Columbus Crew top CONCACAF club rankings; Inter Miami hold their position

CONCACAF, the North, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation has updated its club rankings for 2024 and the reigning MLS and Leagues Cup champions, the Columbus Crew remain at the summit. Three other MLS teams join them in the top 10: LAFC, Inter Miami and Orlando City, with Mexican side Chivas dropping down to 11th.

Experience and silverware

Columbus Crew has earned its place as one of the most influential clubs in Major League Soccer - despite failing to qualify for the postseason in three of the last five seasons. While Inter Miami have gained prominence both in the United States and internationally thanks to Messi’s arrival and that of other big names such as Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the Ohio team remains the team to beat in the fight for the league title.

Wilfried Nancy’s team has grown accustomed to reaching and winning finals over the past three seasons. The Crew lifted the MLS in December last year and added the Leagues Cup, the franchises first international trophy to its collection, over the summer. The squad and coach were invited to the White House as a way of recognition for their great triumph.

In the CONCACAF club ranking for October 2024, four MLS teams appear in the top 10 but the Liga MX continues to dominates with six clubs. Tigres are in second place with 1,232 points, followed by Club América, which recently beat Columbus to win the Campeones Cup.

In fourth place is LAFC, followed by Monterrey, Cruz Azul and in seventh is Messi’s Inter Miami who climb six places to enter the top 10 for the first time. Pachuca slip down to eighth, Toluca remain unchanged in ninth and Orlando City sneak into the ranking at the expense of Chivas.

Inter Miami entered the top 10 for the first time in March following their 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 victory against Nashville.

How does the CONCACAF club ranking work?

CONCACAF launched its club ranking index in May 2023 in which teams are awarded points for their results in official international and domestic games.

The index is determined based on team’s results since 2017 in various competitions: the respective domestic first division professional leagues (MLS, Liga MX, Primera División de Costa Rica, Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras... etc), CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF Regional Cups (Leagues Cup, Central American Cup, and Caribbean Cup), FIFA Club World Cup and member association cups (which qualify for CONCACAF competitions - eg. US Open Cup).

Competitions are weighted in terms of the ranking points available per match, with international matches awarding more ranking points than domestic first-division league and cup matches. Clubs gain more ranking points for defeating a higher-ranked opponent and lose more ranking points should they be defeated by a lower-ranked opponent.

CONCACAF teams competing in the Club World Cup earn a set number of points based on their performance. Making it to the semi-finals is worth five points, reaching the final is worth an additional 10 points, and winning the tournament will earn a further 15 points. No points are deducted during the Club World Cup.