Top World Football Club Rankings – at the September international break
The world’s best football club rankings
The Top World Football Club Rankings provide a detailed analysis of the world’s best football clubs based on recent form and squad strength.
#1 Real Madrid
Real Madrid hasn’t lost a step since winning the UEFA Champions League in May. Since starting off the season with a UEFA Super Cup victory, Real Madrid is playing to perfection. With nine straight wins in all competitions, they are undoubtedly the world’s best football club right now. Even losing a player as great as Casemiro hasn’t negatively affected the squad. His departure has created space for younger midfielders like Valverde, Tchouameni and Camavinga who are developing at a rapid pace. Real Madrid hasn’t conceded more than a goal in any of their nine matches while scoring 24 in all competitions. Oddly enough they still haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their six La Liga matches.
#2 Manchester City
Manchester City is still looking like the most dominant team in the Premier League. They are unbeaten in seven matches and have the highest goal differential in the Premier League at +17. Although their season started off with a disappointing 3-1 defeat in the Community Shield on July 30, they’ve not lost since. Defeating Sevilla 4-0 and Dortmund 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League shows they are hungrier than ever to win that competition. Man City are only a point behind Arsenal in the Premiership and are looking poised to take back first place. Erling Haaland is running away with the golden boot and could score the most goals ever in a Premier League season.
#3 Paris Saint-Germain
Since starting their season on July 31 by winning the French Super Cup, PSG hasn’t been beaten in 11 matches. Their only blemish was a 1-1 draw vs Monaco at the end of August. Since then they’ve won six straight matches and are two points ahead of Marseille atop the Ligue 1 table. PSG has a +22 goal differential, however, Ligue 1 play isn’t as competitive as the Premier League. Neymar is in spectacular form leading the team with eight goals while Mbappe is at seven. Messi is still in great form as PSG boasts the most lethal attacking trio in world football. They’ve got a two-point lead over Marseille in Ligue 1.
#4 Bayern Munich
Whilst some proclaim this to be Bayer Munich’s worst league run in 20 years. The reality is they’ve only lost one of 11 matches in all competitions this season. Bayern dominated play against Augsburg and Manuel Neuer of all people nearly equalized in a 1-0 defeat in their last match before the international break. Aside from that, Bayern started the season winning the German Super Cup and has played perfectly in two Champions League matches. They are getting accustomed to life after Lewandowski and handled playing against him well, defeating Barcelona 2-0 in the Champions League. After winning 10 straight Bundesliga titles, I think they may have some challenges getting up for matches in league play.
#5 Barcelona
Barcelona is giving Real Madrid a run for their money in La Liga once again. Only two points behind Real Madrid, Barcelona has the best goal differential in La Liga at +17. Allowing only one goal in six league matches, their only blemish in La Liga was a 0-0 draw in the first match of the season. The addition of Robert Lewandowski was vital to the squad, as he’s leading La Liga with eight goals scored. They’ve got a tough Champions League group and are looking for revenge when they host Bayern Munich on October 26. Barcelona are back in the hunt for La Liga as well as the UEFA Champions League title.
#6 Arsenal
Arsenal are giving their fans a lot of hope as they sit in first place in the Premier League. They’ve got one of the youngest squads in the league so things should get even better. Besides their 3-1 loss to Manchester United, Arsenal has been perfect this season, winning all their other matches. They are favourites to win the Europa League and should hopefully return to the Champions League in a year’s time. Adding Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City was a real steal which City may regret. Arsenal is one point ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League at the September international break.
#7 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham is undefeated so far in Premier League play and sits level with Manchester City after seven matches. Their only loss of the season came in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon. Harry Kane is once again at the top of his game and leads the team with six goals. After a slow start to the season, Heung-Min Son looks to have regained his scoring touch. Brought on as a second-half substitute, Son scored three goals in Tottenham’s last game, a 6-2 win over Leicester City. Their next match is the north London derby against arch-rivals Arsenal on October 1. This is a crucial match for both clubs and Tottenham will be dealing with a stronger Arsenal squad since their last meeting.
#8 Napoli
Napoli is at the top of the table in Italy and are serious contenders for the Serie A crown. They are undefeated in all competitions and are tied on points with Atalanta in Serie A, however, Napoli has the best goal differential in the league. They’ve played two UEFA Champions League matches and won them both. Defeating Liverpool 4-1 and then away to Rangers 3-0 shows that Napoli could go deep in that competition. Their last match before the break was a 2-1 away victory over AC Milan. Two of Napoli’s best players Hirving Lozano from Mexico and Piotr Zielinski of Poland are superstars for their nations. They are amongst the best players in Group C at the FIFA World Cup and will be playing against each other.
#9 Union Berlin
Union Berlin is having an impressive run this season, seeing them in first place in the German Bundesliga. Although they are still long shots to win it, Union Berlin is the only unbeaten team in Bundesliga play. Highlights so far include defeating local rivals Hertha BSC, then RB Leipzig, followed by a 6-1 thrashing of Shalke 04. Holding Bayern Munich to a 1-1 draw was perhaps their most impressive result. Union Berlin and Suriname international Sheraldo Becker is leading the Bundesliga scoring race with six goals. It would be neat to see a former East German club and relative newcomer to the Bundesliga challenge for the title.
#10 Real Betis
The Copa del Rey Champions have gotten off to an excellent start this season. Other than a 2-1 away loss to Real Madrid, Real Betis has won all of their other matches. They hope to compete for the Europa League title, starting well there with two victories. Real Betis are in third place in La Liga, only a point behind Barcelona, and three back of Real Madrid. In eight competitive matches so far this season, the best clubs they’ve defeated are Osasuna and Villarreal. If they can finish the season inside the top four it will be a huge accomplishment for the club. Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias is second in La Liga scoring, with six goals in six games.
#11 Atalanta
Atalanta has opened their season with five wins and two draws in Italy’s Serie A. That’s good enough for Atalanta to sit tied with Napoli atop the Serie A table. Atalanta isn’t playing European football, which should help their title aspirations with a less daunting schedule. A 1-0 away win over Roma before the international break was a huge accomplishment. Despite finishing last season in poor form, Atalanta has had a run of several good years and should be viewed as legitimate title contenders. Their unbeaten run may not last long, however, this could be the year they win some silverware in Italy. They’ve never won Serie A, and only once in 1963 have they won the Coppa Italia.
#12 Brighton & Hove Albion
Kicking off the season with a win against Manchester United at Old Trafford was a dream start to Brighton’s campaign. Since then they’ve defeated West Ham in London and in their most recent match beating Leicester City 5-2. Their only defeat thus far was away to Fulham in a 2-1 scoreline. Argentine international Alexis Mac Allister leads Brighton in scoring with four goals in six matches. They got off to a great start last season as well, and hope this year they’ll be able to maintain a high pace throughout the campaign. Brighton will be pushing for European football next season, however, as they compete in the world’s toughest domestic competition it’s very unlikely. Brighton is alone in fourth place in the Premier League at the international break.
#13 Manchester United
After a dreadful start, losing their first two matches of the Premier League season, Manchester United has bounced back with four straight league victories. Manchester United and their fans don’t accept losing, which spurred on early season adjustments. They’ve added Brazilian midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid and fellow Brazilian international Antony from Ajax. Not many clubs in the world can command and bankroll that level of talent. Those are the type of moves that should see Manchester United back in the Champions League next season. However, after losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad in the Europa League, they showed they are still a work in progress.
#14 Liverpool
Kicking off the season with a 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield was an excellent start to the season. Unfortunately, they sputtered in their next few matches. Then they looked like title contenders, beating Bournemouth 9-0, followed by a last-second win over Newcastle. Inconsistent play could keep them out of the Premier League title race if they don’t turn things around quickly. They need Mohamed Salah to get back to the form he was in last season and score more goals. They bounced back from their Champions League defeat against Napoli with a win over Ajax in their last game before the break.
#15 Borussia Dortmund
In 10 competitive matches across all competitions this season, Dortmund has won seven and lost three. Losing 2-1 to Manchester City in the Champions League shouldn’t be too demoralizing. However, their 3-2 Bundesliga loss to Werder Bremen was a lead blown in spectacular fashion. Conceding three goals in the final six minutes of a match is heartbreaking for any squad. The departure of Erling Haaland has hurt the club but they can still challenge for the Bundesliga title. At the international break, Borussia Dortmund sits two points back of Union Berlin for the top spot in the Bundesliga. They’ve got big matches scheduled in the first weeks of October against Bayern, Union Berlin and two against Sevilla in the Champions League.
#16 AC Milan
The defending Italian champions are level with Lazio in fourth place in Serie A. The highlight of their season so far was a thrilling 3-2 win over city rivals Inter. AC Milan was undefeated until the last match before the international break against Napoli. Losing at home to Napoli could have a profound impact on the final season standings. France international Olivier Giroud age 35 leads the team in scoring with five goals in all competitions. Giroud is holding down the starting striker position while Ante Rebic recovers from a hernia. They’ve started well in the Champions League and should still be in contention for silverware in Italy.
#17 Benfica
Benfica is having a perfect season so far with 13 straight victories in all competitions, conceding only six goals. Although Liga Portugal isn’t as competitive as the big five leagues, Benfica has also been dominant in UEFA Champions League play. They won all four of their UEFA Champions League qualification matches including 2-0 and 3-0 wins over Dynamo Kyiv. Defeating Juventus in Turin on September 14 in the group phase showed the footballing world that Benfica is for real. Two Champions League matches against PSG in October will test their unbeaten run.
#18 Udinese
Since starting off their Serie A campaign with a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan, Udinese haven’t been beaten. They’ve won five straight matches, including a 4-0 drubbing of Roma, and lastly a 3-1 win over Inter Milan. Udinese is alone in third place in Serie A and hopes to challenge for European football next season. As they aren’t playing European football this season they can fully concentrate on achieving a top-four finish. Udinese has never won a Serie A title or the Copa Italia. It would be an absolute dream season if they can maintain form and challenge for silverware.
#19 Marseille
Marseille is two points behind PSG in Ligue 1 and hopes to challenge the French champions for their title. They’re unbeaten in eight league matches so far this season. As Dimitri Payet is declining with age, the addition of Alexis Sanchez from Inter has bolstered their attack. Sanchez leads the team with four goals scored in seven Ligue 1 matches. Marseille are usual Champions League contestants, however, they are underachieving in Europe again this season. They have a strong squad with well-known veterans mixed with young players like Nuno Tavares on loan from Arsenal. They’ve got several former Arsenal players including Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac, and Alexis Sanchez.
#20 Chelsea
Not much more than a year ago Chelsea was the number one club in the Top World Football Club Rankings. Chelsea is now in disarray relative to their high standards and is in seventh place in the Premier League. Following their shock 1-0 defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, manager Thomas Tuchel was sacked. Considering that Chelsea is a club loaded with high-end talent, they should easily turn things around. They’re still more than capable of challenging for trophies in every competition this season and could win one.
