10 Biggest Competitions in World Football [Ranked]

For football fans, silverware comes first. The dream of picturing their captain lifting a Premier League or a Champions League trophy seems farfetched to supporters of smaller clubs, but the beauty of football is that anything can happen. Of course, some competitions trump others in terms of significance and the World Cup is the biggest of them all.

Jamie Carragher’s words on Sky Sports dismissing the African Cup of Nations as a ‘major tournament’ sparked outrage among social media platforms, with the former Liverpool defender caught up in another inconvenience. He was quick to shoot down any idea that the biggest competition in Africa had any impact on Mohamed Salah’s quest for the Ballon D’or.

The most popular tournaments in the world turn over huge amounts of money, attracting fans to pile into stadiums or watch on TV in awe. But, when talking about the best of them all, who takes the crown? We circled the globe to rank the ten biggest competitions to win in football.

Ranking Factors

• Prestige – the overall reputation of the trophy to players and fans
• Impact – whether the tournament brings in large viewing numbers
• Quality – the talent on display and how difficult it is to win

10 Copa Libertadores

South America

Starting off in South America with what can only be described as the continents version of the Champions League. Heavyweights like Boca Juniors, River Plate and Flamengo all battle it out to compete for Copa Libertadores glory.

Many people underrate the significance of trophies overseas, or ones they don’t have a passionate interest in. However, if you ask any fan of a club within this tournament, they’ll tell you how much of a career-defining achievement it is. From the passionate roars in the stands to the skillful flair on the pitch, the Copa Libertadores is well in its right to be one of the biggest competitions in the world.

9 FA Cup

England

Dating back to 1871, the FA Cup is placed on a pedestal in the English game and, second to a league title, football supporters regard this tournament as the next best trophy. The beauty stems from the fact that over 700 teams compete each year, from the depths of grassroots to the Premier League champions.

Over the last decade, the tight footballing schedule has led managers to turn a blind eye to cup competitions in England. A clear example of this being the Carabao Cup, which usually witnesses teams rotate their squads to one of lesser quality, and if they get through, it’s merely a bonus. However, the longevity of the FA Cup means most take the tournament seriously and thousands of fans crash into Wembley each year to see who hails victorious.

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8 La Liga

Spain

Football in Spain has always been of an incredible standard. Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – three of the greatest footballers in the history of the game – all helped put the country’s top flight on the footballing map. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated Europe for years, and still hold a huge presence to this day.

The main quality that attracts supporters to a certain team or league is talent. There’s nothing better than watching your dream footballers run around a pitch for 90 minutes making the opposition look rather silly. The Spanish league is a factory of prospects, and just as you think their hold on the European game is fading away, along come youngsters like Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to steal the show once again.

7 African Cup of Nations

Africa

Being the continent with the most countries in the world, the African Cup of Nations provides one of the most high-quality tournaments there is to see. It has become normalised for fans to turn their nose up at competitions that aren’t in Europe, expressing how they lack the quality needed to put on a spectacle. It would be interesting to see how many people who hold that opinion have actually sat down to watch a game at the African Cup of Nations.

Many of the world’s best footballers place country over club. Pulling on the shirt of your homeland and giving back to your country is one of the most honourable things you can do as an athlete. With Mohamed Salah expected to jet off with Egypt to this year’s tournament, there is no doubt that his performances in the competition will be of importance individually, and collectively, for his country.

6 Europa League

Europe

Despite being the younger brother of the biggest club-level competition in the world, the Europa League remains home to some of the greatest match-ups football has seen. It’s a kind of ‘best of the rest’ tournament where clubs who aren’t good enough to be at the top level still get a chance to challenge for silverware.

Teams don’t only win a trophy if they go all the way, but they also earn Champions League qualification. Smaller clubs are given a chance to compete with the big dogs, but it’s not an easy achievement by any means. Sevilla have become attached to the Europa League ever since its formation and have won the competition a record-breaking seven times.

5 Copa América

South America

If there’s one moment that was going to show the significance of the Copa América, it was going to be one of the greatest footballers of all time showing emotions that many decide to hide. From the 2016 upset to the 2021 triumph, Lionel Messi’s Argentina turned their fortunes around by winning two consecutive tournaments in a row.

Messi was desperate to get his hands on the Copa América trophy, seemingly caring more about this competition than any of his previous ones. Even if we look outside of Argentina’s excellence, South American countries still hold a pool of talent. The likes of Brazil, Chile and Colombia have seen great success in their continent over the years, with players like Ronaldo Nazario, Alexis Sanchez and James Rodriguez taking centre stage.

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A detailed breakdown of every winner in Copa America history as Lionel Messi and co help Argentina retain their crown.

4 European Championship

Europe

What is ineffectively the European Copa América, the Euros allows the top teams to go head-to-head every four years for continental glory. It becomes a month when football supporters are fixated on watching sporting storylines unfold involving some of the world’s biggest talents.

You only have to look at the last competition to see the joy, but also the heartbreak that European Championship games can cause. A Cole Palmer goal took England fans to their feet, only for Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal to knock the ball into the net four minutes from time. The Euros personify what football is all about, and although it doesn’t reach the heights of the World Cup, it fills that agonising wait very well.

3 Premier League

England

The top flight of English football is in a league of its own when it comes to importance and stature. In the past, critics have been quick to shut down the quality of the Premier League due to their absence of European glory – how times have changed.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have set the world alight with their performances in recent years, and it has been incredibly difficult for anyone to compete with them. But, this season has turned things around and seen clubs like Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Brighton create a realistic push for the European spots. Anything can happen in the Premier League and that is why it is the biggest of its kind in the world.

2 Champions League

Europe

What an incredible idea it was to skim off all the best teams in Europe and dump them all into one competition. There’s always something more special when football is played under the lights, the stadium emitting an incredible ball of brightness to showcase the best players football has to offer.

The Champions League anthem is on the lips of every football fan, with its iconic nature being the starting call for an incredible battle out on the pitch. From the miracle of Istanbul to Lucas Moura’s second-half hattrick against Ajax, the competition has provided some of the greatest moments of all time, and it’s worthy of its place in the top two biggest competitions in the world.

1 World Cup

World

Taking a quick glance at the World Cup trophy tells you all you need to know about the significance the competition holds. Merging the continental tournaments into one, the World Cup is the best honour to get your hands on in football. It has the ability to bring a country together, no matter what hardships they have been going through.

The World Cup gives a chance for players to prove themselves on the biggest stage. Putting on your best performances in front of millions could end up securing you a lucrative contract at the world’s biggest clubs. Take James Rodriguez, for example, a Colombian midfielder who made a name for himself in the 2014 World Cup and went on to play for the likes of European giants Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Every four years, the world stops to admire the brilliance of the World Cup and there is no doubt it is the biggest football competition in the world.