By Neel Shelat
Finding the best way to rank leagues around the world is something fans and experts alike have long grappled with. The coefficient methodology, used by each of the confederations under FIFA to rank leagues for their continental competitions, is certainly flawed as it only takes the top teams into account. So, Global Football Rankings’ Elo-based model should provide a more accurate answer to the ever-burning debate about the best leagues in the world.
#10: 🇦🇷 Liga Profesional (76.8)
Although both River Plate and Boca Juniors are not quite at their best right now, Argentina’s Liga Profesional is just about on our list with an average team rating of 76.8 on our 100-point scale. Impressive performances on the domestic and/or continental stage from the likes of Vélez Sarsfield, Racing Club, Independiente, Huracán, Godoy Cruz and Estudiantes in 2024 mean there is just about enough quality in the league to pip the English Championship, Dutch Eredivisie and Danish Superliga for a top ten spot.
#9: 🇺🇸 Major League Soccer (77.0)
As by far the biggest competition in our top 10 in terms of contestants with 29, Major League Soccer unsurprisingly has the broadest range of team quality in our list. At the top, the likes of the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami rank among the top 100 teams in the world. At the other end, though, sides like the Chicago Fire, Toronto FC and the San Jose Earthquakes find themselves well outside the top 500.
Interestingly, both the Eastern and Western Conferences have the exact same average rating, as the big-hitters in the East are counterweighed by more underperformers.
#8: 🇧🇪 Pro League (77.3)
Belgium’s Pro League comes in at an impressive eighth, thanks in no small part to its relatively low number of contestants. The division was trimmed to just 16 teams after the end of the 2022/23 season, aiming to strengthen the second tier but also having the same effect on the top flight as a byproduct.
There is quite a big gap between the best and worst teams in the league, but there also is a good deal of competition among the big-hitters. Besides defending champions Club Brugge, recently-promoted Union Saint-Gilloise, Gent, record champions Anderlecht and Genk are all in and around the top 100 of our club rankings.
#7: 🇵🇹 Primeira Liga (78.6)
Widely regarded as the best-of-the-rest league in Europe behind the big five, Portugal’s Primeira Liga places seventh in our rankings. It owes its position to the country’s big three clubs – Sporting CP, FC Porto and Benfica – who are as high as 9th, 19th and 28th respectively in our club standings. Behind them, Braga and Vitória SC ensure there is decent competition in the lower European spots, but there is a massive gulf from the top to the bottom as the six lowest-ranked clubs in the division are well outside the top 400 globally.
#6: 🇧🇷 Série A (80.1)
The Brazilian Série A is often overlooked in discussions about the top leagues in the world, but it should not be lightly dismissed. Its most impressive facet is the close competition throughout the division, as over half of its teams are among the top 150 clubs in the world. This should also explain why Brazilian clubs have managed to dominate the South American stage in recent years, bringing the Copa Libertadores home every year after 2018.
#5: 🇫🇷 Ligue 1 (83.1)
The three-point gap between Ligue 1 and the Brazilian Série A should underscore just how big the delta is between Europe’s big five leagues and the rest, but it should also show that the French top-flight is perhaps a tad underrated.
Of course, Paris Saint-Germain are the dominant force with 10 Ligue 1 titles to their name since 2012/13, but as many as seven other sides are in our global top 50. The likes of Monaco, Lille, Marseille and Nice ensure there always is great competition for the Champions League and other European spots, while the mid-table sides are quite competitive too. There is a significant drop-off at the bottom, though, which brings down the league’s average.
#4: 🇪🇸 LaLiga (83.5)
Despite all of its clubs being within the top 200 of our global rankings, Spain’s LaLiga just about falls outside the podium places. Real Madrid and Barcelona are, of course, the best teams in the competition and among the top 10 in the world, but they are the only truly elite sides in Spain right now.
The likes of Athletic Club, Villarreal, Real Sociedad and Girona are strong contenders for the European spots, but there is a notable drop off behind them as 12 sides in the league are of below-average quality. On the flip side, that does mean the bottom half of the table is extremely competitive and results in massive relegation scraps such as the ones we have seen in the last couple of seasons.
#3: 🇩🇪 Bundesliga (84.0)
Long ridiculed as a “farmers’ league”, the German Bundesliga’s unforgettable 2023/24 season had enough to push it into the top three of our current rankings. Despite a disappointing start to their title defence, Bayer Leverkusen are still ranked ahead of Bayern Munich, while Borussia Dortmund’s memorable Champions League run, RB Leipzig’s consistent competitiveness and Stuttgart’s brilliant domestic campaign mean the league has five teams in the world’s top 20.
There is a sizeable drop-off to the mid-table sides and a gradual decline to the relegation-battlers, so the stereotype of the league’s imbalance nature still holds some value as two-thirds of its contestants have below-average ratings.
#2: 🇮🇹 Serie A (84.2)
The ever-exciting Italian Serie A takes the runners-up spot in our rankings. As many as eight clubs are placed in our current global top 40, namely Inter, Atalanta, Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, Napoli, Fiorentina and Roma. As should be expected, there is a gradual drop in quality behind them, but the fact that the worst teams in the league are well within the top 200 in the world is a testament to the league’s competitive nature from top to bottom.
#1: 🏴 Premier League (86.9)
The English Premier League prides itself on being the best competition in world football, and its reputation is backed up by our rankings model. It is some way clear of the rest, so much so that the average Premier League team is of the level to compete for at least a continental spot in any other league in the world.
Title contenders Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal are among the five best clubs in the world, while eight other EPL teams are in the top 50. Interestingly, though, the division isn’t quite as competitive from top to bottom as it might like to claim, as there is a notable gap to this season’s probable relegation battlers, namely Wolves, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.
🗺️ Top 10 Roundup
Three confederations are represented in our top 10, with Argentina’s Liga Profesional and MLS just about getting into the list. Europe’s best of the rest leagues are in Portugal and Belgium, while Brazil’s Série A deserves more credit than it perhaps gets. The big five leagues are a cut above the rest, with very little separating La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A while the English Premier League is another level up at the very top.