Objectively Ranking the Most Successful European Football Clubs

TOP 5 MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUBS

1. Real Madrid – 325 pts.
Real Madrid have won the European championship 13 times, including five consecutive times between 1956 and 1960. The Spanish club has also won more recently three consecutive times from 2016 to 2018. In addition, the team has been runners-up on three occasions.

2. Bayern Munich – 180 pts.
Bayern Munich have won the European championship 5 times and were runners-up 5 other times. Its most recent championship was in 2013. The German club also won three consecutive times between 1974 and 1976.

3. FC Barcelona – 154 pts.
Barcelona have won the European championship 5 times and were runners-up 3 other times. Four of these championships have been won since 2006. The Spanish club also won in 1992.

4. AC Milan – 153 pts.
Milan have won the European championship seven times, more than any other club except Real Madrid. The Italian club also were runners-up four times. However, the team has not made it to the championship game in over a decade now.

5. Liverpool FC – 139 pts.
Liverpool are the most successful English club. They have won six European championships, with the most recent coming in 2019. The team’s success has been spread out over time, winning titles in five different decades.

FULL LIST OF THE TOP 50 CLUBS

1	Real Madrid	325
2	Bayern Munich	180
3	FC Barcelona	154
4	AC Milan	153
5	Liverpool FC	139
6	Juventus FC	121
7	Manchester United	111
8	SL Benfica	104
9	AFC Ajax	103
10	Inter Milan	87
11	FC Porto	63
12	Chelsea FC	53
13	Celtic FC	46
14	Olympique Lyonnais	45
15	Atlético Madrid	45
16	Borussia Dortmund	44
17	Red Star Belgrade	43
18	PSV Eindhoven	39
19	Steaua Bucureşti	34
20	Olympique de Marseille	33
21	Arsenal FC	33
22	Nottingham Forest	32
23	Hamburger SV	29
24	RSC Anderlecht	29
25	Dynamo Kyiv	29
26	AS Monaco	28
27	Panathinaikos FC	25
28	Feyenoord Rotterdam	25
29	CSKA Sofia	24
30	Valencia CF	23
31	AC Roma	22
32	Stade Reims	19
33	Aston Villa	18
34	Galatasaray SK	18
35	IFK Göteborg	17
36	Borussia Mönchengladbach	16
37	Leeds United	16
38	Rapid Wien	16
39	Bayer Leverkusen	16
40	Tottenham Hotspur	15
41	Club Brugge	15
42	AS Saint-Étienne	15
43	FK Partizan	14
44	Dukla Prague	14
45	Paris Saint-Germain	14
46	Spartak Moscow	13
47	Rangers FC	13
38	Dinamo Bucureşti	13
49	Austria Wien	13
50	Standard Liège	13

Uses the final 16 teams in the UEFA champions league (1993-present) and its forerunner the European Cup (1955-1992), this list compiles the Top 50 most successful football clubs in Europe.

Updated as of 09/27/2019

POINTS RUBRIC

16 pts – European champion
8 pts – Runner-up
4 pts – Semi-final loser
2 pts – Quarter-final loser
1 pt – Final 16