Manchester City sits atop UEFA’s final 2022 club rankings for the first time. Man City finished the year with 131 total points edging Bayern (130 points) for the top spot and ending the German club’s two-year reign. UEFA uses a five-year cycle to determine its rankings.
Manchester City is one of four English Premier League – teams among the top 10 in the rankings. Man City earned 19 UEFA points this year, two points less than Bayern Munich, but the overall strength of the EPL – UEFA’s No. 1 ranked Association for the second straight year – propelled them to the top. City won the Premier League for the second straight season and reached the semifinals of the Champions League predictions in 2022.
UEFA rankings are based on the clubs competing in Europe, with points given to teams for wins, draws, and qualification to events, etc. The rankings change the seeding of the clubs in relevant UEFA competition draws and the number of places for a country in upcoming club competitions.
UEFA’s Top-10 Rankings
1. Manchester City, 131 points
Man City is second in the Premier League (10-2-2), returning to action against Leeds United on December 28. City is also alive in three “trophy” competitions. The Citizens finished first in Group G of the Champions League and next face RB Leipzig in the quarterfinals. They have reached the EFL’s quarterfinals and the FA Cup’s third round.
2. Bayern Munich, 130
Bayern Munich, eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2022, has won 10 straight Bundalisga titles. Bayern once again sits atop the Bundesliga (10-4-1) in 2022-23 and went undefeated (6-0-0) in Champions League group play. They face Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. The 2022 DFL SuperCup champions are also alive in the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal.
3. T. Liverpool, 123
Liverpool has earned 19 UEFA points in 2022-23 to remain in the third spot. The Reds finished second in the Premier League standings but reached the finals in three events in 2022. Liverpool won the EFL Cup and FA Cup, both over Chelsea, though it came up short in the Champions League title game. Despite struggling in league play this season, the 2022-23 FA Community Shield Champions have advanced to the Champions League round of 16 and the third round of the FA Cup.
4. T. Chelsea, 123
Chelsea also remains steady despite earning just 18 points in 2023. Like Liverpool, Chelsea has struggled in the Premier this season. The Blues are out of the EFL Cup though they are still alive in the Champions League and FA Cup. Chelsea won the UEFFA Super Cup over Villarreal last year and reached two finals domestically.
5. Paris Saint- Germain, 112
PSG, the defending Ligue 1 champions, lept over Real Madrid despite not winning any major trophies in 202122 and playing in an inferior league. Paris has accumulated 19 UEFA points this year as they once again sit atop Ligue 1 (13-2-0) and lead our Champions League predictions today round of 16. The 2022-23 Trophee des Champions are also alive in the Coupe de France.
6. Real Madrid, 110
Real Madrid dropped one spot from last year’s poll, as they have earned 18 points this year. The 2021-21 Champions League winners sit in second place in La Liga with an 11-2-1 record. They are in the round of 16 of the Champions League picks this year and won the 2022-23 UEFA SuperCup over Eintracht Frankfurt.
7. Barcelona, 98
Barcelona only has nine UEFA points this year as Barca could not get out of the Champions League Group Stage. The current La Liga leaders (12-1-1) will participate in the Europa League Knockout round play-offs.
8. Manchester United, 97
Man U moved up one spot in the rankings despite being fifth in the Premier League (8-2-4) and not participating in the Champions Or Europa League.
9. Juventus, 90
Juventus dropped one spot in the rankings, as they have six points this year. Juventus will also participate in the Europa League play-off round after failing to make it out of the Champions League Group Stage. They are in third place in Serie A with a 9-4-2 record.
10. Ajax, 89
Ajax supplanted Atletico in the final spot of the top 10 rankings. The Netherlands club, which reached the round of 16 in the Champions League last year, was knocked out of the competition during the Group Stage and will participate in the Europa League knockout stage. Ajax (9-3-2) is second in Eredivisie.
