Top 15 football clubs with the most trophies won

Although it sometimes seems like football is about money (ask most foreign owners of Premier League clubs), it really is, like any other sport, about achieving glory and in most cases that comes down to it, measured through the trophies won.

In most football leagues in the world, it is quite defined which are the biggest clubs, which are the ones that normally win the most trophies, making them the ones with the most economic income and, in turn, the ones with the best players and managers, creating a cycle of success that is only broken in specific periods of time. Today we bring you the list of the 15 football clubs with the most trophies won worldwide.

Liverpool corner flag

15. Liverpool FC (70 trophies)

English football has had so many successful club spells that no single club has achieved a significant enough number of trophies to rank higher on this list. The Reds have stood out internationally where they have accumulated 14 trophies, including the UEFA Champions League (and European Cup), the UEFA Cup, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

14. Juventus FC (71 trophies)

The case of Juventus is the opposite to that of Liverpool since their success has been mostly at the local level despite having won several international trophies, but they clearly lose the comparison with AC Milan in that sense. Although Juve is the Italian club with the most trophies, it could have a few more since the leagues won during the Moggigate were removed despite the fact that the club itself still considers them.

13. AFC Ajax (75 trophies)

Since the mid-60s, Ajax became the most winning club in the Netherlands, being the one that has won the most leagues and cups as well as being the Dutch club with the most European trophies. Ajax was considerably affected after the Bosman ruling, which has meant a huge exodus of players every time they manage to consolidate a sufficiently competitive team to repeat some European success.

11. Olympiacos FC (82 trophies)

The Greek club has amassed its massive number of trophies only at the national level where it has won 22 of the last 26 editions of the Greek league. At the international level, they do not have any trophies, but their local superiority is what allows them to be on this list, equaling a world class club like Bayern Munich.

FC Bayern Munich flag

11. FC Bayern Munich (82 trophies)

Since the 1970s, the Bavarian club has become the most important club in Germany thanks to a generation of players that included names like Gerd Muller or Franz Beckenbauer and a transfer policy that is based on bringing the best players from the Bundesliga. Bayern has additionally been one of the most powerful teams in Europe, which is reflected in the fact that it has two trebles (Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League) and a sextuple (the three aforementioned trophies plus the German and European Super Cups and FIFA Club World Cup).

9. FC Porto (83 trophies)

Something curious happens in Portugal and that is, that all the league trophies in history have been distributed among the three biggest clubs in the country (Porto, Benfica and Sporting) with the exception of two that were won by Os Belenenses (1946) and Boavista (2001).

Porto has been characterized by having periods of great success that have led the club to win several European trophies and, in contrast to what happened to Ajax, they have achieved before and after the Bosman Law.

9. Al-Faisaly SC (83 trophies)

Possibly the least known club on the list, but popularity or fame has not been an impediment for AL-Faisaly to be the top winner of leagues, cups and super cups in Jordan. Additionally, the club won two consecutive editions of the AFC Cup, an Asian competition parallel to the region's Champions League.

8. SL Benfica (84 trophies)

Within the domain of Portugal's big three, the most successful is Benfica, having more local league and cup trophies than any other club in the country. Internationally, As Aguias have won two editions of the European Cup although internationally they have not been as successful as nationally, something that has been attributed to Guttmann's curse.

7. FC Barcelona (98 trophies)

Something similar to Portugal occurs in Spain, where 3 clubs (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid) accumulate 80% of the league championships. Barcelona accumulated a large part of its trophies at the national level until the appearance of Messi where their successes at the international level grew exponentially. In fact, with the appearance of the Argentine, the Catalan club achieved around 35% of all the trophies they have won.

6. Real Madrid CF (99 trophies)

The classic rival of FC Barcelona, has one more trophy in its showcases, which adds another element to the rivalry between the two. In Spain, Real Madrid is the most league-winning club and, at a European level, it is the club with more European Cup/Champions League trophies in history, thanks to generations led by the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano or Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema or Modric.

5. CA Peñarol (110 trophies)

Along with Nacional, they are the two dominant clubs in Uruguay, being the ones that have won 85% of the league titles. Peñarol, in addition to its marked national success, had two specific periods, one in the 60s and the other in the 80s, where they were also an outstanding winner at the continental and world level.

4. Celtic FC (113 trophies)

Coincidentally, in Scotland, two clubs also accumulate 85% of the league championships and Celtic is one of them. The Catholics add 52 league trophies and 60 national cups between the Scottish Cup and the League Cup, with a European Cup trophy, achieved in 1967.

3. Club Nacional de Football (116 trophies)

The other great winner of Uruguayan football, marks its difference with their eternal rival for greater success at the local level since they are very even in international trophies. The 70s and 80s marked the period of triumphs both in South America and worldwide that established Nacional internationally.

Glasgow Rangers

2. Rangers FC (121 trophies)

It is the most successful European club in Europe and the first club in the world to win 50 league trophies. Rangers have reaped most of their success at the local level, standing out as a single European title, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972.

1. Al Ahly SC (144 trophies)

Finally, the first place goes to the Egyptian club Al Ahly, which is the dominator of its country, being the most winner of all the official tournaments in the history of Egypt (42 Leagues, 37 Cups, 12 Super Cups, among others) and the most winner of the CAF Champions League (10).
Kelvin Tingling knows most things about football and also likes to write about it. Kelvin lives in Buenos Aires and his favorite team is Boca Juniors.