30 Best Football Teams in the World [Ranked]

In brief
Using its power rankings, Opta has determined the top 30 football teams in the world.
Following poor league results in the 2023–24 season, teams like Chelsea and Napoli have recovered to make the list.
Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen, who are defending their titles after winning league titles, are among the top ten teams.
What qualifies a team as the world’s best? The question is a little arbitrary. Although a club’s recent winnings and trophies can serve as a reliable indicator, it can be difficult to choose one team over the others in a sport where anyone can defeat anyone. After all, it’s entirely up to chance to compare clubs from different leagues.

For instance, Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have never faced off. Even while many people believe the former would win hands down, it’s nearly difficult to know for sure. Although it’s subjective and theoretically there isn’t a right or wrong answer, everyone could benefit from the assistance of the people at Opta, who have recently revised and computed their Power Rankings.

The squad is then given a rating that is comparable to other teams worldwide using an Elo system that evaluates the outcomes of more than 2.5 million games. In-league ratings, a division’s overall rating, a nation’s rating, and the continent a team plays on are some of the factors that decide points.

Keeping all of that in mind, these are the top 30 football teams in the world right now, along with their past performances in European competitions and the precise reasons behind their ranking.

Top Teams in the World: 30th–21st
Tottenham, Fulham, and Manchester United in the top 30

Benfica is fighting for the Portuguese league title and is breaking into the top 30. Following them are the Italian teams AC Milan and Lazio, who are vying for a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming season and are currently ranked sixth and ninth in Serie A, respectively.

PSV Eindhoven, who are now six points behind their domestic rivals, is battling with Ajax in the Eredivisie. After losing badly to Arsenal in the Champions League round of 16, Opta reports that they are currently ranked 27th in the Power Rankings with a score of 90.1.

Fulham, led by Marco Silva, into the top 30 most recently. The west London team is playing well this season and has a good chance of qualifying for Europe the next year.

After a run of subpar performances, Ange Postecoglou’s job at Tottenham is in doubt, but he can find comfort in the fact that his team is rated 25th in the world. Despite their difficulties on the pitch, players can take pride in their 90.3 score. Nevertheless, they continue to lag behind a long list of Premier League teams.

Sporting CP, however, is in 23rd place with a more-than-impressive overall score of 90.4 at the top of Liga Portugal. They had initial difficulties under the new manager, as evidenced by their 5-1 loss to Arsenal, but they have since turned things around and are currently on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.

Due in large part to their performances in the Europa League, Manchester United is presently the 22nd greatest team in the world despite having a very challenging season and looking certain to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Bournemouth, owned by Andoni Iraola, is another unexpected addition to the top flight in England. The former midfielder found it difficult to adjust to the fast-paced nature of English football after leaving Rayo Vallecano, but his club is now playing a captivating style of football and challenging any team that dares to face them. They barely lose out on a place in the top 20 despite having a score of 90.8.

Rankings for Opta Power: 30–21

Ranking of Power

Group

Score of 100

30.

Benfica

90.0

29.

Milan AC

90.0

28.

Lazio

90.1

27.

PSV Eindhoven

90.1

26.

Fulham

90.1

25.

Tottenham Hotspur

90.3%

24.

Bologna

90.3%

23.

Playing CP

90.4

22.

United Manchester

90.4

21.

The Bournemouth

90.8

Top Teams in the World: 20th–11th
Juventus, Chelsea, and Newcastle United are featured.

With a rating of 91.0, Juventus has dropped to 20th place following a disappointing showing in the Champions League and dropping out of the top 4 in Serie A. The Old Lady was once the top team in their country and one of the top teams on the continent, but those days are long gone.

With all eyes on their FA Cup campaign, Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace is hoping to win a major trophy for the first time in their history. In league form, they’re also difficult to defeat.

Nottingham Forest, led by Nuno Espirito Santo, has the potential to make history by: a) winning a spot in the Champions League and b) unseating the top-seeded Liverpool team. They will undoubtedly rise in this list if they take either of the aforementioned actions.

Brighton & Hove Albion, another Premier League team, is only behind Forest. They have rapidly become the league’s darling due to their skilful football and astute, yet astute, hiring practices. After a fantastic run of play, the Seagulls are currently only two points off of the top four after making another excellent managerial hire in Fabian Hurzeler.

An original illustration of the Europa League trophy
Associated Supercomputer Forecasts for 2024–2025 Champions of the Europa League
The second-tier competition on the continent is about to start, but who are the favourites, in Opta’s opinion?

One
Antonio Conte’s Napoli might have done well to not place in the top ten. The Italian powerhouses are now ranked second in the local Serie A competition, thanks to the signing of Scott McTominay and his all-action exploits. They appear unbeatable at the races, but their overall standing (15th on 91.9) is harmed by their lack of European football.

Emery has consistently impressed with his management of Aston Villa, transforming the Premier League team from a contender for the top half to one that is on par with the Champions League. They will play PSG for a spot in the semi-finals after excelling in Europe’s top cup competition.

The squad to watch in Italy is Atalanta, led by Gian Piero Gasperini. The team, led by the mysterious Mateo Retegui, has emerged as a surprise contender for the championship because to his firepower. However, they also missed out on an automatic position in the Champions League knockout stages by just one point, trailing Emery’s Villa.

Chelsea makes it into the top 20 as well. Despite their inconsistent start to the current season, they are now in 12th place, but their European heritage keeps them afloat. The Blues did appear to be moving in the right direction on all fronts under Enzo Maresca, but they have just encountered a setback, even though they are now holding onto fourth place.

After stunning Liverpool, Newcastle United, driven by the talismanic Alexander Isak and managed by Eddie Howe, are playing at a high level and were just crowned Carabao Cup champions. Doesn’t a score of 93.4 make for interesting reading?

20-11 Opta Power Rankings

Rankings of Power

Group

Score of 100

20.

Juventus

91.0

19.

The Crystal Palace

91.1

18.

Forest of Nottingham

91.2

17.

Sports Club

91.5

16.

Albion, Brighton & Hove

91.7

15.

Napoli

91.9

14.

Villa Aston

92.0

13.

Atlanta

92.7

12.

Chelsea

92.8

11.

Newcastle United

93.4

Top Teams in the World: 10th-1st
Liverpool wins first place thanks to Arne Slot’s dominance there.

Although all of the teams in the top 10 are, predictably, based in Europe, they represent the best of the best in world football. Perhaps the world’s best team from the previous season is in 10th place. They only lost one game during the entire previous term, so it’s not even debatable. It is impossible to explain Xabi Alonso’s actions at Bayer Leverkusen. They had the greatest unbeaten streak in European history after a last-minute 2-2 tie with Roma in the Europa League, but they faltered at the last second to win a historic triple.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is the only team in ninth place with a score of 94.5. The Spanish team is in a three-way race for the La Liga title with their city rivals and Barcelona after suffering a heartbreaking loss to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League playoff round.

Ever since Pep Guardiola solidified his style of play at the Etihad, Manchester City has been regarded as the club to beat in Europe. But a decline in play, coupled with a seven-game losing streak for the first time in the Spaniard’s career, were the first indications that things aren’t going as well as they used to be, and they also caused City to drop in the rankings.

After their successful ten-year run in the Bundesliga ended last season, Vincent Kompany is trying to reclaim the top flight crown with Bayern Munich, a lost Champions League semi-finalist, rated 96.2. Although Harry Kane’s team lost the league title and fell short of the expectations many had of them, they have returned this season with a vengeance and appear to be the team to beat.

With Jude Bellingham and Mbappe on the same squad, Carlo Ancelotti’s all-star lineup struggled to gel, but it has paid off, and they are now the team to beat at Europe’s top table. They have a lot of work to do if they want to keep their league crown, though, as they haven’t been playing at their best at home.

Even if they lost Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain is still ranked fifth (97.6). With a 2-1 victory over Lyon in the French Cup final at the end of the previous season, the Ligue 1 powerhouses earned a domestic treble, but the capital club now routinely wins. With Luis Enrique’s team shocking Liverpool to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals and on track to record an undefeated season in Ligue 1, they are arguably an even better team now that Mbappe is gone.

Thanks in great part to one of Europe’s best players, Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan shocked everyone by making it to the Champions League final in 2022–2023 and finishing as the Italian champions for the 30th time in their history last season. They have since had a successful 24/25 season, but Simone Inzaghi may find it difficult to hold onto his crown because of how close the top division is.

The trophy of the Champions League featuring the logo of the competition.
Related: A Ranking of the World’s Top 9 Champions League Teams
We have listed the best Champions League teams ever, including Man City and rivals Man United.

Barcelona is currently in third place after an incredibly strong season under the new leadership of Hansi Flick and his well-trained team. While Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski are more than fulfilling their roles in Flick’s quest for greatness, Lamine Yamal appears to be headed towards being the greatest player in the world at some point. Following the Spanish powerhouses comes an Arsenal team that, once again, was unable to unseat Manchester City from their position in the previous match.

When the current season concludes, Mikel Arteta and his well-trained team will be hoping to break the Gunners’ trophy drought under the Spaniard after coming so close to Premier League glory two straight seasons. But with Arsenal’s last chance in the Champions League, it’s unclear if that will be the case.

Liverpool is now in first place, which is a clear indication of how successfully Arne Slot has replaced the ostensibly irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp. Many thought the Dutchman would need to go through a transitional phase at Anfield, but the Reds are currently dominating the Premier League and are rightfully the lords of the castle in world football thanks to their consistent play and the inconsistency of others.

Rankings of Opta Power, 1st–10th

Rankings of Power

Group

Score of 100

10.

Leverkusen Bayer

93.6

Real Madrid

94.5

City of Manchester

95.4

The Bayern Munich