The FIFA publishes a women’s world ranking several times a year, but this only concerns national teams. No official FIFA ranking for women’s clubs exists to date. To compare clubs globally, one must turn to other rating systems, each based on its own methodology and biases.
Elo Method Applied to Women’s Clubs: How the Rating Works
The FIFA ranking for women’s teams is based on the Elo method, a system borrowed from chess that adjusts a team’s points after each match based on the result, the importance of the competition, and the strength of the opponent. This same logic has been adapted for women’s clubs by independent initiatives like World Football Elo Ratings.
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The difference from a simple count of victories is significant. A club that regularly beats well-ranked opponents earns more points than a club that accumulates wins against weak teams. The system rewards consistency in the face of adversity, not the sheer volume of positive results.
To identify the best women’s club in the world according to the FIFA ranking, one must therefore cross-reference several sources, as the international federation does not provide this hierarchy among clubs itself.
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UEFA Coefficients and Opta Ranking: Two Distinct Frameworks
UEFA calculates its own coefficients for women’s clubs, primarily based on results in the Women’s Champions League. For the period 2024-2027, the weight of recent performances has been increased, which changes the game compared to previous cycles.
This methodological change favors clubs that are rapidly progressing, particularly in England and Spain, at the expense of those that have historically dominated but whose recent European results are less consistent. The UEFA coefficient does not measure the absolute value of a club but its European competitiveness over recent seasons.
The Opta Approach and Its Weighted Criteria
The artificial intelligence tool developed by Opta for the 90min site introduces a finer framework. Three criteria deserve attention:
- The average strength of the domestic league, which penalizes clubs playing in less competitive leagues even if they dominate there.
- The goal difference weighted by the opponent’s level, which distinguishes a large victory against a weak team from a narrow win against a direct rival.
- Consistency over several seasons, which prevents a club with a single exceptional campaign from outclassing a regularly performing competitor.
This weighting explains why some clubs from less publicized leagues sometimes appear ranked higher than more decorated teams competing in less prestigious competitions.
FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais: The Duel at the Top of the Rankings
Since 2022, FC Barcelona Femení and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin have regularly occupied the top two spots in the global Elo rankings. The Catalan club has built its dominance on a deep squad and a possession game that allows it to control the majority of its matches, including in the Women’s Champions League.
OL remains the most decorated club in the history of women’s European competition. Its ability to recruit top players and maintain a high level of performance for over a decade gives it an advantage in systems that value consistency.
Why the Domestic League Matters
A point often overlooked in the comparison between these two clubs concerns the competitiveness of their respective leagues. The Spanish Liga F and the French D1 Arkema do not offer the same level of internal competition. A club that wins its league comfortably accumulates fewer Elo points than a club that battles for the title until the final matchdays.
The rise of the English Women’s Super League, with clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea, further complicates the hierarchy. These clubs now benefit from the new UEFA coefficients that value recent European results.
Limitations of Current Rankings for Women’s Football
The absence of an official FIFA ranking for clubs creates a gap that several methodologies attempt to fill, each with its blind spots. The Elo system, for example, does not account for transfers or coaching changes between two calculation periods. A club that loses several key players during the off-season retains its rating until results reflect this loss of quality.
The UEFA coefficients, on the other hand, completely ignore domestic performances and competitions outside Europe. A dominant South American or Asian club simply does not appear in this system.
- The Elo ranking measures overall sporting value but reacts slowly to changes in the squad.
- The UEFA coefficient reflects European competitiveness but excludes non-European clubs.
- The Opta tool incorporates more variables but remains an algorithmic estimate, not an institutional ranking.
None of these systems can claim to objectively designate the best women’s club in the world. Each answers a slightly different question, and the choice of methodology directly influences the outcome. A fan of women’s football consulting these rankings benefits from understanding what each system actually measures, rather than taking the final result as an absolute truth.