Croatia Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

Croatia was part of the Yugoslav league until 1990/91, when the country was broken up into several different ones. Points are therefore shared among what are now other nations up until that time. In 1992 and since then, Croatian clubs have been part of their own competition.

In the SuperSport HNL, the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Football Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. Up to 8 points are awarded for European success. Now for a competition breakdown.

The league is dominated by Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, with HNK Rijeka having recent success too. Since 1992, those three sides have won all titles bar one. Dinamo won 18 out of 19 from 2005/06 to 2023/24. The current title holder is Rijeka.

The cup follows the same pattern with the top three sharing the trophy. Due to the knock out format, long runs of wins are rare with Dinamo putting three together from 2006/07.

In Europe, the only success has been in the Europa League. Dinamo were runner up in 1963 and winners in 1967. Hajduk Split made a semi final in 1984.

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. Some of them have now ceased to exist and others have changed names but I've used the latest ones.

I've divided the clubs up into four regions. Zagreb has about 28% of the total population and took 46.5% of the total points. South 30%, West 13% with the other two are the same with 5.2% each. Crowd trouble is a problem, with the rivalry between the two top clubs intense. 

Serbia Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

Serbia was part of the Yugoslav league until 1990/91, when the country was broken up into several different ones. Points are therefore shared among what are now other nations up until that time. In 1992 and since then, Serbian clubs are in their own competition.

In the Superliga Srbije, the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Kup Srbije 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. Up to 8 points are awarded for European success. 

RS Belgrade has won the last ten league titles. Over that period, Partizan has come second eight times. Those two sides have all titles since 1989/90 bar one. 

RS Belgrade has won the last five cups. FK Vojvoddina the one before that and Partizan the four before that. No wonder they are at the top of the chart. 

European success has been reasonable, with Red Star winning the Champions League in 1991 and made the final of the Europa League in 1979. Partizan made the final in 1966. Red Star has 14 points, Partizan 4 and FK Radnički Niš 1. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. As you will have worked out by now, it is a two team country when it comes to success. 

Belgrade is the capital city and its urban area makes up just over 20% of the population. It has the two most successful clubs and 84.3% of the points earned are for clubs from here. Because of that, I only have two other areas, North and Rest. 

Crowd trouble has marred football matches for many years. Rivalry between Red Star and Partizan fans has been intense since the clubs were founded in 1945. It is known as the Eternal Derby. 

Austria Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

The dominant clubs are the five listed to the right. 'Aus' is domestic success and 'Tot' adds European success. In the Austrian Bundesliga, the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The ÖFB Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. Up to 8 points are awarded for European success. Let's dive a little deeper.

The Bundesliga has Austria Wein and Rapid Wien at the top with a fast improving RB Salzburg catching them up. RB Salzburg won the league for ten consecutive seasons from 2013/14. Then Sturm Graz won the last two with RBS having to settle for second place.

The ÖFB Cup was won nine times between 2011/12 to 2021/22 by RB Salzburg. Strum Graz took the next two and Wolfsburger AC the current holder. Austria Wien hasn't held the cup since 2008/09 and Rapid Wien 1994/95! That said, they stil lead the honours board.

I've put all European success together as it hasn't been that prolific. Understandable as smaller nations simply cannot compete with the big guns. The best performance was in 1993/94 when RB Salzburg lost in the final of the Europa League. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. Some of them have now ceased to exist and others have changed names but I've used the latest ones.

Vienna (Wien) has the most points with 513 (43.4%). The other three regions I divided the clubs up into all have a reasonable share. Please comment if you wish to add anything.

Israel Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

Israel's football is strongest among clubs from Tel Aviv.  I've added point for success which is described as follows. In the Premier League, the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Cup is 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. 

Going back to the 1960-61 season (when it was called the Liga Leumit), the Premier League's most successful clubs are shown to the left. 

The term Maccabi associated with clubs has historical roots to do with Jewish pride, resilliance and success as is Beitar. Hapoel is to do with labourers.

The cup has similar teams to the league at the top of the rankings although knock out competitions tend to produce more upset results.

While Maccabi Tel Aviv has won the league for the last two years, the last two cup winners have been Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. 

The 'Isr' columns are for domestic points only. 'Tot' includes that plus European success, but there hasn't been any that would reach the level of points awarded. So they are both the same. Israel was zoned with the Asian region but some nations refused to play their clubs. That made and results meaningless so are not included here. Israel was eventually allowed to compete in Europe.  

As for regions, I've divided the country into three zones. Tel Aviv is the most successful with 48% of the points awarded. Any teams north of Tel Aviv are classified as North and they have gained 32% of the total. Finally clubs to the south of Tel Aviv have 20%. 

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MLS USA 30 Year Summary : 1996-2025

The main problem associated with this is the fact that some clubs have been around thirty years and others few or in one case just one. Points are allocated to reflect success but the difference in the number of years participating makes years of service the main factor rather than the quality of those years.

If points detemined the rankings, then LA Galaxy would head the table. It has produced some quality over those years too. There are others that have been really successful but due to limited years would be well down the chart. 

So I thought averages would be a better indicator. Divide the points by years. That isn't perfect either as new clubs are often surprisingly successful from day one. It still is the better way, so that's how it is presented in the chart below.

The yellow columns show combined figures from the League and Finals. They each have an average figure and a total one. The only difference is that the Combined section also has CT, or a count of how many seasons that club has participated. 

So all the average figures are based on the number of seasons played. San Diego's excellent one season puts it at the top, but maintaining that over more seasons will be impossible. Below are clubs that have put in many seasons and have shown a high level of consistency.

The Seattle Sounders have been exceptional over 17 seasons to average 18.6 points per season. Several clubs just below Seattle have also done well over a prolonged period. 

Some of the names are for clubs no longer part of the scene. Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion did well while they lasted. Chivas USA obviously struggled to make an impact. 

Romania Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

Football was first played in Romania in the 1800's but the first domestic competition was held in 1909. The 1980's and 1990's were a strong period for the sport in the country. 

The most successful club is Steaua București but was forced to change its name and is now known as FCSB. I have kept the older name as that is what it is better known as outside of Romania.

To the right is a summary of the top clubs. The two main Bucharest clubs have dominated the domestic league scene ('Rom' Column) and with some success in Europe adding to the 'Tot' column. How are the points awarded? 

In the Liga 1 (first division), the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Cupa României 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. The Cupa Ligii 3 and 1. Up to 8 points are awarded for European success. Let's dive deeper.

In Liga 1, Steaua București has won the last two years and the best team since 1960/61. Dinamo Bucureşti has not won since 2007, so is no longer the club it once was. CFR Cluj won the league consecutively from 2017/18 to 2021/22. 

The Cupa României has the same top sides as in the league. Recently it has had other winners. Of the last four cups, Sepsi OSK have won it twice, then Corvinul Hunedoara and CFR Cluj once each.

The Cupa Ligii has rarely been held, with Steaua București the top of the list with 6 points and FCM Bacău on 4.Rapid Bucureşti,Gloria Bistrița and Dinamo Bucureşti 3 points each.

In Europe, Steaua București won the now called Champions League in 1986, runner up in 1989 and semi fnailist in 1988. Otherwise, it's been lean pickings.

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. This is a long list of clubs, more than any other I've done. Some of them have now ceased to exist.

Bucharest is in the south but is listed separately here. With 59% of the points on offer, it is the strongest region by far. The South West is next, then the North West. The other areas have had a limited impact. 

Sweden Women Clubs Ranked - 1988 to 2024

Sweden led the way in women's football with the creation of a professional league, the Damallsvenskan in 1988. That led to success in Europe for the top Swedish clubs. As other nations have followed suit, Sweden hasn't been able to replicate that success but still has a strong domestic competition.

First, to clarify some of the club's changes. Kopparbergs/Landvetters became Kopparbergs/Göteberg and then finally BK Häcken FF, all of the history that is here is under the latter. 

FC Rosengård was Malmö FF Dam and then LdB FC Malmö. It merged with FC Rosengård and took the Rosengård name. All the history is here is listed under the FC Rosengård as it is the same club in various forms. Malmö FF was reformed as a club in 2019 just to confuse matters. 

Älvsjö AIK merged with Djurgårdens IF but are kept separate here. The reason is they both played against each other until 2002 so the records up until then are kept apart. Älvsjö was by far the more successful of the two but after a couple of seasons after the merger where their names were both used, they took the name Djurgårdens IF in 2007 and all points since the merger are here credited to Djurgårdens.

To the right are the top six club sides. 'Swe' is for points accrued in the domestic league and 'Tot' adds European success. 

The Malmö based FC Rosengård is well ahead of second placed Umeå IK, based in the north of Sweden. Linköpings FC is third with its success coming more recently. The other three were mentioned above.

How are points allocated? Damallsvenskan (Division 1) gets 6,3,2 and 1 point for the top four. The Svenska Cupen (Cup) 4 and 2 for the finalists. The European Champions League is 8, 4 and 2 for the top four, depending on where they finish. 

The Damallsvenskan, or first division, is shown to the left. FC Rosengård has consistently been a top performer whereas Umeå IK was successful around the early 2000's only. Djurgårdens IF fell away after 2007 but in contrast, BK Häcken's points have come since then. 

The Svenska Cupen is like many cup competitions, the knock out format means it is less predictable. Certain clubs have enjoyed success for periods of time but not on a prolonged basis. BK Häcken has been in the last four cup finals, although it did only win one of them.   

The Champions League was first played in the 2001/02 season. This coincided with Umeå IK being at its strongest and they were in five finals, winning twice. Djurgårdens IF and Tyresö FF have both been losing finalists once. Swedish clubs have not made it to the semi final stage since 2013/14. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club on the left, then on the right they are divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs in their region.

The regional coverage is well spread. The South leads from Stockholm. The less populated North does well, with Central Sweden and Gothenburg also providing solid contributions. Capital cities are normally strong in sport but not so much here.  

Swiss Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2024/25

Football was introduced by British teachers and students in the 1860's and it was just before the end of the 19th century that a football competition was first held.

Going from the beginning of the 1960's, the chart to the right shows the most successful clubs. So how do the points work? First up the 'Swi' column shows domestic points and 'Tot' includes European success, which as you can see, isn't that bountiful.

In the Super League (first division), the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Swiss Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. The League Cup 3 and 1. Let's dive a little deeper.

Super League (Nationalliga A until 2002): FC Basel is the most successful, putting on an amazing run from 1999/00 to 2021/22. After two quieter years, they then won the league in 2024/25. Two clubs from FC Zürich take second and third. The Bern Young Boys and Geneva's Servette FC follow.

The Swiss Cup again has FC Basel at the top of the rankings. The usual suspects join them with FC Sion from the South West of the country has done well in this competition, replacing Young Boys in the top five. While Sion's success has been consistent, Basel has been more so in recent times.

The League Cup was established in 1972 but ended in the 1981/82 season. Servette FC and Grasshoppers were the only sides to win it more than once.

European success has been limited to a couple of semi finals in what is now the Champions League for FC Zürich and one semi final each the the Europa League for Grasshoppers and FC Basel.

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk), which gives their place compared to all the other clubs.

The left side lists all the clubs that have scored points, fewer than other leagues I've investigated so far. The right side was problematic. The clubs didn't divide well into a few regions. FC Basel, for example, is in the north and west. Sion FC is in the south and west. Anyway, just a general guide. 

UEFA Women's Euros : 1997-2025

This was the eighth Women's Euros that I have covered in this article. 1997 was the first 'proper' tournament with a group and a knock out phase. However, before the history we'll look at the 2025 event.

Group A was played in Switzerland, with the hosts in the kindest group but even then only just got past that stage. This was the first group to exit the tournament

Group B got two sides to the semi finals and one to the final. 

Group C had two strong sides but none from that group made the final.

Group D was won by France, although England had the slightly better goal differential. This group also provided the winning team.

England's route to the final was a fight all the way. In the quarter final stage, they came back from 0-2 against Sweden to win a bizarre penalty shootout. It came down to who wanted to lose it the most. Then against Italy, a late injury time equaliser from England got them into extra time and victory. 

Into the final. It happened again against Spain, where England had to come back from 0-1 to end up this time in a penalty shootout, won 3-1. When a team has to battle and keep coming from behind to win, it imbues self belief but not overconfidence. That seems to have been the case here. Hard luck Spain but their penalty shooting was poor. 

For the first three tournaments, there were eight sides participating and for that reason I gave the finalists slightly lower points. When it expanded to twelve, I then increased them.

Historically, it's all about Germany. They won the first five tournaments, so by far the most successful nation. Their earlier dominance is tempered by the fact that they have not won the last three, despite making a final in 2022. 

England were slow starters but are making up for lost opportunities, winning the last two tournaments. Sweden is incredibly solid but has only made one final (losing). Norway has lost two finals and Denmark one. The Netherlands has a trophy from its only finals appearance. Spain had its best tournament in 2025. 

Women's Africa Nations Cup : 1998-2024

WAFCON is the women's Africa Nations Cup that had its inception in Nigeria in 1998. The 2024 tournament was held in 2025 with the groups and knock out games shown below. 

Twelve sides competed in the latest edition, which is the largest number of participants yet and equal to the 2022 tournament. Before that, it was usually eight teams. 

Eight moved into the play off stage with three matches decided by a penalty shootout. In the final, host nation Morocco was surprisingly ahead 2-0 after just 24 minutes. Nigeria pulled a goal back with a penalty in the 68th minute then secured yet another trophy with an 88th minute winning goal.

As for the history, I've scored placings to see how the countries involved have fared. With more sides in the last two events, I've increased the scoring. 

Nigeria have always made it into the knock out stage and have won all ten finals they have been in. South Africa is second with one trophy and has been the losing finalist on four occasions. Interestingly, Equitorial Guinea has only been to five tournamants but made the final three times with two outright victories. 

Ukraine Clubs Ranked - 1992 to 2024/25

Football in Ukraine started in 1992 when it separated from the USSR, which was officially dissolved in December, 1991. Before then Ukrainian clubs did have success in Europe representing the USSR and the results are counted here. The league and cup data start as stated in the title.

One thing that immediately hit me was the dominace of two clubs. That is obvious in the chart to the right where the top six sides are listed. 

'Ukr' represents points awarded for domestic play and 'Tot' includes European success. The top two are tied domestically with 212 points each. 

So how do the points work? In the Premier League the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Ukrainian Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. In Europe, Champions League 8, 4 and two, the Europa League (UEFA Cup) is given 6, 3 and 1 and the defunct Cup Winner's Cup 4 and 2. 

In the league, in 1992 SC Tavriya won but since then it's been either Dynamo Kyiv or Shakhtar Donetsk on the winner's podium. That's some dominance. Kyiv got a jump on Shakhtar but the latter fought back to almost even things up. It has won seven of the last nine titles although Kyiv is the current champion.

The Ukrainian Cup wasn't held in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, otherwise it is also dominated by two clubs. The difference is that Shakhtar Donetsk has the greater success. It has won six of the last eight held, including the last two.

Dynamo Kyiv has tasted success in all three European competitions, between 1975 and 2009. Shakhtar Donetsk's success has come later, between 2009 and 2020. FC Dnipro's sole success was in 2015.

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. Please let me know if you have anything to add. 

Some clubs have ceased operation in recent times. I presume the war has had a lot to do with that. I have divided the clubs into four regions. The East is where most of the fighting is going on and that is the most successful region with 52.6% of the points I've awarded. The Central region has 38.3% and is where the capital is situated. The South (7.5%) and West (1.6%) are the other two regions. 

CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament: 2025

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is held biennially for the countries in North and Central America plus the Caribbean. Invitations are also extended to countries elsewhere. In 2025 it was Saudi Arabia's turn, the first time for that nation.

The chart to the right covers the last six tournaments with points awarded by me. For a history of the tournament going back to 1991, simply click here.

Below is shown the group standings and knock out stage matches. The two most successful participants are the USA and México and they both made the 2025 final. 

México prevailed 2-1 after falling behind to an early goal. This amazingly put both countries on the same points of 220, the USA first by virtue of being ahead coming into the 2025 event. 

México has now won consecutive tournaments and four of the last six held. Since 1991, they have won ten times but has only been the losing finalist twice. The USA in contrast has won seven and been a losing finalist six times. 

Europe U21 : 2025

The 2025 edition has concluded and I must say the freedom of younger players is refreshing. For this competition I only start rating from the quarter final matches as so many nations enter. 

First up for the 2025 tournament the last eight teams came together with England, Netherlands, Germany (after extra time) and France progressing. Then England and Germany made it to the final, the two best sides. England led 2-0 before Germany came back to take the match into extra time. England prevailed for the second consecutive time,

Now onto the historical part, going back to 1978 and covering 25 tournaments. It's getting hard to fit all the years in. Some countries have broken into smaller entities and I have shown that below. Pale blue shows the ones that no longer exist and the new countries that then participated.

England got off to a strong start before entering the doldrums but has recently come back strongly. Italy took over and enjoyed a golden spell of five victories in seven years. Spain has won five times but some poor years keep it just behind Italy. Germany has enjoyed success in more recent times.

Argentina: Clubs Ranked - 1961 to 2024

To say that Argentine football is organised in a chaotic way would be an understatement. I hope I managed to sort it out accurately. Success is quite well spread out compared to many countries in Europe.

To the right are the top sides listed. 'Arg' represents points awarded for domestic play and 'Tot' includes South America.

So how do the points work? In Primera División and the Campeonato Metro (and other names used) top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Copas (Cup) 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. In South America, the Copa Libertadores (Champions League) gives 8, 4 and 2 points. 

The Primera División - National or Clausura - has River Plate as the top side, ahead of Boca Juniors. Recent winners have been CA Lanús (2016), Boca Juniors (2017,18,20,22), Racing Club (2019), River Plate (2021,23) and Vélez Sársfield (2024).

Another league competition played was the Campeonato Metro - Apertura or Inicial - has also often been held concurrently. 

It first was held from 1967 to 1984 and later reinstalled from 1991 to 2014. The same results have nearly been achieved for the top five at least. 

They haven't been big on cup competitions in Argentina, probably due to two league competitions that left no time to squeeze them in. They are the Copa Argentina and Copa Liga Profesional. 

The Copa Argentina was contested in 1969 and 1970, then from 2012 to today. There was no winner declared in 1970 due to the final being drawn but I shared the points with the finalists. Central Córdoba is the current champion.

The other cup Copa Liga Profesional is probably close to League Cups elsewhere. I'm unsure if it is viewed as important as the Copa Argentina so I awarded the same points for top achievers, unlike what I do for Europe. It commenced in 2020 with Estudiantes LP the present trophy holder.

The Copa Libertadores has been a successful hunting ground for Argentine Clubs. As of now, they have almost taken the same number of points as Brazilian clubs. That's an impressive history.

Argentina was of their arch rival Brazil but have recently been overtaken. The last Argentinian title winner was River Plate in 2018 and before that the same club in 2015. Independiente was very successful in the 1960's and more so during the 70's but its last title was 1984. River Plate was a semi finalist in 2024.

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. Please let me know if you have anything to add. I found a few mistakes in my first edition which I have corrected. 

Most come from Buenas Aires which has 79.8% of all points scored. I called the next region Central, which is a similar latitude to BA and that region took 17.9%. The South and North are not prominent. It is all about the capital city.