West Ham still a Top 8 Club
It’s Official! West Ham United is still a Top 8 Club despite finishing 14th in the Premier League last season. We joined the ranks of the Premier League Top 8 last season - see here.
Whilst Sky may harp on about The Big 6, the Premier League actually has an official definition of The Top 6 and also The Top 8.
In the invitation to tender for the rights to the domestic broadcasting of the Premier League’s 2019-22 seasons, that document contains details on the scheduling of what are called ‘Top 6 Club Matches’ and ‘Top 8 Club Matches’. Defined as games between clubs with the “highest average finishing positions in the Premier League competition over the three seasons immediately preceding that season”. Those rights have carried over for the 2022-25 seasons.
There are 30 Top 6 fixtures in a season and they get spread across the season. Each midweek package is guaranteed at least one Top 6 fixture and then there are 26 weekends (excluding first day, final day and the FA Cup semi-finals weekend) that are guaranteed one each. The others can go anywhere but probably not the final day. All game weeks without a Top 6 fixture are guaranteed a Top 8 fixture.
The specification also says that not less than one Top 8 Club Match shall be scheduled to be played as part of each fixture programme during that season. This means that there needs to be a Top 8 Club match on those weekends when there is no Top 6 Club match scheduled, including the last weekend. That means that this coming season that West Ham or Newcastle would be playing another Top 8 Club on the final matchday of the season as there is no Top 6 Club Match scheduled. Sure enough - we’ve been scheduled to play Manchester City away to fulfill that Top 8 quota match.
The midweek matches are broadcast by TNT Sports (BT) and Amazon Prime Video and somehow Chelsea are the Top 6 club for all 3 midweek fixtures.
Cumulative league position last 3 seasons
| Manchester City | 3 |
| Liverpool | 10 |
| Manchester United | 11 |
| Arsenal | 15 |
| Chelsea | 19 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 19 |
| Newcastle United | 27 |
| West Ham United | 27 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 31 |
| Aston Villa | 32 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 36 |
| Crystal Palace | 37 |
| Everton | 43 |