the premier league, commonly known as the english premier league, or the epl (formerly called the barclays premier league due to sponsorship reasons and before 2007 the premiership) is the top tier of english football. 20 teams compete in the premier league each season, which is usually played between august and may. each season, 38 games are played (playing all 19 other teams home and away). for historic reasons, a few clubs from wales also compete in the english football system.