Top World Football Club Rankings – 2022 January – February International Break
The world’s best football clubs ranking
#1 Manchester City
Before drawing away at Southampton on January 22 Manchester City had won 15 of its last 16 matches in all competitions. Man City controlled 74 percent of possession against Southampton. They look more dominating in every match they play. The best top form football club in the world.
#2 Bayern Munich
Bayern looks unbeatable in the Bundesliga where they have a goal differential of 46 in 20 matches. They’ve won every match in the Champions League so far with a goal differential of 19 in six matches and should easily advance to the quarter-final stage of that competition.
#3 Paris Saint-Germain
With 53 points in 22 matches in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain is once again running away with the French league. PSG has clean sheets in five of their last seven matches. They haven’t lost since November 24, after they visited Manchester City. That’s also the last time they conceded more than one goal in a match. They hope to stay in top form for their Champions League round of 16 heavyweight clashes with Real Madrid.
#4 Real Madrid
With 50 points in 22 matches, Real Madrid looks like a safe bet to win La Liga. It will be interesting to watch them face their former Captain Sergio Ramos now with PSG in the Champions League knockout phase on February 15. Before their 2-2 draw with Elche on January 23, they had won 6 straight matches in all competitions.
#5 Liverpool
Liverpool is undefeated in their first six matches of 2022. With two games in hand, Liverpool is one point ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League standings. With 48 points in 22 matches, they are 9 points back of Man City with one game in hand. It’s unlikely they can win the Premier League, however, they should be favoured to advance to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League over Inter Milan. Their Carabao Cup Final match against Chelsea on February 27 should be epic.
#6 Chelsea
While not looking as dominant as they were in the spring, they will hope to regain that top form again soon. They are entering the most demanding schedule of any top world football club. With the Club World Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, Carabao Cup Final, as well as Premier League fixtures all scheduled over the next five weeks, they are going to need a very healthy squad to compete in all those competitions.
#7 Inter Milan
Inter Milan looks like the best team in Italy, leading Serie A with 53 points from 22 matches. They’ve got a four-point buffer ahead of Napoli and AC Milan. Inter Milan won the Italian Super Cup Final on January 12 over Juventus. They drew Liverpool in the round of 16 in the Champions League, scheduled for February 16. This will be a huge challenge for them to overcome and advance to the quarter-final stage of that competition.
#8 Manchester United
Manchester United has only lost one match since Ralf Rangnick took over as interim manager at the end of November. While their form is better, they only barely defeated West Ham United in extra time on January 22. Man U sits in fourth place in the Premier League, hoping to retain a spot in the Champions League. They should be favourites to win against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League round of 16 playoffs on February 23 and March 15.
#9 Sevilla
Sevilla is having a great season in La Liga, sitting in second place, four points behind Real Madrid. Six points ahead of third-place Real Betis, Sevilla has 46 points in 22 matches in La Liga play. They should be one of the favourites to win the Europa League once again.
#10 Napoli
With 49 points in 23 matches, Napoli is having a solid season in Serie A. One of their highlights so far was defeating AC Milan in Milan on December 19. They should have a good enough squad to end the season in a Champions League position. They were unlucky drawing Barcelona in the Europa League round of 32, with those matches scheduled for February 17 and Feb. 24.
#11 AC Milan
Tied for second place in Serie A with Napoli, AC Milan is seeing decent results. They are no longer scheduled to play European football this season. This should leave them with more time to focus on ending the Serie A campaign in a Champions League position. They hope to win the Copa Italia and face Lazio in the quarter-final round of that competition on February 9.
#12 Juventus
Juventus is playing great in the Champions League this year and is favoured to go through to the quarterfinals. They’re battling it out with Atalanta for fourth place in Serie A, which Juve has underperformed in. With all the talent in that squad, I can’t see them finishing outside the top four. Juventus has 42 points in 23 Serie A matches.
#13 Barcelona
Barcelona is favoured by many to defeat Napoli in their Europa League round of 32 clash. However, Barcelona has not played up to their high standards in La Liga play as well as UEFA competitions this season. They have a very strong young squad, however, they are inconsistent. It might take a little more time before they fully develop into the dominant club they are accustomed to being.
#14 Tottenham
Although they’ve already lost three matches to Chelsea in 2022, Tottenham looks like they’ve turned things around this season. Antonio Conte has brought Tottenham back as a legitimate challenger for a Champions League position, since taking over as manager on November 2. Their Premier League match hosting Arsenal will have to be rescheduled after its cancellation on January 16.
#15 Arsenal
2022 has not started well for Arsenal, getting knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup competitions. They will have lots of time to focus on the Premier League, in their hopes of a top-four finish, and regaining a spot in the Champions League. They have a good enough squad to play in the Champions League. However, they’re competing with Man U, West Ham and archrivals Tottenham for the final qualifying spot.
#16 Atletico Madrid
A disappointing season by their standards, Atletico Madrid hasn’t started 2022 well. They lost the Spanish Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao on January 13 and were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey by Real Sociedad six days later. They have a very strong squad but will have to prove it against Barcelona in their next La Liga match on February 6.
#17 Ajax
Ajax is the top club in the Dutch Eredivisie. They have an outstanding goal differential of 56 in domestic league competition. Winning all six matches in the Champions League, they are favoured to win their round of 16 clash against Benfica. Ajax is the best club in the world outside of the European top five leagues.
#18 Borussia Dortmund
While still within striking distance of Bayern Munich, it’s doubtful they’ll close the six-point gap to win the Bundesliga. Losing two Champions League group games to Ajax in autumn contributed to Dortmund now playing in the Europa League. They are favourites to win the Europa League.
#19 Atalanta
Atalanta and Juventus are fighting it out for fourth place in Italy’s Serie A. The last time they met on November 27 Atalanta won in Torino. They meet again on February 13 with Atalanta hosting this crucial match-up. Atalanta will be favoured to advance in their round of 32 Europa League clash against top Greek team Olympiacos. Atalanta has 43 points in 22 matches in Serie A play.
#20 Real Betis
Real Betis has 40 points from 22 matches in La Liga play. They are alone in third place in La Liga, however, it’s going to be a real challenge to stay in the top four. They have upcoming Copa Del Rey and Europa League matches that they should be able to win.
