Sundowns one of top 100 clubs in the world, Pirates not too far off

The highest-ranked South African club according to the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) rankings is Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mamelodi Sundowns are ranked 87th in the IFFHS Club World Ranking, which takes into account games played between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022.

They are ranked based on a club’s performance over the previous 12 months in domestic leagues, domestic cups, and continental tournaments, with league strength being taken into consideration. While the point allocation is even lower for competition by CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, and OFC, the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores award more points than the UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana.

Sundowowns has performed exceptionally well over the previous 12-month period. Sundowns is the fifth-ranked African team after winning five consecutive league championships and the domestic treble in 2021–2022. The DStv Premiership champions have 132.5 points in the IFFHS Ranking, which puts them only below Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and ahead of Bundesliga powerhouse Borussia Dortmund.

Even though Sundowns is the fifth-ranked African team, they are still far behind Al Ahly, the highest-ranked team in Africa, who is now rated 21st globally with 196 points.

Al Ahly is the biggest team in Africa and the biggest team in Brazil, Palmeiras, currently holds the top spot after winning the Copa Libertadores in November 2021. They are followed in the second position by rivals Flamengo, while UEFA Champions League champion Real Madrid rounds out the top three.

The top three African teams in terms of rankings are comprised of Wydad Athletic Club, Zamalek, and another team.

Even though it did not make it to the top three African teams, Pirates, who advanced to the CAF Confederations Cup final, are ranked further down the list in 143rd place, while AmaZulu, who finished 298th in their inaugural CAF Champions League season, also made the list.

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