The 10 hardest football competitions to win have been ranked (2024)

Football captivates audiences around the world because of the chaos it brings. From non-league promotions, EFL sides producing giant killings every season and the best clubs in the world playing the greatest football ever seen, there is always something for everyone.

Naturally, the more successful teams bring in higher audiences. It's what most people want to watch as the world's best midfielders create chances effortlessly and the greatest strikers guide a header into the net without even thinking about it. However, if you support a team playing in one of the major competitions, there's a good chance you've never seen them win it.

The sport isn't all about trophies, despite what some may suggest, but everyone still wants to win. It's a natural part of life. Yet finding the consistency, drive and often luck to win the biggest trophies in the world isn't easy. It takes everything to fall into place for it to happen, which is when the most experienced players step up. Due to this, we've ranked the 10 hardest competitions to win in the world, taking into consideration the factors below.

Ranking Factors

• Level of opposition - how strong the teams are across the field.
• Consistency - whether it's a competition which requires strong performances all campaign or just in a cup competition.
• Pressure - whether all the matches come under high pressure, often at major tournaments.

10 Championship

Under first impression, the Championship is only the second tier of English football and it can't be that hard to win it, but it's called the "greatest league in the world" by some for a reason. It takes unpredictability to another level, so much so that fans have become accustomed to predicting the unexpected. Every team competing is physical and fights for their life, often making it hard to play free-flowing football easily. Teams with major budgets over the years have struggled to gain promotion at the first time of asking, epitomising the competition's challenge in search of Premier League football.

9 African Cup of Nations

A string of major international tournaments feature in this, as - naturally - they require teams to be at their best to win. The African Cup of Nations is often one of the most chaotic competitions in the world. Taking place midway through the European season, the players are typically tired and they are forced to play in challenging African conditions. There are several world-class players always featuring, making victory harder, but there have been underdog stories over the years. Zambia won it in 2012, whilst Algeria, despite qualifying for other major tournaments, surprised everyone by winning it in 2019. It's what stops it from being higher on the list.

8 Copa America

Alongside the African Cup of Nations, the Copa America also captivates the whole of South America. Taking place every four years, although that has changed recently, it has seen Lionel Messi's Argentina always walk in as one of the favourites, but the greatest player of all time has only won it once — and that speaks volumes about how challenging it is. It forces players to be at their physical, mental and technical best to even think about walking away with the trophy, whilst smaller teams, who are often physical, will always present a challenge. It epitomises the state of football in South America.

7 Europa League

The Europa League is only the second tier of UEFA's prestigious competitions, but it is incredibly challenging to win in its own unique ways. Whereas in the Champions League, clubs play well-known teams often in major European countries, that can be a different story in the Europa League. With all matches taking place on a Thursday, long trips to Eastern Europe or Scandinavia can cause countless issues for clubs as they try to win the competition alongside their domestic campaign. After all, for clubs to even compete in the Europa League, they have to impress, making every match challenging.

6 Bundesliga

Typically in the Bundesliga, it has been a one-horse race, preventing any team other than Bayern Munich from winning the title. However, during the 2023/24 campaign, Bayer Leverkusen defied the odds to win the competition, even going unbeaten in the process. Xabi Alonso, now considered one of the best managers in the world, had led his team to greatness — and it showed beating Bayern could be done. However, naturally, you have to be at your very best to even think about beating the German giants over the course of the season, which is no easy feat.

5 Ligue 1

The story in Ligue 1 is similar to the message in Germany. It's typically called a 'farmer's league' by fans in England, who see the title race as a one-horse battle with Paris Saint-Germain. To be honest, that has been correct over the years; the state-funded club have dominated proceedings in France with one of the most exciting teams in the world. Naturally, it means that it's a challenge for any other club to win the trophy, knowing PSG rarely slip up domestically. In the past 10 years, only Lille and Monaco have finished ahead of them, epitomising the logic behind this ranking.

4 Champions League

The Champions League - a place where players walk onto the pitch, but legends walk off it. History can be made, legacies written and fanbases united in seconds. Very few even get to experience that feeling, symbolising how challenging it is to win it. Manchester City have dominated the Premier League for years, but the state-owned club always seemed to fall at the final hurdle in UEFA's prestigious competition. Eventually, Pep Guardiola's side won it in 2023 against Inter Milan, but it took them far longer than expected. Some clubs have defied the odds to win it, most notably Chelsea in 2012, but it's becoming increasingly rarer.

3 Euros

International tournaments, as previously mentioned, could not be more challenging if they tried. A country's legacy is decided in the space of a month, knowing they could have the title of 'champions' for the next four years if they succeed. The Euros are not as challenging as the World Cup, purely because it only covers one continent, but there are countless world-class teams competing. Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany and England all go into the tournament dreaming of glory. Naturally, only one can walk away victorious, making it tougher than ever. The Three Lions have shown over the years; despite winning a World Cup, they remain without the title of European champions.

2 World Cup

If you ask a footballer what's the dream trophy to win, most would say the World Cup - if they're full of patriotism for their country, of course. It's the pinnacle of football, let alone just international football. Every four years, the world stops to see who will become champions. In 2022, Argentina completed the true fairytale story, beating France on penalties to see Messi lift his first-ever World Cup. Even other nations were cheering him on, yet his struggles to put the trophy in his cabinet puts emphasis on how hard it is to win. There's always at least seven countries who believe they can win as the tournament kicks off, all of whom have world-class squads. Naturally, to win it, you need luck, as Argentina showed in Qatar by scraping past a handful of opponents on the way.

1 Premier League

Finally, the Premier League might not be as prestigious as the World Cup, Euros or Champions League, but it is even harder to win. 38 matches, through the cold, winter months, and you have to be nearly perfect. Maybe 10 years ago this wouldn't be the case, yet ever since Man City and Guardiola arrived on the scene, several teams have been world-class and not walked away with the title. Liverpool once finished on 97 points and came second, whilst Arsenal finished on 89 points in the 2023/24 season and finished as runners-up. Beating a club as powerful, in a football sense and financially, over the course of a season is the most challenging test there is. There's no luck involved, apart from undergoing injury crises, sending teams into panic mode as they try to complete the ultimate goal in England.