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Two PSL Clubs Among Top 500 Worldwide In 2024

Two Premier Soccer League clubs have made it among the top 500 teams world wide, according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

The IFFHS released their annual ranking of the strongest clubs in world football, with Real Madrid finishing 2024 at the top.

They are followed by Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen and UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo, while Liverpool and Brazilian side Botafogo complete the top five.

Manchester City, FC Barcelona, CR Flamengo, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund round up the top 10, while Al Ahly are the highest-ranking African club in 34th (down 17 spots from 2023).

Zamalek in 83rd and Pyramids in 99th complete the three highest-ranked African clubs, followed by RS Berkane in 131st and ES Tunis in 155th.

AS FAR (174) and Raja CA (193) are also still in the top 200, while Mamelodi Sundowns just missed out and are sitting in 205th spot (falling 96 spots compared to the last year).

Young Africans (207) and CR Belouizdad (225) complete Africa’s top 10.

Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates have climbed into 302nd place worldwide – down 82 from 2023. Last but not least, Stellenbosch FC appear in 552nd position – up by 121 ranked compared to last year.

South African teams, though, do suffer from the league’s overall poor rating, with the PSL ranked in tier 2, while Europe’s top league is in tier 7. Other African leagues, such as the Egyptian Premier League are in tier 5, the Moroccan Botola Pro in tier 4 and the Algerian Ligue in tier 3, resulting in higher-weighted points for their teams.

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The ranking takes into consideration the results of twelve months of continental and intercontinental competitions, national league matches (including play-offs) and the most important national cup (excluding points won before the round of 16).

Points calculation:

All countries are rated at different levels based upon the national league performance – clubs in the highest level leagues receive 4 points for each match won, 2 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Teams in the next highest-level are assigned 3 pts. (win), 1.5 (draw) and 0 (lost), and so on with the next lower levels… with South Africa only being rated in level 2, which hampers the points collected by Mzansi’s clubs.

In continental competitions, all clubs receive the same number of points at all stages regardless of the performance level of their leagues. However, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores yield more points than UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana, respectively. The point assignment system is still lower for the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC continental tournaments.

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