Top 30 leagues in the world ranked by how good they are - MLS above Saudi Pro League (2024)

The top 30 leagues in world football were ranked earlier in 2024 by Opta Power Rankings and it makes for interesting reading. You won't be too surprised to see the English Premier League lead the way, pulling away from their rival European competitions due to their vast riches. In five of the last seven years, there has been an English side competing in the Champions League final, with three of those going on to win.

It's not just the country's top flight that also impresses. The Championship also finds itself ahead of some of the most established leagues in Europe, including the Eredivisie and the MLS. With so many talented leagues on display, this is how the top 30 is looking after the most recent update.

World's Best Leagues: 30th-21st

Including the Saudi Pro League & Japanese J1 League

Making it into the top 30 by the skin of their teeth is the Polish Ekstraklasa at 30, the Scottish Premiership containing the likes of Celtic and Rangers at 29, the Greek Super League at 28 and the top Czech division at 27. Interestingly, despite all of its spending, the Saudi Pro League is only ranked 26th. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player to move over to the league but has since been joined by other stars such as Ruben Nevez, N'golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Karim Benzema to name a few. Portugal's greatest ever player did claim that the SPL would go on to become a top five league in the world, although it is still a way off from hitting that landmark.

Despite all those star players, it hasn't done enough to raise the league's ranking in Opta's eyes just yet. But there's no doubt that, given a few more transfer windows, the Saudi Pro League will have as much quality as some of the best leagues in the world. The rest of the teams ranking in the bottom 10 are the Cyprus First Division, the Swedish Allsvenskan, the Norwegian Eliteserien, the Japanese J1 League and the South Korean K League 1. Looking at some of the teams ranking above the Saudi Pro League is quite a shock considering the lack of noticeable names that they possess.

World's Best Leagues: 20th-11th

Including MLS & the Eredivisie

Moving into the top 20, there is a noticeable step-up in quality. At the bottom of the second third of this list is the Croatian HNL, which will soon be the home of former Champions League winner Ivan Rakitic. The Austrian Bundesliga is in 19th, followed by the 2.Bundesliga. The second tier of German football is the first second division to appear on this list and falls just short of the Argentine Primera in 17th.

The Turkish Super Lig sits in 16th, and in the middle of the pack the Eredivisie can be found. The home of teams that used to dominate Europe such as Ajax in the 1980s, has fallen dramatically in recent years, with its decline particularly heartbreaking for football historians.

The Swiss Super League comes just before the MLS, who have improved on their previous ranking history, in no small part to Lionel Messi's arrival States-side. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is the MLS' highest-earner currently, and has brought other stars with him such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez. The increase in quality on the pitch has played a big part in the rise up the rankings for the league largely made famous by David Beckham. Rounding out the middle ten is Russian Premier League and the Mexican Liga MX.

Includes the English Premier League, Serie A and La Liga

Kicking off the top 10 is the Brazillian Serie A. However, the home for teams like Palmeiras and Sau Paulo may struggle to hold onto this spot as many of its young stars begin to migrate over to Europe's elite competitions. At number nine sits yet another second division in La Liga 2. Perhaps a small part of this is down to how well some newly promoted clubs have done in Spain's top flight, with Girona in particular qualifying for the Champions League just two-years after their promotion.

At eight is the Danish Superligaen, which is home to teams like Copenhagen who finished above Manchester United in their 2023/24 Champions League group. The highest second division in world football appears at number seven, with the Championship doing remarkably well to sit so high in the standings. This has been greatly helped by English giants such as Leicester City and Leeds United competing in England's second tier over the past 12 months. The Primera Liga in Portugal finishes just outside of the top five, with many of their biggest names such as Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP becoming feeder clubs as they watch their best talent move on to greener pastures.

As we enter the top five, we meet the best of the best. France's Ligue 1 comes in at five, with some of the best footballers in the world playing in the division. This might take a hit as Kylian Mbappe begins his new life at Real Madrid, but there are still plenty of big names on display. A Champions League title might have eluded them so far, but they're still a very good team and with the likes of OGC Nice, Lille and Marseille all also competing in the league, it's an impressive division. They are followed by the Bundesliga, who drop down to fourth despite seeing Borussia Dortmund make the 2023/24 Champions League final.

Ranked third, earning a spot on the pedestal, but not quite reaching the top two, is Italy's Serie A. The league comes in third place despite Juventus falling away from being one of the best sides on the continent. Instead, Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan - who reached the 22/23 Champions League final - have lead the way in the division in recent years. AS Roma and Fiorentina were also losers in the Europa League and Europa Conference League finals that same campaign, respectively. So, the league has had some success in Europe.

After suffering a slight dip, La Liga returns to the runners-up spot after Los Blancos won a record-extending 15th European Cup. With Mbappe joining the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo in attack, they may just become the most intimidating side in the world.

To the surprise of no one, the English Premier League comes in as the best league in the world and for good reason. The most valuable players and clubs are all in the division. The likes of Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne all ply their trade in England and walk into any team in the world. As we've already mentioned, clubs in England have dominated Europe recently too, with three of the last seven Champions League winners being English. The league is incredibly deep too, with quality players found at some of the lower-ranked teams as well as the best ones.