Europe's top football teams were ranked according to their all-time performance in the main continental club Cup competitions: The Champions League (previously known as the European Cup); the UEFA Cup (now known as the Europa League); the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; and the Cup Winners' Cup (held until 1999). The earliest of these competitions started in 1956.
The teams were allocated points for winning the trophies, or being runners-up, between 1956 and 2009. The full points system is described below the rankings.The all-time best 25 European football teams, as of the end of 2009:
1. Real Madrid (Spain): 530 points
2. AC Milan (Italy): 445 points
3. Barcelona (Spain): 338 points
4. Liverpool (England): 335 points
5. Bayern Munich (Germany): 315 points
6. Ajax Amsterdam (Holland): 270 points
7. Juventus (Italy): 245 points
8. Manchester United (England): 185 points
9. Inter Milan (Italy): 184 points
10. Benfica (Portugal): 154 points
11. FC Porto (Portugal): 125 points
12. Nottingham Forest (England): 100 points
13. Valencia (Spain): 98 points
14. Hamburg SV (Germany): 94 points
15. Feyenoord (Holland): 90 points
16. Anderlecht (Belgium): 87 points
17. Borussia Dortmund (Germany): 83 points
18=. PSV Eindhoven (Holland): 70 points
18=. Parma (Italy): 70 points
20. Tottenham Hotspurs (England): 69 points
21. Marseille (France): 68 points
22=. Arsenal (England): 64 points
22=. Celtic (Scotland): 64 points
24=. Chelsea (England): 60 points
24=. Steaua Bucharest (Romania): 60 points
Points are allocated as follows:
Champions League / European Cup Winner: 50 points
Cup Winners' Cup Winner: 25 points
UEFA Cup / Europa League Winner: 20 points
Fairs Cup Winner: 15 points
Champions League / European Cup Runner-Up: 10 points
Cup Winners' Cup Runner-Up: 5 points
UEFA Cup / Europa League Runner-Up: 4 points
Fairs Cup Runner-Up: 3 points
