| Season: | 2003–04 |
| Manager: | Gordon Strachan (until March) Paul Sturrock (from March) |
| Chairman: | Rupert Lowe |
| Stadium: | St Mary's Stadium |
| League: | Premier League |
| League Result: | 12th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round proper |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fifth round |
| Cup3: | UEFA Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | First round |
| League Topscorer: | James Beattie (14) |
| Season Topscorer: | James Beattie (17) |
| Highest Attendance: | 32,151 (vs. Arsenal, 29 December) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 30,513 (vs. Charlton Athletic, 7 December) |
| Average Attendance: | 31,716 |
| Pattern La1: | _thinblackborder |
| Pattern B1: | _red_stripes_red_sholders |
| Pattern Ra1: | _thinblackborder |
| Pattern Sh1: | _redsides |
| Pattern So1: | _redtop |
| Leftarm1: | ff0000 |
| Rightarm1: | ff0000 |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Prevseason: | 2002–03 |
| Nextseason: | 2004–05 |
The 2003-04 season was Southampton F.C's 26th consecutive season in the top flight of English football, and it was the club's 119th year in existence. The season started on the 16th of August 2003 and ended on the 15th of May 2004. It was Gordon Stratchan's last season as Southampton's manager.
The team was eliminated on the third round of the FA Cup, losing 3-0 to Newcastle United, the match was broadcast live by the BBC. They were also eliminated from the Carling cup, losing 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers in the quarter finals due to a goal in extra time.
The previous season's FA Cup runners-up failed to make an impact in any of the cup competitions, and their 12th-place finish was a something of a disappointment after the previous season, when Southampton were eighth in the league - their highest ever in the Premiership and their highest in the top flight since 1990. The club was thrown into further turmoil in March, when Gordon Strachan announced his resignation as manager. There was talk that Glenn Hoddle would be returning to the club for a second spell, but the job went to Plymouth Argyle's Paul Sturrock instead.
See main article: 2003–04 FA Premier League.
Squad at end of season
The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred out during the season|}