Birmingham City Football Club, an association football club based in Birmingham, England, was founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance. For the first thirteen years of their existence, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an ad hoc basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at local and national level. Small Heath first entered the FA Cup in the 1881–82 season, and won their first trophy, the Walsall Cup, the following season. During the 1880s, they played between 20 and 30 matches each season.

In 1888, the club became a limited company under the name of Small Heath F.C. Ltd, and joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Small Heath were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889–90, and three years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They topped the table in their first season, failing to win promotion via the test match system then in operation, but reached the top flight for the first time in 1894. and They were renamed Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.

The club's official history rated 1955–56 as their best season to date. The newly promoted club achieved their highest ever finishing position of sixth in the First Division, reached the 1956 FA Cup Final, and became the first English club side to participate in European competition when they played their opening game in the group stages of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Their only major trophy is the League Cup, which they won in 1963 and 2011; they reached the FA Cup final twice and the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice. During the 1990s, they twice won the Football League Trophy, a competition open to clubs in the third and fourth tiers of English football, and in 2024–25, they won the third-tier EFL League One title with a league record points total of 111.

As of the end of the 2024–25 season, the club's first team had spent 57 seasons in the top division of English football, 60 in the second and 5 in the third. The table details their achievements in first-team competitions, and records their top goalscorer and average home league attendance, for each completed season since their first appearance in the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1878–79.

Key

Key to league record: P – Played W – Games won D – Games drawn L – Games lost F – Goals for A – Goals against Pts – Points Pos – Final position

Key to colours and symbols: 1st or W Winners 2nd or F Runners-up ↑ Promoted ↓ Relegated ♦ Top league scorer in Birmingham's division

Key to divisions: Comb – The Combination All – Football Alliance United – United League Div 1 – Football League First Division Div 2 – Football League Second Division Div 3 – Football League Third Division Champ – Football League Championship/EFL Championship Prem – Premier League League One – EFL League One

Key to rounds: Prelim – Preliminary round Group – Group stage QR3 – Third qualifying round QR4 – Fourth qualifying round, etc. IntR – Intermediate round (between qualifying rounds and rounds proper) R1 – First round R2 – Second round, etc. QF – Quarter-final SF – Semi-final P3rd – Third place F – Finalists W – Winners DQ – Disqualified DNE – Did not enter

Details of abandoned competitions – The Combination in 1888–89 and the 1939–40 Football League – are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons +List of seasons, including league division and statistics, cup results, top scorer and average league attendanceSeasonLeagueFA Cup Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.League CupOtherTop scorer(s)DivisionCompetitionResultPlayer(s)Goals1878–79—————————Birmingham Senior CupR1n/a——1879–80—————————Birmingham Senior CupR2n/a——1880–81—————————Birmingham Senior CupR4n/a——1881–82—————————R2Birmingham Senior CupR22—1882–83—————————R1Birmingham Senior CupR12—1883–84—————————R1Birmingham Senior CupR32—1884–85—————————R1Birmingham Senior CupR2No goalscorer——1885–86—————————SFBirmingham Senior CupR27—1886–87—————————R1Birmingham Senior CupSF1—1887–88—————————R2Birmingham Senior CupR12—1888–89Comb116322417156thR1Birmingham Senior CupR15—1889–90All22651144671710thR2Birmingham Senior CupR2271,0681890–91All22721358661610thDQBirmingham Senior CupR1172,5451891–92All2212555336293rdR2Birmingham Senior CupR2292,1001892–93Div 22217239035361stR1Birmingham Senior CupSF26 ♦2,1811893–94R1Birmingham Senior CupR125 ♦2,9281894–95Div 130971450742512thR1Birmingham Senior CupSF136,4401895–96Div 1 ↓30841839792015thR1Birmingham Senior CupR1116,2331896–97Div 23016596947374thR1Birmingham Senior CupR2164,5261897–98Div 230164105850366thQR3Birmingham Senior CupR2195,6331898–99Div 234177108550418thR2Birmingham Senior CupR242 ♦5,5881899–1900Div 23420687838463rdQR5Birmingham Senior CupR1245,1761900–01Div 2 ↑34191055724482ndQFBirmingham Senior CupR1175,5581901–02Div 1 ↓341181547453017thIntRBirmingham Senior CupR11113,0581902–03Div 2 ↑3424377436512ndR1Birmingham Senior CupR1167,4111903–04Div 1341181539523011thIntRBirmingham Senior CupR1811,3861904–05Div 134175125438397thR1Birmingham Senior CupW1614,4411905–06Div 138177146559417thQF—2411,8681906–07Div 138158155252389thR1—1515,3151907–08Div 1 ↓389121740603020thR1—915,4731908–09Div 2381491558613711thR1—810,6071909–10Div 238872342782320thR1—108,9211910–11Div 2381281842643216thR1—1413,7641911–12Div 2381461855593412thR1—2113,0521912–13Div 2381810105944463rdR1—1615,1571913–14Div 23812101648603414thR3—1017,4111914–15Div 238179126239436thR3—2411,3151915–19The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the First World War.1919–20Div 242248108534563rdR3—1522,8801920–21Div 2 ↑42241087938581stR1—1631,2441921–22Div 1421572048603718thDNE—1027,9671922–23Div 14213111841573717thR1—1925,3281923–24Div 14213131641493914thR1—2420,3951924–25Div 1421712134953468thR3—1122,5471925–26Div 1421681866814014thR4—2721,6491926–27Div 1421742164733817thR4—2324,3721927–28Div 14213151470754111thR5—3221,6461928–29Div 14215101768774015thR4—2423,4061929–30Div 1421691767624111thR4—2322,1931930–31Div 14213101955703619thF—2221,2751931–32Div 142188167867449thR4—2823,3801932–33Div 14214111757573913thQF—1420,0441933–34Div 14212121854563620thR5—824,7181934–35Div 14213101963813619thQF—1722,7951935–36Div 14215111661634112thR3—2022,9551936–37Div 14213151464604111thR3—1625,4521937–38Div 14210181458623818thR3—926,4341938–39Div 1 ↓421282262843221stR5—1722,4321939–40Div 232105152nd—1—1939–45The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the Second World War.1945–46—————————SF—7—1946–47Div 242255127433553rdQF—1932,4621947–48Div 2 ↑42221555524591stR3—1436,4671948–49Div 14211151636383717thR3—1138,8211949–50Div 1 ↓427142131672822ndR3—934,3101950–51Div 242209136453494thSF—1924,7281951–52Div 242219126756513rdR4—1924,5701952–53Div 2421910137166486thQF—2620,0461953–54Div 2421811137858477thR4—1522,5941954–55Div 2 ↑422210109247541stQF—2021,0021955–56Div 142189157557456thFInter-Cities Fairs Cup2933,8281956–57Div 1421591869693912thSFInter-Cities Fairs Cup3032,5821957–58Div 14214111776893913thR3Inter-Cities Fairs CupSF2329,6471958–59Div 142206168468469thR5Inter-Cities Fairs Cup2326,8931959–60Div 14213101963803619thR3Inter-Cities Fairs CupF1926,8801960–61Div 1421462262843419thR5R3Inter-Cities Fairs CupF1725,7511961–62Div 14214101865813817thR3R1Inter-Cities Fairs CupR22023,5871962–63Div 14210131963903320thR3W—2922,5591963–64Div 1421172454922920thR3R2—1021,9961964–65Div 1 ↓428112364962722ndR3R2—1019,7141965–66Div 2421691770754110thR4R2—2314,3981966–67Div 2421681870664010thQFSF—2119,7981967–68Div 242191498351524thSFR3—2828,0831968–69Div 242188167359447thR5R2—1726,0081969–70Div 24211112051783318thR3R2—1324,0281970–71Div 2421712135848469thR3R4—2124,1641971–72Div 2 ↑42191856031562ndP3rdR2Anglo-Italian CupGroup30 ♦32,3371972–73Div 14215121553544210thR3R4—2036,6631973–74Div 14212131752643719thR4QFTexaco CupQF2033,0481974–75Div 1421491953613717thSFR2Texaco CupSF1830,8541975–76Div 1421372257753319thR3R3—1828,0021976–77Div 14213121763613813thR4R2—2128,3381977–78Div 1421691755604111thR4R2Anglo-Scottish CupGroup2923,9101978–79Div 1 ↓426102637642221stR3R2—820,1641979–80Div 2 ↑422111105838533rdR5R3Anglo-Scottish CupGroup1820,4271980–81Div 14213121750613813thR4QF—1819,2481981–82Div 14210141853614416thR3R2—1617,1161982–83Div 14212141640555017thR4R4—815,8801983–84Div 1 ↓4212121839504820thQFR4—1514,1061984–85Div 2 ↑42257105933822ndR3R3—1912,5221985–86Div 1 ↓42852930732921stR3R3—810,8991986–87Div 24211171447595019thR4R3Full Members' CupR2197,4261987–88Div 24411151841664819thR5R1Full Members' CupR1168,5761988–89Div 2 ↓468112731763523rdR3R2Full Members' CupR166,2891989–90Div 3461812166059667thR3R2Associate Members' CupGroup208,5581990–91Div 34616171345496512thR2R1Associate Members' CupW107,0301991–92Div 3 ↑462312116952812ndR1R3Associate Members' CupGroup2212,3991992–93Div 14613122150725119thR1R1Anglo-Italian CupR1812,3281993–94Div 1 ↓4613122152695122ndR3R2Anglo-Italian CupPrelim1014,3781994–95Div 2 ↑46251478437891stR3R2Football League TrophyW2516,9411995–96Div 14615131861645815thR3SFAnglo-Italian CupQF1518,0981996–97Div 14617151452486610thR5R2—1917,7321997–98Div 1461917106035747thR5R3—1918,7511998–99Div 1462312116637814thR3R3—1720,7941999–2000Div 1462211136544775thR4R4—1121,8952000–01Div 146239145948785thR3F—1221,2832001–02Div 1 ↑462113127049765thR3R3—1521,9782002–03Prem381391641494813thR3R3—928,8312003–04Prem3812141243485010thR5R2—1929,0782004–05Prem3811121540464512thR4R3—1128,7602005–06Prem ↓388102028503418thQFQF—827,3922006–07Champ ↑46268126742862ndR4R4—1622,2732007–08Prem ↓388111946623519thR3R3—926,1812008–09Champ ↑46231495437832ndR3R2—1419,0812009–10Prem381311143847509thQFR3—1125,2462010–11Prem ↓388151537583918thQFW—1025,4612011–12Champ462016107851764thR5R3UEFA Europa LeagueGroup1819,1262012–13Champ4615161563696112thR3R2—1416,7022013–14Champ4611112458744421stR4R4—1015,4572014–15Champ4616151554646310thR4R2—1616,1112015–16Champ4616151553496310thR3R3—1117,6022016–17Champ4613141945645319thR3R1—1218,7172017–18Champ461372638684619thR4R2—921,0412018–19Champ4614191364585217thR3R1—2222,4832019–20Champ4612142054755020thR5R1—1520,4112020–21Champ4613132037615218thR3R1—802021–22Champ4611142150754720thR3R2—1016,1612022–23Champ4614112147585317thR4R1—1016,7582023–24Champ ↓4613112250655022ndR4R2—1321,1802024–25League One ↑46349384311111stR4R2EFL TrophyF232025–26Champ4617131657566410thR4R2—1024,823

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