The Black Soccer Academic Research Group

The Premier League Diversity Report

2026: Preliminary Findings

The Black Soccer Academic Research Group has undertaken a groundbreaking review of the representation of Black and Brown footballers in the English Premier League (EPL).

Led by former Manchester United professional Richard Flash, our inaugural publication of the Premier League Diversity Report is a club-by-club analysis of the league's representation of Black and Brown players.

We analysed data from 551 players from the 2025-26 Premier League season. A 'small' sample of our preliminary findings are listed below and the full report will be published in November.

• Black and Brown player representation was recorded at an all-time high in the league's 34 year history.

• The squads of Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Aston Villa contained the highest number of Black and Brown players in the twenty squads reviewed.

• There was a record number of match-weeks where Black and Brown player representation matched or outnumbered their White counterparts.

• The third phase of Premier League match-weeks saw the highest representation of Black and Brown players.

• Europe (32.6%), the UK (24.7%) and Africa (20%) are the global regions with the Premier League's highest Black and Brown player representation.

The Black Soccer Academic - 1607