Top 10 Clubs In Europe With The Most Trophies

European club football has a long and rich history, and many of the top clubs in Europe have amassed a significant number of trophies over the years. Whether it’s league titles, domestic cups, or European trophies, these clubs have consistently proven themselves to be among the best in the world.

In almost every sport, taking home the trophy at the season’s end is considered the pinnacle of success, and football is no exception. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United are some of the familiar names that come to mind when thinking about the football clubs that have the most trophies as a result of their comprehensive history as well as their recent success and dominance in European football.

Here are a few of the top clubs in Europe with the most trophies:

10: AC Milan

A professional football club known as AC Milan, or simply Milan, was established in Milan, Italy, in 1899. Except for the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons, the club has played its entire history in the Italian football league’s top division, known as Serie A, since 1929–30. With Boca Juniors, AC Milan has won 18 FIFA and UEFA trophies, making them the fourth most successful club overall and the most successful Italian team.

Milan holds Italian records for seven European Cup/Champions League titles, a joint-high five UEFA Super Cup victories, a record three Intercontinental Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup, and two Cup Winners’ Cup victories. Milan and its nearby rival Inter Milan, with 19 league titles, are tied for second place in Serie A, just behind Juventus (36 league titles). Additionally, they have won the Supercoppa Italiana seven times and the Coppa Italia five times.

AC Milan has a total of 52 trophies to their name. They have won two European Cups and one Champions League, placing them in second place behind Real Madrid. They have won the title of European Champion on no fewer than seven separate occasions. In 1963, they achieved their very first victory in the competition. The most recent time they triumphed in the Champions League final was in 2007. Milan was the last club to successfully defend their European Cup title before Real Madrid did so in 2017. Milan won the tournament in 1989 and 1990, giving them back-to-back victories.

9: Manchester United 

Old Trafford is located in Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United Football Club, also known as Man United (often stylized as Man Utd) or simply United. This club competes at the professional level of the sport of association football.

The Premier League is the highest level competition in the English football league, and the club competes. It was originally known as the Newton Heath LYR Football Club when it was established in 1878, but in 1902 it changed its name to Manchester United. The team is also known as the Red Devils. In 1910, the club relocated from its previous stadium in Newton Heath to its current location in Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson redefined success for the Premier League giants. Manchester United has won 68 trophies, including 20 top-flight titles, 13 in the Premier League era. 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 21 Charity/Community Shields. They also won the Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup. United is the only English club to win the Champions League, domestic title, and domestic cup. The Red Devils are England’s only global champion. 1999 Intercontinental Cup, 2008 Club World Cup.

8: Liverpool

Liverpool Football Club is based in England. The club plays in England’s Premier League. Since its formation in 1892, Liverpool has played its home games at Anfield. 19 League titles, 8 FA Cups, a record 9 League Cups, and 16 FA Community Shields. Six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four UEFA Super Cups (all English records), and one FIFA Club World Cup. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, and Kenny Dalglish led Liverpool to 11 League titles and 4 European Cups in the 1970s and 1980s. Rafael Benitez and Jürgen Klopp led Liverpool to two more European Cups in 2005 and 2019; Klopp led Liverpool to its first Premier League title in 2020.

After Manchester United, the only English team to make it onto this list is Liverpool, Manchester United’s bitter rival. The Reds have a total of 69 trophies to their name. They have won six European Cups, making them the most successful English club in European football. In addition, in their history, Liverpool has won three UEFA Cups and four UEFA Super Cups.

On the domestic front, Liverpool has won 19 English top-flight titles, a record nine League Cups, eight FA Cups, and a combined 15 Charity and Community Shields. After a thirty-year drought, the Reds have finally crowned Premier League champions during the 2019–20 campaign. Additionally, in 2019, they were victorious at the FIFA Club World Cup.

7: FC Porto

The most successful Portuguese team to compete in international club competitions has been the FC Porto football club, which plays association football and is based in Porto. They have a total of seven international trophies, including two UEFA Champions League titles (in 1987 and 2004, when the competition was still known as the European Cup), two UEFA Europa League titles (in 2003 and 2011, when the competition was still known as the UEFA Cup), one UEFA Super Cup title (in 1987), and two Intercontinental Cup titles (in 1987 and 2004).

In addition, they finished in second place in the Cup Winners Cup in 1984, which was their first appearance in the European final, and they were unsuccessful in their attempts to win the UEFA Super Cup in 2003, 2004, and 2011.

Along with their rivals from Lisbon, Benfica and Sporting CP, Porto is considered one of the “Big Three” teams in all of Portugal. They have 79 official trophies, placing them as the second most decorated team in Portugal. Most of them were won in domestic competitions, including thirty league championships (five consecutively between 1994–95 and 1998–99, a Portuguese football record). Their most recent victory came in the UEFA Champions League final in 2003/04, when they prevailed over Monaco with a score of 3-0.

6: Juventus

In 1958, Juventus Football Club participated in its first UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) game. Since Italy became a professional league, the first international cup the club played in was the Central European Cup in 1929. This was an inter-association tournament, and it was the first time the Old Lady played in it. From 1927 to 1940, when that competition was held, the club made it to the semi-finals five times. Juventus didn’t play in any international tournaments between 1938 and 1951 when they won the final of the Torneio Internacional de Clubes Campers. Since UEFA was founded in 1954 and its first club competitions started the following year, they have played in six of the seven confederation tournaments as of 2022.

After winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1985, the club got its first world champion title. At the same time, it won the title at least once in the then-five international competitions, making it the first and only club in the world to do so. This record was re-established when the club won the UEFA Intertoto Cup 14 years later, and it lasted until the first Europa Conference League final in 2022.

Juventus Football Club, based in Turin, is the most successful Italian football club in the annals of the sport’s history. Juventus has won 70 trophies, including 36 Serie A championships. In addition, they have won 14 Italian Cups and 9 Italian Super Cups during their history. The Old Lady has won all major trophies in European soccer, including two European Cups, three UEFA Cups, one Cup Winners’ Cup, and two UEFA Super Cups. In total, the Old Lady has a perfect record in Europe. Additionally, they won the Intercontinental Cup on two separate occasions, in 1985 and 1996, giving them the title of world champions.

5: FC Bayern Munich

FC Bayern Munich, also known as Bayern Football Club Bayern Munich, also referred to simply as Bayern, is a professional sports club in Germany that has its headquarters in Munich, Bavaria. Its professional men’s football team, which competes in the Bundesliga, the highest level of competition in the German football league system, is the primary reason for the club’s widespread notoriety. Bayern Munich is the most successful club in German football history, having won a record 32 national titles, including 10 consecutively since 2013, and 20 national cups, in addition to numerous European honours. This makes Bayern the most successful club in the history of German football.

The German club FC Bayern Munich is well-known for holding numerous records. The king of German football, Bayern Munich, has won 81 trophies. They have won the German Cup 20 times and the Bundesliga 32 times. Additionally, they won the German Super Cup nine times and the now-defunct German League Cup six times each. Bayern has won six European Cups or Champions Leagues outside of Germany, including three consecutive titles in the middle of the 1970s. They have captured every European trophy with victories in the UEFA Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, and two UEFA Super Cups. Bayern is the only German club to complete the treble, having also won the Intercontinental Cup twice and two Club World Cups.

4: AFC Ajax

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club that plays in the Eredivisie, which is the highest level of competition in Dutch football. Ajax’s home stadium is the Amsterdam ArenA. Ajax is the most successful club in the history of the Netherlands, having won a total of 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. The club was named after a legendary Greek hero. Since the league’s inception in 1956, it has competed in the Eredivisie. Along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is considered one of the “big three” clubs in the Netherlands, as all three have consistently performed exceptionally well in that competition.

AFC Ajax, the most famous club in the Netherlands, is the only team from that country to appear on this list. Because they have won the Eredivisie 36 times, they are the club on this list with the second-highest number of domestic league titles. This is in addition to the 20 Dutch Cups, 4 UEFA Champions Leagues, and 1 UEFA Cup they have already held. Under the direction of manager Frank de Boer, the Dutch giants won their national championship a record-tying four years in a row between 2011 and 2014. The most recent time they triumphed in the UEFA Champions League was in the 1994–1995 season.

3: FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona is a professional football team from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. They play in La Liga, the highest football level in Spain. The club was started in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English football players led by Joan Gamper. It has become a symbol of Catalan culture and nationalism, which is why its motto is “Més que un club.” Like many other football teams, Barcelona is owned and run by its fans. It is the world’s fourth most valuable sports team, worth $4.76 billion.

It is also the world’s fourth most profitable football club, making €582.1 million yearly. “Cant del Barca” is the official song of Barcelona. It was written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. Barcelona always plays in dark blue and garnet stripes, which is why they are called Blaugrana.

FC Barcelona is the world’s third most successful football club in history and the second most recognizable club in the world today. They’ve amassed 90 trophies. Based on the number of awards won, Barcelona is the only other club to have twice taken home the triple crown. They have five European Cups/Champions League victories, four Cup Winners’ Cup victories, three Fairs Cup victories, and five UEFA Super Cup victories under their belts.

Barca has won 26 titles in Spain, a record 31 times in the Spanish Cup, 13 times in the Spanish Super Cup, and twice in the Spanish League Cup. Additionally, they have three times won the Club World Cup. In 2009, they made history by becoming the first club to win six trophies in a single year.

2: SL Benfica

SL Benfica is a Portuguese football club that plays in the Primeira Liga. Benfica, founded as Sport Lisboa on 28 February 1904, is one of Portugal’s “Big Three” clubs that have never been relegated from Primeira Liga as Guia refers to the club’s crest, while Os Encarnados (The Reds) refers to the shirt color. Since 2003, they’ve played at Estádio da Luz, which replaced the 1954 stadium. Benfica has 14 million fans worldwide and over 250,000 members, making it the largest sports club in Portugal and the second largest in the world. “Ser Benfiquista” is the club’s anthem for benfiquistas. Guia Vitória is the club’s mascot.

The Portuguese club SL Benfica won 37 domestic league titles, more than any other. They have only won the European Cup twice, and those victories came in the seasons 1960–1961 and 1961–1962, so they have not achieved the same level of domestic success in Europe in recent years. Benfica and Porto are the best European teams that continue to produce some of the world’s best young South American footballers. This is a trend that has been going on for quite some time. They have an unrivaled scouting system in the leagues of Latin America, and they thrive domestically thanks to the money they make from selling off extremely talented football players.

1: Real Madrid

Real Madrid Club, which most people call “Real Madrid,” is a professional football team from Spain that is based in Madrid. Since its beginning in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the team has always worn a white home kit. The honorific title “real” means “royal” in Spanish.

King Alfonso XIII gave it to the club in 1920, along with the royal crown on its emblem. Since 1947, Real Madrid’s home games have been held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid, which can hold up to 81,044. Real Madrid’s members have always owned and run the club, which is different from most European sports teams.

Real Madrid has won 96 trophies. Real Madrid has won the European Cup/Champions League 14 times, including the first five editions and eight more during the Champions League era. They are the most successful club in the history of the competition. The 1980s saw the Spanish powerhouses win back-to-back UEFA Cups and four UEFA Super Cups. Madrid has won the Club World Cup four times and the Intercontinental Cup three times. They have won 35 domestic championships, 19 Spanish Cups, 12 Spanish Super Cups, and one Spanish League Cup victory.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the top clubs in Europe with the most trophies, but there are many other clubs that have had a significant amount of success over the years. Whether it’s through a strong commitment to developing young players, a consistent winning mentality, or a talented squad of players, these clubs have proven themselves to be among the best in the world.

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