Mamelodi Sundowns Maintain Africa’s Pole Position as Orlando Pirates Surge in Opta’s Global Rankings
Mamelodi Sundowns, despite their recent exit from the CAF Champions League, have retained their status as the top-ranked club in Africa. Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates have made significant strides, now occupying the seventh spot in Opta’s CAF team rankings.
The Opta Power Rankings encompass an impressive array of approximately 13,500 domestic football teams, providing comprehensive ratings across the global football landscape. This analytical tool allows for comparisons between teams from different countries and continents on a standardized scale, aiding decision-making processes.
These rankings operate on a scale from zero to 100, with zero representing the poorest-ranked team in the world and 100 signifying the highest-ranked team globally. The Power Rankings are updated daily and currently encompass teams from 183 different countries and 413 unique domestic leagues, establishing a truly global assessment system for men’s football.
A team’s ranking is determined by its performance in both domestic and international tournaments, as well as the overall strength of the respective competitions. In the previous update in April, Wydad Casablanca held the top spot in Africa, followed by Sundowns and Raja Casablanca. However, the landscape has since undergone significant changes.
Mamelodi Sundowns Maintain Africa’s Pole PositionMasandawana, as Mamelodi Sundowns are affectionately known, have risen to the summit of African club football, securing the 164th position globally. Al Ahly, previously ranked fourth in April, have ascended to second place in Africa and 173rd worldwide.
Meanwhile, Wydad Casablanca has slipped to third among the giants of the CAF, despite their consecutive qualifications for the CAF Champions League finals. The surprising inclusion of Pyramids in fourth place follows the Moroccan duo FUS Rabat and FAR Rabat, despite Pyramids’ elimination from the CAF Confederations Cup by Marumo Gallants.
Orlando Pirates, on the other hand, have made significant progress, surging from 10th position in April to seventh in Africa. Globally, they have climbed from 397th to 351st.
Completing Africa’s top 10 highest-ranked clubs, we have Petro De Luanda, Raja Casablanca, and CR Belouizdad.
Africa’s Top 10 Teams [Opta Rankings]:
- Mamelodi Sundowns (164 globally)
- Al Ahly (173)
- Wydad AC (189)
- Pyramids (282)
- FUS Rabat (312)
- FAR Rabat (322)
- Orlando Pirates (351)
- Petro De Luanda (360)
- Raja Casablanca (365)
- Belouizdad (369)