Football is the most popular sport in the world. But when we say “football,” we usually refer to the Top 5 European leagues and the FIFA and UEFA tournaments involving them. But there’s way more to football than just the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. More than enough quality football action is going on that is worthy of our attention.
Serie A (Brazil)
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, sometimes simply called “Brasileirão,” is the top-flight football league in Brazil. Founded in 1971, it has 20 clubs and its top teams are promoted to Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League) and the Copa Sudamericana (equivalent of the UEFA Europa League).
The current champions of the league are Palmeiras, with 12 titles on their belt. Other top teams include Santos (8 titles, the last one in 2004), Flamengo, and Corinthians. Among its most successful players, we find Diego Souza, with more than 500 apps and 144 goals scored in league games.
Primeira Liga (Portugal)
Liga Portugal or Primeira Liga is not considered one of the top 5 European leagues, which is a shame, considering how many excellent teams play there. It currently has 18 clubs promoted to the top 3 European leagues – Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.
Three clubs in Liga Portugal are especially strong – Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP. The usual winner of the Portuguese top-flight league is one of these three, with just a handful of exceptions.
Portugal’s first football league is covered extensively worldwide at sports news websites, by bookmakers, and even by onlinegamblingsa.co.za, the repository of South African betting knowledge covers it.
Primera División (Argentina)
Argentina is known as one of the top football nations in the world – and has one of the most exciting domestic leagues few people have heard about. It has given the world some truly exceptional players, including Diego Maradona. And it has some high-quality football to follow.
River Plate, Rosario Central, and Defensa y Justicia are among the best-known Argentinian teams, and River Plate is the most successful one, with 38 titles (including this year’s title) under their belt.
Süper Lig (Turkey)
Turkey has held league competitions for 100 years, and the Süper Lig, its top-flight football league, has been played for more than 60. It currently has 20 clubs competing for a place in the European leagues.
The Turkish top-flight league has several powerful teams, including Galatasaray, with 23 league titles under its belt, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş. Turkey has given the world high-profile footballers like Hakan Şükür, Tugay Kerimoğlu, and Bülent Korkmaz, many of them making a name for themselves internationally.
Super League (Greece)
Finally, let’s not forget the Greek top-flight league with strong teams and legendary rivalries, the Greek Super League (Soúper Ligk Elladas 1). It has a smaller number of teams – just 14 at this time – but their quality makes up for the quantity.
Current champions AEK Athens are at their 13th title, while Olympiacos, the most successful club in the country, has 47 of them under their belt. Greek football is famous for its rivalries, including the “Derby of the eternal enemies” between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos or the Piraeus Derby between Ethnikos and Olympiacos.
As you can see, there’s way more to football than just the top 5 European leagues. There’s enough quality football played outside England, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy – and there’s also more than enough action overseas, no matter if you’re looking for high-profile matches or betting markets.
