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Katsuragawa powers to maiden title on home soil

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Home hero Yuto Katsuragawa romps to victory in Japan

ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP | Day 4 highlights

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ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP - Day three digest

All Blacks and England rugby World Cup winners take on the Luck of the Draw challenge

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ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP - Day two digest

ISPS HANDA ambassadors hail power of sport

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With two events remaining on the Asian Swing and a host of big incentives on the line, there is plenty to play for as the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai continues.

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ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP | Day 3 highlights

Race to Dubai Rankings Leaders

The latest rankings from the 2024 season.

Rory MCILROY

Rikuya HOSHINO

Jesper SVENSSON

Tommy FLEETWOOD

Ludvig ÅBERG

Joaquin NIEMANN

Adrian MERONK

Sebastian SÖDERBERG

Zander LOMBARD

Min Woo LEE

2024 season statistics, the numbers behind the leading players.

Driving Distance (yrds)

Wilco NIENABER

Average Putts Per Round

Andy SULLIVAN

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The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group. 

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Europe Tour Companies

Looking for an unforgettable Europe tour? Book a fully-organized trip with the best tour companies in Europe and let the tour operator take care of everything for you. Check out the tour details and read 255530 reviews from our customers to help you choose the perfect tour for you.

List of Europe travel companies & tour operators with 255530 reviews

Expat Explore Travel

• Excellent - 4,260 reviews for Europe tours

Communication is way below standard. Not enough time at most of the stops, way to much time on bus, accommodations were ok, food excellent I disliked that additional tour had to be paid in cash in that country’s currency. Not being properly informed before of that additional cost. I would have preferred to have pick extra tours and had them charged to my account before I ever began the trip. Bus driver was excellent. Your guide was ok. But the most important issue was the lack of communication from Expat Explorer Will not travel with them again

The tour was exceptional

G Adventures

• Excellent - 19,097 reviews for Europe tours

We had a great group. Itinerary was just what I was looking for. Everyone could choose what they wanted to do during the day.

Was an amazing tour!

Europamundo

• Good - 3,001 reviews for Europe tours

Comfortable buses, mostly nice hotels with good Breakfast. Staff and other passengers are great and helpfyl because of my mobility issues. Felt rushed through but covered a lot with good descriptions.

The tour destinations were very good, accommodation was good, the food was good, the final bus needed bottle holders/pouches that were missing, the tour guide (Spanish/Portuguese) seemed to speak for up to 30 minutes and the English guide for only a few minutes to a max of 10 min so I think we missed out of a lot of detail. The tour of Lascaux caves had a Spanish guide with earphones whereas we had a prerecorded English commentary. This method was not good as we were told off for talking, we had no idea of where to go as the guide was speaking Spanish which again went on for a long time compared with the English version so that tour was a bit strange. The rest seemed fine until the end when the tour finished in Paris with 12 of us, 8 Spanish and 4 English speaking, the pickup from the station was difficult as the guide was 30 minutes late and I had to contact the emergency number ( I was the only one that could do that as I had the internet and the Spanish people had no idea of what to do). Without guidance the Spanish people kept disappearing, so it was difficult. Generally I would say we had a positive experience as I have only done two tours and we saw and experienced many places.

Intrepid Travel

• Excellent - 11,704 reviews for Europe tours

Overall, it was 6 days of diving into the rich culture and history of Turkey, scenic views and fun under the sun. Ata our guide, was very accomodating and flexible to our group's needs. A couple of non-attendees have hindered our prompt start and delayed our itinerary for the 1st day. The Istanbul part could have been planned more I believe, although most people stay a day or two after the group tour.

The area covered was perfect. The guide was fantastic. Her knowledge thorough and well delivered with great personality. She had the patience of a saint!

• Excellent - 5,444 reviews for Europe tours

Amazing trip, visited some great places, went to several new European cities I havent been to before, great group of friendly people to travel and experience each location with, best trip manager and coach driver duo, trip was well organised and led by a helpful, friendly and approachable trip manager (Rianna) and the trip offered many experiences to take part in and create lasting memories.

This trip was amazing! The itinerary was well mapped out and gave you a taste tester of Europe which I loved. The friendships I formed over the course of the trip too are for a life time. Our trip manager, Ri, was absolutely unreal! She ensured everything went smoothly and never failed to make even the least exciting parts of the trip lots of fun.

Travel Talk

• Excellent - 6,395 reviews for Europe tours

Intense as expected. The hotels were good and centrally located for the most part. Tour guides Dusan in Northern balkan countries and then Vasso for the last Greece part were young, knowledgeable, energetic, friendly, easy going and took care of every detail for us

It was overall a wonderful experience. Our Tour Guide, Dusan was amazing!

• Excellent - 872 reviews for Europe tours

We had a fantastic experience with our Glimpse of Europe tour. Thanks to our tour director Steve and our driver who made our trip fun and recharge our memory with history. For a short tour, we were able to explore a good amount of places and fulfilled some of our dreams. We had a wonderful group as well who we were really nice even though we came from different countries and backgrounds and gaining friendships is a blessing. Overall we had a fantastic experience.

The driver, Billy, and tour director, Speedy, made the trip very interesting and informative. They were both very helpful. We were disappointed that some of the hotel didn’t really cater for the older tourist with rooms a fair distance from reception, climbing stairs and dragging our luggage.

Avalon Waterways

• Excellent - 225 reviews for Europe tours

Festive Season on the Blue Danube by Avalon Waterways was an amazing. The intinerary, the service and the food was excellent. I highly recommend it.

When compared to other river cruises on which I have travelled, service on Avalon is less caring. Food is ok but not super. Worst of all, notwithstanding the prevalence of seasonal flu, they did nothing about guests talking avidly without mask while at the buffet table selecting food. Nor were coughing and sneezing customers asked to wear mask while in the bus, boat trips or at briefings. As a result, a number of passengers including my husband and I developed very bad flu towards the end of the trip.

• Excellent - 74,885 reviews for Europe tours

Full immersion into the culture and sights of Portugal! Great hotels with superb in town locations. Great restaurants and/or food recommendations. Driver and guide were highly accomplished and informative in a fun, story format. Guide did a great job of mixing us together and ease into making new friends. Good mix of lots of group activities and individual time.

The only thing that will keep me from considering or recomending Tour Radar with Hlobus is the lack or inability to talk to a real person I had to text TourRadar to ask globus for information only to be told many time one or the other is not answering. In the end it all worked out and the staff at the site was good but the early communication may cause me to shop around

Choose Balkans

• Excellent - 290 reviews for Europe tours

The tour was a perfect blend of the historical, the wilderness and the gastronomic! Being able to learn so much knowledge about regional and urban Albania was a complete delight. Throw in having your own personal time to enjoy each day, by yourself, as well was great for me as well. The tour was extremely well structured with my guide, Daniel, being flexible and accommodating is what interested me the most. His encyclopedic knowledge of all subjects was amazing and made the journey so much more interesting. Special call out to all the accommodations along the trip which were so welcoming and first rate. I would certainly recommend this tour to others I meet wanting to travel to Albania. Cheers,

Juli was our tour guide and was fantastic! He knew the local history, architecture, culture, food, and current environment. We could not have found a more knowledgeable guide and competent driver on our own! And the Choose Balkans team that organizes and manages all the logistics are world class! I've traveled to more than 40 countries, and I'd match this tour group with any in the world I've used before. I'm grateful for a memorable experience and for making our time in Tirana worthwhile. It was a trip that we will not forget!

• Excellent - 1,893 reviews for Europe tours

well organized, and very well led by Mikael Martinho Mendes ,our tour dicector. Most local tour experts were good, however, others were weak.

Fine tour with a lot of nice people from almost all over the world. To us it was a disappointment that the optional tour in Edinburgh with Johnnie Walker experts, advertised in the program, wasn’t available.

• Excellent - 4,618 reviews for Europe tours

Roxy (tour guide) and Adam (driver) are legends! They are so knowledgeable and professional. Definitely made the trip amazing for all of us. Thank you so much Roxy and Adam!

It was an incredible, well-organized, and fun trip!

Insight Vacations

• Excellent - 632 reviews for Europe tours

My first Insight Tour and it was amazing. Scenic tour of the beautiful countryside, towns, and historic sites of England, Scotland, Wales, and Republic of Ireland. Our Travel Director, Greg, was very professional, knowledgeable of the history, culture, food, music, and local 'celebrities'. Greg and our driver (Arthur - the best) worked together as a team, making our trip enjoyable, memorable, and fun. Always courteous, respectful, and conscientious of our time, safety, and well-being. Good job!

What a wonderful way to experience my first tour. This 13 day highlight of the best that Britain an Ireland have to offer was full of amazing opportunities to taste the culture and meet locals that lovel and adore their country and the history that holds. Greg our tour guide was exceptionally in his organisation, knowledge and commitment to ensuring that we enjoyed our trip. His attention to details and the extras to make the group feel welcomed and special. My personal experience on my special day was made even more heart warming by Greg's kindness and effort in make sure that I felt loved and acknowledge with an celebration at the evening meal. Arthur our driver was amazing and his experience in driving showed in the professionalism he demonstrated in through the entire 13 days. Overall i would throughly recommend this trip to anyone especially if they are blessed with Greg and Arthur.

Overland Ireland - Small Gr…

• Excellent - 469 reviews for Europe tours

fiendly , excellent and knowledgeable guide who drove us to see beautiful scenery.

Really good guide, accommodations, and planning. We saw and learned a lot, but did not feel rushed. Everything a holiday should be

Travel Addicts Club

• Excellent - 44 reviews for Europe tours

The hotels were modern and nice, but not necessarily in the old town center. The 3 local tour guides were informative. We also had free time. The new year’s eve gala had 2 buffets and hilarious entertainment! Fun trip with people from different countries!

I had lovely holiday in the Baltics. The trip was well organised with knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend this company.

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European Team Rankings

Points rankings updates for the 2025 ryder cup will be available at a later date..

• Team Europe

LIV Golf receives major OWGR boost that could shift PGA Tour civil war

LIV Golf are yet to receive accreditation from the Official World Golf Ranking but another 54-hole circuit in the Clutch Pro Tour have been given the green light for ranking points

• 22:53, 25 Apr 2024
• Updated 07:49, 26 Apr 2024

LIV Golf's Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) hopes may well have been given a boost on Thursday, after the ranking system awarded OWGR-sanctioning to a fellow 54-hole circuit in the Clutch Pro Tour.

The Clutch Pro Tour - known as the Mizuno Next Gen Series is a development tour offering a pathway for professional golfers in England, feeding into the Challenge Tour, one level below the DP World Tour. And despite its 54-hole format, the circuit's 36-hole cut and routes to other tours has seen it receive the green light from OWGR.

"After a 17-month-long application process, in which the Tour worked continuously toward the standards required to become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour," the ranking system said in a statement.

READ MORE: Tiger Woods' son Charlie misses out on US Open spot after qualifying struggles

READ MORE: LIV Golf rebel Jon Rahm hints at PGA Tour exit regret as he lists tournaments he misses playing

"The Clutch Pro Tour will become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour from Week 17, week ending 28th April 2024, and its official Tier 1 tournaments, in accordance with OWGR regulations, will be eligible for inclusion in the ranking. The Clutch Pro Tour provides access to its official tournaments, conducted over 54 holes with a 36-hole cut, via its 2024 qualifying series held in the UAE and, for its 2025 season, an annual open qualifying school.

"It also provides local and regional players opportunities, culminating with a no-cut, season-ending Championship. As such, the Clutch Pro Tour is in keeping with long-standing OWGR Eligibility and Format Criteria. The Clutch Pro Tour has played a pivotal role in the United Kingdom – particularly since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. Its organization has provided the continuation of playing opportunities and pathways for players to progress to the European Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour."

For those in charge of the LIV setup, OWGR's decision shows their 54-hole format will not prove a hurdle if they were to re-launch a bid for ranking status. Their problem does however seem to lie with LIV events including no cut line, as well as their promotion and relegation process, with the league's roster often coined a 'closed shop'.

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US .

Earlier this year the breakaway league revealed they had given up on their hunt for ranking points, with LIV CEO Greg Norman slamming the OWGR system in a letter to his playing membership. Per Sports Illustrated, the letter from Norman read: "We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognised within the existing ranking system.

"Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us... The rankings are structured to penalise anyone who has not played regularly on an 'Eligible Tour' with the field ratings disproportionately rewarding play on the PGA Tour,” Norman went on.

"This is illustrated by the fact only four players inside the top 50 are not PGA Tour players Jon Rahm (3), Tyrrell Hatton (17), Brooks Koepka (30) and Cam Smith (45) and by the precipitous decline of LIV players generally, notwithstanding extraordinary performances in LIV events.

“Even if LIV Golf events were immediately awarded points, the OWGR system is designed such that it would be functionally impossible for you to regain positions close to the summit of the ranking, where so many of you belong.” LIV players have seen their names tumble down the world rankings since making the Saudi switch in the summer of 2022.

At this month's Masters, just two members from the Saudi-backed series earned their spot at Augusta via their world rankings, but were two of the league's newest signings in Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk. In total 13 LIV stars competed in the opening major of the year, five less than the year prior.

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OWGR Board announces ranking status for Europe's leading open access Clutch Pro Tour

T he Clutch Pro Tour, called the Mizuno Next Gen Series for promotional purposes, received its historic admission as an Eligible Tour to receive world ranking points on Thursday, April 25.

The news was announced by the Official World Golf Series on its social media profiles and website.

The process for the approval of the Clutch Pro Tour as one of the Eligible Tours to receive OWGR points was extended for 17 months. On this approval, OWGR Chairman Peter Dawson said (via website):

"This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.

"We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region."

The relevance of this fact is that the Clutch Pro Tour runs 54-hole tournaments, as does LIV Golf . What separates one from the other is that the Mizuno-sponsored circuit makes cuts after 36 holes and that all its players earn their card through various qualifying criteria.

This is not the first circuit operating 54-hole tournaments to be admitted as an OWGR Eligible Circuit. In 2023, the Liga de Golf Profesional Mexicana (Mexican Professional Golf Tour) received such status, even though its tournaments only consist of three rounds of 18 holes each.

What is the Clutch Pro Tour?

The Clutch Pro Tour is a third category circuit or mini tour emerged in the United Kingdom in 2019, and its first season was played in 2020. It has feeder tour status to the Challenge Tour, as its top three players earn full membership to the second-ranked circuit in Europe each year.

The Mizuno Next Gen Series is managed by the company Clutch Golf, which also has an amateur and a junior circuit. Moreover, the professional circuit has a second-tier circuit, which allows players to stay in action when they are unable to play on the main circuit, although only tournaments on the main circuit receive points toward the OWGR .

For the 2024 season, the main circuit has 17 tournaments (including the Tour Championship) and two unofficial tournaments scheduled. The second-tier circuit has 15 events scheduled. In both cases, the official calendar will run from May to September.

NEO.bet Austrian Darts Open

Anderson ends ten-year wait for european tour title.

Gary Anderson ended his ten-year wait for a European Tour title in Sindelfingen on Sunday, defeating Ross Smith 8-6 in the final of the NEO.bet European Darts Grand Prix.

Competing in just his fourth European Tour event since bringing a seven-year hiatus from the circuit to an end in 2023, crowd favourite Anderson was a popular winner at the Glaspalast.

The Scot began Finals Day with an eye-catching last 16 win over Gerwyn Price, before coming through a last-leg decider with Josh Rock in the quarter-finals.

Anderson overcame Rob Cross 7-5 in the semi-finals before seeing off Smith to double his European Tour title tally.

"It's been a very long time [since winning a stage title]," reflected Anderson, who rises three places to 21st on the PDC Order of Merit.

"Many years ago when I played in the European Tour the crowd was just starting to grow and since then it's just got bigger and bigger.

"Wherever you go now, people want to play darts and watch darts; these crowds are incredible.

"I don't know how I've won it tonight; my last three games I've never been as lucky in darts."

A hard-fought final saw both players struggling to find top form and looked to be going the distance as Anderson levelled at 6-6.

The turning point came in the following leg as the two-time World Champion struck a 121 checkout to break throw and move within a leg of victory.

Smith missed seven darts to break back, allowing Anderson to tidy up 43 and deny the former European Champion a maiden European Tour title.

"I can't complain, I'm gutted but I'll be back on the practice board and keep working hard," said Smith, who defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-6 in a thrilling semi-final. "Congratulations to Gary, everyone knows how good he is; he's just Gary Anderson! "I'll take getting to the final all day long and hopefully will go one better next time."

The PDC European Tour resumes next weekend - April 26-28 with the NEO.bet Austrian Darts Open in Graz. The tournament will be broadcast live on PDCTV, exclusively on DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, through Viaplay in various territories and through bookmakers' websites worldwide.

Click here for match stats & results .

NEO.bet European Darts Grand Prix Sunday April 21 Third Round Afternoon Session Josh Rock 6-5 Michael Smith Gary Anderson 6-4 Gerwyn Price Rob Cross 6-1 Danny Noppert Luke Humphries 6-5 Stephen Bunting Ross Smith 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse Damon Heta 6-2 Scott Williams Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Jonny Clayton Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Dave Chisnall

Evening Session Quarter-Finals Gary Anderson 6-5 Josh Rock Rob Cross 6-2 Luke Humphries Ross Smith 6-5 Damon Heta Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Gabriel Clemens Semi-Finals Gary Anderson 7-5 Rob Cross Ross Smith 7-6 Michael van Gerwen Final Gary Anderson 8-6 Ross Smith

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PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund Have Yet to Meet Together

According to a report, the new CEO of the DP World Tour wants an agreement to move quickly, and he also believes European LIV golfers should be able to play in the Ryder Cup.

• Author: Bob Harig

Nearly a year after the shocking “framework agreement’’ was announced between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, all of the parties have yet to formally meet together.

That is according to Guy Kinnings, the new CEO of the DP World Tour, who officially took over from Keith Pelley this month.

Kinnings, in a media session with a small group UK and Irish golf writers in London, discussed his hopes for an agreement and also made clear that the European Ryder Cup rules do not need to be changed for players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to be part of the team next year at Bethpage Black.

“From my perspective, all I want to do is make sure we as quickly as possible get the right people around a table to talk about what can a future look like,’’ Kinnnings said in a report from the Scotsman newspaper . “I don’t expect them to go in knowing all the answers. There’s lots of things have to get worked at. What does the product look like, probably from 2026 and beyond? What’s the pathway? What does it mean for things?

“But, until you get into the room with the right people with the right intent to try and find a solution, you are never going to work out a deal and, at the end of the day, this is what is needed right now as quickly as we can. We’ve all seen—even with a great Masters—that TV figures are down. If we listen to the fans, there’s something that needs to get fixed and I see it as a huge opportunity because, if you can unite and go global, that’s exactly what we are all about.’’

The framework agreement was supposed to bring the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF—which backs LIV Golf—together by the end of 2023. That deadline was missed, and since then the PGA Tour has received private equity from a U.S. based consortium of investors called Strategic Sports Group that can be as much as $3 billion.

A plan has been unveiled for PGA Tour players to receive equity in the new PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit company. Kinnings said that the PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, wants to be part of the group of investors.

“I was talking to the guys from the Strategic Sports Group  and I said ‘listen, we’ve got to get together, we’ve got to pull it all together, we’ve got to find the product that works—it probably won’t be until 2026 but beyond there—and is good for the game, something that fans like and works for everyone.’ But, at the end of the day, it has got to be something that is appealing to them. It’s got to work for all parties and everyone is going to have to do things they don’t necessarily want to, a compromise. But that’s what you do if you strike a deal, it won’t happen until we get everyone in a room together.”

Kinnings also said that players, such as Rahm, who remain a DP World Tour member but pay fines and deal with suspensions for missing conflicting events can still be eligible for the Ryder Cup.

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Which of Europe’s top leagues are the most competitive? We had a go at measuring it…

As the dust settles on another round of European ties, the Premier League ’s status as the best league in the world has taken a bit of a punch to the ribs.

Manchester City and Arsenal ’s exits from the Champions League on Wednesday were followed up by Liverpool and West Ham United waving goodbye to the Europa League the following evening. Aston Villa ’s penalty shootout victory over Lille in the Europa Conference League leaves Unai Emery’s side as the only English team flying the flag in Europe.

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Those results mean the Premier League is almost certain to miss out on an extra spot in next season’s expanded Champions League, falling behind Germany and Italy in UEFA’s coefficient rankings .

The mockery of England ’s eliminated clubs might linger in the short-term, but is the Premier League actually getting weaker?

With six games to go and two points separating the top three teams, we are witnessing one of the most exciting title races in the Premier League era.

Throw in the hunt for the remaining European spots — and the fact there are more goals per game than any campaign in recent memory — and Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator comes to mind.

“Are you not entertained?”

The Premier League has descended into playground football - and it's great

The Premier League brand dwarfs all other European leagues, but the quality on show each weekend is what makes it the most-watched sports league in the world.

In statistical terms, English sides still have a continental stranglehold over their European rivals when looking at UEFA’s five-year coefficient rankings , but these coefficients can be complex, confusing and cumbersome to track.

They also act as a crude measure of league strength.

Instead, let’s turn to a data-driven model by Twenty First Group, a sports intelligence firm that advises clubs, leagues and investors. 

Its World Super League model uses a machine-learning algorithm to generate a single rating for every team in world football. League strength can then be calculated from the average rating of each team.

“Between 2008-09 and 2017-18, La Liga was the highest-quality league in the world in our ratings,” says Aurel Nazmiu, a senior data scientist at Twenty First Group.

“Since then, the Premier League has taken top spot — coinciding with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s era of dominance, which now includes Mikel Arteta (Arsenal are rated as the best team in Twenty First Group’s ratings).

“The gap between the Premier League and the rest has been increasing since 2018-19. In 2022-23, the gap between the top two leagues was the biggest it has ever been.”

That continued dominance is reflected when plotting the top 20 leagues together, where the average Premier League team has a rating of 750 within Twenty First Group’s model.

However, the graphic above opens up an interesting question.

The values provided are an average among all teams within each league, but how much variation is there among those values to calculate that average?

Think about it. Two leagues could have the same average rating, but one league might have 20 teams with equal quality, while another has a huge imbalance between the best and the worst teams.

Using the Premier League as an example, the boxplot below shows this distribution within Twenty First Group’s ratings. The gold line reflects the average team rating in the league, with most teams falling within the middle 50 per cent of the group (shown by the red box). However, it is important to note the more extreme values of  Manchester City  and  Arsenal , who sit outside the boxplot in this league (shown by black dots). For those wondering, this statistical term means they are more than 1.5 times outside that middle 50 per cent, so are presented as outliers.

Returning to our top 20 leagues, you can now see how much variation there is between teams within each league to form this average.

This shows just how imbalanced some leagues can be in their status, where the gap from the best to the worst teams can be huge. For example, Italy ’s Serie A has a wide variety of team ratings (shown by a wider red box and whiskers), but Serie B has a greater concentration of teams of similar quality.

The competitiveness of the Premier League has been one of the key attributes that has made the product the most sellable around the world. A league where, supposedly, any team can beat one another — but is that still strictly true?

Beyond the lucrative TV broadcast deals, media rights, and general financial revenue the Premier League generates compared with its European peers, can we calculate how much inequality there is within a league?

Is the Premier League the real European Super League?

The concept of competitive balance in football has existed for a long time within academic research  and it can be measured in different ways.

One method could be to analyse the distribution of points across the league table. However, the performance of a team can be skewed by the outcome — sometimes the best teams don’t win. 

Let’s dive deeper and analyse the spread of each club’s squad value across the leagues using Twenty First Group’s ‘value’ model. This model calculates each player’s position-specific contribution to their team based on a performance rating, ignoring market factors such as contract length, economic conditions, or the financial power of buying leagues — instead focusing on the inherent value of the individual player.

Each club’s overall ‘squad value’ is simply the total across all players within each club.

For those wondering, Manchester City top the list with a squad value of £1.32billion ($1.64bn). At the bottom of the list, spare a thought for Volendam, the Dutch club whose squad value is £20million — the approximate equivalent of Erling Haaland ’s right leg.

To analyse this spread of squad values, we can calculate a ‘Gini coefficient’ for each league , an economics measure typically used to evaluate the wealth distribution across a country’s population.

Rather than a population, this analysis will assess the wealth distribution across each league. The output is presented on a scale from zero (all squads have the same value) to 100 per cent (one squad has the whole league’s value). The lower the value, the more evenly distributed the squad values are within the league.

Running the numbers across the top five European leagues — plus the Dutch Eredivisie and Portuguese Primeira Liga — the Premier League and Ligue 1 come out as the two most equitable leagues.

This passes the eye test. 

Few people thought the so-called ‘Big Four’ of Arsenal, Chelsea , Liverpool and Manchester United could ever be disrupted in the early 2000s, but that expanded to a ‘Big Six’ with Manchester City and Tottenham and they must now be aware of the additional growth of Aston Villa, Newcastle United , West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the fight for European places — as those four make up the top 10 most-valuable Premier League squads in Twenty First Group’s model.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain undoubtedly loom over France ’s top division with their eye-watering squad value of £816million — more than double their nearest competitor (Rennes, £329million).

However, the competitive performances of Monaco, Lille, Nice, Lens, Marseille, Lyon and Rennes make for greater equality across the league, where each will be typically fighting for European spots — not to mention Brest’s overperformance this season as they sit in second place despite their estimated squad value being the 13th highest in France.

Ligue 1’s greater competitiveness might also be influenced by this season’s change from 20 teams to 18. With fewer teams, you are more likely to have a more closely concentrated spread of quality across the league.

France and England are not streets ahead of Serie A or La Liga, but there is a notable bump up when assessing the greater inequality in the Bundesliga.

You know the next part. Bayern Munich are the powerhouses of German football, with the financial clout that can mix it with Europe’s best. A squad value of £933million is galaxies away from bottom-placed Darmstadt (£50million), who are only competing in Germany’s top division for the third time this century.

You might argue that this comparison is no different from Luton Town and Manchester City, but the eye-watering revenue generated from television deals means that even the 20th-placed Premier League side earns close to £100million per season to invest in their squad — which dwarfs their European counterparts.

But it is not just the difference from top to bottom in the Bundesliga . Bayer Leverkusen ’s title win is all the more impressive when considering the difference in estimated squad value (£599million) compared with their Bavarian counterparts. The odds are stacked against any team not called Bayern Munich, who have won 18 out of 25 titles since 2000.

Finally, the Eredivisie and Primeira Liga’s lack of competitiveness is reflected in the numbers as two leagues with the greatest inequality — and this is no surprise. 

In the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and (in normal circumstances) Ajax are capable of competing in Europe’s elite competitions with squad values that exceed £200million, but teams such as Volendam (£20million) and Excelsior (£24million) have squads whose value resembles a League One side, in English pyramid terms.

Likewise, the dominance of Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and Porto means the quality chasm that exists is unlikely to be closed in Portugal without a major shake-up. Braga are the only ones pushing them close, but 14 of the 18 teams in the Primeira Liga have squad values that fall below £100million.

This season’s Premier League is among the most competitive in Europe, but how has this changed over time?

Running the analysis across each season since 2019-20, the 2022-23 campaign had the lowest inequality across the league, with a Gini coefficient of 31 per cent. That season was the most competitive across the whole sample of seven leagues in this period.

A total of 14 in-season manager departures — the most in Premier League history — signified just how much the pack was shuffling last season as each side clawed for their best finish.

With Newcastle, Brighton and Aston Villa landing European spots, a relegation fight going to the wire , and the second-lowest title-winning points tally from Manchester City for seven seasons, there was a lot to keep the pulse racing right up until May .

How does this compare across Europe?

The Bundesliga has remained comparably steady over time, sitting just above Serie A, whose competitiveness at the top of the table is particularly notable. Four different champions in five seasons shows the rotating cast of title-winners, and while Inter Milan are the outright leaders in terms of squad value (£714million) — and position in the league table — there is little to choose between the squad values of AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and Roma in recent seasons.

Elsewhere, La Liga’s subtle trend towards greater competitiveness is similar to Ligue 1.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and (to a lesser extent) Atletico Madrid remain the three squads with the largest value, but the improved strength of Girona, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in the past 18 months has made for a more equitable league among those fighting for Europe. Looking wider, Rayo Vallecano and Cadiz are the only two sides whose squad value is less than £100million — the fewest since 2019-20 in Spain’s top division.

At the other end of the scale, the Eredivisie boasts four seasons with the highest inequality since 2019-20, with the Primeira Liga not far behind, which highlights that the lack of competitiveness has largely remained disappointingly stable.  

Should anyone care about this? From a Premier League perspective, it is interesting to look at this via a recruitment lens.

If you’re spotting a player in the Eredivisie or the Primeira Liga who looks to be a world-beater, it might need to be seasoned with some context that they can often be facing sides of significantly lower quality.

While there have been success stories directly from the Dutch top division to the Premier League, the mixed performances of Noni Madueke, Cody Gakpo and Antony since the start of last season show that success in the Eredivisie does not directly translate to a more competitive league.

Predicting the transfer market: Nunez, Haaland and league exchange rates

The numbers back up what the eye can see as the Premier League marries the world’s best players with one of the world’s most competitive divisions. A few teams dropping out of European competition does not change that.

A league with greater competitiveness makes for a better product. A better product is likely to have more investment and more investment is likely to grow the league and subsequently lead to… even greater competitiveness. 

It’s a virtuous cycle.

(Top photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

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Mark Carey is a Data Analyst for The Athletic. With his background in research and analytics, he will look to provide data-driven insight across the football world. Follow Mark on Twitter @ MarkCarey93