Top 20 Best Football Teams in the World Right Now (Update 2023)

With seven triumphs in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League, AC Milan is the Italian football team with the greatest success on the international stage. The acronym AC stands for Associazione Calcio, which can be translated as “kicking club” in English. Legendary footballers have come out of the club over the years. They achieved their latest scudetto in 2021–2022. AC Milan is one of the best clubs in the world.

19. Brighton

• FA Cup Runners-up: 1
• FA Charity Shield Winners: 1
• Sussex Senior Challenge Cup wins: 15
• The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup wins: 2
• Third Division South//League One Champions (Tier 3): 3
• Fourth Division/Third Division Champions (Tier 4): 2
• Southern League Champions: 1

Brighton & Hove Albion FC has competed in many categories, including the English Premier League. The English team is based in the city of Brighton and Hove. Brighton FC finished 9th in the EPL and experienced one of their greatest performances in the league.

18. Villareal

• Tercera División wins (domestic): 1
• UEFA Europa League wins: 1
• UEFA Intertoto Cup wins: 2

Villarreal Club de Fútbol is nicknamed the “Yellow Submarine” because of its yellow uniform. They reached the semifinals against Arsenal in the 2005–2006 Champions League. The Yellows Submarine also finished as Premier League runners-up in 2022 in a match against Real Madrid.

17. Arsenal

• First Division/Premier League wins: 13
• FA Cup wins: 14
• Football League Cup/EFL Cup wins: 2
• FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield wins: 16
• Continental Inter-Cities Fairs Cup wins: 1
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1

With 55 games, Arsenal FC holds the record for the most consecutive league-scoring games. With 27 games, they also have the league’s longest streak of wins consecutively. They are one of few teams to have won the league since 1992. Moreover, they are the first and only British team to defeat AC Milan and Inter Milan at the San Siro and Real Madrid.

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16. Atletico Madrid

• La Liga Champions wins: 11
• Segunda Division Champions wins: 1
• Copa del Rey wins: 10
• Supercopa de España wins: 2
• Copa Presidente FEF wins: 1
• Copa Eva Duarte wins: 1
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• UEFA Europa League wins: 3
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 3
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 1

Diego Simeone and his team helped this club to win the La Liga championships for the 2020/21 season. Regarding UEFA competition titles, Atlético Madrid is Spain’s 3rd most successful club behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. In terms of titles, Atlético Madrid is the fourth most successful club in Spanish football, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao.

15. Borussia Dortmund

• German Championship / Bundesliga wins: 8
• DFB-Pokal wins: 5
• DFB / DFL-Supercup wins: 6
• DFB-Ligapokal runners-up: 1
• UEFA Champions League wins: 1
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1965–66
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 1
• Oberliga West/West German Championship wins: 6
• Westphalia Cup wins: 1

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Germany’s top teams have been Borussia Dortmund and Bayern for the longest time. The two have dominated the German top division for years. The average attendance for games played by the North Rhine-Westphalian Giants is 81,178. Their Signal Iduna Park stadium holds around 25,000 people.

14. RB Salzburg

• Austrian Bundesliga wins: 16
• Austrian Cup wins: 9
• Austrian Supercup wins: 3
• Austrian First League wins: 3
• UEFA Youth League wins: 1

FC Salzburg has a distinguished past. The club changed its name four times due to two distinct sponsorships. After winning over 10 Austrian Bundesliga championships and numerous Austrian Cup medals, FC Salzburg established itself as one of the most successful teams in Austrian football. Currently, the team goes under the name FC Red Bull Salzburg.

13. Porto

• Primeira Liga wins: 30
• Taça de Portugal wins: 18
• Taça da Liga wins: 1
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira wins: 23
• Campeonato de Portugal wins: 4
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 2
• UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League wins: 2
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 1
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 2

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FC Porto has a successful and colorful past, including 28 Primeira Liga titles, 16 Taça de Portugal titles, and four significant European trophies. They hold the record for the only Portuguese team to win five straight league championships from 1995 to 1999. FC Porto, S.L. Benfica, and Sporting CP comprise the Portuguese “Big Three” teams. The two have a long-standing rivalry with Porto.

12. RB Leipzig

• Bundesliga runners-up: 2
• Bundesliga (II) runners-up: 1
• Liga (III) runners-up: 1
• Regionalliga Nordost (IV) wins: 1
• NOFV-Oberliga Süd (V) wins: 1
• DFB-Pokal wins: 1
• DFL-Supercup runners-up: 1
• Saxony Cup wins: 2
• UEFA Champions League semi-finalists: 1
• UEFA Europa League semi-finalists: 1

FC RB Leipzig reaching the UEFA Champions League semifinals shocked Atletico Madrid and was the most notable in the club’s history. It was a historic victory against Atletico Madrid because the club was promoted to Bundesliga afterward.

11. Tottenham

• First Division / Premier League (Tier 1) wins: 2
• Second Division / Championship (Tier 2 wins: 2
• FA Cup wins: 8
• League Cup / EFL Cup wins: 4
• FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield wins: 7
• Sheriff of London Charity Shield wins: 1
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League wins: 2

Tottenham is the third-most successful club in FA Cup history, behind Manchester United and Arsenal. They have won the title eight times and made it to the championship game nine times since 1901. Tottenham FC became the first non-league team to win the FA Cup when they did so in 1901. The UEFA Cup was initially awarded to Spurs in 1971, and they remain the only team to have ever won it.

10. Ajax

• Netherlands Football League Championship / Eredivisie wins: 36
• KNVB Cup wins: 20
• Johan Cruyff Shield wins: 9
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 4
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• UEFA Cup wins: 1
• Super Competition / UEFA Super Cup wins: 2
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 2

The Dutch side enjoyed a stellar run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Unfortunately, that side was broken up and splintered across Europe, but highly-rated former boss Erik ten Hag rebuilt the squad and won all six Champions League group games during that term. Being in the less prestigious Dutch league, AFC Ajax has a lower ceiling than most teams on this list, but they remain a jewel in European football.

9. Manchester United

• First Division/Premier League wins: 20
• Second Division wins: 2
• FA Cup wins: 12
• Football League Cup/EFL Cup wins: 15
• FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield wins: 21
• European Cup/UEFA Champions League wins: 3
• UEFA Europa League wins: 1
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 1
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• FIFA Club World Cup wins: 1
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 1

In 1968, Manchester United became the first English team to triumph in the European Championship. They won the Triple in 1999, making them the first English club to do so. They won the FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League crowns. Of course, the 2021/22 season did not pan out expectedly. Reports of discontent are never far away, but Man United is not in terminal decline.

8. Juventus

• Italian Football Championship Serie A wins: 36
• Italian Football Championship Serie B wins: 1
• Coppa Italia wins: 14
• Supercoppa Italiana wins: 9
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 2
• European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• UEFA Cup wins: 3
• European Super Cup / UEFA Super Cup wins: 2
• UEFA Intertoto Cup wins: 1
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 2

The club won 36 Serie A league titles, 14 Coppa Italia titles, 9 national Super Cup titles, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 2 European Cups/UEFA Champions Leagues, a national record, and more. Juventus FC is a historic giant with total dominance in Italy for the last decade.

7. Inter Milan

FC Internazionale is undoubtedly one of the most adored clubs in Italy. Inter Milan won their 19th Serie A championship by defeating teams like Atalanta, AC Milan, and Juventus. After 11 long years, Inter finally won the Scudetto, depriving the Bianconeri of their chance to win the Serie A championship for the tenth time in a row.

6. Real Madrid

• La Liga wins: 35
• Copa del Rey wins: 19
• Copa de la Liga wins: 1
• Supercopa de España wins: 12
• Copa Eva Duarte wins: 25
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 14
• UEFA Cup wins: 2
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 5
• Latin Cup wins: 2
• FIFA Club World Cup wins: 4
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 3
• Ibero-American Cup wins: 1

Real Madrid’s 35 La Liga championship titles are more than any other Spanish team has won. Additionally, the team has won two UEFA Cups, 19 Copa del Rey cups, 25 Copa Eva Duarte titles, and more. Players like Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric are its spine in La Liga and their Champions League. Real Madrid has been one of the best football teams in the world for a long time.

5. Chelsea

• First Division / Premier League wins: 6
• Second Division wins: 2
• FA Cup wins: 8
• Football League Cup / EFL Cup wins: 5
• FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield wins: 3
• Full Members’ Cup wins: 2
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 2
• UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League wins: 2
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 2
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 2
• FIFA Club World Cup wins: 1

In 2012, Chelsea FC won their first Champions League championship, and in 2013, they won the Europa League. As a result, it became the first football team to double up on all four major European trophies. In addition, Chelsea FC is the only team in football history to have won all four major European trophies twice. The Blues are among the best football teams in the world, ranked number 5.

4. PSG

• Ligue 1 win: 10
• Ligue 2 wins: 1
• Coupe de France: 14
• Coupe de la Ligue: 9
• Trophée des Champions: 11
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1

Paris Saint-Germain FC is the most successful club in French football history, having won more than 30 championships. They have won Ligue 1, a domestic French football competition, six times. The league features formidable opponents like Bordeaux, Monaco, Brest, Reims, and Marseille. PSG FC has players like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi.

3. Liverpool

• First Division / Premier League wins: 19
• Second Division wins: 4
• FA Cup wins: 8
• Football League Cup / EFL Cup wins: 9
• FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield wins: 16
• European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: 6
• UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League wins: 3
• UEFA Super Cup wins: 4
• FIFA Club World Cup wins: 1

Liverpool FC won two European Cups (2005 and 2019) and got its 19th League title in 2020. It is the second on the list of teams with the most championships (19). Manchester United tops the list with 20 Premier League championships which it won from 1889 to 2020. Liverpool FC has played its home games at Anfield since its formation.

2. Bayern Munich

• German Champions / Bundesliga wins: 32
• DFB-Pokal wins: 20
• DFB / DFL-Supercup wins: 10
• DFL-Ligapokal wins: 6
• UEFA Champions League / European Cup wins: 6
• UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup wins: 1
• UEFA / European Cup Winners’ Cup wins: 1
• UEFA / European Super Cup wins: 2
• Intercontinental Cup wins: 2
• FIFA Club World Cup wins: 2

Bayern has been one of the best football teams ever in the world. They have 32 Bundesliga titles, 20 DFB-Pokal titles, two Champions League trophies, and more. FC Bayern Munich has maintained a consistent force in football. They have the world’s best striker, Robert Lewandowski, but he was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or in the 2021/2022 season after scoring 41 goals in 29 league games.

1. Manchester City

English club Man City FC has been the best football team in the world in 2023. It continues to find new ways to win games of football. It’s that simple. Manchester City’s managers always find ways to adapt to challenges like finding a replacement for retired player Sergio Aguero. English football club Man City FC has been the best football team in the world in 2023.

Which is the best football club in the world at the moment?

The 20 best football teams in the world are:

• Manchester City
• Bayern Munich
• Liverpool FC
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Chelsea FC
• Real Madrid
• Inter Milan FC
• Juventus FC
• Manchester United
• AFC Ajax
• Tottenham FC
• RB Leipzig
• RB Salzburg
• FC Porto
• Borussia Dortmund
• Atletico Madrid
• Arsenal FC
• Villarreal CF
• Brighton & Hove Albion FC
• AC Milan