EDUCATOR. HISTORIAN. CONSULTANT.
"Discomfort is always a necessary part of enlightenment." Pearl Cleage.
The Black Soccer Academic - 1607
The Premier League Diversity Report
2026: Making an Impact
Welcome to the first edition of the Premier League Diversity report, a new annual publication that reviews the representation of Black and Brown footballers in the English Premier League (EPL).
In a football industry first, we examine the starting line-ups in the 2025-26 season to provide a club-by-club statistical analysis of the world’s most valuable soccer league.
This inaugural report has been created and authored by Dr Richard Flash, a former Manchester United professional and director at The Black Soccer Academic Consultancy.
1. Representation matters
A new record was set in the 2025-26 Premier League season, as the representation of Black and Brown players increased to 48%.
This led to a record 12 rounds of fixtures where the number of Black and Brown players selected to start matches, exceeded the number of White players.
We also observed a record 14 match-weeks where the number of Black players selected in starting berths reached 100 or more.
The gap between the number of Black and Brown, and White players is closing, and our statistical analysis reveals the clubs that are driving the league’s diversity.
UEFA Conference League winners Crystal Palace lead the way with the highest representation statistic. Season-long data shows their representation average at 7.6 Black and Brown starters per match, whilst Everton and Newcastle present the lowest average of 3.3.
Fourteen of the twenty clubs returned an average of 5.1 or more, a benchmark that allows us to digest the breadth of Black and Brown player representation. Indeed, the overall average per team continues to show growth.
The highest number of Black and Brown players in a first eleven was nine, and this occurred for Burnley, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in match-weeks 24, 26 and 30 respectively.
Significantly, overall Black and Brown player representation grew when compared to the 2024-25 season. This happened despite the absence of thirty-two players in December and January due to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Despite thirty-two of the league’s African internationals participating in AFCON between match-weeks 17-22, there was an overall increase in the representation of Black and Brown players during the 2025-26 season.
Previous industry reports have stated that racial discrimination hinders the employment of Black and Brown individuals off the pitch. However, the trajectory of their representation on the pitch is on an upward trend.
With this knowledge, it is feasible that Black and Brown footballers will soon become the Premier League’s racialized majority.
2. Goals win games
1045 goals were scored in the 2025-26 Premier League season, equating to 2.75 goals per game. This fell short of the 2.93 average from the previous season.
The highest number of goals scored in a round of fixtures was 37, and this occurred in match-week 35. The lowest scoring rounds were match-week’s 22 and 30 with 16 goals.
The representation of Black and Brown players is high in our goals analysis, as they scored 59.3% of the season's goals, a figure that rises to 59.9% after removing own goals.
Historically, Black and Brown players have become the targets of racial and religious abuse when not converting goalscoring opportunities. However, they are making a significant impact in English football by scoring the majority of the goals in the world’s most watched soccer league.
Reviewing each round of fixtures, we also found that the Black and Brown players scored the higher number of goals in 32 out of 38 match-weeks, a statistic of 84.2%. Consequently, the collective goal scoring achievements of the players is clear to see.
Furthermore, over two-thirds of the club’s top scorers are Black or Brown players, highlighting the impact and influence of their individual excellence.
Representation in the EPL Golden Boot was also high, with eight out of the top ten positions filled by ‘Black’ players.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago (22 goals) and Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo (17) followed Erling Haaland, who topped the list with 27 goals. There are four English players in the league’s top ten with Ollie Watkins (16), Morgan Gibbs-White (15), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (14) and Danny Welbeck (13) all enjoying excellent seasons.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze scored the league’s 400th hat-trick on November 23rd. It was one of seven hat-tricks scored during the season and remarkably all seven hat-tricks were scored by a Black player with African or Caribbean ancestry.
From the league’s early goal scorers such as Brian Deane and Andy Cole to the more recent Riyad Mahrez and Mohammed Salah, Black and Brown footballers are strongly represented when analysing the Premier League’s goal scoring charts.
Goals win games and they are what the audience pay to see when viewing EPL matches. The quantity of goals scored by Black and Brown footballers could be linked to the commercial success and value of the English Premier League.
3. Club-by-club analysis
Crystal Palace top this first edition of the Premier League Diversity report. From a total squad of 30 players, their starting line-ups were distributed to 24 players, of which 18 were Black and Brown. Out of 418 starting berths, 288 went to Black and Brown squad members, leading to a representation average of 7.6, down from 8.8 in 2024-25.
The Eagles added summer signings Jaydee Canvot and Walter Benitez to their squad, and full-back Tyrick Mitchell topped their starting appearances with 36. Academy graduate Rio Cardines became the Premier League’s 13th Trinidad and Tobago international on the final day of the season and they ended the season as the UEFA Conference League winners.
In second place Fifa Club World Cup winners Chelsea selected 266 Black and Brown players in their starting berths. They had a representation average of 7.0, down from 7.4 in 2024-25. Their first elevens consisted of 27 squad members, of which 18 were Black players.
The Blues representation average was bolstered by the summer signings of Joao Pedro, Jorrell Hato, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens. Their top appearance maker was Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez
In third place, Burnley are the surprise package in our analysis. They have jumped from 165 Black and Brown starting berths in the 2023-24 Premier League season to 259.
The Clarets have spent two seasons in the EFL Championship during the last five years and finished 2025-26 with a 6.8 representation average. Kyle Walker and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka were their top appearance makers with 35 starts.
4. Summary
At the end of the 2021 Premier League season the representation of Black and Brown players was 38%. Whilst growth has not occurred year on year during this period, it has nevertheless increased by 10%.
The drivers of this growth are now multi-faceted, largely due to inward player migration, international coaches, senior management teams, and indeed foreign owners. Collectively, these factors continue to grow in influence alongside the well established broadcasting revenues streams.
We now appear to be a few years away from Black and Brown players becoming the racialized majority.
The Black Soccer Academic - 1607
The Black Soccer Academic - 1607