Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as "Brighton" or Brighton F.C., is a professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove, nicknamed "The Seagulls". Founded in 1901, the club initially competed in the Southern League.
In 1910, Brighton defeated Aston Villa to win the FA Charity Shield, which remains the club's only national honor. In 1920, the club joined the third tier of the Football League, officially entering the English professional league system. Under the management of Alan Mullery, Brighton was promoted to the First Division in 1979, and in 1983, they reached the FA Cup final, drawing 2-2 with Manchester United in the first match and losing 0-4 in the replay, and that same year, they were relegated from the top division.
In the late 1990s, the club fell into the fourth tier and faced a financial crisis. In 1997, they narrowly avoided relegation to non-league football by winning against Hereford United on goal difference. In the 2000-01 season, they won the third-tier championship and were promoted to the second tier, and in the 2001-02 season, they won the second-tier championship and were promoted to the first tier, achieving back-to-back promotions. In 2009, Tony Bloom took over and pushed for the construction of the new stadium, Falmer Stadium, which they moved into in 2011, ending a 14-year period without a fixed home.
In the 2016-17 season, they were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up in the Championship, ending a 34-year absence from the top flight. In the 2021-22 season, they achieved their best-ever top-flight finish by placing ninth in the Premier League. In the 2022-23 season, they finished sixth in the Premier League, qualifying for European competition (Europa League), and advanced from the group stage, but were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Roma. In the 2023-24 season, they ranked 11th in the Premier League, and in June 2024, Fabian Schürrle was appointed as head coach, becoming the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history.