The 25 best European soccer clubs, ranked

We’re sure you were expecting to see a team owned by Red Bull on this list, and you will see that certain team higher in the rankings, but we’re starting with a team from Austria, of all countries. How does RB Salzburg make the list? Well, dominating in Austria (plus-56 goal differential) helps. Salzburg also made a splash in the Champions League despite playing in a group with Liverpool and Napoli. Granted, Salzburg lost the gem of the roster, Erling Haaland, to a transfer, but they still just made the cut.

Spain is known for its big two, but beyond Real Madrid and Barcelona there are a handful of good teams vying for the title of the third-best team in the country. Real Sociedad has been a little more extreme than the other clubs they are fighting with. Sociedad’s 14 wins is third most in La Liga, but they also have nine losses, most among teams in the top seven in the table.

Lazio has a chance to win the Serie A title, as they are neck-and-neck with Juventus for the top of the table. They also have a better goal differential than Juventus. However, Lazio didn’t play in the Champions League this year, so they get no added boost there. The soccer club rankings over at FiveThirtyEight actually doesn’t even have Lazio in its top 25, but we had to include a team that could win the title in Italy.

Ajax’s season is unfortunately over. The Dutch league decided to cancel the remainder of the season while Ajax was atop the table, though admittedly only on goal differential. Ajax lost some of the sterling young talent that led them to the Champions League semifinals last year, but the Dutch giants are a factory for promising future stars these days.

Yes, Spurs are in the middle of the Premier League table, but they’ve dealt with injuries to basically all their key players. Despite that, they still made it out of the group stage of the Champions League, and they beat Manchester City this season. At full strength, and with Jose Mourinho managing, Tottenham still deserves to make the cut, especially since England has the top league in Europe.

Arsenal is far from the glory days of Arsene Wenger right now. The team is in the middle of a reboot, and there are clearly a few teams better than them in England. Spurs and Arsenal, two heated rivals, are about even right now, but the Gunners rarely lose. In fact, they have fewer losses than even Manchester City.

The team Inter is matched up with right now in the Europa League? That would be Getafe. Not typically a team of note in Spain, they’ve been on a nice run for the last few seasons. They finished fifth in La Liga last year and could finish as high as third this season. In fact, FiveThirtyEight has them ranked as the 16th-best team in the world.

Sevilla has been known to make some noise around Europe, as they won three Europa League titles in a row. They could win another one this year, again if the event continues, and if not then next season they might not get a chance. However, that’s only because they are currently third in La Liga, which would mean a trip to the Champions League.

Since rejoining the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have quickly established themselves as one of the top teams outside the “Big Six” of English football. In fact, this year they could finish above both Spurs and Arsenal, and even Manchester United are in their sights. They can thank Portuguese manager Nuno Santo, who has also filled the club with Portuguese talent, plus the tantalizing skill of Adama Traore.

Inter caught a tough break by getting stuck in a group with Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. They’ll get a chance for redemption next season, as Inter is basically locked into finishing third in Italy. Plus, they are technically alive in the Europa League, provided that returns to action.

Atalanta has become something of a “hipster” soccer fan favorite. That’s because they have emerged from out of nowhere to make a splash in Italy, and also because of their dynamic style of play. If you want to watch a team win, or lose, 4-3, then check out an Atalanta game sometime.

Bayer Leverkusen is certainly the best team named after a pharmaceutical company. Right now, they seem locked to finish in the top five in the Bundesliga, arguably the second-best league in Europe. Plus, with the way a couple of the teams above them are playing, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bayer finish third and return to the Champions League once again.

Leicester stunned the world when they won a Premier League title in the 2015-16 season. They lost key talent like N’Golo Kante from that team but now managed by Brendan Rodgers, the Foxes have shown they don’t intend to go anywhere. Leicester is primed to finish third in the Premier League. We’d have them higher, but they didn’t play in Europe this year, and also FiveThirtyEight has them ranked only 14th.

Sure, the glory days of Alex Ferguson are gone. Still, just look at the talent on this roster. Even if Paul Pogba has never quite panned out, despite being one of the best players in the world, Manchester United has a ton of talent. They are still a storied club, and they are going to finish in the top five in the Premier League. Plus, they could be primed to win both the Europa League and the FA Cup.

Diego Simeone doesn’t mess around. His Atletico teams play brutal soccer. A 1-0 win is ideal, and a 0-0 tie is just fine. This has served them particularly well, especially in the Champions League where they have mastered brutalizing their opponent over two legs. Atletico is, traditionally, the third best team in Spain.

The Red Bull company bought this club and completely changed it around. Now it’s one of the most forward thinking and propulsive clubs in Europe. Before order was restored, it seemed like Leipzig might actually win the Bundesliga. Not bad for a team that was in the fifth tier of German soccer a decade ago.

Juventus are the clear top team in Italy. They’ve won the last eight Serie A titles, and so we figure they are going to win a ninth this year. They are atop the table, after all. Oh, and they have Cristiano Ronaldo, who is no longer in his prime but is still a great player. The only reason Juventus isn’t higher in the rankings is that Serie A is only the fourth-best league in Europe.

There has been a changing of the guard at Chelsea, but it’s working out. The team is loaded with promising young talent that includes American star Christian Pulisic. That's why many people in the United States are now paying attention to Chelsea. In a few years, if everything breaks right, Chelsea will be in the top five.

Dortmund has locked in their status as one of the top two teams in Germany in recent years. They have a history of developing managers and players who go on to great things elsewhere, including the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Robert Lewandowski. And yet, they keep replenishing. Their most recent coup was the signing of Erling Haaland, and he is one of only a half dozen or so burgeoning superstars at Dortmund.

For Real, ranking sixth in the world is a step down. Despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo, they are still a great team. They are vying with Barcelona for the La Liga title and made it out of the Champions League group stage. And yet despite talent like Eden Hazard and Luka Modric, it feels like the Real roster has taken one small step back. At the top level of soccer, that is all it takes to drop a step or two in the rankings.

Nobody pays attention to what PSG, aka Paris Saint-Germain, does in France. They are the kings of the French league, but that league is, at most, the fifth-best in the world. Their problem has been a lack of Champions League success. Still, this is a team that features both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, two of the five best players in the world. Also, if the Champions League does return to action, PSG is already in the quarterfinals.

Barcelona may win La Liga yet again; they are still alive in the Champions League. Barcelona ranks as the fourth-best team in our rankings, and the same is true for FiveThirtyEight. How much longer will this be the case, though? If Lionel Messi was in his prime, or had more talent around him, Barcelona would maybe be at the top of this ranking. Messi is about to turn 33, though, and he can’t keep doing this forever.

Man City was the “other” team in Manchester before they got a major influx in cash. Suddenly, they became an elite club and usually the best team in England. However, this year it seems like they may not be the top squad in the Premier League, as they seem destined to finish second. They are so clearly the second best team in England, though, that they still are in the top three of our rankings.

The fact the Bundesliga returned to action first probably helped Bayern rank this high. Since returning to the pitch, Bayern has been absolutely on fire, and, as of this writing, they’ve won every game since the season picked back up. Their goal differential is dwarfing the competition. Also, a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals is all but guaranteed.

Sure, Liverpool isn’t going to repeat as Champions League winners. They are going to win the Premier League, though, and maybe by a wide margin. Heading into the restart of league action, Liverpool has a 27-1-1 record with a plus-45 goal differential in the best league in Europe. Jurgen Klopp is the best manager in the world, and he is helming the best team in the world. They never walk alone, but Liverpool stands alone atop our rankings.