Tottenham Hotspur have not been relegated from the top division of English football since 1977. That streak — nearly half a century of unbroken Premier League and First Division football — is in real danger of ending. With three games to go in the 2025-26 season, Spurs sit just one point above West Ham United. Both clubs know exactly what losing would mean. One of them is going down.
How it got to this
It has been a season of genuine chaos at Tottenham. Roberto De Zerbi came in with huge ambition, but left in February for reasons that were never fully explained publicly, and his appointment has become a strange footnote in a campaign that never found any consistent shape. West Ham have had their own problems — they lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last Sunday, a result that briefly opened things up before Spurs beat Leeds on Monday to move back above them. The breathing room is minimal. One point. Three games each. The mathematics are brutally simple.
Tottenham's remaining fixtures
Spurs have two matches left: Chelsea away and Everton at home. On paper, neither is unwinnable — Chelsea's form has been inconsistent, and Everton are safe from relegation so may not have the same urgency. But "on paper" has counted for very little in this Tottenham season, and the away trip to Stamford Bridge with relegation on the line is the kind of fixture that breaks squads without strong nerves. Son Heung-min, 33, is playing the final weeks of what may be his last season at the club, and the idea of him being part of a relegated Spurs side sits awkwardly against everything his career has represented.
West Ham's run-in and the stakes
West Ham face Newcastle away and Leeds at home. Newcastle will be hard. Leeds, who are already mathematically safe, should be more manageable for the Hammers. The worry for West Ham is that their home form has been poor — the Arsenal defeat was their fifth home loss in ten games — and playing a team with nothing to lose can be trickier than it sounds. Manager Julen Lopetegui needs his players to respond. The Hammers have not been relegated since 2003. That is not as long a run as Spurs, but it still matters enormously to the fanbase and to the club's finances.
One side will go through this — the other will not
Three weeks from now, one of these clubs will be planning for Championship football. The squad cost implications alone are enormous — Premier League parachute payments help, but losing players, losing sponsorship revenue, and the psychological damage of dropping down is something clubs take years to recover from. Spurs' first relegation since 1977 would be genuinely historic, and not in a good way. West Ham dropping down again would threaten the entire rebuild that followed their London Stadium move. Both clubs are fighting for their identity as much as their league status.
Relegation standings (3 games remaining): Tottenham 18th, one point above West Ham on goal difference. Wolves and Burnley already confirmed relegated. Tottenham's last relegation: 1977. West Ham's last relegation: 2003.
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