Table of Contents
- Winning trophies is one of the most difficult things to do
- Some of the titles which are challenging to win include include the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup
- The FIFA World Cup tournament takes place only once in four years
With the 2024-25 season underway, we’ve decided to take a look at the most difficult trophies to win. Apart from the usual club competitions, there are a few exciting football events to follow in 2025.
The UEFA Women’s Euro Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations are some of the major events fans will be looking forward to this year.
After much debate in the football world on which is the most prestigious trophy, SportsLeo brings you the list of the top five most difficult trophies to win.
1. FIFA World Cup
Argentina won the last World Cup. Photo/ United In Focus.
For starters, the FIFA World Cup tournament takes place only once in four years. During this period, the top footballing nations from all over the world assemble in one or two countries countries to play from the Group Stage progressing all the way to the final. Only half of the initial 32 countries advance past the group stage and if your country happens to be one of them, they get a shot at the title.
Considering the entire globe focuses on the World Cup, the tournament is usually challenging to win, which is why is tops the list of the most difficult trophies to win.
2. Premier League
Manchester City have recently dominated English football and made it look easy to win the Premier League. However, the competition is usually tight and the Premier League is one of the most difficult trophies to win.
Playing 38 matches throughout the season is not easy and for you to triumph you need to win almost all the games. Just to show how crazy it usually is, Liverpool once managed 97 points but still failed to win the title. Arsenal, on the other hand, finished the 2023/24 season with 89 points but still couldn’t clinch the title.
Manchester City have won the Premier League several times on the final day of the season, which just shows how competitive the league is. There’s no luck here as you need your best players to be free from injuries throughout the campaign and have the right mindset.
3. Euros
Euro 2024. Photo/ UEFA.com.
Over the years, we have seen drama, thrills and upsets in Euros, which shows how difficult it is to win the tournament. The Euros is as challenging as the FIFA World Cup with the difference being only teams from Europe participate.
Nevertheless, the competition is usually out of this world as the Euros see some of the finest footballing nations such as France, England, Spain, Germany and Portugal go head to head.
4. UEFA Champions League
While it is usually challenging to reach the final of the Champions League considering the number of elite teams which take part in the competition, Real Madrid have somehow found a way of ensuring they reach the final almost each year. The European giants stopped top clubs such as the 2022-23 season winners Manchester City and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on their way to last season’s final.
The Los Blancos clinched last season’s trophy by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final. Goals from club captain Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior saw Carlo Ancelotti’s side win the UEFA Champions League title for the 15th time in history.
5. Africa Cup of Nations
Ivory Coast won AFCON 2023. Photo/ TNT Sports.
Closing our list of the most difficult trophies to win is the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The AFCON tournament takes place once in two years and sees Africa’s top nations face each other from qualifiers all the way to the finals.
Just like many other tournaments around the world, it’s difficult to win the AFCON two consecutive times and we’ve had a few underdog stories. Zambia surprised everyone by winning the 2012 edition and also Algeria stunned the footballing world when they triumphed in 2019. Hosts Ivory Coast won the 2023 AFCON which was played at the start of 2024.
The thrill and drama returns again this year as the 2025 AFCON kicks off in Morocco. It will be the 35th edition of the tournament and will kick off on December 21 to January 18, 2026.
