Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates were listed among the top 500 clubs worldwide by the International Federation of Football Statistics and History (IFFHS).
The IFFHS released their annual ranking of the strongest club’s in world football, with Brazilian sides Flamengo and Palmeiras finishing in the top two spots ahead of Liverpool.
Chelsea and Manchester City complete the top five ahead of UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Egyptian giants Al Ahly are the highest-ranked African team in 17th position, climbing up 16 spots from 33rd last year.
CAF Champions League winners Wydad Athletic Club are the second-highest ranked African side in 49th spot, moving up 11 places in comparison to 2021, while Zamalek complete Africa’s top three in 63rd worldwide (up from 92nd last year).
CR Belouizdad (in 72) and Pyramids (in 85) complete Africa’s top five, while Petro de Luanda (in 91) and Simba SC (in 107) also still appear before Mamelodi Sundowns, who are ranked as eighth-strongest African side in 109th spot after falling four positions compared to 2021.
Al Hilal Omdurman (in 112) and ES Setif (in 117) complete Africa’s top 10.
Further down the ranking appear Orlando Pirates in 220th position, which is 20 worse than in 2021 and 22nd among the African team.
Sundowns and Pirates are the only two South African sides to be ranked among the top 500 clubs worldwide.
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 four 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. Level 2 is 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, 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.
