As we all know,
Football is a universal sport that is constantly developing, with many new teams joining every year. Despite the introduction of those sides, there are many clubs that are simply far older, better known and more decorated than their peers. From , Brazil's most successful club, to , holder of the record for the most wins, each of these clubs have written its own history over the years, through domestic, continental and even intercontinental triumphs. On the other hand, other clubs have never won a single major trophy in their history, and are still tirelessly pursuing their unfinished quest for glory. Here are the nine biggest clubs in the world right now still trying to fill their trophy cabinet with a major title. To select them, we decided to use a number of criteria, including: Ranking the 9 Biggest Football Clubs Yet to Win a Major Trophy 1 Fulham FC 1879
England 2 Crystal Palace FC 1861 England 3 Brighton and Hove Albion FC 1901 England 4 1. FC Union
Berlin 1906, restored in 1966
Germany 5 Watford FC 1881 England 6 CD Leganes 1928
Spain 7 CD Maldonado 1928 Uruguay 8 AFC
Wimbledon 2002 England 9 FK Krasnodar 2008
Russia FK Krasnodar have two particularities. The first is that they are the newest team mentioned in this article, having been founded in 2008. The second is that, in addition to never having won a single major trophy in their 16 years of existence, the
Russian club have simply never lifted a single title. A recent double finalist in the Russian Cup (2014 and 2023), the club based in the west of the country has also never won a league title, in the third, second or first division, in which its best finish remains third place (2015). However, the club's rapid development speaks in its favour. As proof, the Bulls (the nickname of the players from FK Krasnodar) have already taken part in one
Champions League campaign (2020, elimination in the group stage) and two campaigns (2017 and 2019, elimination in the last 16). FK Krasnodar's best performances Best ranking 3rd Runner-up Group stage Round of 16 Year 2015 2014, 2023 2020/21 2016/17, 2018/19 may not be the best-known club on this list, but its unique history has opened the door. Founded in 2002 by former supporters of Wimbledon FC after the latter's relocation to Milton Keynes (97km north of the Wimbledon district) and its renaming as MK Dons - with which it now maintains a fierce animosity - the Greater
London club now plays in . It's a journey that's as atypical as it is remarkable for a club that nevertheless reached the fifth round of the in 2019 and only entered the professional world in 2011, finishing runners-up in the Conference National. AFC Wimbledon's best performances Best ranking Fifth round 15th Year 2019 2017 Deportivo Maldonado are based in Uruguay, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. And as they approach their 100th anniversary (in August 2028), the Uruguayan first division side are also still chasing their first league title. Why is this club, unknown to the European public, on this list? Because, over the years, it has seen a number of players pass through its ranks who have gone on to play for major institutions on the Old Continent. (Juventus, Porto FC, Gremio), Geronimo Rulli (Montpellier, , Manchester City), (Napoli, Everton) and (Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Real Betis) have all played for the Verdirrojos. CD Maldonado's best performances Best ranking 3rd 3rd Round of 16 Year 2022 2022 2023 Located in the Madrid region, , like Deportivo Maldonado, was also founded in 1928. And like the Uruguayan club, it has never won a single trophy. Accustomed to playing in the lower divisions of Spanish football, the enjoyed their first historic promotion to in 2016, becoming the fifth Madrid team to play in the Iberian game's elite. Although Leganes have been relegated to the second division since the end of the 2019/20 season, the club's greatest triumph came in 2018, when they reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey after eliminating
Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. CD Leganes's best performances Best ranking 13th Semi-final Year 2019 2018 have never won a major trophy, but they have had opportunities to do so. English runners-up in 1983, beaten by Bob Paisley's , the Hornets also came close to lifting the legendary FA Cup in 1984, losing 2-1 to Everton in the final, and then in 2019, when they were crushed 6-0 by , who went on to win their sixth trophy in the competition. Watford are one of only eight teams to have finished second in the English Championship, but never to have won it. Alternating in recent years between promotion to the
Premier League and relegation to the , the club, founded in 1881, located in the north-west suburbs of London, continues to pursue its quest for glory. Watford's best performances Best ranking 2nd Runner-up Year 1983 1984, 2019 Originally founded in 1906, then rehabilitated in 1966 following the reorganisation of football in the Federal Republic of Germany, Union Berlin are still chasing their first major title. Winners of the East German Cup in 1968, the Iron Men have made one appearance in the German Cup final (in 2001) and won the 3.Liga title - the third division - in 2009. Although Union Berlin have been playing in the German Championship since the 1920s, they had to wait until the 2018/19 season for their first season. With the help of a well-established structure, the Berlin club established itself as one of the best teams in German football's elite and even secured a place in the at the end of the 2021/22 season, as well as qualification for the group stage of the Europa League the following season and finally a place in the Champions League in 2023/24 Union Berlin's best performances Best ranking 2nd Runner-up Group stage Round of 16 Group stage Year 1923 2001 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 have enjoyed a degree of renown on the national and continental stage in recent years, but the club based in the south-east of England continues its quest for glory. Founded in 1901, the Blue and Whites have never won a major trophy in their history. After coming close to winning the FA Cup in 1983, a competition in which they were finally beaten in the final by , the Seagulls have only ever won the Community Shield (1910) and League One (1958, 2002 and 2011) and (1965 and 2001) titles. Promoted to the Premier League in 2017 after a 34-year absence, The Albion have benefited from the experience of , their manager since 2022, to secure a sixth-place finish at the end of the 2022-23 season - a record for the club - as well as a qualifying place for the 2023-24 Europa League, the first European campaign in their history. Brighton's best performances Best ranking 6th Runner-up Year 2023 1983 Even with a list of clubs who have not won any major trophies, the rivalry between Brighton and continues. While the Seagulls are always looking to add to their trophy cabinet, so are the Eagles. Having finished third in the English league in 1991, the Selhurst Park side have also appeared in two FA Cup finals, in 1990 and 2016. They have not won a trophy in 30 years, the last being the 1994 Championship title, which they also won in 1979. Now established in the Premier League, Crystal Palace have never been able to break into even the top six of the competition launched in 1992. Crystal Palace's best performances Best ranking 10th Runner-up Year 2015 1990, 2016 may be the oldest professional club in London (founded in 1879), but it is far from the most decorated. Quite the contrary, in fact. In their 145-year history, the Cottagers have never managed to win a single major title. Although they snatched the Intertoto Cup in 2003, the Whites failed to win the FA Cup's final in 1975 (a competition in which they reached five other semi-finals), as well as its counterpart in the Europa League in 2010. In the league, the record is not particularly flattering. Four Championship titles (1949, 1999, 2021, 2022) and two League One titles (1932, 1997) are bound to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the most fervent supporters of the Craven Cottage residents, who remain unable to compete with the giants of the Premier League. Fulham's best performances Best ranking 7th Runner-up Runner-up Year 2009 1975 2010