Mamelodi Sundowns‘ standing in world football has been underlined by their latest Opta Power Ranking, which now places them in the top 150 globally following their campaign at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The South African champions competed in a tough group alongside Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense and Ulsan Hyundai, finishing third with four points from three games.
A 1-0 win over Ulsan, a narrow 4-3 defeat to Dortmund and a 0-0 draw with Fluminense meant Rulani Mokwena's side narrowly missed out on the knockout stages, but their performances demonstrated the growth of the club on the world stage.
Opta’s Power Rankings use a version of the Elo rating system, which updates after every match depending on results, opponent strength and scorelines. This system allows teams from different continents to be compared on a consistent 0–100 scale, showing where clubs like Sundowns sit alongside the best in Europe and South America.
Based on the latest ranking, published less than 24 hours after Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup final, Sundowns are the 145th best team in club football.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are only sixth, despite their newfound status as world champions. Above Chelsea are Premier League champions Liverpool — the only team with a perfect 100.0 rating from Opta — Arsenal, PSG, Manchester City and Barcelona.
Opta Club World Rankings: Top 100
- Liverpool (England) — 100.0 rating
- Arsenal (England) — 99.5 rating
- PSG (France) — 99.1 rating
- Manchester City (England) — 98.7 rating
- Barcelona (Spain) — 97.2 rating
- Chelsea (England) — 96.5 rating
- Real Madrid (Spain) — 95.8 rating
- Aston Villa (England) — 95.5 rating
- Bayern Munich (Germany) — 95.5 rating
- Newcastle United (England) — 95.5 rating
- Inter Milan (Italy) — 95.0 rating
- Crystal Palace (England) — 94.4 rating
- Brighton & Hove Albion (England) — 93.8 rating
- Atletico Madrid (Spain) — 92.8 rating
- Bournemouth (England) — 92.3 rating
- Benfica (Portugal) — 92.2 rating
- Napoli (Italy) — 92.2 rating
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) — 92.1 rating
- Atalanta (Italy) — 92.0 rating
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany) — 92.0 rating
- Brentford (England) — 92.0 rating
- Nottingham Forest (England) — 92.0 rating
- Sporting CP (Portugal) — 91.8 rating
- Manchester United (England) — 91.5 rating
- Roma (Italy) — 91.5 rating
- Everton (England) — 91.3 rating
- Tottenham Hotspur (England) — 91.1 rating
- Club Brugge (Belgium) — 90.9 rating
- Fulham (England) — 90.8 rating
- PSV (Netherlands) — 90.8 rating
- Juventus (Italy) — 90.7 rating
- AC Milan (Italy) — 90.6 rating
- Lille (France) — 90.5 rating
- Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) — 90.5 rating
- Villarreal (Spain) — 90.1 rating
- Monaco (France) — 90.0 rating
- West Ham United (England) — 89.8 rating
- Lazio (Italy) — 89.7 rating
- Athletic Club (Spain) — 89.6 rating
- Olympique Lyonnais (France) — 89.6 rating
- Olympique Marseille (France) — 89.5 rating
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (England) — 89.2 rating
- Bologna (Italy) — 89.1 rating
- Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) — 88.8 rating
- Fiorentina (Italy) — 88.7 rating
- Feyenoord (Netherlands) — 88.3 rating
- Galatasaray (Turkey) — 88.2 rating
- Stuttgart (Germany) — 87.9 rating
- Nice (France) — 87.8 rating
- RB Leipzig (Germany) — 87.7 rating
- Real Betis (Spain) — 87.6 rating
- Olympiakos Piraeus (Greece) — 87.5 rating
- Strasbourg (France) — 87.2 rating
- Burnley (England) — 87.1 rating
- Slavia Praha (Czechia) — 87.0 rating
- Leeds United (England) — 87.0 rating
- Porto (Portugal) — 86.8 rating
- Lens (France) — 86.8 rating
- Celtic (Scotland) — 86.7 rating
- Mainz 05 (Germany) — 86.7 rating
- Fenerbahce (Turkey) — 86.6 rating
- Osasuna (Spain) — 86.5 rating
- Celta Vigo (Spain) — 86.2 rating
- Braga (Portugal) — 86.1 rating
- Brest (France) — 86.0 rating
- Flamengo (Brazil) — 86.0 rating
- Genk (Belgium) — 85.9 rating
- Sheffield United (England) — 85.8 rating
- Freiburg (Germany) — 85.7 rating
- Real Sociedad (Spain) — 85.6 rating
- Werder Bremen (Germany) — 85.6 rating
- Palmeiras (Brazil) — 85.5 rating
- Cruz Azul (Mexico) — 85.5 rating
- Rennes (France) — 85.5 rating
- Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) — 85.5 rating
- Valencia (Spain) — 85.4 rating
- Ajax (Netherlands) — 85.4 rating
- Torino (Italy) — 85.1 rating
- Como (Italy) — 85.0 rating
- Toluca (Mexico) — 85.0 rating
- River Plate (Argentina) — 84.9 rating
- Sunderland (England) — 84.9 rating
- Kobenhavn (Denmark) — 84.9 rating
- Toulouse (France) — 84.9 rating
- Rayo Vallecano (Spain) — 84.8 rating
- Genoa (Italy) — 84.5 rating
- Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) — 84.5 rating
- Zenit (Russia) — 84.5 rating
- Viktoria Plzen (Czechia) — 84.4 rating
- AZ (Netherlands) — 84.4 rating
- Wolfsburg (Germany) — 84.3 rating
- Botafogo (Brazil) — 84.1 rating
- Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) — 84.1 rating
- Alaves (Spain) — 84.0 rating
- Club America (Mexico) — 84.0 rating
- Mallorca (Spain) — 83.9 rating
- Columbus Crew (USA) — 83.9 rating
- Auxerre (France) — 83.8 rating
- Anderlecht (Belgium) — 83.7 rating
- FCSB (Romania) — 83.7 rating
Where do the South African clubs rank globally?
While Sundowns (145th in the world) are comfortably South Africa's top-ranked club, the rankings also highlight a big gap to their domestic rivals.
Orlando Pirates are currently 326th, AmaZulu sit at 1,102th, and Kaizer Chiefs, despite their massive fanbase, are positioned 1,115th in the world after a disappointing PSL campaign.
When it comes to international football and the official FIFA World Rankings, South Africa is slightly higher up the ladder — with Bafana Bafana currently in 56th spot in the men's game.
Top clubs in South Africa based on Opta World Rankings
- Mamelodi Sundowns — 82.1 rating (world ranking: 145)
- Orlando Pirates — 78.1 rating (world ranking: 326)
- Stellenbosch — 75.0 rating (world ranking: 574)
- Sekhukhune United — 72.9 rating (world ranking: 774)
- TS Galaxy — 71.8 rating (world ranking: 892)
- AmaZulu — 70.3 rating (world ranking: 1102)
- Kaizer Chiefs — 70.2 rating (world ranking: 1115)
- Marumo Gallants — 69.6 rating (world ranking: 1185)
- Magesi — 69.6 rating (world ranking: 1190)
- Polokwane City — 69.5 rating (world ranking: 1202)
- Richards Bay — 69.4 rating (world ranking: 1230)
- Golden Arrows — 69.3 rating (world ranking: 1234)
- Chippa United — 69.2 rating (world ranking: 1250)
- SuperSport United — 69.0 rating (world ranking: 1284)
- Cape Town City — 69.0 rating (world ranking: 1285)
- Royal AM — 67.4 rating (world ranking: 1558)
- Durban City — 64.2 rating (world ranking: 2270)
- Orbit College — 63.5 rating (world ranking: 2476)
- Casric Stars — 63.2 rating (world ranking: 2559)
- Black Leopards — 61.9 rating (world ranking: 2899)
- Baroka — 61.6 rating (world ranking: 2993)
- Kruger United — 61.4 rating (world ranking: 3038)
- University of Pretoria — 61.3 rating (world ranking: 3079)
- JDR Stars — 61.0 rating (world ranking: 3172)
- Cape Town Spurs — 60.5 rating (world ranking: 3312)
- Milford — 60.4 rating (world ranking: 3333)
- Upington City — 60.3 rating (world ranking: 3383)
- Hungry Lions — 60.2 rating (world ranking: 3410)
- Highbury — 60.2 rating (world ranking: 3411)
- Venda FC — 60.1 rating (world ranking: 3427)
- Pretoria Callies — 59.1 rating (world ranking: 3724)
- Leruma United — 57.9 rating (world ranking: 4076)
How exactly are Opta's Club World Rankings calculated?
Opta's Club World Rankings are driven by a proprietary global model that evaluates teams using a modified Elo system — a rating method originally developed for chess but widely used across sports analytics.
Each club’s rating changes after every match based on several factors: the strength of the opponent, the result, the goal margin, and the match's importance. Performances in high-stakes fixtures — like international tournaments or continental championships — have more impact than low-pressure league games.
The scale runs from 0 to 100, with Liverpool currently holding the top spot on a perfect 100.0. Crucially, these rankings offer a consistent global benchmark, allowing fans, analysts and scouts to compare clubs across continents — whether it's Manchester City, Flamengo or Mamelodi Sundowns.
