2025–26 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season

Prior to the season, Thomas Frank was headhunted from Brentford and appointed as head coach on a three-year contract, replacing the sacked Ange Postecoglou.^[2][3] The summer transfer window also saw a significant leadership shift on the pitch, as long-serving captain Son Heung-min departed for Los Angeles FC after a decade at the club.^[4][5] This period of transition reached the boardroom on 4 September 2025, when Daniel Levy resigned (but was widely understood to be de facto sacked by the Lewis Family) as executive chairman after nearly 25 years at the helm, with the Lewis Family citing a lack of footballing success and focus on football.^[6][7]

The season started positively, with a competitive performance in the UEFA Super Cup against heavy favourites and European champions Paris Saint-Germain, albeit with Tottenham ultimately throwing away a 2–0 lead late on to draw 2–2 and losing on penalties.^[8] Frank also won his first two league games, including a marquee win over Manchester City away from home, and Spurs were third in the league on Halloween.^[9][10] However, optimism dissipated quickly due to a collapse in form, poor performances in derby losses to Chelsea and Arsenal in November,^[11][12] and growing concerns about a very defensive style of football creating very few chances.^[13][14] Spurs also suffered a very large injury crisis throughout 2026, with parallels to the preceding two seasons.^[15] Spurs hurtled down the league and despite pleas for patience Frank grew increasingly unpopular. Tottenham board members Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, promoted to positions of power after Daniel Levy's exit, would face criticism for retaining Thomas Frank for too long. By February 2026, a 2–1 home loss to Newcastle United left Spurs in 16th place, prompting the club to dismiss Frank after only eight months in charge following exits from both domestic cup competitions.^[16][17][18]

The subsequent managerial search saw Igor Tudor appointed on 17 February as interim head coach.^[19][20][21] Tudor was known for overseeing immediate upturns in results upon joining new clubs,^[22] yet his stint began with disastrous results, suffering losses to Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest in the league. His only other league game was a late-earned draw away at Anfield against Liverpool.^[23] He also oversaw a 7–5 Champions League round of 16 aggregate loss to Atlético Madrid, beginning with a 5–2 defeat in Spain, including being 4–0 down after 23 minutes due to goals from poor slips and individual errors.^[24] Tudor played backup goalkeeper Antonín Kinský in the match, but substituted him after sixteen minutes following two individual errors to much criticism.^[25][26][27]

Tudor was sacked as interim head coach on 29 March after just 44 days in charge, in the aftermath of a 3–0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.^[28][29][30] He was replaced by Roberto De Zerbi, coming in as permanent manager.^[31] The club's situation worsened on 10 April, when a 4–0 victory for West Ham United against Wolverhampton Wanderers pushed Tottenham into the relegation zone after three or more games played for the first time since January 2009.^[32][33] This standing served as the backdrop for De Zerbi's managerial debut two days later, which resulted in a 1–0 defeat at Sunderland.^[34]

De Zerbi would go on to lead Spurs to eleven points from their final six matches, which would be enough to clinch safety on the final day and finish 17th. Tottenham went into the last game of the season knowing that only a loss at home to Everton and a win for West Ham at home against Leeds United would see them relegated, excluding an unrealistic twelve goal difference swing. Tottenham won 1–0; a João Palhinha goal in the 43rd minute from a corner was the winner.^[35] West Ham were therefore relegated despite a 3–0 win over Leeds.^[36]

Despite confirming safety, the season would be remembered as one of the worst in Tottenham's history; the team had a historically close brush with relegation, three managers in a season, the large Champions League round of 16 first leg loss to Atlético Madrid, and were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round for only the second time in twenty years, being eliminated by Aston Villa.^[37][38][39] The Premier League finish of 17th meant that it was the first time Tottenham had finished as low as 17th in the top flight two years running for 111 years.^[40] The club also lost six matches in a row across all competitions for the first time in their history.^[41] Tottenham did not win any of their first fifteen league games of 2026, the second-longest league winless streak in their history (sixteen games without a win in 1934–35).^[42] Spurs also experienced historically poor home form, with only three home league wins all season, the joint-lowest by any Premier League team to escape relegation along with Hull City in 2008–09, including a run of one home win in seventeen.^[43] Everton were the only team Tottenham beat home and away in the league.

The season was considered by many to be the only serious threat of relegation experienced by a "Big Six" club since the formation of the concept when Manchester City were taken over in 2008.^[44] The story of the missteps by the club executives and management, which nearly led Tottenham to what would have been a historic relegation to the Championship for the first time in 49 years, became the dominant narrative across the Premier League for the 2025–26 season.^[45][46]

On 31 March, Tottenham announced a pre-season tour to Asia with a friendly confirmed against Arsenal in Hong Kong, which was the first-ever North London derby outside of the United Kingdom.^[141] Tottenham then announced a return to South Korea, to compete in the Coupang Play Series 2025 against Newcastle United.^[142] And a trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich for the Telekom Cup was confirmed next.^[143] On 13 June, a fourth friendly was added against Luton Town.^[144] Two weeks later, a trip to Reading was announced.^[145]

A behind-closed-doors friendly against Wycombe Wanderers was also later announced.^[146]

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