As every year, the CIES Football Observatory has identified the clubs having trained the players currently active in 49 leagues around the world to establish a ranking of the clubs with the best academies. The 518th Weekly Post presents the top 100 according to a training index taking into account the number of players trained, the level of the clubs they played for last year and the official game minutes played over the same period.

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Editors:
Raffaele Poli
Roger Besson
Loïc Ravenel

As last year, Benfica ranks first with 93 players trained active in the 49 leagues analysed, an average level of employment clubs of 0.81 and 2,582 minutes played on average in official matches over the last year. Barcelona (76 players, average club level of 0.87 and 2,773 minutes) and River Plate (97 players, average level of 0.81 and 2,305 minutes) complete the podium of the clubs with the best academies.

The top 10 includes a further Portuguese team (Sporting CP), another Spanish one (Real Madrid), two other Argentine clubs (Boca Juniors and Vélez Sarsfield), as well as Ajax from the Netherlands, Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia, and Defensor from Uruguay. Thirty countries are represented by at least one team in the top 100, the most represented nations being Argentina (15 clubs) and Brazil (11 clubs).

>>> Training clubs are defined as the first teams in which footballers have played for at least three years between the seasons of their 15th and 21st birthdays (inclusive).
>>> This video illustrates the main changes that have taken place since 2010 in the composition of teams in thirty European top divisions (squad size, height, recruitment, expatriates, club-trained and age of migration).

Club rankings according to training index

Players registered on 1 October 2025 in 49 leagues worldwide.