Albeit not the be-all and end-all, winning league titles can define how a team is perceived in the wider sphere. Even if someone is not well-advised about a more peculiar league, they typically know one or two clubs – and that’s, on the whole, thanks to them winning trophies at an alarming rate.
Irrespective of whether it’s the Premier League or the lesser-known Uruguayan Primera Division, winning a league title is not as easy as it seems – all teams, typically between 12 and 24, all share the same objective: securing glory come the end of term.
There are teams, however, that will go their entirety without being crowned champions of their country, while others do so like it’s going out of fashion. So, with that in mind, which sides in world football have made light work of their respective divisions? Spoiler alert: there are no English teams included.
50-41
Teams from Malta, Bulgaria and Iceland make the cut
Kicking off proceedings is Havnar Boltfelag, who are one of the oldest professional clubs in the Faroe Islands. Founded in 1904, they’ve made the Faroe Islands Premier League their own – winning it on an eye-catching 24 different occasions.
Valletta of Malta, Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven, Saint-Pierre’s Ilienne Amatuer and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel’s top flight all boast a total of 25 league titles at the time of writing, highlighting a certain level of dominance in their respective leagues.
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Galatasaray of Turkey, too, have won 25 league titles. The Super Lig outfit, founded in 1905, have enjoyed domestic success aplenty – and that’s a testament given that it’s always well-stacked with other clubs such as Fenerbahce (more on them, later) and Besiktas.
Maltese outfit Silema Wanderers, who often go toe-to-toe with the aforementioned Valletta, have secured the solitary extra title – and Levski Sofia of Bulgaria, too, have won 26 league titles in their history. KR Reykjavik and FSCB, however, round off the decade with 27 apiece.
50-41 – FOOTBALL CLUBS THAT HAVE WON MOST LEAGUE TITLES
Rank Team Nation League Titles
50. Havnar Boltfelag Faroe Islands 24
49. Valletta Malta 25
48. PSV Eindhoven Netherlands 25
47. Ilienne Amateur Saint-Pierre 25
46. Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel 25
45. Galatasaray Turkey 25
44. Silema Wanderers Malta 26
43. Levski Sofia Bulgaria 26
42. KR Reykjavik Iceland 27
41. FCSB Romania 27
40-31
Fenerbahce and Barcelona kick off this category
As touched on earlier, Fenerbahce – now managed by the enigmatic Jose Mourinho – stand tall as Turkey’s most decorated club with 28 league titles to boot. They have been able to match Barcelona’s tally, too, which is an impressive feat.
La Blaugrana have won Spain’s top flight on 28 occasions but are less successful than Cyprus side APOEL, Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine, Ivory Coast outfit ASEC Mimosas and Lincoln Red Imps. The aforementioned quartet boast 29 league titles.
In Portugal, Boavista (in 2000/01) were the last club outside the ‘The Big Three’ – Sporting CP, Benfica and Porto – to win the title. Crazy, we know, but that’s because the trio have been so dominant. And that includes Porto’s tally of 30.
Rounding off the 40-31 category with 31 league titles each are 1935-founded Ethiopian club Saint George, Slovan Bratislava – who often appear in the Champions League as Slovakia’s shining light – and Bulgaria’s stand-out outfit, CSKA Sofia.
40-31 – FOOTBALL CLUBS THAT HAVE WON MOST LEAGUE TITLES
Rank Team Nation League Titles
40. Fenerbahce Turkey 28
39. Barcelona Spain 28
38. APOEL Cyprus 29
37. Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine 29
36. ASEC Mimosas Ivory Coast 29
35. Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar 29
34. Porto Portugal 30
33. Saint George Ethiopia 31
32. Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 31
31. CSKA Sofia Bulgaria 31
30-21
A quartet of teams, including Bayern Munich, have won 34
Let this sink in: all ten teams in this segment have won 30+ league titles. An incredible feat, Comunicaciones have been crowned the champions of Guatemala on 32 occasions – while the likes of Rapid Wien (Austria) and Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (Finland) have one extra in their trophy cabinet.
A total of four sides currently boast an eye-catching 34 league titles: Colo-Colo of Chile, Belgium top flight outfit Anderlecht and Al-Muharraq of Bahrain. They joined Champions League behemoths Bayern Munich, who are – by far and away – the Bundesliga’s most successful club of all time.
Located in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, Ferencvaros and success go hand-in-hand, as highlighted by their score of 35 league titles – the same number as Boca Juniors, perhaps best famed for their atmospheric nature, have secured in Argentina.
30-21 – FOOTBALL CLUBS THAT HAVE WON MOST LEAGUE TITLES
Rank Team Nation League Titles
30. Comunicaciones Guatemala 32
29. Rapid Wien Austria 33
28. Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi Finland 33
27. Esperance Tunis Tunisia 33
26. Colo-Colo Chile 34
25. Anderlecht Belgium 34
24. Al-Muharraq Bahrain 34
23. Bayern Munich Germany 34
22. Boca Juniors Argentina 35
21. Ferencvaros Hungary 35
20-11
Real Madrid remain as Spain’s most decorated club
Dinamo Zagreb’s squad iteration from 2011/12 may be one of the worst teams in Champions League history but, from a domestic standpoint, they have always been a force to be reckoned with. And that’s evidenced by their 35 Croatian top flight titles.
Al-Faisaly have won the same – while Red Star Belgrade, one of the most well-supported teams in world football, have won 36 league titles thus far. As have Juventus in Italy and Ajax in the Netherlands. The same can be said for Real Madrid.
Los Blancos – whose well-documented specialty is the Champions League – are Spain’s most decorated side with 36 titles under their belt, but they don’t compete with Sparta Prague and River Plate (both on 38, as things stand).
Liga Portugal, albeit not recognised as being in the standard ‘top five European leagues’, is difficult to win – but Lisbon-based Benfica have often made light work of their opponents. As have Saprissa in Costa Rice, who have won 40 league titles since their inception.
20-11 – FOOTBALL CLUBS THAT HAVE WON MOST LEAGUE TITLES
Rank Team Nation League Titles
20. Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 35
19. Al-Faisaly Jordan 35
18. Red Star Belgrade Serbia 36
17. Juventus Italy 36
16. Ajax Netherlands 36
15. Real Madrid Spain 36
14. Sparta Prague Czech Republic 38
13. River Plate Argentina 38
12. Benfica Portugal 38
11. Saprissa Costa Rica 40
10-1
Scottish Premiership Celtic and Rangers both feature
Now we are onto the serial-winning outfits of world football; those who, without a doubt, are there or thereabouts at the summit of their respective divisions on a year-by-year basis. Situated in Hong Kong, South China have won 41 league titles.
Widely recognised as one of the most successful clubs in world football based on honours, Ah Ahly – all in all – have won a total of 123 trophies throughout their history, 44 of which have been league titles. They have won just one fewer than Olimpia.
Uruguay top flight duo Nacional and Penarol often go to battle in order to reign victorious – but it’s the latter who currently hold the bragging rights with 54 league titles in their repertoire. Nacional (49) are just behind, as are Greece’s Olympiacos (48).
Celtic and Rangers share what is widely regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in world football – and the two Scottish clubs have won 55 league titles apiece. Stood above the rest is Northern Irish outfit Linfield – who, since their inception in 1886, have won a total of 57 league titles.
10-1 –FOOTBALL CLUBS THAT HAVE WON MOST LEAGUE TITLES
Rank Team Nation League Titles
10. South China Hong Kong, China 41
9. Al Ahly Egypt 44
8. Olimpia Honduras 45
7. Olimpia Paraguay 47
6. Olympiacos Greece 48
5. Nacional Uruguay 49
4. Penarol Uruguay 54
3. Rangers Scotland 55
2. Celtic Scotland 55
1. Linfield Northern Ireland 57
