Data analysts have ranked the 30 best football teams in the world right now

What makes a team the best in the world? It’s a rather subjective question. Sure, the amount of wins and trophies a club has won in recent times can be a good indicator, but in a sport where anyone could beat anyone, it feels like a tough ask to pick just one team that trumps the rest. After all, comparing teams from different leagues requires pure guesswork.

As a prime example, Manchester United have never locked horns with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. And while many may think the former would easily come out on top, it’s practically impossible to know full well. Admittedly, it’s subjective and there is technically no right or wrong answer – but everyone could use some help from the folks over at Opta, who have calculated – and recently updated – their Power Rankings.

Using an Elo algorithm which analyses results from over 2.5 million games, a rating is then assigned to that team which is comparable to other sides across the world. Points are determined by in-league ratings, the overall rating of a division, a country’s rating among others and the rating of the continent a team plays in.

With all that in mind, here are the 30 best teams in world football as things stand, how well they’ve performed in European competitions in seasons gone by and exactly why they are placed where they are.

World’s Best Teams: 30th-21st

Man United, Fulham and Tottenham in top 30

Breaking into the top 30 is last season’s Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, which may come as quite the shock. They are followed by Italian side Roma, who are 7th in Serie A, and Premier League underdogs Bournemouth with both fighting to qualify for next season’s European competitions.

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A recent addition to the top 30 is Marco Silva’s Fulham. The west London side are having an impressive season and have a real chance of securing European football for next season. They sit just below the team they knocked out of the FA Cup as Manchester United’s fall from grace is accentuated by their place in the standings as they sit in 26th. Ruben Amorim will hope that is not the case this time next year.

Ange Postecoglou’s job at Tottenham is in jeopardy after a string of poor displays – but he can take solace in his team being ranked 25th in the world. Regardless of their on-pitch struggles, they have a score of 90.7 to boast about. They, however, still find themselves below a litany of fellow Premier League teams.

Elsewhere, there’s Sporting CP at the summit of Liga Portugal and here, they are 24th with an overall, more-than-impressive score of 90.8. They struggled somewhat in the infancy of the new manager’s direction – perfectly encapsulated by their 5-1 defeat to Arsenal – but have turned their fortunes on their head, having accrued a ten-game unbeaten streak in all competitions recently.

Serie A duo Lazio and Bologna, both of whom are fighting for a spot in the Champions League next season, find themselves 23rd and 22nd respectively. At the time of writing, just two points separate the pair in the league table, and it is just 0.2 points that separates them in this ranking.

The final team just missing out on a place in the top 20 is once again from the Premier League, this time in the form of Brighton & Hove Albion. Fabian Hurzeler has proven not to be overwhelmed by the fact he is the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history, but back-to-back defeats have cost them a place higher on this list.

World’s Best Teams: 20th-11st

Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus feature

Portuguese giants Benfica find themselves in 20th, while the once dominant side in Italy, Juventus – with a rating of 91.7, have slipped to 19th after falling out of the top 4 in Serie A and a disappointing display in the Champions League. Gone are the days when the Old Lady were one of the best clubs on the continent and the far superior team in their nation.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest are in with a chance of making history by securing Champions League football despite having had to fight against relegation last season. Should they secure their return to Europe’s elite competition, expect the Garibaldi to climb even further.

Athletic Club slot into 17th position, while Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace sit 16th. The Eagles are looking to win a major trophy for the first time in their history – with all eyes on their FA Cup campaign. They’re also tough to beat in league form.

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Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta are the team to watch in Italy. Spearheaded by the enigmatic Ademola Lookman, the Italian’s shocked everyone by ending Bayer Leverkusen’s chances of an undefeated campaign in all competitions when they beat them in the Europa League final last season. They have since continued that form and sit third in Serie A

Perhaps hard done by to miss out on a spot in the top ten are Antonio Conte’s Napoli. The Italian giants, helped by the addition of Scott McTominay and his all-action performances, are sitting second in the Serie A domestic league. When at the races, they look unstoppable, but their lack of European football damages their overall ranking (14th on 92.7) here.

Chelsea also make it into the top 20 and, after an up-and-down start to the current campaign, find themselves in 13th but their European pedigree this season keeps them afloat. Under Enzo Maresca, the Blues did looked to finally be heading in the right direction on all fronts but have hit a bump in the road and are now at risk of missing out on Champions League football next term.

Unai Emery has continuously impressed with the job he’s managed at Aston Villa, taking the Premier League outfit from top-half hopefuls to a Champions League-level outfit. They have excelled in Europe’s premier cup competition and will take on PSG for a place in the semi-finals.

Finally, Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen just slip out of the top 10 and down to 11th. What Xabi Alonso has done at Bayer Leverkusen is beyond explanation. Their last-gasp 2-2 draw against Roma in the Europa League gave them the longest European unbeaten run of all-time, but they stumbled at the last hurdle to secure a historic treble. They aren’t quite at the same level this season, but are still an impressive outfit.

World’s Best Teams: 10th-1st

Arne Slot’s dominance at Liverpool sees them take top spot

The top 10 are made up of the crème de la crème of world football, though every team here – unsurprisingly – resides in Europe. In 10th comes Newcastle United, who celebrated their first major trophy in seven decades when they bested Liverpool to win the 2024-25 Carabao Cup thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.

In 9th, Diego Simeone-led Atletico Madrid stand alone with a score of 94.8. The Spanish side, who suffered an agonising defeat in the Champions League playoff round against fierce rivals Real Madrid, are locked in a three-way battle for the La Liga title with their city rivals and Barcelona.

Manchester City have long been seen as the team to beat in Europe ever since Pep Guardiola cemented his style of play at the Etihad. However, a downturn in performances – accompanied by a winless run of seven games for the first time in the Spaniard’s career – were the first warning signs that things aren’t as perfect as ever and has also meant that City have fallen down in the pecking order.

A defeated Champions League semi-finalist, Bayern Munich, have a rating of 96.9 as Vincent Kompany looks to regain the top flight trophy after their dominant decade-long run in the Bundesliga came to an end last term. Harry Kane’s side failed to meet the expectations many had come to expect of the Bavarians as they lost out on the league title, but this season, they’ve come back with a furious vengeance and look like the team to beat.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded side had a hard time clicking with Jude Bellingham and Mbappe in the same team, but it’s paid dividends, and they’re now the team to beat at Europe’s top table. That said, they haven’t been at their best domestically, and have a lot of work to do if they are to retain their league title.

Inter Milan surprised everyone by reaching the Champions League final in 2022/23 and finished last season, largely thanks to one of Europe’s top performers, Lautaro Martinez, as champions of Italy for the 30th time in their history. They have followed that up with a strong 24/25 campaign, and with a three point gap to Napoli at the top, it is still all to play for in the race for the Scudetto.

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Paris Saint-Germain may have lost Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, but they are still 4th in terms of their ranking (98.7). The Ligue 1 juggernauts secured have already secured the league title with a new look

Having come so close to Premier League success two campaigns on the bounce, Mikel Arteta and his well-drilled entourage will be hoping to end Arsenal‘s silverware drought under the Spaniard when the current season ends. Whether that will be the case, however, remains to be seen, with the Champions League Arsenal’s last hope.

An extremely impressive current campaign for Barcelona, under the fresh stewardship of Hansi Flick and his well-drilled entourage, has the Catalan giants in third place. Lamine Yamal is looking almost destined to become the best player in the world one day, while Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski are more than playing their respective parts in Flick’s pursuit of glory. What’s more impressive is how limited the La Liga side have been in terms of recruitment, due to their financial struggles.

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That leaves Liverpool in top spot, which is a true testament to how well Arne Slot has done in taking over from the seemingly irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp. Many believed the Dutchman would have to undergo a period of transition at Anfield, but consistent form and the inconsistency of others has meant that the Reds are flying high in the Premier League and are deservedly the kings of the castle in world football right now.