Every football fan will tell you their club is the best, but only a select few actually have the proof to back it up.
By proof, talkSPORT means club football’s holy grail – silverware. But which sides around the world are the ones that have the busiest trophy cabinets?
There are a handful of clubs that seem to be winning everything in their respective competitions in recent times, with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain springing to mind.
But despite their recent dominance, that doesn’t guarantee them a spot in the top 20 most successful clubs ever.
talkSPORT.com has taken a deep dive into who those 20 teams are, using the number of trophies and honours clubs have won in their history to decide the ranking below.
The list could change depending on your own definition of a trophy. No league titles below the top-flight are included here, while Super Cup-style competitions are. Without further ado, here is the list of sides that make it into the coveted top 20 most successful clubs from all around the world.
20. Zamalek (53 trophies and honours)
Egyptian side Zamalek won the most titles in African tournaments in 20th century. That success has carried on, with them winning the Egyptian Premier League in 2022.
Zamalek, who play at the Cairo International Stadium, have won 14 Egyptian league titles and 28 Egyptian Cups. They also have a fierce rivalry with noisy neighbours Al Ahly… more on them later.
19. Deportivo Colo-Colo (55 trophies and honours)
Colo Colo, who are based in Macul, Santiago, have 33 Chilean league titles to their name, the most of any team in the country.
The 2022 Campeonato Chileno champions were the first Chilean team to win a continental tournament, too, winning the 1991 Copa Libertadores.
18. Club Olimpia & Boca Juniors (56 trophies and honours)
From one South American giant to another, Paraguay’s Club Olimpia have won a record 46 Primera Division titles, including a unique record run of winning the league six consecutive times.
Meanwhile, Argentinian side Boca Juniors, who produced ex-Man City star Carlos Tevez and Diego Maradona, have won 35 Primera Division titles and 17 domestic cups. Boca are also ranked third in the world in terms of number of complete international titles, after Real Madrid (28) and Egyptian side Al Ahly (25).
17. FCSB (59 trophies and honours)
Romania’s FCSB have won the league 27 times, starting in 1951 and the last title coming in 2024, a competition record.
They’ve also won the Supa Romaniei 24 times, the Cupa Ligii two times, and the Supercupa Romaniei six times, also all competition records.
16. Anderlecht (60 trophies and honours)
Anderlecht are the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, with five of those trophies to their name.
They’ve also won 34 top flight league titles wins, nine Belgian Cups and also hold the record for most consecutive Belgian championship titles, winning five between the 1963/64 and 1967/68 seasons.
15. Liverpool & Galatasaray (63 trophies and honours)
Premier League giants Liverpool have won the most European Cups of any British club (6). They’ve also won a phenomenal 19 top-flight league titles. Trophies in the FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cups lead the Reds to be the second most successful club in England.
Meanwhile, Turkish giants Galatasaray boast 23 Super Lig titles, four more than rivals Fenerbahce, amongst their other successes.
14. Man United (66 trophies and honours)
Six years without winning a trophy hasn’t stopped Man United from being the most successful club in England.
With a record breaking 20 Premier League titles to their name, Man United’s Carabao Cup win in 2023 marked their first bit of silverware since the Europa League in 2017. The Red Devils are also into the FA Cup final for the 2023/24 campaign, so could add to their honours list.
13. Juventus (67 trophies and honours)
Juventus hold the record number of trophy wins in a number of competitions with 36 Serie As, 14 Coppa Italias and nine Supercoppa Italiana titles.
The ‘Old Lady’ won consecutive league titles from 2011/12 to 2019/20, the longest winning streak ever recorded in Serie A.
12. Ajax (73 trophies and honours)
Considering Ajax’s dominance in the Eredivisie, it’s no surprise they appear in the top 20 most successful clubs when it comes to silverware.
But it’s not just their 36 league titles that have them in the list. They have won the European Cup/Champions League four times, and are one of three clubs that have won the competition three times consecutively (1970 through to 1973).
11. Porto (77 trophies and honours)
Ex-Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United boss Jose Mourinho’s success with Porto is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Portuguese giants’ honours.
Porto are the second most decorated team in Portuguese football, winning the top-flight 30 times and the Portuguese Cup on 19 occasions.
10. Olympiacos (79 trophies and honours)
Olympiacos are the most successful club in Greek football history, having won 46 League titles, 28 Cups (18 doubles) and 4 Super Cups, all records.
Olympiacos come in at 9th in the world in terms of total titles won by a football club.
9. Bayern Munich & Al-Faisaly (81 trophies and honours)
FC Bayern have won 30 league titles, a record in the German top flight. Since the foundation of the Bundesliga in 1963, Munich have won more than half of the league titles (29 out of 57). With Harry Kane bagging for them now too, they look nailed on to add more trophies to their collection.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s Al-Faisaly have secured 35 Jordanian league titles and are the most successful club in the region.
8. Benfica (83 trophies and honours)
Benfica are the most decorated club in Portugal, with 2023’s league title win being their 38th, edging fellow Primera Liga side Porto.
They also won back to back European Cups in 1960/61 to 1961/62, beating El Clasico foes Barcelona then Real Madrid in the respective finals.
7. Barcelona (92 trophies and honours)
Speaking of El Clasico, LaLiga giants Barcelona come just behind rivals Real Madrid in the silverware rankings.
With 27 top-flight league titles and five Champions Leagues under their belt, former superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Ronaldinho were among those lifting their conveyor belt of trophies. It’s no surprise football icons such as Kane were inspired by them.
6. Real Madrid (95 trophies and honours)
Los Blancos pip their Spanish rivals thanks to their superior tallies in the major tournaments. The club has a whopping record 35 top flight league titles, eight Champions Leagues and 20 Spanish Cups amongst other accolades.
Real Madrid has the highest participation in the European Cup/Champions League (42), holding the overall record for the most wins, most draws and most goals scored in the competition. They’ll be hoping this season’s El Clasico win will bode well for their chances of winning more trophies this season.
5. Penarol (110 trophies and honours)
We’re into the over-100 trophies territory now. Uruguayan giants Penarol are the most successful Uruguayan club with 49 league titles.
They are also the third-highest Copa Libertadores winners, with five victories so far. It’s a tight competition between them and rivals Nacional when it comes to silverware.
4. Celtic (113 trophies and honours)
Coming in third are Scottish giants and reigning Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. The club’s greatest season was 1966/67, when Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup, also winning the Scottish league championship, the Scottish Cup, the League Cup and the Glasgow Cup.
With 53 top flight titles and 41 Scottish Cup wins amongst their accolades, it’s crazy to think Celtic aren’t the most successful side in Scotland. Manager Brendan Rodgers did set an unwanted Champions League record in 2023, mind…
3. Club Nacional de Football (116 trophies and honours)
Uruguayan team Club Nacional de Football also boast 116. 49 league titles, eight Copa de Competencias, seven Copa de Honors and three Copa Libertadores make up their collection of trophies.
They have dominated the Primera Division from its inception often exchanging league titles with Penarol.
2. Rangers (117 trophies and honours)
Speaking of the most successful team in Scotland, let’s talk about Rangers. Coming second in the rankings, the Gers just snub their rivals’ tally, winning 55 league titles and 34 Scottish Cups as part of their 116 honours.
They were level with Nacional but their League Cup success in early 2024 just edges them ahead.
1. Al Ahly (121 trophies and honours)
If you didn’t know their name before, now you do! Egyptian side Al Ahly boast the highest number of trophies and honours, totalling a ginormous 121. That must be one big trophy cabinet!
The Egyptian Premier League side has a record of 43 Egyptian Premier League titles, 38 Egypt Cup titles and 13 Egyptian Super Cups among other honours. As a result, they are is the most successful club in both Africa and the world!
All information has been taken from each relevant club’s website.
News Summary:
- The top 20 biggest clubs in world football from Premier League rivals to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Egyptian giants
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.