Few clubs in world football have experienced a journey as dramatic as Leicester City. Over the last two decades, the Foxes have lived through despair, triumph, and now another painful chapter in their history.
From dropping into the third tier in 2008 to lifting the Premier League trophy against all odds in 2016, Leicester’s story has been one of football’s most astonishing rollercoasters.
Now, just ten years after their historic title win, they find themselves back in League One.
The first major low point came during the 2007/08 season when Leicester suffered relegation from the Championship for the first time in their history. Finishing 22nd, the club dropped into League One — the third tier of English football — a moment that sent shockwaves through supporters.
For a club with Premier League ambitions, the fall was deeply painful. Questions were asked about the squad, recruitment, and the club’s direction.
However, Leicester responded in the best possible way.
Under Nigel Pearson, the Foxes bounced back immediately in the 2008/09 campaign, winning the League One title in emphatic fashion with a club-record 96 points. That season restored belief and laid the foundation for what was to come.
Rather than allowing the relegation to define them, Leicester used it as the beginning of a rebuild.
After several years of rebuilding and near misses, Leicester finally returned to the Premier League in 2014.
The 2013/14 Championship season was a dominant one. Leicester stormed to the title with an incredible 102 points, confirming their status as one of the best teams outside the top flight.
But survival in the Premier League initially looked impossible
In the 2014/15 season, Leicester spent 140 days rooted to the bottom of the table. Relegation seemed inevitable.
Then came what is now famously known as “The Great Escape.”
The Foxes won seven of their final nine matches to pull off one of the greatest survival acts in Premier League history. Suddenly, the club that had looked doomed was brimming with confidence and momentum.
That great escape would become the launching pad for something nobody saw coming.
The 2015/16 season remains one of the greatest stories in the history of sport.
Leicester City began the campaign as 5,000-1 outsiders, with many bookmakers rating them more likely to be relegated than to challenge for the title.
Yet under Claudio Ranieri, the impossible became reality.
Led by the brilliance of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kanté, Leicester stunned the football world.
Their consistency, team spirit, and fearless style of play carried them to one of the most unbelievable league triumphs ever witnessed.
In May 2016, Leicester were crowned Premier League champions.
It was not just a football achievement — it was a global sporting fairytale.
The club backed up that success by reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2017 and later winning their first-ever FA Cup in 2021, proving their title win was not a fluke but the start of a golden era.
As quickly as Leicester rose, the decline came with brutal speed.
Financial issues, poor recruitment decisions, managerial instability, and inconsistent performances gradually eroded the foundation that had once made them champions.
In the 2022/23 season, Leicester were relegated from the Premier League after finishing 18th.
To their credit, they responded well once again.
Under Enzo Maresca, they won the Championship title in 2023/24 to secure an immediate return to the top flight.
But the problems beneath the surface remained unresolved.
The 2024/25 campaign ended in another disaster as Leicester finished bottom of the Premier League table and were relegated once more.
This second relegation was a warning sign that the club’s issues were deeper than just form on the pitch.
Now comes perhaps the most painful chapter of all.
In the 2025/26 season, Leicester suffered a six-point deduction for breaching financial regulations, a blow that severely damaged their survival hopes.
But even beyond the points penalty, their form was alarming.
A run of poor results left them fighting for survival deep into April.
On April 21, 2026, a 2-2 draw against Hull City officially confirmed Leicester’s relegation to League One for the 2026/27 season
The fall is staggering.
Just ten years after lifting the Premier League trophy, Leicester are back in the third tier for only the second time in their history.
It is one of the sharpest declines English football has ever seen.
Leicester’s journey is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football.
From League One to Premier League champions and back again, the Foxes have experienced the full spectrum of emotion.
Their story remains one of sport’s greatest fairytales — and now, one of its most sobering warnings.
The question now is simple: can Leicester rise once more?
