Owing to the tribalistic nature of football, fans of the sport frequently tend to ignore the facts and are usually steadfast in their belief that the club which they support is the best in the world. The basis of their belief stems purely from the passion with which they support the club and is mostly devoid of pragmatism.
Determining the best football clubs in the world, however, can be done in a much more objective manner if fans can just put their emotions and love for their respective club aside.
So how exactly does one determine which is the best club in the world? Trophies are the basis for judging how good a club really is, but in the modern era factors like revenue, infrastructure and global following also play a big part in outlining which are the top-rated clubs in the world.
Keeping all this in mind, here’s a brief look at some of the best football clubs in the world today. Trophy counts are correct to the end of the 2025-26 season, and revenue figures come from the Deloitte Football Money League 2026, which covers the 2024-25 season.
Best football clubs in the world
| Club | League titles | European Cups | Revenue 2024-25 |
| Real Madrid | 36 | 15 | €1,161m |
| Barcelona | 29 | 5 | €974.8m |
| Manchester City | 10 | 1 | €829.3m |
| Liverpool | 20 | 6 | €836.1m |
| Bayern Munich | 35 | 6 | €860.6m |
| Manchester United | 20 | 3 | €793.1m |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 14 | 2 | €837m |
| AC Milan | 19 | 7 | €410.4m |
| Juventus | 36 | 2 | €401.7m |
| Chelsea | 6 | 2 | €584.1m |
League titles are top-flight national championships (Bayern’s 35 include the 1932 German title before the Bundesliga existed). European Cups are European Cup and UEFA Champions League wins.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid won FIFA’s Club of the Century award in 2000. The Spanish club has won the FIFA Club World Cup five times, more than any other team, and added the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in 2024. Los Blancos also hold the records for the most UEFA Champions League titles (15) and La Liga titles (36), along with 20 Copa del Rey trophies.
Needless to say, they are one of the biggest football brands and the best football club in the world. They were also the richest club in the Deloitte Football Money League 2026, with revenue of €1,161m in 2024-25.
Blessed with a state-of-the-art training ground and stadium, their academy, La Fábrica, has produced some of the best talents for Spain, including striker Raul and goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Ferenc Puskas were some of the best players who played for the club.
Barcelona
Barcelona, with three FIFA Club World Cup titles, five UEFA Champions League trophies, 29 La Liga titles and a record 32 Copa del Reys, are second on our list of best football clubs in the world. Their 29th league title came in 2025-26.
They own Camp Nou, which is being rebuilt into a larger stadium. Barcelona moved back into it in November 2025, and it holds 62,652 spectators while the work continues. The club also boasts one of the top football academies in the world in La Masia.
A lot of credit goes to Barcelona’s football academy and youth system for shaping Lionel Messi’s career early on.
Barcelona were the second-highest earners in the world in 2024-25, with revenue of €974.8m.
Manchester City
The last decade and a half has seen Manchester City emerge from the shadows of their once-dreaded rivals Manchester United. City won the treble in 2022-23, including their first UEFA Champions League, and followed it with the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023. Their four consecutive league titles from 2020-21 to 2023-24 are an English record.
Besides their 10 league triumphs overall, City have won eight FA Cups and nine League Cups, and they won both domestic cups in 2025-26.
City earned €829.3m in 2024-25, sixth in the world.
Liverpool
With six UEFA Champions League titles and a FIFA Club World Cup title in 2019, Liverpool are the most successful English club in the European Cup. The Reds won their 20th top-flight title in 2024-25, drawing level with Manchester United’s record.
The club reaped the rewards of its popularity and was the fifth-highest earning club globally in 2024-25, with €836.1m.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are the heavyweights of German football, with a record 35 German championships (34 of them in the Bundesliga) and a record 21 DFB-Pokal wins. They won both again in 2025-26. Two FIFA Club World Cup wins and six UEFA Champions League titles further highlight their standing among the traditional European elite.
They were the third-highest earning club in the world in 2024-25, with €860.6m. They moved into the Allianz Arena in 2005, and boast some of the best training ground and stadium infrastructure in Germany, if not the world.
Manchester United
Despite not having many trophies to show in the past decade, Manchester United command one of the most loyal fanbases in the world. Their 20 English top-flight titles are level with Liverpool’s record, and 13 of them came in the Premier League era, more than any other club. Their most recent trophy is the 2023-24 FA Cup.
They won the Club World Cup in 2008 and have three UEFA Champions League trophies in their cabinet. United earned €793.1m in 2024-25, eighth in the world.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
Paris Saint-Germain are the undisputed kings of French football, with a record 14 Ligue 1 titles. They finally conquered Europe in 2024-25, winning their first UEFA Champions League, and retained the trophy in 2025-26 by beating Arsenal in the final in Budapest. They also won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in 2025.
Besides their league titles, PSG boast a record 16 Coupe de France trophies and a record nine Coupe de la Ligue wins. They were the fourth-highest revenue-generating club in 2024-25, with €837m.
AC Milan
Italian club AC Milan, with seven UEFA Champions League titles, are second only to Real Madrid when it comes to winning the premier European trophy. They also have 19 Serie A titles and five Coppa Italias in their trophy cabinet, and won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2007.
Undoubtedly one of the most loved clubs in Italy, they most recently won the Serie A title in 2021-22. Milan’s revenue was €410.4m in 2024-25.
Juventus
While fellow Serie A club AC Milan dominated the European competitions, Juventus were busy accumulating trophies in Italy’s top-flight football league.
The Old Lady have won a record 36 Serie A titles and a record 15 Coppa Italias, along with two UEFA Champions League crowns. Arguably Italy’s biggest football club, Juventus generated revenue of €401.7m in 2024-25.
Chelsea
Chelsea, who compete in the Premier League, have won six English league titles, two UEFA Champions League trophies (2012 and 2021) and two UEFA Europa Leagues. When they won the UEFA Conference League in 2025, they became the first club to win all four main UEFA competitions.
They have also won the FIFA Club World Cup twice, in 2021 and in 2025, when they beat PSG in the final of the first 32-team edition. A few other trophies they have won include eight FA Cups and five League Cups.
A consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea in a £4.25bn takeover in 2022. The club generated revenue of €584.1m in 2024-25.
Photo credit: Alamy