Arsenal Eyes Football's Ultimate Prize: Can They Join the Elite Quadruple Winners Club?
Arsenal continue to be perfectly positioned for what could be an extraordinary campaign.
After going without silverware since capturing the FA Cup during Mikel Arteta's first season in 2019–20, the Gunners now find themselves competing for not one, but possibly four prestigious trophies this year.
Should they accomplish this—and it's certainly a significant challenge—Arsenal would enter an exclusive circle of clubs that have achieved a legendary quadruple, cementing their legacy in football folklore.
So which teams have accomplished this remarkable achievement previously? And how feasible are Arsenal's prospects of doing the same?
What Is a Quadruple?
What Is a Quadruple?
First, let's clarify the obvious question.
Strictly speaking, the word quadruple might describe any club capturing four trophies within one season. In football context, though, an authentic quadruple has much more specific requirements.
To qualify as legitimate, a quadruple demands that a club wins its premier continental tournament, its national league championship, its main domestic cup, and its secondary domestic cup (or similar) during the same season. In England, for instance, this would involve claiming the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Single-match honors like the Community Shield or Supercopa de España don't qualify, neither do extra competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup. Lesser continental tournaments, including the Europa League and Europa Conference League, are also excluded.
Given such demanding requirements, it's hardly surprising that achieving a genuine quadruple stands among football's most exceptional accomplishments.
How Close Are Arsenal to Winning the Quadruple?
How Close Are Arsenal to Winning the Quadruple?
Currently, Arsenal's chase for all four major titles is progressing exceptionally well.
The Gunners lead the Premier League table with approximately one-third of the season left and have established a modest yet important advantage over nearest rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa.
In the Champions League, Mikel Arteta's team have already secured their spot in the round of 16, topping their league phase after claiming victory in all eight fixtures—a commanding display of ambition.
On the domestic front, Arsenal continue their FA Cup journey, though the tournament remains in its preliminary rounds. More importantly, they have advanced to the EFL Cup final, having eliminated Chelsea 4–2 over two legs in the semifinals.
Overall, Arsenal couldn't have wished for a superior situation at this point in the season. Considerable football remains ahead, but trophies now seem genuinely achievable. Capturing all four titles, though, represents an entirely different challenge. The Champions League, specifically, presents the ultimate test, demanding Arsenal defeat Europe's finest to claim the prize for the first time in club history.
Has Any Team Ever Won the Quadruple?
Has Any Team Ever Won the Quadruple?
Just one club in European football history has ever accomplished a genuine quadruple.
That club was Celtic during the 1966–67 season, when Jock Stein's famous Lisbon Lions pulled off this incredible achievement. Known for their 2–1 triumph over Inter Milan in the European Cup final at Lisbon's Estádio Nacional, Celtic captured the European Cup, Scottish First Division, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup during that single campaign.
Beyond Europe, the legendary Santos team of 1962, featuring Pelé, also accomplished a recognized quadruple. That year, Santos claimed the Campeonato Paulista, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup.
Teams That Have Won Four or More Trophies
Teams That Have Won Four or More Trophies
Numerous examples exist of teams capturing four or more trophies within one season while falling short of a genuine quadruple.
Paris Saint-Germain, for instance, secured a domestic treble—Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue—on four separate occasions (2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2019–20), while also claiming the Trophée des Champions, France's domestic Super Cup, during each of those campaigns.
When PSG eventually won the Champions League in 2024–25, they simultaneously secured Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. Unfortunately, the Coupe de la Ligue had been discontinued, preventing them from joining Celtic among European quadruple champions.
Teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Porto have all gathered four trophies during single seasons on multiple occasions without ever achieving a genuine quadruple. The situation mirrors South America, where clubs such as River Plate, São Paulo and Peñarol have experienced trophy-rich campaigns that nonetheless missed the stringent requirements.
Additionally, teams throughout Asia—including Al-Muharraq and Al-Wehdat—have also accumulated four or more championships in one season without satisfying the definition.
Most remarkably, Flamengo captured six trophies throughout the 2024–25 season—Supercopa do Brasil, Campeonato Carioca, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Copa Libertadores, FIFA Derby of the Americas and the FIFA Challenger Cup—yet still failed to achieve a true quadruple, since their collection didn't encompass all four of their nation's and continent's premier competitions.
Consider it harsh—but these are the standards.