The Best Soccer Leagues in the World: A Definitive Ranking | OneFootball

Deciding which soccer league reigns supreme—the world’s most popular sport, no less—is no easy task.

You could go the stats route: goals scored, win percentages, pass accuracy. All very technical. Or, maybe you base it on viewership and attendance. If popularity equals quality, just ask Taylor Swift.

Perhaps you rank leagues by star power—who has the best players? In that case, Major League Soccer could make a strong claim simply by virtue of housing Lionel Messi, the greatest to ever do it. Or maybe you just go by vibes—the sheer joy a league brings to its fans (looking at you, Super League Greece).

Each of those approaches has its merits. But none alone tells the full story. A truly great league blends quality, global appeal, iconic players, and rich history.

So, taking all that into account, here's our definitive ranking of the top 10 soccer leagues in the world—starting right here in the United States.

10. Major League Soccer

Lionel Messi. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Considering Major League Soccer's inaugural season was only in 1996, its inclusion on this list is a remarkable achievement—a testament to the league's rapid growth over the past two decades in both quality and popularity.

What began with just 10 teams has expanded to 30, now covering a wide swath of the United States and Canada. These clubs compete in a packed, if sometimes convoluted, schedule that ultimately leads to an exciting playoff tournament to crown the season's champion.

While MLS was once seen primarily as a retirement destination for aging stars (a perception that hasn't entirely disappeared), the league now also attracts top young talent and established names from around the world—most notably, Lionel Messi—creating a more dynamic and competitive environment.

There’s still room for growth, but with robust infrastructure being developed across the league, a lucrative broadcasting partnership with Apple TV, and the 2026 World Cup heading to North America, MLS’s future looks bright.

9. Primeira Liga

Viktor Gyökeres. / IMAGO/Sport Press Photo

Portugal’s Primeira Liga is home to three of Europe’s most historic and successful clubs—Benfica, Porto, and Sporting Lisbon—one of whom has won the league almost every season since its inception.

In fact, only twice since the league was founded in 1934 has a team outside that trio claimed the title: Belenenses in 1945–46 and Boavista in 2000–01.

That lack of competition is often seen as the league’s main drawback, but the sheer dominance and stature of the “Big Three” can’t be ignored. All three have won European honors (Sporting just once) and have been responsible for developing some of the game’s elite talents—most famously Cristiano Ronaldo, who began his career in Lisbon.

Even today, clubs across Europe continue to spend big to poach players from Benfica, Porto, and Sporting—names like Bernardo Silva, Enzo Fernández, Luis Díaz, Éder Militão, and Nuno Mendes among the most recent examples—highlighting both the strength of their academies and their consistent ability to produce world-class players.

8. Liga MX

Club America forward Henry Martin is one of Liga MX's star players. / Ethan Miller/Getty

Founded in 1943 as Liga Mayor, Liga MX is the top soccer division in Mexico.

As MLS's close neighbor, the two leagues regularly face off in the Concacaf Champions Cup—North America's premier club competition—as well as in the annual All-Star game, where the best players from each league battle it out for bragging rights. More often than not, it’s Liga MX that comes out on top.

But it’s not just their head-to-head record that gives Liga MX the edge over MLS and plenty of other leagues around the world.

With historic clubs like Club América, Chivas Guadalajara, and Pachuca—each boasting massive, passionate fanbases—and some of the fiercest rivalries in world football like El Súper Clásico, Mexican soccer is soaked in history, spirit, and intensity.

It’s got quality too. The league features not only some of the hottest young talents from across North and South America, but also a sprinkle of former European stars like Sergio Ramos and James Rodríguez.

Its unique structure—splitting the season into two tournaments, the Apertura and Clausura—keeps things exciting all year long. And let’s not forget the stadiums. Few leagues in the world can match the atmosphere and the scenic beauty of Liga MX’s grounds. We're looking at you, Monterrey.

7. Eredivisie

Brian Brobbey. / ProShots/IMAGO

The Eredivisie, the top soccer league in the Netherlands, has long been a conveyor belt for producing and developing some of the world’s greatest players.

Ajax, for instance, gave us legends like Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, and Dennis Bergkamp. PSV Eindhoven served as a launching pad for talents such as Ruud Gullit and the iconic Brazilian duo Romário and Ronaldo. Even FC Groningen played a role in shaping stars like Luis Suárez, Virgil van Dijk, and Arjen Robben.

While its reputation as a talent factory has faded slightly in recent years, the Eredivisie still showcases plenty of emerging stars. The quality of football remains high—rooted in the "Total Football" philosophy pioneered by Rinus Michels and Cruyff—with Dutch clubs continuing to make their mark in European competitions, often advancing deep and occasionally lifting major trophies.

6. Brazilian Série A

Estevao. / Brazil Photo Press/IMAGO

Brazil, rightly so, is widely regarded as the greatest nation in soccer history. The Seleção is the most successful national team in FIFA World Cup history and has produced some of the most iconic teams and players the sport has ever seen—Pelé, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Romário, Neymar, Rivaldo, Sócrates, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, and plenty more.

And where did all of those legends first learn their craft? You guessed it—Brazil’s Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

A league built on freedom and flair, where street soccer meets tactical sophistication, Série A is as chaotic as it is magical. With storied clubs like Flamengo, Palmeiras, Santos, and São Paulo, the league overflows with raw talent—each player honing their craft in front of tens of thousands of loud, adoring fans (arguably unmatched anywhere else in the soccer world), all dreaming of taking the world by storm.

It’s also one of the most unpredictable competitions in global soccer, with no single team able to dominate season after season—making every campaign a wild, beautiful ride.

5. Ligue 1

Bradley Barcola. / IMAGO

Given Paris Saint-Germain’s financial superiority and tendency to splash cash on the world’s biggest stars—like Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and most recently, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—Ligue 1 has become something of a one-horse race in recent years, with PSG winning 11 of the last 13 titles.

But it hasn’t always been that way. Clubs like Lyon, Marseille, and Saint-Étienne have all had dominant spells throughout the league’s history, and in the gaps between dynasties, other sides—like Lille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, and Monaco—have stepped up to claim the crown.

PSG looks set to dominate for years to come, but if you can look past that, there's still plenty to enjoy in Ligue 1. The race for European spots remains competitive, and the overall quality is far better than critics give it credit for, with clubs like LOSC Lille, RC Strasbourg, RC Lens, and AS Monaco all boasting exciting, youthful squads.

Ligue 1 is still the go-to league for discovering soccer’s next superstar—just look at Kylian Mbappé, Eden Hazard, and Thierry Henry, all of whom were molded in L’Hexagone. Next up? We’re backing Bradley Barcola. Watch this space.

4. Bundesliga

Harry Kane. / IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Memmler

For a number of reasons, Germany’s Bundesliga boasts the highest average attendances in world soccer.

First, thanks to the league’s famous "50+1" rule—which ensures fans always retain majority ownership of their clubs—ticket prices remain remarkably affordable. Season tickets for Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga’s most successful team, can cost as little as $225—a fraction of what you'd pay in many other top leagues.

Second, fans get serious value for their money. The Bundesliga offers some of the most exciting soccer in Europe, featuring historic and consistently competitive clubs like Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, and Eintracht Frankfurt—all packed with world-class talent and regular contenders in European competitions.

The one knock on the league, much like Ligue 1, is its lack of consistent title competition. Bayern won 11 consecutive titles before Bayer Leverkusen ended their streak with an unbeaten season in 2023–24. With Leverkusen pushing Bayern close again this year and the Bavarians' core starting to age, though, the competitive balance might finally be shifting.

3. Serie A

Lautaro Martínez. / IMAGO/Matteo Gribaudi

Italy’s Serie A has long had a reputation for being a bit boring, largely due to the country's traditional emphasis on "catenaccio"—a defensive-minded system that prioritizes tactical discipline over flair.

But as the game has evolved, so too has Italian soccer. Today, Serie A is undoubtedly one of the most exciting leagues in the world—and arguably the most competitive among Europe’s elite.

Unlike some of the other leagues on this list that are dominated by one or two teams, Serie A has seen four different champions in the last five seasons—Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, and Napoli—making the race for the Scudetto thrilling year after year.

Beyond the title fight, clubs like AS Roma and Atalanta have also picked up major European honors in recent years, proving that Serie A teams not only compete fiercely at home but can also go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best.

Honestly, watch Atalanta or Inter the next time they play and ask yourself: Is Serie A really boring? Spoiler alert—the answer’s a definite no.

2. Premier League

Mo Salah. / Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

If there’s one thing that sets the Premier League apart from every other league on this list, it’s unpredictability.

In very few—if any—other leagues could a team like Leicester City narrowly avoid relegation one season, then go on to win the title the next. Where else could you see a club like Bournemouth, once stuck in the lower divisions, now fighting for European spots while playing some of the most eye-catching football on the continent?

On the flipside, nowhere else could a global giant like Manchester United fall from grace in such spectacular, soap-opera fashion—a decline that’s as compelling as it is dramatic.

From giant-killings to fierce derbies, managerial meltdowns to the rise of unlikely heroes, you truly never know what you’re going to get when you tune into the Premier League. And that’s exactly why it’s the most-watched league in the world. It’s pure drama—or as they say, pure Barclays.

1. La Liga

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. / Laci Perenyi/IMAGO

Yes, the Premier League may be the most popular, and dramatic, league in the world—but is it the best? Not in our books. That crown, we’d argue, belongs to Spain’s La Liga. And here’s why.

Not only is it home to two of the biggest institutions in soccer history—FC Barcelona and Real Madrid—both steeped in legacy, unmatched in European success, and packed with world-class talent (including the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Lamine Yamal), but it’s also loaded with other top-tier teams.

From Villarreal to Valencia, and Real Betis to Sevilla, nearly every club in the 20-team division brings something special to the table—whether it’s elite-level talent, deep-rooted history, or fiercely loyal fanbases. And while the title race usually involves the familiar trio of Barça, Madrid, and Atlético, the battle for European spots and mid-table shake-ups remains unpredictable and thrilling year after year.

Just look at Girona—only in the second division as recently as 2021–22, and by 2023–24, they were pushing the top all the way and finishing third, securing a Champions League spot in the process.

But what really sets La Liga apart is its influence on the game’s identity. From Real Madrid’s elegant "White Ballet" of the 1950s that won five straight European Cups, to the Galáctico era of the early 2000s, and Pep Guardiola’s iconic FC Barcelona side led by Lionel Messi that redefined football with its "tiki-taka" philosophy and homegrown talent—Spain hasn’t just kept up with global trends; it’s set them.

Whether it’s Manchester City building their own Galácticos in the spirit of Los Blancos or teams around the world adopting positional play born in Catalonia, La Liga is where soccer ideas are born before they’re exported.