Knowing the best league is always going to be a bit subjective, but some leagues undeniably stand out above the rest.
If you’re a football fan, you’ve probably heard of “The Big 5”—the top leagues that dominate football with their massive fan bases, global followings, and financial power.
To give a more objective view, I’ll use UEFA’s coefficients to rank these top five leagues.
Understanding UEFA Coefficients
While most football fans would agree on which leagues are the biggest in Europe, I’ll lean on UEFA’s men’s association coefficients to back that up. UEFA, the governing body for European football, uses these coefficients to rank domestic football leagues based on their strength.
These coefficients reflect a league’s overall quality and play a key role in determining how many spots each association gets in European competitions like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The strongest league gets the most spots (up to 7), while weaker ones get fewer.
When I say “associations,” we’re not just talking about the top leagues, but the entire league structure, including domestic cup winners.
However, these coefficients are a solid indicator of the quality of football being played in each country’s top division since the teams from these leagues are the ones competing in Europe.
Now, let’s list the 5 best leagues in the world.
1. Premier League (England)
It’s no shock to football fans that the English Premier League (EPL) is often hailed as the best league in the world.
With clubs flush with cash, top-tier managers from Europe’s elite, and a track record of Champions League success, the Premier League consistently proves its dominance.
While English football has deep roots, with the English Football League being the oldest in the world, the Premier League itself is relatively young, having been established in 1992.
The formation of the EPL was driven by the desire of the top clubs to capitalize more on their commercial potential, secure a larger share of television revenue, and gain independence from the other bodies involved in the game’s governance.
Unlike the franchise model seen in American sports, the Premier League operates within the English football league system, where clubs can be promoted to or relegated from the top flight based on their performance.
Playing in the Premier League is a commercial goldmine, attracting the best talent and ambitious clubs aiming to reach the height of football. The EPL isn’t just the top league in Europe; many consider it the greatest in the world.
The Premier League’s clout is evident in global rankings—four of its teams are in the world’s top 10, more than any other league.
On average, Premier League clubs have an Opta rating of 87.2, showcasing the consistent quality across the league.
2. Bundesliga (Germany)
The Bundesliga which was officially established in the 1960s in West Germany has roots in football leagues that date back nearly a century before that.
The Bundesliga is often seen as a one-club league, with Bayern Munich dominating the scene for over a decade, winning 11 consecutive titles.
However, this streak seems to be under threat recently with Bayern Leverkusen winning the 2023/24 season unbeaten, though in football, nothing is ever certain.
What makes the Bundesliga different from leagues like France’s Ligue 1, where dominance is often backed by wealthy investors, is the 50+1 Rule.
This rule mandates that clubs must have a majority stake held by the team’s members, effectively preventing outside investors from taking control.
That said, money still plays a role in the Bundesliga.
While the system isn’t perfect, it ensures that most clubs are still largely run by fans and members, creating a football culture that’s hard to match.
The Bundesliga has an impressive average team rating of 85.4.
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3. La Liga (Spain)
La Liga is home to some of the world’s most prominent football clubs, including the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. These two clubs have dominated the football world, both in Spain and Europe, for decades.
La Liga began as the Primera División in 1929 with just 10 teams, but its progress was interrupted by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Football eventually resumed under Franco’s fascist regime, with the country’s domestic cup, the Copa del Rey, being renamed the “Copa del Generalísimo” in honor of the dictator.
Football and politics often intersect and in Spain, this led to the legendary rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. This rivalry, known as El Clásico, is one of the most anticipated fixtures in the football calendar, played at least twice a year in La Liga and potentially more in other competitions.
Though often labeled as a two-horse race, with Real Madrid and Barcelona winning over 50 league titles between them (35 for Real Madrid and 27 for Barcelona), La Liga has seen other champions rise.
While many might expect La Liga to rank higher in overall quality due to the presence of such powerhouse clubs, the league’s average Opta rating of 84.1 reflects the big difference between the top teams and those in the lower half of the table.
4. Serie A (Italy)
While Italy’s Serie A may not match the Premier League in terms of financial power and global reach, there’s a strong argument that it’s currently the most competitive major league in Europe.
Over the past four seasons, four different teams have lifted the Serie A trophy: AC Milan, Napoli, Inter Milan, and Juventus. This level of parity is refreshing in a league that was long dominated by Juventus.
The league originated from regional competitions and was officially formed in 1929 with 18 teams.
While leagues like France’s Ligue 1 have often changed their format, Serie A maintained its 18-team structure for much of its history, only expanding to 20 teams in the 2004-2005 season.
The league has seen some of the game’s greatest talents, including Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero, and Gianluigi Buffon, Italy’s most-capped player, who has played over 700 professional matches.
Italy is the second most successful country in European club competitions, having 12 Champions League or European Cup titles and 9 UEFA Europa League or UEFA Cup titles.
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5. Ligue 1 (France)
Ligue 1 has seen a surge in viewership in recent years, thanks to the star power of Ramadel Falcao, Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Sergio Ramos.
While this influx of talent has put the French top flight in the spotlight, it has also invited some criticism, with many suggesting that the league’s appeal relies too heavily on these superstars. Despite this, Ligue 1 remains competitive enough to be ranked among the top five leagues in Europe.
According to UEFA’s coefficients, the French Football Federation (FFF) and Ligue 1 hold the fifth spot in Europe. Ligue 1, established in 1932, is France’s premier football league, though organized football in the country had been played for decades prior.
French clubs have had limited success on the European stage, with only one European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) and one Cup Winners’ Cup to their name.
When it comes to European competition, French clubs rank sixth. However, this ranking is somewhat inflated by 12 victories in the now-defunct Intertoto Cup, a tournament that was majorly a qualifying pathway for the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League).
Domestically, Ligue 1 often faces criticism for being a one-club league, largely due to Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) dominance. Since the club was acquired by Qatari owners, PSG has claimed 9 league titles in the past 11 years.
However, it’s worth noting that Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) still holds the record for the most consecutive league titles, with seven straight wins in the 2000s. PSG’s dominance has been interrupted by AS Monaco and LOSC Lille, showing that competition does still exist within the league.
