For their first thirteen years, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level.
Birmingham's first team have competed in a number of nationally contested leagues, and their record against each club faced in those competitions is summarised below.
The team that Birmingham have played most in league competition is Manchester City, whom they first met as Ardwick in the 1891–92 Football Alliance season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have beaten Birmingham 62 times in the league, more than any other team: they overtook Manchester City's total of 60 victories in the 2017–18 EFL Championship season.
Birmingham have recorded more league victories against Leicester City than against any other club, having beaten them 50 times out of 126 attempts.