5 Teams With the Highest-Ever Points Tallies in the EFL

In 2004, the English Football League was reformatted into its current system of the Championship, League One and League Two. Over these 18 years, there have been some incredible teams and ridiculously high points tallies achieved.

This article looks at the top five highest-ever points totals in modern EFL history. To start with though, there have to be some special mentions to a few teams that didn't make the top five but nonetheless are regarded as some of the best EFL teams of the modern era:

2022-23: Burnley - 101 points in the Championship

2011–12: Charlton Athletic - 101 points in League 1

2017-18: Wolverhampton Wanderers - 99 points in the Championship

2020-21: Norwich City - 97 points in the Championship.

Leicester City, 2013/14 - 102pts

Leicester City, who were managed by Nigel Pearson, broke the 100-point mark, with a 102-point haul, a season that started Leicester's incredible rise that ultimately saw the club win the Premier League and reach the Champions League knockouts.

The Foxes won 31 league games, as David Nugent ended the season with 22 goals, firing Leicester back to the Premier League. It was the club's seventh-second-tier title.

Newcastle United, 2009/10 - 102pts

Newcastle’s 2008/09 squad may not have been too good to go down, however, the squad that was relegated took the Championship by storm, as the Magpies went unbeaten at home for an immediate return to the Premier League. The Magpies lost just four games as they stormed back to the Premier League in style, winning 30 matches.

The Toon Army had players such as star striker Andy Carroll, and Midfield general Kevin Nolan running the show. Manager, Chris Hughton, was not greatly backed in the window by Mike Ashley, however, he managed to keep many of their previous season's squad together.

Reading, 2005/06 - 106pts

The record-breaking Royals put together one hell of a squad in 2005/06, winning the Championship title, with 106 points - the most of any EFL side ever.

The Royals signed well, as Kevin Doyle and Shane Long were joined by countryman Stephen Hunt and club-record signing Leroy Lita.

Manager Steve Coppell led Reading to their first-ever top-flight campaign, after losing just one game out of the 46, and scoring 99 goals in total. They put five past Millwall, Brighton, Derby and Cardiff – twice – while also keeping things tight, as Steve Sidwell and James Harper protected a reliable defence.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have come a long way since their League One points record-breaking campaign, back in 2015. Wolves were then managed by former Portsmouth boss, Kenny Jacket.

At the conclusion of the season, Jackett was the joint-winner of the LMA Awards Manager of the Year for League One.

Wolves amassed an incredible 103 points, winning 31 of their 46 games, and losing just five. Though Wolves were heavily backed to make an immediate return after their relegation from the Championship in 2013, 103 points was an outstanding achievement and is still an unbroken record.

Since the EFL rebrand, 99 points is the League Two record, and it was achieved in 2015-16 by Northampton Town, then managed by former Sheffield United boss, Chris Wilder.

Wilder won three Manager of the Month awards as the Cobblers charged to the division title, scoring 82 goals on the way. Winning 29 games from 46, Northampton won the league by 13 points, ahead of second-placed Oxford United.

Interestingly, only three teams, in the 18 League Two seasons since the rebrand, have achieved over 90 points, and only Accrington Stanley has reached the 90-point mark since The Cobbers did in 2016.

At the start of the 2023/24 season, many tipped Leicester City to be runaway winners of the Championship due to the quality of their squad. Enzo Maresca's side have backed up this theory, having won all of their opening four league fixtures of the season, beating the likes of Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City and Rotherham United.

When considering the fact that Burnley managed to accumulate 101 points from 46 matches last season with an arguably weaker squad than the Foxes, there is the potential that Maresca's men could challenge Reading's 2005/06 points tally of 106 points. So far, Leicester have earned three more points than the Royals managed in four matches while being seven points better off than Burnley after four fixtures.

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