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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

Which national leagues have most (and fewest) teams in capital cities?

Ibrahimovic Lukaku PierreEmerick Aubameyang Chelsea MTN EPL Liverpool Robins Sanchez ALeague
Brasília is home to the vast Estádio Mané Garrincha stadium but doesn’t have a team in Brazil’s top flight.
Brasília is home to the vast Estádio Mané Garrincha stadium but doesn’t have a team in Brazil’s top flight. Photograph: Tomas Faquini/AP

“As a Welshman living in Mali, I’m struck by the contrast in the number of teams based in the capital city playing in the top league,” mails Seán Smith. “Whereas the Cymru Premier has for much of its history not included a club based in the capital city (and currently only has one team based in Cardiff out of 12), 13 of the 18 teams in Mali’s Première Division are based in Bamako. Are there any other national top divisions that have a higher or lower proportion of clubs based in the capital?”

In England it has often been said that the Premier League, or the old Division One, is harder for London teams to win because of the number of derbies. This season, seven of the 20 Premier League sides are based in London. That means 12 London derbies apiece for Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

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