Japan: Clubs Ranked - 1965 to 2025 (Updated)

Football's evolution in Japan has been gradual. A semi professional Japan Soccer League started in 1965, moving on to the fully professional J League in 1993. 

The Emperor Cup is the longest competition but I decided to start counting from 1965 in line with the Japan Soccer League's inception. The JSL Cup started from the 1970's and it also became the J League Cup in 1993.  

Before the J League, clubs were connected to companies and carried their names too. When the J League was initiated, most club names were changed and they are the ones used here. 

Some clubs have been introduced during this period under consideration and a few have folded. With the introduction of the professional J League, the amount of success a club enjoyed changed too. So no club really dominates the list above. 

The chart to the right / top shows points for the Japanese domestic competition (Jap) and then includes Asia (Tot). The points are: J League (Division 1) the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Emperor Cup competitions 4 and 2 points for the finalists only.  The JSL Cup is 3 and 1 points. The Asia Club Championship is 8, 4 and 2 points. The Asian CC includes 2026. 

For the J League (plus JSL) the most successful club is the Urawa Red Diamonds and a more recently successful club the Kashmiri Antlers second. The Yokohama Marinos are also proving competitive. Vissel Kobe won on 2023 and 2034. The Kashima Antlers are the current champions won in 2020 and 2021, the Yokohama F Marinos 2022 and Vissel Kobe in 2023. Most recent winners are the Kashima Antlers.

The Emperor's Cup dates back to 1921 but I only counted from 1965 when the sport was getting more professional. The Urawa Red Diamonds is the most successful with eight wins in twelve finals appearances since 1965. They last won in 2021. Recently the more successful clubs historically have not done so well. The Machiva Zelvia are the current holders. 

The J League Cup is not old (mid 1970's) so the points are not high. It's the equivalent of the league Cup in England. The Kashmira Antlers and Tokyo Verdy have each won it six times. As with the Emperor's Cup, the more successful clubs historically are not doing so well. The current holders is the Sanfrecce Hiroshima club.

The Asia Club Championship started in earnest in the 1985-86 season. Of the 38 times it has been held, Japanese clubs have won it on eight different occasions. They have also been losing finalists seven times. 

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. Any suggestions? Please leave a comment. 

Kantō covers Tokyo and the surrounding area so there is no surprise it has won 62.3% of all points among Japanese clubs. Kansai is two regions down from there and is next (15.5%). Chūbu is between them and third with 11.2%. The south is whatever is below Chūbu (9.8) and the north is above Kantō. 

England Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2025/26 (Updated)

When you look at the past sixty five seasons, how do you quantify success? By allocating points for the top finishing sides. 

Over that time there have been many clubs that have managed to score points but there are some sides that shine. The lists you see here reflect that. 

To the right are the top ten, with points for local competitions on the extreme right and European success added for the 'Tot' figure. 

For the Premier League (Division 1) the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The top five are to the left. There is nothing between Liverpool and Man United with the next three too far behind to realistically catch them anytime soon. Arsenal is the current champion.

The FA Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. In this Man United lead from Arsenal with Chelsea third. There isn't much between them though, the uncertainty of knock out sport a leveller. Manchester City are the holders.

The League Cup just 3 and 1 point to reflect its lesser status. Liverpool do better in this than the FA Cup as does Man City. Aston Villa too has done better here than elsewhere. Manchester City are the current holders of the trophy. 

For Europe, I put them together. For the Champions League (European Cup) I gave 8 , 4 and two from the semi finals. The Europa League (UEFA Cup) got 6, 3 and 1. The new Conference League I added to the long time defunct Cup Winner's Cup. They get 4 and 2 for the finalists. 

Liverpool are big winners here from Man Utd and Chelsea. I did a top nine here to show the depth of success. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace were winners in Europe in 2025/26. Arsenal lost the CL final.

So putting it together and covering all the clubs that have accumulated points, what do we have? What is below, broken down into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place against all the other clubs. 

The strongest region is the North West where the powerhouse football cities of Manchester and Liverpool are situated. They account for 46.9% of the total. Liverpool passed Manchester Utd in the 2024/25 season to become the most successful domestically but are well ahead when Europe is added.  

London is next with several strong clubs and 30.0%. The Midlands total 10.7% and the last three 4.5% combined. So putting it together and covering all the clubs that have accumulated points, what do we have? What is below, broken down into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place against all the other clubs. 

Australasia: Clubs Ranked - 2006/07 to 2025/26 (Updated)

Football (or soccer) isn't the big sports code in Australia like it is in so many countries. The season is held in summer to avoid clashing with more popular codes.Clubs are spread across the country and now includes two teams from New Zealand, one of which has always been part of the competition. What has happened is that teams have been added, names changed and other variances have occurred. 

Sydney FC is the most successful club, narrowly ahead of the Melbourne Victory. The Central Coast Mariners north of Sydney are next, followed by Adelaide Utd.

For points, the A league has 6, 3, 2, and 1 point for the top four. The top sides go into playoffs to win the grand final, the points are 6, 4 and two receiving 2 points each. Slight variances to that for earlier years when there were fewer finalists. There was a preseason competition for the first four years of competition. One point for each winner. 

Top clubs don't dominate proceedings here like in most leagues around the world. Of the 252 points awarded so far, the leading club has just 40 of them. It makes for a more interesting competition than the same few winners all the time. Of the 21 years so far, no club has won more than four. 

The play offs feature the top placed league teams. This list only covers the last remaining four. It rewards the top league sides so success is similar to what we see in the league chart above. 

280 points have been awarded and again no side dominating . Sydney FC have won five grand finals of the eight they have qualified for.  

The four years of preseason tournaments early in proceedings produced just 12 points. They are added in the totals below but are of insufficient importance to be broken down into clubs. 

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 state of New South Wales is the leader with 41.5% of all points. Victoria is next with 27.8% West has 14.9%, Queensland 10.5%. and New Zealand 5.3%. NZ has been a one team affair until two years ago when Auckland FC joined. Auckland FC is already making a mark but has a lot of ground to make up on clubs with a much longer history. 

I will explain the symbols that come after some of the names below. Melbourne City was the Melbourne Heart, the Brisbane Roar was Queensland Roar, the Wellington Phoenix previously were in Auckland and were the NZ Knights. Finally, the Gold Coast and North Queensland clubs folded after three and two years respectively. Western Utd was recently forced out due to financial issues after five years of competing. 

Croatia Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2025/26 (Updated)

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.

To the right, Cro is domestic and Tot icludes Europe. The points system rewards success, not participation. Dinamo Zagreb are by far the most successful club with 42% of total points allocated (349).  Hajduk Split has 28% (231).

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 19 out of 21 from 2005/06 to 2025/26 and is the current title holder.

The cup follows the same pattern with the top three sharing the trophy. Due to the knock out format, consecutive wins are rare. Dinamo has still won 11 cups  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 46.7% of the total points. South 29.7%, West 13.1% with the other two are the same with a 5.2% average. Crowd trouble is a problem, with the rivalry between the two top clubs intense. 

Germany: Clubs Ranked - 1960/61 to 2025/26 (Updated)

German football is about one club, Bayern München or Bayern Munich in English. The 'Ger' column on the chart to the right shows domestic success and the 'Tot' column adds European competitions. BM wins easily on both counts. Borussia Dortmund is the closest to rivaling BM.

So how do the points work? In the Bundesliga (Division 1) the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The DFB-Pokal Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. The DFB-ligapokal Cup (League Cup) was a brief affair but still scored 3 and 1 for the finalists.

In Europe, the Champions League (European Cup) 8, 4 and two from the semi finals forward. The Europa League (UEFA Cup) got 6, 3 and 1. The new Conference League I added to the long defunct Cup Winner's Cup. They get 4 and 2 for the finalists. 

Bayern München won the league every year from 2013/14 to 2022/23 which was eleven consecutive times! In the 1960's and late 1970's it wasn't dominant but otherwise it always has been. 

2023/24 hurt when Bayer Leverkusen went on a freakish unbeaten run to take the title. BM's pride was dented further when VfB Stuttgart pipped them for second place. However since there has been a resumption of normality with BM taking the title.

The DFB-Pokal Cup is another one sided competition although not to quite an extreme. In fact, Bayern Munich hadn't won it since 2019/20. Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig (twice in a row) and Bayer Leverkusen are the more recent winners. So B Leverkusen got the double. Bayern München are current holders.

The League Cup was held in 1972/73 and again from 1996/97 to 2006/07. They were smart enough to spare their players from excess matches, something the powers that be in England haven't cottoned on to yet. Bayern won it six times and was the last club to win it, therefore the current holders. 

In Europe, Bayern München has been successful. It has been Champions League winners six times, Europa League and Cup Winner's Cup once. Bayern München has not won a title since 2019/20. SC Freiburg made a final this season. 

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 West of Germany is the most successful with 41.5% of the total, due to having the most population and clubs. The South cannot be saved by one club although 38.9% is a fine effort. North and East make up the other regions. The East region isn't helped in that it only joined in 1990 and the RB Leipzig club only joined in 2009/10. 

Men's AFCON 2025 Bizarre Twist

When I did a report on AFCON 2025 I mentioned the final had some bizarre moments, without elaborating. Highlights of the game by CAF are sanitised, restricted to areas that I'm excluded from or such poor quality. I'll try to piece what happened together.

In regular time late in the second half, Senegal had a goal disallowed for a foul in the build up. The game ends 0-0. I found the extra time timelines vague. Sometime in extra time, Morocco were awarded a penalty and the Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest. The game was help up for at least 15 minutes until the Senegalese players returned. The penalty kick was taken and not scored. 

Senegal went on to score a goal and win the tournament. Morocco felt the walk off should have ended the match and it be awarded to them and lodged an appeal. It finally came, back in Morocco's favour and they were awarded the game 3-0. Now Senegal is going to appeal that decision.

This whole thing could have been handled differently. I thought that the referee should have gone to the Senegal camp and said if all the players aren't back in five minutes and in their places for the penalty, you will forfeit the game.  

The referee is the final arbiter and if he handled it poorly, so be it. By allowing the walkoff not to be punished at the time, that was his call. I don't agree with it, but that should stand. By making a retrospective decision, this could establish a precedent for other games having decisions overturned after the match is concluded. 

The referee was weak and CAFs belated ruling makes the game in Africa look poorly run. Senegal should be the winners despite their petulant behaviour because the referee didn't act against it at the time. What a farce but then again, it is Africa we're talking here. 

The Corner Kick

Once upon a time, players stood in the 18 yard box and waited for the ball to be crossed before moving. Somewhere along the line, it was decided that an advantage could be achieved by jostling, pushing, pulling and obstructing opponents. The calm has been replaced by the chaotic.  

Is there an easy fix? Some suggest harsh penalties for offenders but I don't think that is the answer. Determining when a defender has gone too far in trying to put an attacking player off is difficult, because it can be slyly done. What about an attacker standing right in front of the goalie? At what point has he got too close. Again, open to interpretation. 

One possibility is having all players outside the 18 yard box until the kick is taken. Once the ball is kicked, say four from each team are allowed to run into the box and contest for the ball. Only when the ball is cleared out of the box is the minimum player restriction lifted. 

It sounds simple and would make it easier for officials to police a smaller number of players. There could still be rules around players pushing or obstructing unfairly, but that probably wouldn't be a major issue. 

AFCON 1968-2025

The 30th tournament (that I count and show in the second chart) has concluded. The biennial event is changing. After the 2027 tournament, it will be held in 2028 and thereafter every four years. 

The 2025 results are immediately below. Senegal won its second tournament, in the process denying Morocco its second. The final had some bizarre moments. 

Points are allocated for each participating country. The weighting of points favours success but any participation gets some recognition. 

Nigeria leads the way, not in the number of titles but through overall points, which total 193. That's an average of 9.7 points for each tournament it has been involved in. Now for some detail.

More than one title: Egypt, Cameroon (5). Ivory Coast, Nigeria (3). Algeria, DR Congo, Ghana, Senegal (2). Those with one title number 7. 14 Different winners in all.

Origin: It started in 1957 but switched to a biannual format in 1968 and that was the first year eight nations took part. That is where this data starts. 

Regions: At the base of the chart, the countries listed are put into regions. In reality, there is no perfect way of doing it but that didn't stop me from trying. West Africa is the most successful region, from Northern Africa and Central Africa.