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 12 hardest competitions to win in the world, taking into consideration the factors below.

Ranking Factors

• Level of Competition – how strong the teams are across the field/perceived quality of the league.
• 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, as often seen at major tournaments.

12

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. What’s more, the play-off to get into the English top flight is dubbed ‘richest game in football’ as there is so much money on the line, adding to the huge pressure of the competition.

11

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. However, in recent years, it has become easier to win, as Champions League teams no longer drop into the competition after the group stages.

Indeed, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hostpur have been able to win the competition in the past two seasons, without having to play any elite sides who would have slipped down into the Europa League under the old format. That said, it’s still packed full of brilliant sides from all across Europe, making it no easy feat to go all the way.

10

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. Indeed, this has been proven with Bayern bouncing back to win the league in the two seasons since Leverkusen​​​​​​’s triumph.

9

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, the second part of 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 claimed the prize ahead of them, epitomising the logic behind this ranking. The Parisian giants have proven to be the best team in the world over the past few seasons, winning the Champions League twice, so perhaps the failings of the rest of Ligue 1 are now viewed by fans of rival leagues with a little more grace.

8

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. Proving just how hard it is to win the thing, Senegal beat Morocco in the latest final, but were later stripped of their title, and it’s still not entirely clear who the 2025 champions really are.

7

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 twice — 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.

6

Serie A

What separates Serie A from the likes of La Liga and the Bundesliga is that there are more teams that can realistically win the competition every year. Indeed, there have been four different winners since 2020, with Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli all getting their hands on the Scudetto.

It’s also worth noting that while the league isn’t quite what it once was, in the 1990s, many viewed it as the best football division in the world. Paul Ince claimed just a few years ago:

5

La Liga

In the 21st century, starting with Deportivo de La Coruna title in 2000, there have been five different teams to win La Liga. Beyond Deportivo single success, Valencia and Atletico Madrid have won it twice each, but the rest have been shared between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Those two giants of Spanish football have also dominated Europe in that time frame, winning 12 of the 26 Champions League titles on offer. As such, it’s impressive that three other teams have been able to win La Liga over the past 26 years, making it one of the most difficult competitions in the world, packed with elite players.

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. The same can be said of PSG, who have now won it twice, but didn’t get their hands on it until 2024. The likes of Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are among the biggest clubs to never win the prize, showing just how difficult it is to go all the way in the Champions League

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.

The likes of Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany and England all go into the tournament dreaming of glory every time. Naturally, only one can walk away victorious, making it tougher than ever. This is best exemplified by Three Lions, who despite winning a World Cup, remain without ever claiming the title of European champions. Spain claimed that honour most recently, beating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.