How many matches can an English side play every season?

An important starting this is.

Regularly, Premier League teams play 38 league games a season while Championship, League One, League Two and National League clubs play 46 league games a season excluding play-offs. So numerically we should be looking at lower league sides instead of Premier League sides (ending their domination hahahaha...).

I would like to take Wrexham as an example, but let's just keep it simple...

National League and the EFL system is quite different in some ways, like the FA Trophy or the play-off structures. Therefore, I'll just keep it simple and use Derby County as an example. The Rams are currently in the League One, very poor for a once-Premier-League club.

Therefore, League One clubs play 46 league games a season.

Say if Derby manages to get into Promotional Play-off - two-leg tie in semi-finals and a final in WEMBLEY(!) - 3 extra games

So purely with League games Derby will have 49 games in hand!

League One clubs also play in two cup competitions: FA Cup and EFL Cup (obviously)

They enter both cups at First Round stages, because that's how it works.

Also, if Derby had been quite a miracle in previous seasons, out of all chance perhaps they play in the Champions League.

And... League One and Two clubs get to play in EFL Trophy, which consists of professional clubs from both leagues and U-23 teams.

From FA Cup Round One to the Final, Derby has to play in 8 rounds - 17 matches at most including replay.

From League Cup Round One to the Final, Derby has to play in 7 rounds - 8 matches at most with the two-leg tie in Semi Finals.

Perhaps Derby are way more lucky, winning the Europa League in the previous season. Therefore, they are playing in the Champions League Group Stages - 6 games. To maximise the number of games played, they finish third and go to Europa League Play-off - 2 games. Going past that, 2 games each from Round of 16 to Semi Finals, and the Europa League Final in the end. Do a bit of quick BIDMAS and we get 15 games.

As the Europa League winners, Derby gets to play in UEFA Super Cup against the Champions League winner - 1 game. If they managed to defeat their opposition, they qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup and play another 2 games at most in the Competition. So 3 extra games from winning the Europa League.

Now the EFL Trophy. 3 Group Stage games, 5 on the course from Round One to Final, that makes 8.

Finally, Community Shield. We've established that Derby manages to get a Quintuple, they are on their way to make it seven. Another 1 game.

49 games from League One

17 games from FA Cup

8 games from League Cup

15 games from European competitions

3 games from winning European competitions

8 games from EFL Trophy

1 game from Community Shield

49+17+8+15+3+8+1 = an ASTONISHING 101 GAMES!

If you can think of any ways to add 9 games into Derby's tight schedule, feel free to comment below. Remember, we DON'T count pre-seasons and friendlies.