Top World Football Club Rankings end of season summer 2023
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 Manchester City
Manchester City are the Champions of Europe and in the last four months of the season, they were nearly unbeaten in all competitions. City capped off the most remarkable run of form the club has ever seen with their first Champions League trophy. A week prior to that they defeated city rivals Manchester United to win the FA Cup. Manchester City dominated down the stretch to win the Premier League with a five-point margin. This unprecedented treble-winning season is something Man City fans will never forget.
#2 Barcelona
Barcelona ended the season as La Liga champions with a 10-point gap over their arch-rivals, Real Madrid. Barca played Real Madrid five times this season, splitting their La Liga and Copa Del Rey matches evenly. Barca are Spanish Super Cup Champions though, which gave them one win more than Real Madrid in El Super Clasico matches this season. Although starting the season slowly, especially in Europe with an early Champions League exit; Barcelona regained the form expected of them this season.
#3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid are the Spanish Copa Del Rey Champions, which is almost just a consolation prize for the Spanish giants. Real Madrid ended up in second place in La Liga and made the semi-finals of the Champions League. An outstanding season for most clubs, however without a La Liga title or a Champions League trophy Real Madrid will always want more. They’ll be retooling their squad and hope to lure Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu to replace Karim Benzema.
#4 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich captured their record-breaking 11th straight Bundesliga title on the very last day of the season. The results they needed weren’t totally in their control that day, however, as usual, they managed to win the German league. Bayern played outstanding in the Champions League all season, losing only to eventual champions Manchester City. Bayern ended the season with five losses in their last 13 matches which is a disaster by their high standards. However, there aren’t many teams in the world who can match the quality of Bayern Munich.
#5 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain won the French Ligue 1 for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. A remarkable run, however, they only finished one point ahead of runners-up Lens this season. Their star-studded lineup purpose-built to win the Champions League was a disappointment once again. Facing Bayern Munich in the first round of the Champions League knockout phase was unlucky. Unfortunately for PSG, they’ve now lost Lionel Messi, making their Champions League trophy dreams further from reality.
#6 Arsenal
London club Arsenal held a substantial lead in the Premier League standings throughout most of the season. Although the title was within their grasp, Arsenal’s form dropped off while Manchester City’s took off. Arsenal has a young squad capable of launching a Premier League title challenge. With Arsenal returning to the Champions League, their aim is to drastically improve the depth of their squad to compete in all competitions.
#7 Manchester United
Manchester United are still one of the world’s greatest clubs, finishing third place in the Premier League, the world’s top domestic league. The highlight of Man U’s season was winning the English Football League Cup over Newcastle at the end of February. More importantly, though they secured a spot in the Champions League with their solid play in the Premiership. Ending the season with an FA Cup defeat to Manchester City was disappointing for United, but not surprising.
#8 Napoli
Napoli had one of the most memorable seasons in the history of their club. Winning Italy’s Serie A for the first time since 1990, Napoli finished with a 16-point gap atop the league. Napoli accentuated their case as the best team in Italy wIth a 3-1 victory over Inter Milan on May 21. Reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time was a major accomplishment for Napoli this season. If Napoli holds on to Victor Osimhen, they’ll very likely win more silverware.
#9 Inter Milan
Inter Milan had their chances in the Champions League final but failed to get past Manchester City. Getting to the Champions League final was a huge accomplishment for Inter, as was winning the Copa Italia in May. Although a third-place finish in Serie A was somewhat disappointing for Inter, they’ll compete for the championship next season. Concluding the season with wins against Juventus, Lazio, Roma, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Atalanta demonstrates the top class of Inter.
#10 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid picked up their play in the second half of the season, finishing in third place, one point behind Real Madrid in La Liga. With an early exit from the Champions League last season, Atletico will be eager to rejoin the competition in September. Antoine Griezman played outstanding with 15 goals in open play last season. If he maintains his form and Jan Oblak regains his status as one of the greatest keepers on the planet, Atletico will be dangerous.
#11 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund ended the season against Mainz in a dramatically disappointing draw. Needing a victory in the final match of the season to secure their first Bundesliga title since 2012, Dortmund choked. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic Bundesliga campaign for Dortmund as they ended tied in points with Bayern Munich. However, Dortmund finished the season with a goal differential 15 less than Bayern. Perhaps not winning any silverware this past season will motivate the club for next season.
#12 Liverpool
Liverpool has a star-studded lineup that should be competing at the highest level of world football. Unfortunately, Liverpool finished in fifth place in the Premier League, leaving them outside of the Champions League next season. Liverpool finished four points behind Newcastle United for the final Champions League place in England. However, Liverpool won both of their games against Newcastle United last season. Liverpool’s world-class squad, loaded with talent, should be near the top of the Premier League next season.
#13 Newcastle United
Newcastle United had their best season in decades and will compete in the Champions League this upcoming season. Finishing fourth place in the Premier League without spending outlandishly on transfer fees, gained Newcastle respect from the footballing world. Now the club has a solid foundation to build on, we should see Newcastle competing at the top level of world football for years. Big wins in April at home against Tottenham and Manchester United are really giving their fans some hope for the future.
#14 AC Milan
AC Milan ended the season with three straight victories including away to Juventus. Fortunately for AC Milan, they snuck into the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in Serie A, just ahead of Juventus. AC Milan had a great run in the Champions League, losing out in the semifinal round to city rivals Inter. Rafael Leao led the way with 15 goals for AC Milan in Serie A play this past season.
#15 Lazio
Roman club Lazio had an outstanding season finishing in second place in Italy’s Serie A. Although Lazio endured late-season losses to Inter Milan and AC Milan, they still managed to finish ahead of them both in Serie A. Lazio defeated Juventus in April which is indicative of where both these clubs stand at this point in time. Lazio is now guaranteed Champions League play for the upcoming season. Lazio must add more depth to the squad if they want to compete better in Europe than this past year.
#16 Juventus
Juventus were docked 10 points in Serie A for financial irregularities, a huge misfortune for the club. The deduction ensured Juventus finished well back of AC Milan for the final Champions League position. Juventus has a world-class squad but will have to settle for the Europa Conference League. A disappointing semifinal exit in the Europa League saw Juventus lose out in added extra time away to Sevilla. Losing their last home match of the season to AC Milan was another major disappointment for Juventus.
#17 RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig ended the season red-hot with seven straight victories. Their last match of the season won RB Leipzig the DFB Pokal (German Cup), with a 2-0 victory over Frankfurt. Although Leipzig was trounced out of the Champions League in a 7-0 defeat against Man City, the Red Bulls are back in that competition next season. Leipzig secured a third-place Bundesliga finish only five points behind the league leaders.
#18 Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad finished the season in fine form losing only one of their last nine matches. That stretch of play included wins against Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Europa Cup winners Sevilla. Real Sociedad finished seven points clear of the fourth and final Champions League position in Spain’s La Liga. Norwegian international Alexander Sorloth led the way in La Liga for Real Sociedad with 12 goals. Sorloth has been out on loan from RB Leipzig, however, Real Sociedad hopes to acquire his services on a permanent basis.
#19 Lens
Lens finished the Ligue 1 season in France only one point behind superclub PSG. A second-place finish in Ligue 1 guaranteed Lens a Champions League place next season. Lens finished the season 11 points ahead of Marseille while beating them in both their fixtures this past season. In their last 12 matches of the season, Lens won 11 of them, losing only to PSG. Lens without a doubt proved they are the second-best club in French football.
#20 Aston Villa
Aston Villa had a superb season finishing ahead of massive clubs like Tottenham and Chelsea in the English Premier League. Aston Villa ended the season with a victory over Brighton who finished one point ahead of the Birmingham club in the Premier League standings. A seventh-place finish for Aston Villa puts them in the Europa Conference league next season. Aston Villa has quietly built a world-class squad led by Argentinian World Cup shootout hero Emiliano Martinez in goal.
