	Burnley	3-1
1967	Chelsea	2-1
1981	Manchester City	1-1 (Spurs won Replay 3-2)
1982	Queens Park Rangers	1-1 (Spurs won Replay 1-0)
1991	Nottingham Forest	2-1 After Extra-Time

League Cup

There is definitely an extent to which some supporters of certain clubs look down on the League Cup, in spite of the fact that there are only three domestic trophies that a team can win during the course of a season. For all but a select group the league title is beyond their reach, with the FA Cup also a trophy that many sides are unlikely to win. In the case of Tottenham Hotspur, they haven’t come close to winning it as often as Liverpool, who have held the record for winning it in the past, but they have still been able to lift the trophy on more than one occasion. That has given the supporters something worth celebrating.

Here is who Tottenham have played when they have won the League Cup, as well as the score each time they have done so:

Year of Final	Opposition	Score
1971	Aston Villa	2-0
1973	Norwich City	1-0
1999	Leicester City	1-0
2008	Tottenham Hotspur	2-1

UEFA Cup / Europa League

In Europe, the Champions League, which used to be known as the European Cup, is the most prestigious competition to win. Although Spurs finished as runners-up in that tournament in 2019, losing out to Liverpool in the final, that is the closest that they have come to winning it. The second tier trophy was known as the UEFA Cup for a long time before eventually getting a rebrand to become the Europa League. That is a tournament that Tottenham have enjoyed more success in, becoming one of just a few London-based teams to have a European trophy to their name.

Here is a look at the times that Spurs have won the UEFA Cup, including their opponents and the final score:

Year of Final	Opposition	Score
1972	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3-2 on Aggregate
1984	Anderlecht	2-2 (Spurs won 4-3 on Penalties)

UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

In the 1960-1961 season it was decided that a tournament should be played between the winners of the various domestic trophies in European leagues. The so-called Cup Winners’ Cup ran for 39 seasons, with the 1998-1999 edition being the final one. It was initially not a UEFA competition, only becoming one after the insistence of the Italian Football Association in 1963. It was a straight knockout tournament throughout its existence, with entry being restricted to one club per UEFA member association, unless the Cup Winners’ Cup holder was not a domestic cup winner.

Tottenham Hotspur won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup on one occasion, which was the 1962-1963 season. They defeated Rangers in the first round, Slovan Bratislava in the quarter-finals and OFK Beograd in the semi-finals. Here is how they got on in the final:

Year of Final	Opposition	Score
1963	Atlético Madrid	5-1

Lesser Cups & Trophies

As you might imagine, a team like Tottenham Hotspur, who have made their way up through the divisions over the years, has played in a number of lesser cup competitions and lifted smaller trophies at one point or another. Here is a look at the information about them, including the opposition and the score of the final if that information is available: