<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> 2017--18 Premier League </Td> </Tr> <P> The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs . At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition and is contested by 20 clubs . Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season . Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings . </P> <P> The competition was formed in February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from The Football League, in order to take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal . Teams competing in the Premier League may qualify for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League on virtue of league positions . The competition adopts a promotion and relegation system with the Football League which comes into place at the end of each season . Since the inaugural season in 1992--93, 45 teams have competed in the Premier League . At the end of the 1994--95 season, the league was reduced from 22 teams to 20 . </P> <P> Six clubs have won the title: Manchester United (13 times), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (3), Manchester City (3), Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City; Manchester United was the first club to win the league three consecutive seasons in a row twice (1998--99 to 2000--01 & 2006--07 to 2008--09) and Arsenal was the only team to go an entire season without a single defeat in 2003--04 . The record number of points accumulated by a team is 100 by Manchester City, who won the Premier League in 2017--18 . Crystal Palace, Norwich and Sunderland have been relegated the most times (4) while Derby County accumulated the lowest ever points total with 11 in the 2007--08 season . 16 top goalscorers from 11 different clubs have been awarded the Premier League Golden Boot . Andy Cole and Alan Shearer scored 34 goals in a 42 - game season--the most in a Premier League season, Mohamed Salah holds the record in a 38 - game season with 32 . Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the first foreigner to win the award outright in 2000--01 having shared the accolade with Dwight Yorke of Trinidad and Tobago in 1998--99 . </P>

When did the premier league go from 22 to 20 teams