Portsmouth have a very unique trophy history that stems right back to the early 1900s when they first started to gain success in England’s regional divisions.
Pompey have won all four professional English football pyramid tiers throughout its existence and they are only one of five clubs in the country to achieve that feat.
Their first professional league crown (Third Division) came in 1923/24 after winning the semi-professional Southern and Western Leagues five times between 1902 and 1920.
The Fratton Park natives last lifted a league trophy in 2016/17 when they finally got themselves out of EFL League Two after a period of four seasons in the fourth tier.
Portsmouth’s greatest trophy successes include back-to-back English Football League Division 1 titles in 1949 and 1950 as well as two FA Cup wins which came 69 years apart.
Portsmouth have won 2 English top-flight trophies
The finest period in Portsmouth’s history was between in the 1948/49 and 1949/50 seasons when they lifted consecutive First Division titles, the first time they’d ever won the English top-flight.
The 1949/50 crown was won during their Golden Jubilee campaign with legendary Pompey manager Bob Jackson leading the club to glory. Portsmouth beat Manchester United to the title by five points in the table.
Pompey went on to lift the league title the following season but this time, it was much tighter at the top. Portsmouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers finished the season locked on 53 points each with the former coming out on top due to their superior goal average.
The 1949/50 league title win is Pompey’s last top-flight success. They are only one of five English teams to win consecutive top-flight crowns since the end of World War II.
Portsmouth’s top-flight trophy record
1948/49 (English Football League First Division)
1949/50
Portsmouth have won 2 FA Cup trophies
Portsmouth are one of 23 English football clubs to win the FA Cup on two occasions. Their only successes in the famous competition came in 1939 and 2008.
Pompey were the last club to win the FA Cup before the outbreak of World War II having defeated Wolves 4-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium – the attendance at the game was 99,370. Cliff Parker grabbed a brace for Portsmouth while Bert Barlow and John Anderson scored too.
Portsmouth can claim to have held the FA Cup for the longest period of time due to the war, with the next edition of the renowned tournament beginning in 1946.
The southern coast side went 69 years without lifting the FA Cup before manager Harry Redknapp led them to glory against Cardiff City at the new Wembley in 2008. Portsmouth won the match 1-0 as Nwankwo Kanu netted the only goal of the final.
Portsmouth’s FA Cup trophy record
1928/29 (lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the final)
1933/34 (lost to Manchester City 2-1 in the final)
1938/39 (beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 in the final)
2007/08 (beat Cardiff City 1-0 in the final)
2009/10 (lost to Chelsea 1-0 in the final)
Portsmouth have won 1 FA Charity Shield
Portsmouth have competed in one FA Charity Shield match and one FA Community Shield clash. The Charity Shield fixture came in 1949 after Portsmouth had won the 1948/19 First Division title.
They played Wolves at Highbury in London with the match finished 1-1. As a result, the shield was shared by both clubs and marked the first time that had happened in the curtain-raiser’s history.
Pompey would then compete for the 2008 FA Community Shield against Premier League title winners Manchester United. The Fratton Park club qualified after winning the 2008 FA Cup. The encounter finished 0-0 but United claimed victory in the end with a 3-1 penalty shootout triumph.
Portsmouth’s FA Charity Shield/Community Shield trophy record:
1949 (shared with Wolverhampton Wanderers after 1-1 draw)
2008 (lost to Manchester United 3-1 on penalties after 0-0 draw)
Portsmouth have won 5 lower league titles
Portsmouth’s first professional league title victory came in 1923/24 when they won the old Third Division crown. Pompey would win this competition a further two times in 1961/62 and 1982/83.
The Fratton Park club have won the second tier of English football on one memorable occasion and that came in 2002/03. Harry Redknapp helped them romp to the title by accruing 98 points and thus promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
Portsmouth last won a lower league title in 2016/17 – EFL League Two which is the fourth tier – thus completing the English professional football pyramid set.
Portsmouth’s lower league trophy record
1923/24 (English Football League Third Division)
1961/62
1982/83
2002/03 (English Football League First Division)
2016/17 (English Football League Two)
Portsmouth have won 1 EFL Trophy
For the first time in their history, Portsmouth would compete in an EFL Trophy Final and that came in 2019 against Sunderland at Wembley Stadium.
The occasion was huge as over 85,000 fans from both sides watched the clash, the most attended EFL Trophy Final ever. This was also the first time two former Premier League clubs competed for the title.
The match ended 2-2 after extra time and thus went to a penalty shootout. Portsmouth would come out on top 5-4 with Oliver Hawkins netting the decisive penalty.
Portsmouth’s EFL Trophy record
2018/19 (beat Sunderland 5-4 on penalties after 2-2 draw in the final)
2019/20 (lost to Salford City 4-2 on penalties after 0-0 draw in the final)