Premier League 1998-99 season review: what was the format?
By Arasi Rex · Updated 15 August 2026 · 6 min read
The 1998-99 Premier League season review starts with the format, not the fixtures. By this point in the competition's history, the Premier League was a 20-club league in which every side played 38 matches, home and away. That structure produced 380 matches in a season and set the terms for the title race, relegation battle, and everything in between.
The mechanism: 38 matches and 380 total
Each club played the other 19 twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 league matches per club. With 20 clubs, the full season added up to 380 matches. A win was worth three points, a draw one point, and a loss zero. The bottom three clubs in the final table were relegated. Three clubs came up in their place, two automatically and one through the play-off.
Points were the first tiebreaker. If two or more clubs finished level on points, goal difference separated them, then goals scored, then head-to-head record. If everything was still level and the position decided the title, relegation, or European qualification, a play-off at a neutral venue could be used.
| Element | 1998-99 Premier League season |
|---|---|
| Clubs | 20 |
| Matches per club | 38 |
| Total matches | 380 |
| Points for a win | 3 |
| Points for a draw | 1 |
| Relegated | Bottom three |
| Promoted | Three clubs: two automatic, one play-off |
The structure looks simple, but it carried real weight. A 38-game season is not just a number on a fixture list. It defines how many points a club can collect, how deep a squad needs to be, and how much room there is for a slow start. In a 20-club league, a team that loses ground early still has enough games to recover, but the margin for error is tighter than it was in the old 22-club format.
History: from 22 clubs to 20
The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992 as the FA Premier League. That happened when First Division clubs broke away to negotiate their own broadcast deals. The first season, 1992/93, had 22 clubs. It was not until 1995/96 that the league was reduced to 20 clubs.
That reduction changed the shape of the season. A 22-club league with two meetings per opponent created 42 matches per club. A 20-club league created 38. By 1998-99, the 20-club calendar was already the settled format, not a new experiment. Anyone reviewing the season through a modern lens should remember that the league had been through its early expansion and contraction before this campaign began.
The move to 20 clubs also made the relegation picture more distinct. With 38 matches, the bottom three were separated from the rest of the league by a full season of results, not by a short fixture list. The Championship promotion race, in its later form, would bring two clubs up automatically and send one more through the play-off, meaning the Premier League never stayed at exactly the same membership from one season to the next.
Edge cases and common confusions
One common confusion is to treat the current 25-player squad rule and homegrown quota as if it applied to 1998-99. Under current rules, clubs name a 25-player squad for players over 21, at least 8 of whom must be homegrown, meaning trained in England or Wales for three years before turning 21. Under-21 players do not count against the 25. Those rules are a product of a later era and should not be read back into a 1998-99 season review.
Another confusion is the substitution rule. The modern Premier League allows five substitutions per match, made in a maximum of three windows plus half-time. That is the current mechanism. A historical season review should separate the modern rule from the season under review, especially when comparing how managers used their benches.
Tiebreakers create their own confusion. Some fans assume the league table was always sorted purely by goal difference after points. The order is more specific: points, then goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head record. If two teams were still level and the position decided something major, a neutral play-off could be used. That is a rare outcome, but it is written into the rules.
Fantasy football also causes mix-ups because it has its own scoring system. In the real table, every goal counts equally for a defender, midfielder, or forward. In FPL, a goalkeeper or defender scores 6 for a goal, a midfielder scores 5, and a forward scores 4. Assists, clean sheets, and bonus points all add layers that do not exist in the actual league table. A 1998-99 review is about the real table, not the fantasy one.
What the structure meant
The 20-club, 38-match format was not just a scheduling detail. It decided how many points were available, how many matches each club had to manage, and what the relegation threshold looked like. Three points for a win created an incentive to attack late in games. A single point for a draw became a defensive result in many contexts. The final table could hinge on a goal scored in the 90th minute because goal difference was the second tiebreaker.
The Premier League had started in 1992 with 22 clubs and a different fixture calendar. By 1998-99, the league had settled into the rhythm that would define the next phase of English top-flight football: 20 clubs, 38 rounds, and three relegation places. That is the foundation for any 1998-99 Premier League season review. Everything else, from title turning points to relegation escapes, hangs off that structure.
Key takeaways
- The 1998-99 Premier League season had 20 clubs, each playing 38 matches, for 380 matches in total.
- Three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
- The bottom three clubs were relegated, while three clubs came up, two automatically and one via the play-off.
- Tiebreakers were points, goal difference, goals scored, and then head-to-head record.
- The Premier League was founded in 1992 with 22 clubs and reduced to 20 in 1995/96, so 1998-99 used the 20-club format.
FAQ
How many teams were in the Premier League in 1998-99?
- Each team played 38 matches, home and away, for a total of 380 matches in the season.
How many matches did each Premier League club play in 1998-99?
Each club played 38 league matches, one home and one away against each of the other 19 clubs.
When did the Premier League reduce to 20 clubs?
The Premier League started with 22 clubs in 1992/93 and reduced to 20 in 1995/96. The 1998-99 season was played under that 20-club format.
How were ties broken if teams finished level on points?
Points were followed by goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head record. If the level position decided the title, relegation, or European qualification, a neutral play-off could be used.