Opta’s Top 30: Arsenal crowned No 1 as Bayern and City give chase
Who’s the best football team on the planet? It’s the ultimate pub debate — but Opta have crunched the numbers so you don’t have to. Their Elo-style model, built on results from well over two and a half million matches and weighted by league, country and continental strength, has delivered a fresh global top 30 as of 01/06/2026. And yes, there are a few shockers.
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30–21: Spurs sneak in; Leverkusen headline the bracket
Tottenham Hotspur cling on in 30th, which is remarkable given they only dodged the drop on the final day. They’re tucked in behind Juventus (29th) and Everton (28th). A trio of FC Porto, Napoli and Crystal Palace are bunched together on identical 90.5 ratings — different clubs, same score, very different moods. Fulham (24th) and Roma (23rd) keep things steady, while Club Brugge (22nd) arrive as newly-minted Belgian champions for the 20th time. Bayer Leverkusen top this tranche in 21st after a sixth-place Bundesliga finish that still impressed Opta’s algorithm under the bonnet.
20–11: Atleti make the cut; English clubs everywhere
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid scrape into 20th after finishing fourth in La Liga, a yawning 25 points off Barcelona. Chelsea sit 19th following an FA Cup final defeat and a season without Champions League football. Nottingham Forest at 18th earn respect for survival and a Europa League semi-final run that ended against Aston Villa. Benfica (17th) are credited for an unbeaten Portuguese league campaign, while Brentford (16th) defied the odds under first-time manager Keith Andrews after the Thomas Frank era ended. Sporting CP take 15th, with a Premier League run of Newcastle United (14th), Brighton & Hove Albion (13th), and then Borussia Dortmund (12th) breaking it up before Bournemouth land in a punchy 11th.
10–1: Arsenal on top of the world
Into the elite: Liverpool are 10th (94.1) despite a barren year and a leaky back line, but the squad quality still shines through in the model. Inter Milan (9th, 94.3) reclaimed Serie A under Christian Chivu. Real Madrid (8th, 95.0) somehow go trophyless for a second straight season, with Jose Mourinho widely tipped for a Bernabeu return to shake things up.
Aston Villa are a sensational 7th (95.2) after finishing fourth in the Premier League and lifting the Europa League to end a 44-year wait for silverware. Manchester United match that 95.2 in 6th, powered by 11 wins in 16 under Michael Carrick to seal third place in the league.
Barcelona begin the top five (96.3), champions of Spain again with a staggering 95 league goals and a flawless home record. Yet Opta place Paris Saint-Germain only 4th (97.3) even after another Ligue 1 crown and back-to-back Champions League glory, the latest over Arsenal in Budapest — that will raise eyebrows in north London.
Manchester City are 3rd (98.0) after a domestic cup double but a European flop in the last 16 to Real Madrid. Bayern Munich (2nd, 99.8) produced a record-breaking campaign and charged to the Champions League semis with an attacking cast that reads like a fantasy draft: Harry Kane, Luis Diaz, Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl and Jamal Musiala.
Top of the pile? Arsenal with the full 100. Mikel Arteta’s side finally ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title, pairing one of Europe’s stingiest defences with a goal tally north of a century across all competitions. The Champions League final defeat to PSG stings, but the consistency across the calendar is exactly what this model feasts on.
Is the Premier League really the best?
By representation, the English top flight makes a thunderous case — roughly half of the top 30 hail from the Premier League, and five of the top ten wear its badge. Yet the spread tells its own story: PSG’s European supremacy is “only” fourth by Opta’s maths, City’s cups don’t trump continental slip-ups, and Arsenal’s relentlessness is rewarded over one-off nights. You might not agree with every placing — that’s the beauty of it — but as a barometer of sustained strength, this ranking is hard to ignore.
All rankings courtesy of Opta’s Power Rankings, correct as of 01/06/2026.
