Which Are the Best Soccer Leagues in the World to Watch?
The French men’s national team hoisted up the World Cup championship earlier this summer in a thrilling victory. Chances are you want to watch more of the best soccer leagues on the planet, right?
With so many options between England, Spain, Portugal, and Italy (to name a few), how can you determine which ones to pay attention to on a regular basis?
While the Premier League is one of the most popular, there are a number of options to fill your soccer needs.
Have a look at our choices for the best soccer leagues playing on the pitch today.
Best Soccer Leagues in the World
English Premier League
The English Premier League starts our list because it is arguably the most popular league in the world. Some of the best players in the world such as Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah use their strong play to excite fans all over the world.
From a financial standpoint, it is also one of the biggest money-making sports leagues in the world. The payout structure for its teams alone can finance other small tier soccer leagues on its own.
There will always be a debate about the number one and number two positions as the world’s best league, but the Premier League has it in our books.
Spanish La Liga
When you think of Real Madrid and Barcelona, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Messi vs Ronaldo. The two best soccer players in the world routinely battled head to head. Even though neither team saw much success in the World Cup, whenever they are on the pitch, fans are glued to the television.
Ronaldo has since transferred to Juventus of Italian Series A, but this league is still one of the most exciting to watch every week.
One stat that will peak your interest? Each game in La Liga averages almost 3 goals per game. Instead of boring 1-0 finish or 0-0 draw, fans can expect a lot of action each time a La Liga game starts.
Italian Series A
As another one of the big boys, Italian Series A doesn’t shy away from making a splash on the transfer market. It isn’t rare to see the biggest names in the world transfer to this league, led by the best player in the planet joining Juventus this year (aka Ronaldo).
If you have the funds to buy the rights to the best player in the world (to the tune of $117 million), chances are your league has a healthy financial future.
Ronaldo has been as good as advertised for the league. He has scored seven points in his first seven games. He has also helped the league accumulate $60 million in jersey sales in just one day!
The other top players in the league include Mauro Icardi, one of the league’s top goal scorers, and Lorenzo Insigne of Napoli, who might be the best player the country has produced in quite some time.
German Bundesliga
Arguably the fourth best league in the world, Bundesliga gained its popularity by the amount of talent on their rosters. Not only are the teams big spenders during the international transfer windows, but their youth development is one of the best in the world (which results in a lot of deep runs in international tournaments).
The attendance for the league is the highest out of any of our leagues listed and will continue to be a focal point for the league’s improving financial stability.
The only issue for potential fans looking to watch the league is a lack of goal scoring, as the matches average just 2.7 goals per game.
Major League Soccer
United States Soccer hasn’t seen the natural development of its national programs that fans would like. Yet the league is slowly becoming one of the most popular on the planet.
Part of that is due to the ability of teams to bring in established international players such as David Beckham. Also, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has quickly become one of the most polarizing figures in the league today.
The main issue surrounding the MLS’ ability to grow on a larger scale is its inability to fully adapt transfer rules according to other leagues (holding an MLS SuperDraft does not appeal to international viewers).
While the focus has been to get more American eyes to the screen, the smarter play would be to focus on becoming as internationally friendly as possible.
This hasn’t stopped fans from attending the games, however, as the attendance for this league is on par with teams in Portugal and France with comparable stadium sizes.
Chinese Super League
The country with the world’s largest population makes this list due to its growing popularity on an international level. The league isn’t afraid to make a splash on the transfer market, and this ability to spend money offsets the poor youth development of the country’s national teams.
There are countless exciting matches in the league, and it is clear the heavyweights of the league will beat up on the lesser talented teams until the developmental system improves. The attendance numbers are growing and this league could crack many top 5 lists within the next few years.
Which of the Best Soccer Leagues Will You Watch?
Now that we have gone over some of the best soccer leagues in the world, which ones will you add to your television viewing rotation?
The brightest names seem to gravitate to the Premier and Italian Series A leagues, but don’t forget about the German Bundesliga, and the growing popularity of the MLS.
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