Top leagues in world football ranked: MLS makes top 10, Scottish Premiership below League One and clear winner

Scotland’s top flight has been ranked just 39th globally — below England’s League One — so punters should be cautious backing Celtic or Rangers to match Premier League standards in cross-league markets. Expect bookmakers to favour English sides in interleague bets and consider leaning toward value in Championship/League One markets for tougher matchups.

Premier League Tops Updated Global League Rankings as Scottish Premiership Slumps

An updated global ranking of domestic leagues places the Premier League clear at the summit, with England’s top flight rated well above all others. The most striking outcome is the Scottish Premiership falling to 39th — two places lower than England’s third tier — highlighting a sharp drop in relative quality for Scotland’s top division.

Key Takeaway: Strength Gap Widens at the Top

The Premier League remains the world’s strongest division, with the highest average quality across its teams and especially among its top five and top ten clubs. La Liga and the Bundesliga occupy the next two positions, reflecting continued concentration of elite talent in Spain and Germany.

Top 10 Leagues — Snapshot

10. MLS

Sitting in tenth place is the USA's Major League Soccer (MLS).

Lionel Messi's arrival in the league and the many other stars who play alongside him at Inter Miami have seen quality rise.

And with the entire division upping their game with recruitment and performances on the pitch, the overall level has been boosted.

Opta have ranked the MLS with a rating of 76.6, with the top five-ranked teams in the league given an 81.6 on average.

The top ten received an average score of 80.4.

Should more big names and impressive talents join teams and come through youth ranks in the USA, their ranking could rise further.

Lionel Messi is playing his football in the tenth-highest-ranked league in the worldCredit: Getty

9. Portuguese Primeira Liga

The Primeira Liga has dropped down a place in the latest update of the toughest league in world football rankings.

They have an overall ranking of 77.3 for the quality of their teams and the top ten clubs average an 81.1, but it's the top five teams that really give the division a major boost.

For the top five alone, they have an average rating of 85.5, which is actually the sixth highest in the world and that will be down to the appearances in Europe for Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

8. Brazilian Serie A

Rising up a spot to eighth in the list is the Brazilian Serie A, which has an overall Opta rating of 77.8.

Their top ten average is 80.5 and the top five is 82.5 on average.

Palmeiras and Flamengo are sitting joint-top of the league as things stand, with Corinthians, Botafogo, Fluminense, Sao Paulo and Santos among the other huge clubs starring in Brazil.

Neymar has been playing in Brazil since returning to boyhood club Santos in JanuaryCredit: Getty

7. Belgian Jupiler Pro League

Remaining in seventh on the list is the Belgian Pro League, in what is perhaps an unexpected inclusion in the top ten.

With an overall average of 78.1, it just missed out on the top six.

Their top five has a rating of 83.6, with that likely to be based off Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Genk and Gent.

6. EFL Championship

And now, as the sixth toughest league in the world, comes the Championship, England's second tier.

It is often debated just how hard the division is and the stats prove that the quality is higher than many across the land.

An overall rating of 78.4 is the sixth highest, showing that the level from the top to the bottom of the table is extremely high.

Frank Lampard's Coventry are currently top of the world's sixth-toughest leagueCredit: Getty

The top 10 average rating sits at 80.1 and the top five received an 81.1.

So, there's no surprise that winning promotion to the Premier League appears to be at its toughest for the last few years.

And that isn't expected to change any time soon, with quality competition continuing to improve in each Championship campaign.

5. Ligue 1

Now, the big five take over and the leagues involved are considered the big boys amongst European and world football.

France's Ligue 1 takes fifth, with an overall rating of 82.5, a top ten rating of 85.9 and a whopping top-five rating of 88.4.

Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League last season and Marseille, Monaco, Nice, Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg are all competing in Europe this campaign, as a plethora of teams prove French football is in a good place, despite PSG's domination.

PSG became Champions League winners for the first time in MayCredit: AFP

4. Serie A

Then it's Italy's Serie A, with Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma the leading five giants in the league.

Their top five rating sits at 89.9, with their overall rating of 83.9 seeing them sit above France's top flight.

They have dropped down a place in the latest update though, losing out to the next division on the list...

3. Bundesliga

Germany's top flight has jumped up to third in the list with a top five average rating of 91.9.

They also have an overall rating of 84.7 and top 10 score of 88.2.

Bayern Munich are flying this campaign, with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen the other standout sides.

Harry Kane and Bayern just can't stop winning this seasonCredit: AFP

2. La Liga

Next, remaining second in the list of toughest leagues in world football is La Liga.

The Spanish top division continues to be one of the most fiercely competitive, with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top.

Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Pedri and many more stars are shared between the two bitter rivals.

The incredible top two hugely boost the ratings for La Liga, along with Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.

They boast an overall Opta rating of 84.9, sitting just above the Bundesliga in terms of quality.

The top five average sits at 91.9, helping them claim second.

Star-studded Real Madrid and Barcelona help put Spain's La Liga second on the listCredit: Getty

1. Premier League

And the toughest league in world football is... the Premier League.

England's top-flight is often referred to as the best league on the planet and the stats have backed that up.

Their overall score of 91.0 is the highest average of all divisions by over five rating points, proving how strong all 20 teams are.

On top of that, they have a top ten average of 94.6 and a top five average of 96.7 - the highest of any league by 4.8.

Movers and Surprises

Several leagues produced unexpected placings: the Saudi top flight sits lower than many might expect, and the Dutch Eredivisie dropped to mid-table territory. Meanwhile, England’s lower divisions retain high ratings, underlining the depth and competitiveness of the English football pyramid.

Betting and Market Implications for Punters

With the rankings highlighting pronounced strength gaps, bettors should recalibrate expectations in cross-league bets and European fixtures. Practical implications: - Avoid assuming Scottish champions would match Premier League sides; line-up and odds typically favour English teams in interleague matchups. - Championship and League One fixtures present strong competition and value — consider expectations around promotion markets and playoff odds. - Player transfer and performance markets may shift as perceived league strength affects player valuations and goal/assist projections. - In continental competitions, weight odds toward clubs from leagues ranked higher in these standings.

Conclusion

The updated rankings reaffirm the Premier League’s supremacy and expose widening disparities beneath Europe’s top tiers. For bettors and observers, the list is a reminder to treat league context seriously when evaluating matches, transfers and market value.

The strongest leagues in world football have been revealed and it is not pretty reading for the Scottish PremiershipThe debate has always raged about

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