Football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams, eleven players each. It has more than 250 million players in more than 200 countries and territories, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field known as a football field with a goal at each end. The goal is to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins. Football is a very attractive and dramatic sport, loved by many people around the world. It is a sport that can make people ecstatic joy or deep sadness. So, which team is your favorite? Which tournament do you think is the most exciting and thrilling? The content of this article will Wintips.com summarize most exciting football tournaments in the world for your reference.
1. La Liga - Spain
The Spanish football league, commonly known as Primera División in Spain and La Liga in many other countries (La Liga Santander due to Santander's sponsorship), is the top professional football league for men in the Spanish football league system. Run by Liga de Fútbol Profesional, the league consists of 20 teams, with the three lowest-placed teams at the end of the season relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top two teams and the winner of a play-off in that division.
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Top 10 most exciting football tournaments in the world right now[/caption]
La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, with an average audience of 26,933 for the league's matches in the 2018-2019 season. This is the sixth-highest attendance among all professional sports leagues domestically worldwide, and the third-highest among professional football leagues, after the Premier League and the Bundesliga.
2. Brazilian Serie A - Brazil
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A is the highest professional football league in Brazil for clubs. The league consists of 20 teams playing in a round-robin format with a promotion and relegation system with the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. Due to the country's geographical scale and historical background, Brazil has a relatively short history of a national football league. Only in 1959, with progress in civil aviation and air transport, along with the need for Brazil to send representatives to the first Copa Libertadores, Taça Brasil created a nationwide tournament.
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Brazilian Serie A[/caption]
In 1967, Torneio Rio-São Paulo was opened, and a year later, the first national championship was held. Since then, the league has undergone several changes in format and regulations, but it remains a hugely popular tournament with passionate fans.
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3. Premier League - English Premier League
The English Premier League (EPL), commonly known as the Premier League, is the top level of the English football league system. It consists of 20 clubs and operates on a promotion and relegation system with the English Football League (EFL). The season runs from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches (against 19 other teams at home and away). Most matches are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
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English Premier League[/caption]
The league was founded on February 20, 1992 as the FA Premier League, following a decision by the clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from the Football League, which was established in 1888, in order to take advantage of television rights. A domestic television deal worth £1 billion per year was signed for the 2013-2014 season, with BSkyB and BT Group securing the rights to broadcast 116 and 38 matches respectively. The league earns €2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. As of the 2014-2015 season, clubs receive a share of £1.6 billion and £2.4 billion in profit distribution in the 2016-2017 season.
4. Eredivisie - Netherlands
The Eredivisie is the highest professional football league in the Netherlands. It was established in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. The Eredivisie consists of 18 clubs. Each club plays against the other clubs twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of each season, the bottom two clubs in the league table are automatically relegated to the second tier of the Dutch league system, the Eerste Divisie, while the champions and runners-up of the Eerste Divisie are automatically promoted to the Eredivisie.
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Eredivisie[/caption]
The club finishing third from bottom in the Eredivisie enters a promotion/relegation playoff with the six highest-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie. This is an ideal place for young players to enter the profession. Although not as popular among fans as other leagues, the Eredivisie invests heavily in young talent. Matches here always feature young, talented players, and have a high average of goals per game, around 3.56.
5. Portuguese Liga - Portugal
The Portuguese Liga, also known as Liga NOS due to sponsorship, is the top professional football league in the Portuguese football league system. Since the 2014-2015 season, the Portuguese Liga has been played with 18 teams, with the two lowest-ranking teams relegated to LigaPro and replaced by the top two teams from that league. Founded in 1934 with a trial championship called Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão (Portuguese First Division Championship), the league was officially recognized in 1938 and named Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão (Portuguese National Championship First Division) until 1999, when it was renamed Primeira Liga (Portuguese Premier League).
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Portuguese Liga - Portugal[/caption]
The league is mostly a battle between FC Porto and Benfica. They are the two strongest teams in the league and also the two teams that represent Portuguese football the most in the Champions League. The league is also lacking in professionalism and skilled players, and does not receive much investment to retain big-name players.
See also: The most prestigious football online bookmaker
6. Serie A - Italy
Serie A, also known as Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by TIM, is a professional football league for the highest-ranking football clubs in the Italian football league system, and the winning team is awarded the Scudetto and Coppa Campioni d'Italia. The league has operated on a round-robin format for over 90 years since the 1929-1930 season. Serie A is considered one of the best football leagues in the world and is often described as the most tactical national championship. The league is ranked third among European leagues according to UEFA coefficients, behind La Liga and the Premier League and above the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, based on the performance of Italian clubs in the Champions League and Europa League over the past 5 years. Serie A has topped the UEFA rankings from 1986 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1999.
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Serie A - Italy[/caption]
Serie A also boasts three of the world's most famous football clubs, such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, all of which are founding members of the G-14 group, a representation of Europe's largest and most reputable football clubs from 2000 to 2008. Inter Milan, after their achievement in the 2009-2010 season, became the first Italian team to win the treble. Inter is the only club in the history of Italian football never to have been relegated. Juventus, Milan, and Inter, along with Lazio, Fiorentina, Roma, and Napoli, are known as the Seven Sisters of Italian football. Serie A is Italy's premier league, with the most successful clubs being Juventus (31 championships), AC Milan (18 championships), and Inter Milan (18 championships). The league usually starts in September and ends in May of the following year. There are two rounds in the league, the first is called "andata," and the second is "ritorno." There are 380 rounds, with each team playing 38 matches.
7. Ligue I - France
The French national football championship, also known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats due to sponsorship by Uber Eats, is a professional competition for men's football clubs in France. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's top-tier football league. Managed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, Ligue 1 consists of 20 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. The season runs from August to May. Clubs play two matches against each other in the league - one at home and one away - for a total of 38 matches throughout the season. Most matches take place on Saturdays and Sundays, with some matches held on weekday nights.
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Ligue I - France[/caption]
Ligue 1 began on September 11, 1932 under the name National before changing to Division 1 after one year of existence. The league continued to operate under that name until 2002, when it took on its current name. AS Saint-Étienne is the most successful club with 10 championships in France, while Olympique Lyonnais has won the most consecutive titles (7 titles from 2002 to 2008). With 71 seasons in Ligue 1, Olympique de Marseille holds the record for most appearances in the top division, while Paris Saint-Germain holds the record for most consecutive seasons in the top division with 47 seasons (since 1974). The current champion is Lille, who won the 2020-2021 season. Foreign club AS Monaco has won the championship several times, making it a cross-border competition.
8. Argentine League - Argentina
The Argentine football championship is the highest level of competition in the Argentine football league system, it is also one of the most exciting football tournaments. The league consists of 20 teams, with promotion and relegation to the Primera B Nacional league. The season runs from August to May of the following year. The Argentine championship adopted a new format from the 2012/13 season. Each season is divided into two parts. The Torneu Inicial phase (20 teams play a round-robin once). The Torneu Final phase (20 teams play a round-robin once). At the end of the season, the top two teams from Torneu Inicial and Torneu Final meet in the final to determine the champion. The league has been held since 1932, except for the years from 1939 to 1945, which were held separately in different regions due to World War II.
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Argentine League - Argentina[/caption]
With the first championship held in 1891, Argentina became the first country outside of the United Kingdom to establish a football league. Club Atlético River Plate is the most successful club in the Argentine league, with 36 championships.
9. MLS - USA
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the top professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada, managed by the United States Soccer Federation. The MLS is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The league comprises of 27 teams - 24 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and will expand to 30 teams starting from the 2023 season. MLS is one of the top professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Major League Soccer was established in 1993 in conjunction with the United States being selected to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
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Major League Soccer[/caption]
The first season was held in 1996 with 10 teams. MLS struggled with financial difficulties and operations in its early years: the league lost millions of dollars, teams had to play in empty football stadiums, and two teams had to disband in 2002. Since then, club owners have built specialized soccer stadiums, through the Designated Player Rule allowing teams to sign star players like David Beckham, and national television contracts helping MLS turn a profit.
10. Bundesliga - Germany
The German Football Championship, also known as the Bundesliga, is a professional football league in Germany and has the highest average stadium attendance in the world. As the top tier of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is the highest level of professional football in Germany. The Bundesliga consists of 18 teams and operates on a promotion and relegation system with Bundesliga 2. The season runs from August to May.
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Bundesliga - Germany[/caption]
Most matches are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few matches played on weekdays. All Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal. The Bundesliga champion earns the right to compete in the DFL-Supercup. 56 clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its inception. Bayern Munich is the most successful Bundesliga club with 30 titles. However, the Bundesliga has seen other champions, notably Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and VfB Stuttgart.
Conclusion
In this article, we have provided an overview of the most exciting leagues in the world. These leagues are the foundation for the vibrant operation of world football. We hope that through this article, you have gained useful information about the world's leagues. Thank you for reading!
See also: How many teams from each continent participate in the World Cup?
