Bristol City Football Club is an English association football club based in the city of Bristol. Founded in 1894 as Bristol South End, the team first entered the FA Cup in 1895–96, and played in the Western League in 1896–97. The club then turned professional, changed its name to Bristol City, and joined the Southern League. In 1900, City merged with another Southern League club, Bedminster, and the following season gained admission to the Football League, in which the first team have played ever since. They won the Second Division title in 1905–06, and followed up with a runners-up finish in the 1906–07 First Division, three points behind champions Newcastle United. That remains the club's best Football League placing, and two years later they set another record in the 1908–09 FA Cup. City entered the competition at the first-round stage and despite needing a replay in every round apart from the third, went on to reach the final, in which they lost 1–0 to league champions Manchester United. After five seasons in the top flight, City were relegated back to the second tier.

Between the wars, they regularly moved between the second and third tiers, collecting two Third Division South titles in 1922–23 and 1926–27. In the 1930s, they entered the Welsh Cup, and beat another English club, Tranmere Rovers, after a replay to win the 1934 final. When competitive football resumed after the Second World War, City continued to yo-yo between the divisions until 1976, when they returned to the First Division for another four seasons. Financial problems multiplied as the team suffered successive relegations, and the club was on the verge of failure when eight senior playersdubbed the Ashton Gate Eight after the name of City's stadiumagreed to cancel their lengthy contracts. Although the team were again relegated at the end of the 1981–82 season, taking them into the Fourth Division for the first time in their history as well as setting an unwanted record of three consecutive Football League relegations, the club was able to continue in business.

City spent only two seasons in the fourth tier. In 1988–89 they made their second appearance in the semi-final of the League Cupthe first came in 1970–71and they returned to the second tier in 1990. In the next 25 years, they experienced three relegations and three promotions between second and third tiers. While in the third tier, they won the Football League Trophya competition for teams in the lower divisions of the Football Leaguethree times, in 1986, 2003 and 2015, as well as reaching the final twice more.

As of the end of the 2025–26 season, Bristol City have spent 2 seasons in the fourth tier of the English football league system, 45 in the third, 58 in the second and 9 in the top tier. The table details the team's achievements and the top goalscorer in senior first-team competitions from their first season in the FA Cup in 1895–96 to the end of the most recently completed season.

Key

Key to league record: Pld – Matches played W – Matches won D – Matches drawn L – Matches lost GF – Goals for GA – Goals against Pts – Points Pos – Final position

+ Key to colours and symbols:SymbolMeaning 1st or W Winners 2nd or F Runners-up Promoted Relegated ♦ Top league scorer in Bristol City's division

Key to divisions: West 1 – Western League First Division West P – Western League Professional Section South – Southern League First Division United – United League Div 1 – Football League First Division Div 2 – Football League Second Division Div 3 – Football League Third Division Div 3S – Football League Third Division South Div 4 – Football League Fourth Division Champ – Football League Championship, EFL Championship League 1 – Football League One League 2 – Football League Two

Key to rounds: Group – Group stage Int'l – International group stage Prelim – Preliminary round QR1 – First qualifying round QR2 – Second qualifying round, etc. Inter – Intermediate round (between qualifying rounds and rounds proper) R1 – First round R2 – Second round, etc. QF – Quarter-final SF – Semi-final F – Final W – Winners (S) – Southern section of regionalised stage

Details of the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons SeasonLeague and For Western League: FA Cup Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.League CupOtherFor Welsh Cup: For Third Division South Cup: For Watney Cup: For Full Members Cup: Top league scorer(s)For Football League seasons up to 1995–96: Access season required via dropdown menu.For seasons from 1996–97 onwards: Access season required via dropdown menu.DivisionPldWDLGFGAPtsPosCompetitionResultPlayer(s)Goals1895–96————————QR1———1896–97West 1161152822222ndQR1——1897–98QR3——1898–99R1——1899–1900R2——1900–01——1901–02Div 234176115235406thQR4—91902–03Div 23417895938424thR2—111903–04Div 234186107341424thR1—141904–05Div 234194116645424thR2—141905–06Div 2 3830628328661stR1—27 ♦1906–07Div 138208106647482ndR2—171907–08Div 13812121458613610thR1—161908–09Div 1381312134558388th—91909–10Div 1381281845603216thR2—201910–11Div 1 381152243662719thR1—161911–12Div 2381461841603413thR1—111912–13Div 2389151446723316thR1—131913–14Div 238169135250418thR1—101914–15Div 2381571662563713thR1—131919–20Div 2421317124643438thSF—141920–21Div 2421913104929513rdR1—141921–22Div 2 421292137583322ndR1—121922–23Div 3S 42241176640591stR2—191923–24Div 2 427152032652922ndR3—81924–25Div 3S42229116041533rdR2—201925–26Div 3S42219127251514thR3—251926–27Div 3S 42278710454601stR2—321927–28Div 2421591876793912thR3—161928–29Div 24213101958723620thR3—131929–30Div 2421392061833520thR3—161930–31Div 2421581954823816thR3—151931–32Div 2 426112539782322ndR4—101932–33Div 3S4212131783903715thR2Welsh CupR7281933–34Div 3S4210131958853319thR3131934–35Div 3S421591852683915thR5Third Division South CupR2151935–36Div 3S4215101748594013thR1111936–37Div 3S421562158703616thR1171937–38Div 3S42211386840552ndR2181938–39Div 3S421612146163448thR1Third Division South Cup151939–40Div 3S3111553—11945–46————————R4———1946–47Div 3S422011119456513rdR2—36 ♦1947–48Div 3S42187177765437thR2—29 ♦1948–49Div 3S4211141744623616thR3—141949–50Div 3S4215101760614015thR1—181950–51Div 3S4620111564595110thR5—201951–52Div 3S4615121958694215thR2—121952–53Div 3S46221599561595thR1—261953–54Div 3S46256158866563rdR3—221954–55Div 3S 463010610147701stR1—281955–56Div 2421971680644511thR3—301956–57Div 2421691774794113thR5—231957–58Div 2421392063883517thR5—231958–59Div 2421771874704110thR4—261959–60Div 2 421152660972722ndR3—161960–61Div 34617101970684414thR4R3—191961–62Div 346238159472546thR3R1Welsh Cup261962–63Div 346161317100924514thR3R2—231963–64Div 3462015118464555thR4R1—211964–65Div 3 462411119255592ndR3R2—231965–66Div 242171786348515thR3R2—191966–67Div 24212141656623815thR5R2—91967–68Div 24213101948623619thR5R2—261968–69Div 24211161546533816thR3R3—181969–70Div 24213131654503914thR3R2—101970–71Div 24210112146643119thR3SF—121971–72Div 2421810146149468thR3R1—221972–73Div 2421712136351465thR4R2—121973–74Div 24214101847543816thR3Watney CupSF81974–75Div 242218134733505thR3R3—91975–76Div 2 42191585935532ndR3R2Anglo-Scottish CupGroup181976–77Div 14211131838483519thR3R2Anglo-Scottish CupGroup71977–78Div 14211131849533517thR3R3Anglo-Scottish CupW111978–79Div 14215101747514013thR4R2Anglo-Scottish Cup91979–80Div 1 429132037663120thR4R4—131980–81Div 2 427161929513021stR5R2—91981–82Div 3 4611132240654623rdR4R3—111982–83Div 44613171659705614thR1R2Football League Group CupGroup161983–84Div 4 462410127044824thR3R1Associate Members' CupR1161984–85Div 346249137447815thR2R2Associate Members' Cup201985–86Div 3461814146960689thR2R1Associate Members' CupW201986–87Div 3462114116336776thR3R2Associate Members' Cup161987–88Div 3462112137762755thR2R1Associate Members' Cup121988–89Div 3461891953556311th R3SFAssociate Members' Cup111989-90Div 3 4627109764091 2ndR5R1Associate Members' Cup27 ♦1990–91Div 246207196871679thR3R2Full Members Cup131991–92Div 24613151855715414thR5R2Full Members Cup101992–934614141849675615thR3R2Anglo-Italian CupInt'l121993–944616161447506413thR5R1Anglo-Italian CupPrelim151994–95 4611122342634523rdR4R2—131995–964615151655606013thR1R2—101996–97462110156951735thR3R2—231997–98 462510116939852ndR2R2161998–99 469152257804224thR3R2—191999–2000461519125957649thR3R2132000–01461814147056689thR5R1192001–02462110156853737thR1R2172002–03462411117948833rdR3R2W192003–04462313105837823rdR2R3142004–05461816127457707thR1R2242005–06461811176662659thR1R1162006–07 462510116339852ndR4R1112007–08462014125453744thR3R2—82008–094615161554546110thR3R2—112009–104615181356656310thR3R2—20 ♦2010–11461792062656015thR3R1—132011–124612132144684920thR3R1—82012–13 461182759844124thR3R1—132013–144613191470675812thR3R324 ♦2014–15 46291259638991stR4R1W182015–164613132054715218thR3R1—192016–17461592260665417thR4R4—232017–184617161367586711thR3SF—192018–19461913145953708thR5R1—132019–204617121760656312thR3R1—122020–21461562546685119thR5R3—102021–224615102162775517thR3R1—222022–234615141755565914thR5R3—112023–244617111853516211thR4R2—102024–25461717125955686thR3R1—122025–264617111859596212thR4R2—11

Notes

References

External links Bristol City F.C. official website