Benfica crowned kings of youth as CIES names the world’s 100 best academies

There’s a new old sheriff in town. Benfica have been crowned the world’s top talent factory in the latest CIES Football Observatory rankings, edging Barcelona, River Plate and Ajax to the summit. If you’re wondering where tomorrow’s stars are minted, Lisbon’s production line is humming louder than anyone else’s.

How CIES crunched the numbers

The CIES Football Observatory assessed clubs that trained players active across 49 leagues, then built a training index that blends three things: how many graduates each academy has in the professional game, the competitive level those players reached last season, and how many official minutes they piled up. In short: volume, quality, and usage — the full body of work, not just the glossy brochure.

The headline acts: Top 10

Benfica sit top again, a nod to a system that keeps churning out elite performers — think Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and the latest jewel, Joao Neves. Barcelona’s La Masia, still synonymous with pure footballing education, take second. River Plate — with a scarcely believable 97 graduates active — are third, just ahead of Ajax, the eternal finishing school for total football.

Rounding out the ten: Boca Juniors (5th), Sporting CP (6th), Dinamo Zagreb (7th), Uruguay’s Defensor Sporting (8th), Real Madrid’s La Fabrica (9th), and Velez Sarsfield (10th). It’s a who’s who of talent hubs, spread neatly across Iberia, the Balkans and South America.

Surprises and snubs down the order (100–71)

Here’s where it gets tasty. Atalanta — Europa League champions in 2024 — are only 93rd, which is remarkable given their academy’s reputation and alumni like Alessandro Bastoni and Amad Diallo. Villarreal are 91st, Basel 98th and Braga 95th. Right at 100, Le Havre remind everyone that ranking isn’t everything: their conveyor belt once launched Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet, Lassana Diarra and Steve Mandanda.

Further up, Liverpool’s academy lands in 75th despite “Klopp’s kids” stealing Wembley headlines in the League Cup final. Monaco (78th) sit in their sights, but both trail some quietly superb operations in Eastern Europe — MSK Zilina (73rd) and FK Vojvodina (72nd) — proof that you don’t need a mega-budget to shape pros.

Engine rooms of Spain — and beyond (70–41)

Real Sociedad (61st) and Athletic Club (63rd) underline the Basque Country’s knack for doing things properly, while Atletico Madrid (65th) continue to mix developing and retaining talent — with Koke and Pablo Barrios among the standard-bearers. Elsewhere, Porto (59th) continue to polish rough diamonds, and Feyenoord (51st) live their mantra of steady, daily improvement, with 47 active graduates to show for it.

South America owns the 40s: Fluminense (38th) have helped shape Premier League strikers like Joao Pedro and Evanilson; Internacional (37th), Cruzeiro (35th) and Gremio (33rd) all field deep alumni lists. Santos (31st) remain the romantic benchmark thanks to that Neymar lineage — the enduring reminder that Brazilian academies still have the Midas touch.

The climbers and the nearly men (30–21)

PSV (30th) continue to turn promise into product — Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay stand as modern adverts. Genk (27th) and Anderlecht (25th) keep Belgium’s pipeline flowing. Manchester City (21st) are just outside the top 20, reflecting a system that has produced Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and a raft of high-value talents — even if many have cashed out elsewhere.

Inside the top 20 (20–11)

Partizan Belgrade (20th) reaffirm Serbia’s youth pedigree. PSG (19th) have leaned into youth under Luis Enrique, with Warren Zaire-Emery the poster boy. Palmeiras (18th) headline Brazil’s next wave courtesy of blue-chips like Endrick and Estevao, while Flamengo (15th) and Corinthians (14th) keep the Rio–Sao Paulo axis humming. Dynamo Kyiv (13th) and Sao Paulo (12th) are serial producers; Red Star Belgrade (11th) boast a massive 79 active graduates — 21 more than Real Madrid — underlining depth, if not quite the same top-end sparkle.

What it means for English clubs

There’s food for thought on this side of the Channel. Chelsea (50th) still crank out quality at Cobham, even if the first team’s revolving door sometimes blocks the pathway. Arsenal (48th) have doubled down on their Hale End core under Mikel Arteta, while Manchester United (56th) remain a proud finishing school with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay emblematic of the route from academy to Old Trafford. Liverpool (75th) are lower than you’d expect given recent breakthroughs, and Manchester City (21st) sit best of the Premier League lot, underlining a model that’s ruthless but undeniably effective.

And don’t sleep on Italy’s giants lurking mid-table here: Inter (88th) and Juventus (87th) are reminders that some clubs focus as much on elite recruitment as they do on rolling out homegrown headliners — even if Federico Dimarco and the latest Juve prospects like Kenan Yildiz suggest the tap is far from dry.

Follow the money? Not always

This ranking is a timely nudge: infrastructure helps, but it’s coaching detail, pathway clarity and game minutes that make stars. From Pakhtakor (90th) and Sporting Cristal (84th) to Independiente del Valle (32nd), the study is littered with examples of smart, focused academies punching above their financial weight.

Thinking like a punter? Our hub of best betting sites has the latest prices and markets if you fancy tracking the next breakout club — but remember, consistent minutes and a clear pathway beat flashy reputations every day of the week.

The final word

Benfica’s crown feels deserved: a steady stream of first-team-ready graduates, sold cleverly or trusted early. Barcelona, River Plate and Ajax aren’t far behind, while the breadth of producers — from Belgrade to Montevideo — proves the global game’s grassroots are thriving. If you want tomorrow’s elite, don’t just stare at the transfer window. Watch the academy doors — that’s where the future keeps walking out.