Best football teams in the world 2025
Our definitive list of the best football teams in the world in 2025 – do you agree with our top 10?
"We're by far the greatest team the world has ever seen." Everyone sings it, but only one team can ever boast it as truth.
Maintaining success in modern football is a tough task – a fact that European heavyweights like Manchester United and Juventus can vouch for – and being a top team is about consistent winning, rather than flashes of brilliance.
We have based our rankings on a host of aspects, including short-term form and medium-term success. Trophies and honours do count towards a club's standing, but context is crucial. Continental performance is often a strong barometer of success when comparing the titans in each nation.
Infrastructure, current squad, manager and overall trajectory have also been considered as we ponder the greatest teams in world football right now.
RadioTimes.com brings you the top 10 best football teams in the world in 2025.
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10. Chelsea
Our list starts with the reigning Club World Cup champions Chelsea, who showed their quality by beating PSG to win the revamped and expanded FIFA competition in the summer.
The West Londoners' bullish transfer strategy is starting to bear fruit thanks to the success of Enzo Maresca, who has the Blues competing again in the Premier League and claimed a dominant Conference League triumph in his first season at the helm.
Chelsea's squad is packed full of exciting young talent, including the likes of Estevao, but their strength is undoubtedly the midfield trio of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Cole Palmer.
9. Napoli
Napoli's return to the summit of Italian football has been wonderful to see. They have won two Serie A titles in the last three years and the celebrations in Naples have been predictably wild.
It's hard to look past their midfield. Scott McTominay has been reborn since swapping Man Utd for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and André-Frank Anguissa has taken his game to new levels at the club, while the pair are now joined by Kevin de Bruyne.
The next step for Antonio Conte's side is to make their mark in European football, having not made it past the quarter-finals of the Champions League in recent years.
8. Inter Milan
Inter Milan may lack the riches of some of their Premier League or La Liga counterparts but the Serie A giants continue to mix it with the best in Europe.
I Nerazzurri have reached two Champions League finals in the last five years and enjoyed plenty of domestic success as well in that period – winning two league titles, two Coppa Italias and three Supercoppas.
Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco are among the most underrated defenders in world football, while the likes of Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoglu, and Lautaro Martínez continue to impress.
7. Man City
It has been a chastening few years for Manchester City but they are still deserving of a place on this list.
They have won six of the last eight Premier League titles, secured a first Champions League title and historic treble just a few years ago, and have the best coach in the world in Pep Guardiola, who is in control of a stacked squad.
In Erling Haaland, they have arguably the world's best striker and once Rodri is back on song, perhaps the top midfielder on the planet as well.
It has been some time since they have looked at their dominant best but you wouldn't bet against Guardiola finding a way to click them back into gear and add to their bulging trophy cabinet.
6. Arsenal
It is starting to feel like this is going to be Arsenal's season. After falling short to Man City and then Liverpool, the Gunners have emerged as the frontrunners for the Premier League title in 2025/26.
Trust in the process has allowed Mikel Arteta to build a squad packed with quality, with arguably the best defence in world football and a seemingly unstoppable set-piece threat, while the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are truly world class players.
Where previously they've stuttered, they now look like a confident and composed side that know how to get the job done. The run to the 2024/25 Champions League semi-finals, which included knocking out Real Madrid, felt like a coming-of-age moment, even if it did end in defeat at the hands of PSG.
Their five-year trophy drought is the only thing hanging over them at the moment but they may rise further up this list once they get their hands on some silverware.
5. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have re-established their domestic dominance in Germany. Vincent Kompany's side won their 12th Bundesliga title in the last 13 years in 2024/25 as they put the disappointment of the prior campaign behind them.
Many could argue that the relative weakness of the league should count against them, but that's where Champions League performance has to play a factor in determining their true strength. They are a regular presence in the latter stages of Europe's premier club competition and got their hands on the trophy in 2019/20.
Harry Kane's goal tally continues to skyrocket while around him the likes of Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, and Luis Díaz sparkle.
4. Real Madrid
Real Madrid are still finding their feet under Xabi Alonso but the initial signs are that the former midfielder is set for success at the Bernabeu.
The talent Alonso has in his ranks is remarkable. Kylian Mbappe has long been considered one of the world's best, Jude Bellingham's star continues to rise, Vinicius Jr. is a nightmare for opposition defences, and the likes of Fede Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao are players that any manager would love to have.
Los Blancos remain arguably the toughest draw in European football, having won the Champions League trophy an extraordinary seven times since 2014. For context, only six teams have won four or more trophies since the European Cup's inception in 1956.
3. Liverpool
To win the Premier League title by some distance in the first season after Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool departure was a remarkable feat. That Arne Slot has spent hundreds of millions improving his squad in a busy summer transfer window should be a concern for the rest of the English top flight and Europe.
The Dutch coach still has the backbone of the squad that has been one of European football's dominant forces in recent years and is now building for the future.
It's taking a little bit of time for some of their new arrivals to bed in but class is permanent and it would be no surprise to see the Reds back to their brilliant best sooner rather than later.
Though the Anfield outfit have plenty of quality in their ranks, it is their attacking firepower that really sets them apart and when they're on song, you'd back them to blow away any opposition.
2. Barcelona
Hansi Flick has brought the good times back at Barcelona. The German coach led the Catalan outfit to a domestic treble in 2024/25 – storming to the La Liga title and beating El Clásico rivals Real Madrid in both the Copa del Rey and Supercopa finals.
Not only that, Barca re-established their place among the European heavyweights with a blistering Champions League run that, were it not for Inter Milan's late heroics, would have seen them face PSG in the final.
The club has returned to their tried and tested formula – weaving stars like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Marcus Rashford and Jules Kounde into a team packed with La Masia products. The jewel in the crown is, of course, Lamine Yamal, who many consider the best winger in the world at the age of just 18.
1. PSG
It should be no surprise to see the European champions at the top of our list. PSG finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy last season and few would debate that they were not deserving in their triumph.
Luis Enrique deserves a huge amount of credit for his team-building in the French capital. It used to be all about star power at the Parc des Princes but, though there is no denying the talent in their ranks, their recent success has come as a result of their performances as a unit.
There are standout players, of course. Achraf Hakimi is the best full-back in the world, the midfield trio of Vitinho, Joao Neves, and Fabian Ruiz is outstanding, and ahead of them, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele leads a frightening forward line.
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
