Ranking the best football clubs in Africa can be challenging. That is because you can use different metrics to determine a good team.
For example, many people use the number of trophies a team has won in the local leagues and tournaments to indicate success. But African teams also compete in the CAF (Confederation of African Football) Champions League and annual African club competitions.
Thus, you can use the number of times a team has qualified and won the CAF Champions League to rank the best football clubs in Africa. But a third option is to use the current power rankings for the year.
It is whereby you look at teams’ performance throughout the 2024 season. But this metric may not be the best because you will always get an improved team with no history of winning a trophy.
Alternatively, you can use FIFA club rankings to determine the best African football team. So, which are the most successful African teams?
1. Al Ahly SC
Al Ahly SC is the best and most successful football club in Africa. The team always comes on top of CAF rankings.
Al Ahly SC was founded in 1907. It plays its football in the Egyptian Premier League at the Cairo International Stadium, which has a capacity of 75,000 spectators. Noteworthy, Al Ahly is the most supported team in Africa.
Al Ahly SC has won more trophies than any other team in Africa. However, its record in CAF is the most significant because the team has won ten CAF Champions League titles, the most of any African team.
2. Kaizer Chiefs
Kaizer Chiefs plays in the South African Premier Soccer League at the FNB Stadium. The club is the most successful team in South Africa, with 13 league titles.
But Kaizer Chiefs FC has not been successful continentally. The team is yet to win the CAF Champions League. Its best performance on the continent was in 2021, when it finished runner-up.
Nevertheless, Kaizer Chiefs has won 93 trophies since the club was established in 1970.
3. Asante Kotoko
Asante Kotoko SC is a football club based in Ghana. It plays in the Ghana Premier League at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
Asante Kotoko SC was founded in 1935. Since then, it has become the most successful team in Ghana, with 24 league titles.
Asante Kotoko SC has also been successful on the African continent. The team has participated in the CAF Champions League and won two titles.
4. Zamalek SC
Zamalek SC plays in the Egyptian Premier League at the Cairo International Stadium. It is the second-most successful team in Egypt, with 14 league titles.
Zamalek SC has won five CAF Champions League titles. The team won its first-ever CAF Champions League title in 1984.
Zamalek SC has also participated in the CAF Super Cup and won four times. Since the team plays in the Cairo International Stadium, its biggest rival is Al Ahly SC.
5. Esperance de Tunis
Esperance de Tunis is one of the biggest football clubs in Africa. The team plays in the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 at the Stade Hammadi Agrebi.
Esperance de Tunis is the most successful club in Tunisia. Besides winning 32 league titles, the team has won 60 trophies.
Esperance de Tunis has also found success in Africa. It has won four CAF Champions League titles and one CAF Super Cup title.
6. TP Mazembe
TP Mazembe was founded in 1939 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It plays in the DR Congo Ligue 1, also known as Linafoot, at the Stade TP Mazembe.
TP Mazembe has won 33 trophies in its history. In 1967, the team won its first-ever CAF Champions League title and later won four more.
One of its most significant achievements came in 2010. In 2010, TP Mazembe finished as the FIFA Club World Cup runners-up after losing 3-0 to Inter Milan.
7. Orlando Pirates
Orlando Pirates plays in the South African Premier Soccer League at the Orlando Stadium. Founded in 1937, The Buccaneers are one of the most successful football clubs in South Africa.
Orlando Pirates FC has won 35 trophies in its 86-year history. That number includes nine league titles and one Super Cup.
In 1995, Orlando Pirates FC won its first-ever CAF Champions League trophy. In 1996, the team won its only CAF Super Cup title.
8. Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns plays in the South African Premier Soccer League. The team was founded in 1970 and plays home games at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Mamelodi Sundowns has won the PSL 16 times. However, the team’s trophy cabinet has 32 trophies, including four South African Cups.
Mamelodi Sundowns FC is one of only two teams from South Africa to win the CAF Champions League. It won the tournament in 2016 and became the runner-up in 2001.
9. JS Kabylie
JS Kabylie plays in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 at the 1 November 1954 Stadium. Established in 1946, the club won its first-ever league title during the 1972-1973 season.
Since then, JS Kabylie has won 14 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 titles, five Algerian Cup titles, one Algerian League Cup title, and one Algerian Super Cup title.
JS Kabylie has also been competitive internationally. The team has won two CAF Champions League titles, one African Cup Winners’ Cup, and three CAF Cup titles.
10. Etoile du Sahel
Étoile Sportive du Sahel plays in the Professional League 1 at the Stade Olympique de Sousse. The team has won many domestic titles since the 1950s.
Étoile Sportive du Sahel has won the league title ten times. They also won the Tunisian Cup ten times and the Tunisian Super Cup three times.
Continentally, Étoile Sportive du Sahel won its first and only CAF Champions League in 2007. But the team has also won two African Cup Winners’ Cup titles, two CAF Super Cup titles, and four CAF Confederation Cup titles.
11. Raja Casablanca
Raja Casablanca plays in the Moroccan Botola. The team has a perfect record in the Botola because it has never been relegated since it debuted in the league in 1956.
Its impressive run in the Botola has seen Raja Casablanca win 12 league titles and eight Moroccan Throne Cup titles. Continentally, Raja Casablanca has won nine continental trophies.
Raja Casablanca won its first-ever CAF Champions League title in 1989. But as of now, it has three CAF Champions League titles. The team reached the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup finals but lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich.
12. Canon Sportif de Yaoundé
Canon Yaoundé plays in the Championnat du Cameroun de Football or Elite One league at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo. Since its establishment in 1930, the team has won eight league titles.
While Canon Yaoundé has won 12 Cameroonian Cup titles, the team has never won the Cameroonian Super Cup, also known as the Super Coupe Roger Milla.
Canon Yaoundé enjoyed continental success in the 1970s and 1980s. It has three CAF Champions League titles and one African Cup Winners’ Cup.
13. Wydad Casablanca
Wydad Athletic Club plays in the Moroccan Botola League. Since its establishment in 1937, the team has enjoyed success in the national top-tier league and has never been relegated.
Wydad Athletic Club has 22 league titles, the most of any team in Botola. Also, the team has nine Moroccan Throne Cup titles, making it the most decorated club in Morocco.
Continentally, Wydad Athletic Club has won three CAF Champions League titles, one Africa Cup Winners’ Cup, and one CAF Super Cup.
14. Club Africain
Club Africain plays in the Tunisian Professional League 1 at the Stade Olympique de Radès. The team has a rich history since it was established in 1920.
Club Africain wrote history as the only Tunisian club to win the first African Champions League and Maghreb Cup Winners Cup titles.
Club Africain has 13 league titles, 13 Tunisian Cup titles, and three Tunisian Super Cup titles. Furthermore, it has one CAF Champions League title, which it won during the 1991-1992 season.
15. Union Douala
Union Douala plays in the Cameroonian Elite One league at the Stade de la Réunification. The team won its first league title in 1969.
Since then, Union Douala has won five Elite One titles and six Cameroon Cup titles. Continentally, the team enjoyed success in CAF Competitions between 1979 and 1981.
Union Douala won its first and only CAF Champions League title in 1979. In 1981, the team scooped the African Cup Winners’ Cup title.
16. Simba SC
Simba SC plays in the Tanzanian Premier League at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. The team has won 55 titles since its establishment in 1936.
Simba SC has 22 league titles and seven Tanzanian FA Cup titles. Furthermore, Simba SC has won seven CECAFA Club Championship titles.
Simba SC has not been lucky in CAF competitions. Its best run came in 1993 when it lost the final of the CAF Confederation Cup to Stella Club d’Adjamé or Ivory Coast.
17. Enyimba FC
Enyimba FC plays in the Nigerian Professional Football League at the Enyimba International Stadium. The team is the most successful in Nigeria by trophy count. It is also one of the richest clubs in Africa.
Enyimba FC has won eight league titles, the most of any team in Nigeria. Furthermore, it has four Nigeria FA Cups and four Nigerian Super Cups.
Enyimba FC is the only Nigerian club to win a CAF competition. The team has won two CAF Champions League and two CAF Super Cup titles.
18. ES Sétif
ES Sétif plays in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1. Since it was founded in 1958, ES Sétif has won eight league titles.
It also has eight Algerian Cup titles and two Algerian Super Cups. ES Sétif has been a successful club in Africa.
The team won its first CAF Champions League title in 1988 and added another in 2004. In 2015, it won its first and only CAF Super Cup.
19. Hafia FC
Hafia FC is on this list of soccer clubs ranked in Africa because of its continental success. The team was successful in African competitions and won three CAF Champions League titles between 1972 and 1977.
Domestically, Hafia FC plays in the Guinea Ligue 1 Pro. The team has won 15 league titles, with its first in 1966. Furthermore, Hafia FC has four Guinea FA Cup titles.
20. USM Alger
USM Alger has a rich history of winning titles in Algeria and on the African continent. The club plays in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 at the Omar Hamadi Stadium.
After USM Alger was established in 1937, it won its first league title during the 1962-1963 season. However, USM Alger is an 8-time Ligue 1 champion.
In 2013, USM Alger won the UAFA Club Championship. However, the team reached the finals of the CAF Champions League once and lost it.
Which mentioned team does not deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments section.
I love Al Ahly because it is the best club in Africa.