Southampton FC

Southampton FC

Southampton Football Club, known as the Saints and founded in 1885 with deep ecclesiastical roots, plays at the 32,505-capacity St Mary's Stadium since 2001 in the Hamble estuary city on England's south coast. The club's greatest single moment remains the 1976 FA Cup final, when they defeated Manchester United 1-0 as a Second Division side — one of English football's great giant-killing results. The Saints have produced an extraordinary lineage of talent through their celebrated academy, including Alan Shearer, Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and Adam Lallana. After Mauricio Pochettino guided a period of growth that saw the club finish eighth in 2016, Southampton have since struggled: relegated in 2023, immediately promoted via the Championship play-off final in 2024, and relegated again in April 2025 — becoming the earliest team relegated in Premier League history — the club faces another rebuilding challenge on the south coast.