MLS breaks into the top 10 strongest leagues in the world

Major League Soccer (MLS) continues to climb the list of the best leagues in the world, thanks in large part to its success in the League Cup. In August 2023, British sports analytics company Opta ranked MLS as the 29th strongest division in soccer. By the fall, MLS had dropped its ranking by half to 15th in the world. Currently, Major League Soccer is in his second full season since his Apple TV deal and continues to beat the competition.

As of March 2024, Opta ranks Major League Soccer 10th in the world. The Swiss Super League and Eredivisie are the only teams left out of the top 10 for securing MLS spots. Opta calculates this ranking using the Elo ranking system, which does its best to compare teams from different divisions. According to his Opta rankings, Major League Soccer has maintained its balance at home while also performing well in cross-border competition to move up the rankings.

This includes a jump from Mexico's Liga MX, which has dominated the Opta rankings for some time. Currently, Major League Soccer is the highest rated league in North America. Furthermore, it is the second highest-rated league outside of Europe, with Brasileirao ranking ninth in the world, ahead of MLS.

1. Premier League (English)
2. La Liga (ESP)
3. Serie A (ITA)
4. Bundesliga (GER)
5. Ligue 1 (France)
6. Belgian Pro League (BEL)
7. Primeira Liga (POR)
8. Super League (DEN)
9. Brasileirao (BRA)
10. Major League Soccer (USA)

How MLS clubs rank in the world's strongest league

However, it is not an MLS club that can top the North American club rankings. Instead, the title belongs to Club América and Monterrey, who are ranked 87th and 96th respectively in the world club list. The top club in MLS is the reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew, who are ranked 139th in the world.

So if you're wondering how MLS ranks higher than Liga MX, the average club in Liga MX ranks lower than in Major League Soccer. In Opta's combined ranking table between the two divisions, 13 of the top 20 clubs in the ranking are from the United States. Similarly, three of the bottom four clubs in this hypothetical table are Mexican clubs. Opta ranks Juarez and Puebla below Toronto FC and well below the next worst MLS club, the San Jose Earthquakes.

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Comparison of MLS and Saudi Pro League

Much of the attention to Major League Soccer, and arguably what strengthened the league, was the arrival of Lionel Messi. Messi is currently playing his first full season with Inter Miami and is making his presence felt. However, he is still compared to Cristiano Ronaldo. Therefore, we would be comparing MLS to the Saudi professional league.

Clubs such as Saudi Public Investment Fund's Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Ronaldo's Al Nasr are all ranked higher than any other club in MLS. The lowest-ranked clubs in the Saudi Pro League are lower than the lowest-ranked clubs in MLS, which pushes down the Saudi Pro League average. As a result, MLS ranks high in his Opta rankings.

Photo: Imago.