Ranking of the best national championships in the world: Saudi Pro League is behind South Korean K League 1, surprisingly the position of MLS

Opta has recently released statistics and rankings for the best national football leagues globally. According to the rankings, the positions of the Saudi Pro League and MLS may come as a surprise to many.

Ronaldo recently attracted attention when he stated at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards that the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1 – a league consistently ranked among the top five in Europe.

"To be honest, in my opinion, the Saudi Arabian league is not worse than the French league. In Ligue 1, I think there are only two or three high-quality teams. Whereas in Saudi, I believe the competition is higher.

People can say whatever they want; that's everyone's perspective. I have played here for a year, so I know exactly what I am talking about. Right now, I believe the Saudi Arabian league is of higher quality than the French league," Ronaldo recently shared.

Ronaldo made a controversial statement at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards ceremony

However, this bold statement is not supported by Opta's statistical figures. Specifically, the Opta rankings assign "probability points" from 0-100 to each club based on various factors and statistical data, with the reigning Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup champions, Manchester City, holding the highest global ranking.

When averaging the points of all teams in a league, standard rankings for football leagues worldwide can be determined. The Premier League is ranked as the most attractive league globally, followed by the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1.

Notably, the English Championship (second tier in England) even stands at sixth place in the list, surpassing Eredivisie (Dutch Eredivisie) and Primeira Liga (Portuguese Primeira Liga).

Meanwhile, MLS (Major League Soccer), where the current Ballon d'Or winner Messi has been playing since last summer, is positioned 15th on the list. Ronaldo's Saudi Pro League lags behind by 12 places, standing at 27th.

Here is the list of the top 30 football leagues globally, first compiled in October 2023:

1. English Premier League (England) 87.66

2. German Bundesliga (Germany) 84.04

3. Italian Serie A (Italy) 83.46

4. Spanish La Liga (Spain) 83.43

5. French Ligue 1 (France) 81.41

6. English Championship (England) 78.58

7. Dutch Eredivisie (Netherlands) 77.24

8. Portuguese Primeira Liga (Portugal) 77.20

9. Belgian Pro League (Belgium) 77.19

10. Brazilian Serie A (Brazil) 76.43

11. Swiss Super League (Switzerland) 75.72

12. Turkish Super Lig (Turkey) 75.65

13. Russian Premier Liga (Russia) 75.08

14. Danish Superliga (Denmark) 75.00

15. MLS (Major League Soccer, USA) 74.77

16. Austrian Bundesliga (Austria) 74.76

17. Spanish La Liga 2 (Second Division, Spain) 74.42

18. Polish Ekstraklasa (Poland) 73.88

19. Argentine Liga Professional (Argentina) 73.66

20. German 2. Bundesliga (Second Division, Germany) 73.62

21. Croatian HNL (Croatia) 73.45

22. Mexican Liga MX (Mexico) 73.20

23. Cypriot First Division (Cyprus) 72.47

24. Swedish Allsvenskan (Sweden) 72.30

25. Japanese J1 League (Japan) 72.16

26. South Korean K League 1 (South Korea) 72.09

27. Saudi Pro League (Saudi Arabia) 71.94

28. Israeli Premier League (Israel) 71.56

29. Romanian Liga I (Romania) 71.40

30. Norwegian Eliteserien (Norway) 71.33