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Football is the most popular sport that is followed across the world. For decades, people have travelled long distances to watch their favourite football teams play in their respective stadiums and leagues, and show their support and fandom in the best way that they can.
In comparison, the leagues that lord the football world are all plying their trade in Europe. However, they get a chance to face off against the best-of-the-best in the world during the FIFA Club World Cup, which is an important part of any winning team's trophy cabinet as it determines the best football club in the world.
That said, there are some tournaments that gain more fame than others. The reasons for these vary from the club's attempts to woo fans, to the amount of revenue generated by the league in general. Here, we see the top 10 football leagues in the world, based on their fan following and their popularity.
English Premier League (England)
The English Premier League (EPL) has garnered the most popularity with teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Chelsea ruling the roost. It is also the most-watched football league in the world and the best in both Europe and the world, given that two of the last three UEFA Champions Leagues and the Club World Cups were won by English clubs — Liverpool and Chelsea.
La Liga (Spain)
Spain's football following (outside the country) is centred around just two clubs — Real Madrid and Barcelona. These two teams pull in the most crowds in Spain and the match between the two — also called the El Classico — is among the most-viewed matches in the history of La Liga.
Bundesliga (Germany)
German football has lifted into prominence over the last two decades. The pinnacle of success was in 2014 when the country's national team won the coveted FIFA World Cup award. The most popular team in the Bundesliga is Bayern Munich, who created history recently by winning their 10th straight Bundesliga title.
Serie A (Italy)
European football is incomplete without mentioning Serie A. They have been prominent in the football arena for years, and have produced some of the finest players that the sport has ever seen. In the 21st century, Juventus has had the most dominance in the Serie, and coming close behind them are Inter Milan and AC Milan, who lost their feet in between but have worked their way back up.
Ligue 1 (France)
France is the fifth in the top-five European football leagues. They have some of the brightest talents in world football and many clubs outside France treat Ligue 1 as a hotbed for getting some of the most talented players to have set foot on a pitch. Their biggest team, currently, is Paris Saint Germain (PSG), but sides like Marseilles and LOSC Lille have equal clout in the Ligue 1.
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
Arguably the biggest talent factory in Europe, the Butch Eredivisie is the league many young players outside the top five leagues, or even outside Europe — choose to go to in order to become world-class players. From record champions, AFC Ajax to the likes of PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar, many of these teams are widely supported in and outside Europe.
Serie A (Brazil)
South American football is considered by many as the mother of football. Leading them is Brazilian Serie A (no relation to Italian Serie A), which has given rise to some of the best footballers in the current generation. Home of the legendary Pele, now the country has players like forward Neymar Jr and goalkeeper Alisson, who are regular title-contenders for their respective teams.
Primeira Liga (Portugal)
Another talent factory that gave us Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Figo, the Portuguese Primeira Liga is the most competitive league outside of the top five. They have three main teams — Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP — and their importance cannot be undermined, which makes them a prominent member of this list.
Major League Soccer (USA)
Major League Soccer is among the up-and-coming leagues in the world. Not as popular as the leagues mentioned above, the MLS in the USA is not like the other tournaments — they do not have the process of relegation and promotion. But many players go to the MLS to finish their careers and impart their knowledge to the next generation of tennis stars.
Chinese Super League (China)
Outside Europe, not many leagues are widely followed, mostly because of the lack of infrastructure. But another reason is the lack of competitive players. And the CSL has worked on tackling this by allowing their clubs to sign some former big stars of the game. Some players to have donned jerseys in the CSL are Oscar and Marouane Fellaini, who used to play for Chelsea and Man United respectively.
