European Club Rankings: PSG Maintains Top 5 Status Amid Dramatic Changes

The new year has arrived, yet familiar habits remain as Opta reveals its ranking of the top clubs in Europe. PSG holds its spot in the top five, while French clubs experience dramatic shifts in their standings.

With the festivities now behind us, football is regaining its prominence across nearly all leagues. The Big Five are back in action (with the exception of Germany), and some teams have avoided being sidelined by the holiday celebrations. In the Premier League, Arsenal has celebrated two consecutive victories against Aston Villa (4-1) and Bournemouth (3-2). Meanwhile, Manchester City struggled, drawing their matches against Sunderland and Chelsea (0-0 and 1-1). In Germany, Bayern Munich will make its return on January 11 against Wolfsburg.

In Italy, Inter Milan secured a straightforward win over Bologna, with a goal from Marcus Thuram (3-1). AC Milan also triumphed over Cagliari (1-0), while Juventus could only manage a draw with Lecce (1-1). In La Liga, Gonzalo Garcia stepped up in Kylian Mbappé’s absence, scoring a hat-trick in a resounding victory against Real Betis (5-1). The Barcelona derby concluded in a predictable win for the Blaugrana (2-1), despite the new goalkeeper Joan Garcia facing criticism from fans; he responded with an outstanding performance.

According to Opta’s world club rankings, the top five is still dominated by English teams, with Paris Saint-Germain comfortably positioned. This was the case last week as well, but Real Madrid remains at risk of slipping out of the top ten.

Opta’s ranking of the 50 best teams in the world

Ranking
1. Arsenal (=)
2. Bayern Munich (=)
3. Manchester City (=)
4. Paris Saint-Germain (=)
5. Barcelona (=)
6. Aston Villa (=)
7. Liverpool (=)
8. Inter Milan (+1)
9. Chelsea (-1)
10. Real Madrid (=)
11. Newcastle (=)
12. Borussia Dortmund (+1)
13. Atlético de Madrid (-1)
14. Bayer Leverkusen (=)
15. Brighton (=)
16. Brentford (+2)
17. Napoli (+3)
18. Manchester United (-2)
19. Sporting Portugal (=)
20. Benfica (+2)
21. Tottenham (=)
22. AC Milan (+1)
23. Crystal Palace (-6)
24. PSV (+1)
25. Juventus (-1)
26. AFC Bournemouth (+1)
27. AS Roma (-1)
28. Fulham (+1)
29. Everton (-1)
30. Atalanta (+1)
31. FC Porto (+2)
32. RC Lens (+5)
33. RB Leipzig (+1)
34. Olympique de Marseille (-4)
35. Olympique Lyonnais (+9)
36. Villarreal (+5)
37. Stuttgart (-2)
38. Nottingham Forest (-6)
39. Club Bruges (+1)
40. Real Betis (-2)
41. Sunderland (+4)
42. Bologna (-3)
43. Galatasaray (=)
44. Leeds United (+4)
45. Lille (-9)
46. Union Saint-Gilloise (=)
47. Lazio Rome (-5)
48. Eintracht Frankfurt (+1)
49. Côme (+1)
50. Freiburg (+1)