Statistics and analytics experts Opta have released the rankings for confederations across the world, and no Nigerian club is in the top 29 in Africa.
According to Opta, the clubs were ranked by the “Elo algorithm”, which is used to analyze match results from over 2,500,000 games since 1990 to assign a rating to each team that is comparable across leagues, countries, and continents.
Rivers United, the highest-ranked Nigerian team, are 30th, Enyimba are the second-best team from Nigeria, and they sit 62nd. Akwa United, the third-best Nigerian club, is 82nd in Africa, Plateau is fourth in Nigeria and 101 in Africa, while Bendel Insurance 199th is the fifth-best Nigerian club.
In Africa, the best team is South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns. They are closely followed by Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, FAR Rabat, Raja Casablanca, Pyramids, FUS Rabat, Orlando Pirates, Simba FC, and Young Africans.