The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has ranked just three Australian A-League clubs in the top 400 clubs worldwide. The list, compiled by the official body that records the statistics and history of football over the past year, has Central Coast Mariners as the leading A-League club at 261st, down from 238th.
The list recognises Brisbane Roar at 292nd, a fall from 271st at last count, and Melbourne Victory at 301st, an improvement from 376th.
The top teams were ranked as FC Barcelona, over Spanish rivals Real Madrid, the FC Porto third and Manchester United fourth.
The top 20:
1. (1.) FC Barcelona España/4 317,0
2. (2.) Real Madrid CF España/4 307,0
3. (3.) FC do Porto Portugal/3 291,5
4. (4.) Manchester United FC England/4 285,0
5. (8.) Manchester City FC England/4 254,0
6. (7.) Villarreal CF España/4 250,0
7. (5.) FC Internazionale Milano Italia/4 246,0
8. (12.) FC Dinamo Kyiv Ukraine/3 222,5
9. (15.) FC Schalke 04 Deutschland/4 218,0
10. (26.) CA Vélez Sarsfield Argentina/4 213,0
11. (13.) Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito Ecuador/3 211,5
12. (10.) Paris Saint-Germain FC France/4 210,0
13. (18.) Santos FC Brasil/4 208,0
14. (9.) FC Zenit St. Petersburg Russia/3 208,0
15. (25.) Lille Olympique Sporting Club France/4 206,0
16. (6.) SC Internacional Porto Alegre Brasil/4 204,0
17. (24.) FC Shakhtar Donetsk Ukraine/3 203,5
18. (20.) Liverpool FC England/4 202,0
19. (11.) FC Bayern München Deutschland/4 200,0
20. (19.) PSV Eindhoven Nederland/3 199,5
Chelsea FC are ranked 26th, AC Milan 28th, Tottenham 31st, Arsenal 37th
Full list available at IFFHS.
DrX
Guest
To throw in a CONCACAF example ... the only reason there are four MLS teams listed here is because they competed in our confederation's Champions League last year. The fact that out of 18 MLS teams there are probably 15 that are better (by far) than Toronto FC this year (and who only made it into the continental competition last year because they don't actually qualify for the via the US ... they get the Canadian slot) appears to be beyond the IFFHS' grasp. While Real Salt Lake is indeed a quality side (relatively speaking) and are certainly at the very least comparable to Randers FC (who just got relegated from the Danish Superliga, fwiw) they are by no stretch of the imagination superior to probably a third or more of the teams ranked below them. Formulas are fine and interesting in and of themselves, but this doesn't even pass the sniff test. Giving this tripe airtime for anything more than pointing out how laughably ridiculous it is should be punishable by ... well, something.
punter
Guest
At least they got the top team right, Viva Barcelona.
jamesb
Guest
sepp blatter conducted the list btw what ranking are the south coast wolves? i'm serious
Uncle Bob
Guest
What a stupid list. Why even pay it lip service? Another brilliant idea from the idle, crooked minds in FIFA.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Good job dasilva.
Bondy
Guest
I think Tommy Smyth's with a Y , top 25 is pretty accurate .
Midfielder
Guest
Bondy At least with the KOB ... you will never Blog alone ...
dasilva
Guest
Tottenham progress further than Arsenal in the Champions league a win in the champions league is worth more than three times more then a win in the league.
dasilva
Guest
As there is no global champions league. The best way to compare team is only within their own confederation. It's really only speculation about how well a top rank Asian team would go against a middle or lower rank european side
Bondy
Guest
These are very contentious statistics , how can Tottenham Hotspur be ranked higher than Arsenal in my eye they will always be beneath us. Dont get me started about Liverpool either .
dasilva
Guest
http://www.iffhs.de/?bc83ccac3be8e00390b02fc5fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeed10a Here is a description on the ranking system Apparently leagues get rank into tiers Clubs in the highest level leagues receive 4 points for each match won, 2 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Level 2 is assigned 3 pts. (win), 1.5 (draw) and 0 (lost), and so on with the next lower levels. In continental championship UEFA Champions League: 14 - 7 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat UEFA Europa League: 12 - 6 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat Copa Libertadores: 14 - 7 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat Copa Sudamericana: 12 - 6 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat CAF Champions League: 9 - 4.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat CAF Confederations Cup: 7 - 3.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat AFC Champions League: 9 - 4.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat AFC Cup: 7 - 3.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat CONCACAF Champions League: 9 - 4.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat OFC Champions League: 5 - 2.5 - 0 points for win - draw - defeat FIFA Club World Cup: 14 - 7 - 0 (finals: 21 - 10,5 - 0) points for win - draw - defeat This probably explain the high ranking of Porto as they breezed through the domestic league (I think they didn't lose a single match although I'm open for correction) and they won the UEFA cup easily, The UEFA cup is only marginally worth less then the UEFA champions league Also this ranking only counts for the last 12 months So teams that do well in the UEFA cup will rate higher teams that are participating in the continental tournaments. Muang Thong United FC reach the semi-final of the AFC cup whilst lazio aren't participants in UEFA cup or champions league. This explains why the thai club is ranked higher
dasilva
Guest
I'm thinking Football Manager 2011. Create a custom league that includes all the clubs in the world and then simulate the league placing
steven ellis
Guest
What are the criteria used ? History; championships ;.crowds ; financials ?
whiskeymac
Guest
FIFA 2011 maybe? The guy played all the teams he cld on a 48 hour binge and until he ran out of Jolt Cola.
Midfielder
Guest
Good to see the Mariners leading the oack yet agian...
7 Nation Army
Guest
Enough said really.
victoryblog
Guest
Rankings don't mean a thing. Pointless really.
Titus
Guest
3rd highest ranked East Asian team is Muang Thong United FC at 111, beating all of the Japanese teams, and only bettered by Suwon and Jeonbuk from Korea, and beating teams such as Werder Bremen, Sao Paulo, Galatasaray, Udinese Hmmmm...... EDIT: Doh.....Art beat me to it!
BrisbaneGrowl
Roar Rookie
Yeah, what *are* these figures based on? How can Central Coast Mariners possibly be above Brisbane Roar in the rankings, and how could Melbourne Victory even be in them in the past year they've had (sorry Fussball)
The guys at IFFHS use mathematical formulas to try to determine this list which is why Muang Thong United FC of Thailand is ranked 111 and Lazio is ranked 173 Now if those 2 teams met I would confidently predict that Lazio would win 8 - 0. Moral of the story: Mathematicians should stay away from football :)