# 2003–04 Football League First Division

The 2003–04 Football League First Division (referred to as the Nationwide First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the twelfth and final season of the league under the First Division name, and the twelfth season under its current league division format.

## Changes from last season
### From First Division

Promoted to Premier League
* Portsmouth
* Leicester City
* Wolverhampton Wanderers
Relegated to Second Division
* Brighton & Hove Albion
* Grimsby Town
* Sheffield Wednesday

### To First Division

Promoted from Second Division
* Wigan Athletic
* Crewe Alexandra
* Cardiff City
Relegated from Premier League
* Sunderland
* West Bromwich Albion
* West Ham United

## Team overview
### Stadia and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Bradford City | Bradford | Valley Parade | 25,136 |
| Burnley | Burnley | Turf Moor | 22,546 |
| Cardiff City | Cardiff | Ninian Park | 21,508 |
| Coventry City | Coventry | Highfield Road | 23,489 |
| Crewe Alexandra | Crewe | Alexandra Stadium | 10,153 |
| Crystal Palace | London | Selhurst Park | 26,309 |
| Derby County | Derby | Pride Park Stadium | 33,597 |
| Gillingham | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium | 11,582 |
| Ipswich Town | Ipswich | Portman Road | 30,311 |
| Millwall | London | The Den | 20,146 |
| Nottingham Forest | Nottingham | City Ground | 30,576 |
| Norwich City | Norwich | Carrow Road | 26,018 |
| Preston North End | Preston | Deepdale | 23,408 |
| Reading | Reading | Madjeski Stadium | 24,161 |
| Rotherham United | Rotherham | Millmoor | 8,300 |
| Sheffield United | Sheffield | Bramall Lane | 32,702 |
| Stoke City | Stoke | Britannia Stadium | 27,740 |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 49,000 |
| Walsall | Walsall | Bescot Stadium | 11,300 |
| Watford | Watford | Vicarage Road | 17,504 |
| West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns | 26,484 |
| West Ham United | London | Boleyn Ground | 35,303 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wigan | JJB Stadium | 25,133 |
| Wimbledon | Milton Keynes | National Hockey Stadium | 9,000 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Norwich City (C, P) | 46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 79 | 39 | +40 | 94 | Promotion to the FA Premier League |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion (P) | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 64 | 42 | +22 | 86 | Promotion to the FA Premier League |
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 79 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 4 | West Ham United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 74 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 84 | 72 | +12 | 73 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 6 | Crystal Palace (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 72 | 61 | +11 | 73 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 7 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 71 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 71 | |
| 9 | Reading | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 57 | −2 | 70 | |
| 10 | Millwall | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 69 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 11 | Stoke City | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 66 | |
| 12 | Coventry City | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 65 | |
| 13 | Cardiff City | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 68 | 58 | +10 | 65 | |
| 14 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 61 | 58 | +3 | 60 | |
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 69 | 71 | −2 | 59 | |
| 16 | Watford | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 57 | |
| 17 | Rotherham United | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 54 | |
| 18 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 57 | 66 | −9 | 53 | |
| 19 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 60 | 77 | −17 | 53 | |
| 20 | Derby County | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 53 | 67 | −14 | 52 | |
| 21 | Gillingham | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 48 | 67 | −19 | 51 | |
| 22 | Walsall (R) | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 45 | 65 | −20 | 51 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 23 | Bradford City (R) | 46 | 10 | 6 | 30 | 38 | 69 | −31 | 36 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 24 | Wimbledon (R) | 46 | 8 | 5 | 33 | 41 | 89 | −48 | 29 | Renamed Milton Keynes Dons in Football League One |
* ↑ Since the FA Cup winners Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup went to Millwall, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

### Semi-finals
#### First leg
#### Second leg

* Aggregate score 4-4. Crystal Palace win 5–4 on penalties.
* West Ham United win 2–1 on aggregate.