8 of The World's Best Football Leagues

Spanish La Liga

Avg. Attendance/Game:  26, 933

Number of Teams: 20

The Primera División in Spain, better known as La Liga to the rest of the world, is the undisputable leader of football leagues since 1920s. This league is best known for its two powerhouse teams -Real Madrid and Barcelona.

It has provided the most champions and one of the strongest teams in Europe, with thirteen wins from these two clubs alone! While, for the best part of the last 10-years, Barcelona vs Real Madrid has been the selling point for La Liga, recently Atletico Madrid has improved over the years to match the top clubs.

Italian Serie A

 Avg. Attendance/Game:  23, 385

Number of Teams: 20

Italian Serie A, comprising well-known teams like Inter Milan, Juventus, and AC Milan boasts of some of the finest football players in the world such as Michael Bradley, Wesley Sneijder, Daniele De Rossi, Gianluigi Buffon, Totti and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

This European league runs from September through May of the following year and is by far the most exciting league across the globe. Unfortunately, with the match-fixing controversy shrouding Juventus, that has won 5 successive seasons of the league, the overall enthusiasm, attendance and viewership ratings have taken a hit for this league.

Ligue 1

Avg. Attendance/Game:  20, 426

Number of Teams: 20

Considered one of the most unpredictable of all leagues, the French Ligue 1 is renowned for making 7 different champions over 9 years! However, with the Olympic Lyon dominating the scene with 7 consecutive titles (2002-2008) to Paris Saint Germain winning 4 titles back-to-back thereafter, the unpredictable streak of the league has lost some of its essence.

The class of the players of Ligue 1 is demonstrated in Lyon, PSG and Marseille being among the top Champions League contenders every year. With players like Thiago Silva, Remy, Ibrahimovic, Mandanda and Lavezzi, Ligue 1is fast catching up to compete neck-to-neck with La Liga and the English Premier League.

English Premier League

Avg. Attendance/Game:  36, 695

Number of Teams: 20

With some of the best and richest teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal and world-class football superstars like Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Clint Dempsey, David Silva, Wayne Rooney and Tim Howard, the English Premier League (EPL) is unarguably the top-tier league in England when it comes to attendance, excitement and competitive spirit. It is second to La Liga only in two critical areas – the quality of the football and success in European soccer circle.

Being conducted from August through May and broadcasted across the globe, this league is the perfect recipe for an almost year-round dose of entertainment and unparalleled competition.

German Bundesliga

Avg. Attendance/Game:  42, 609

Number of Teams: 18

Started in 1963, the German Bundesliga is a relatively recent addition to the list of leagues and already boasts of an incredible fan base and jam-packed stadiums.

With teams like FC Bayern Munich, FC Schalke, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund providing stiff competition and added value to the league, the Bundesliga has succeeded in putting together some of the strongest players of the game like Huntelaar, Robben, and Ribery.

Like other European leagues, the Bundesliga also runs from August through May.

Eredivisie

Avg. Attendance/Game:  19, 538

Number of Teams: 18

Though often considered to be among the second-tier leagues in comparison to other European leagues, the Dutch league -Eredivisie- with its powerhouse teams of Ajax and PSV, is among the ones to boast of the highest goal-to-game ratios (and an equal score when it comes to red cards too! Phew!!).

Nevertheless, this is also the same place that has churned players like Ronaldo (Brazlian), Arjan Robben, Huntelaar and the like from the renowned Ajax and PSV academies, despite repeatedly failing to retain such talents!!

Major League Soccer

Avg. Attendance/Game:  18, 594

Number of Teams: 20

Started in 1994 when US hosted the Football World Cup, this league is still growing, as soccer continues to find its foothold as a mainstream sport in the USA. With several exciting levels and the affiliation with some of the top soccer clubs, MLS is going from strength to strength as it builds up a loyal fan base.

However, it would still be some more years before this league finds its footing in the mélange of football leagues across the globe!

Argentine Primera División

 Avg. Attendance/Game:  21, 321

Number of Teams: 30

When it comes to the quality of play and players, this is probably the best league in South America.

Unlike any other popular league, this league boasts of 30 top division teams divided into two zones of 15 teams each, that include the winners of the last two Copa Libertadores -River Plate (2015) and San Lorenzo (2014)- and players like Carlo Tevez.

This is but a small list given the multitude of soccer leagues spread across the globe. From the Indian Super League to the Russian Football Premier League, Süper Lig, ABSA Premiership and many more, each comes with its own high-voltage drama and entertainment and all the thrills and chills spicing up the game.