Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) remain the best football club in Southeast Asia, according to the latest data from Opta Analyst through its Opta Power Rankings.
Opta is widely recognized as one of the most trusted football data and analytics providers in the world. The platform regularly analyzes and ranks football clubs across different leagues using advanced statistical models.
Based on the latest update on March 11, 2026, Johor Darul Ta’zim sit at No.1 in Southeast Asia with a rating of 78.7, placing them 267th in the global rankings.
Second place in Southeast Asia is held by Thailand club Buriram United, who have a rating of 75.3 and are ranked 513th in the world. Meanwhile, fellow Thai club Bangkok United occupy third place in the region with a rating of 70.7, placing them 1002nd globally.
JDT position at the top of Southeast Asia is hardly surprising. In recent years, the Johor-based club has shown overwhelming dominance, particularly in the Malaysia Super League.
The club has already won 11 consecutive league titles, and during the 2025/26 season, JDT have once again secured the championship, marking their 12th straight league title. The achievement is even more impressive considering they recorded a perfect record of 18 wins from 18 matches, despite still having six games remaining in the season.
Their points advantage over second-placed Selangor FC is already too large to catch, confirming JDT as champions once again.
The ranking system used by Opta Power Rankings evaluates clubs globally based on several key factors. These include match results (wins, draws, and losses), the strength of opponents faced, the competitiveness of the league, and a probability-based rating model similar to the Elo system, which compares expected results with actual match outcomes.
Through this system, every club in the world receives an ability score between 0 and 100, which is updated daily based on the latest match results from competitions around the globe.
In short, Opta Power Rankings measure the relative strength of football clubs worldwide, taking into account team performance, the quality of opponents, and the level of competition.
Given JDT remarkable dominance, one question naturally arises: how long will Johor Darul Ta’zim continue to dominate Malaysian football?
So far, no other Malaysian club has been able to truly match JDT level of consistency and quality. If this situation continues, the Southern Tigers could very well remain favorites to win the Malaysia Super League title again in the 2026/27 season, extending their already historic dominance.
For now, Johor Darul Ta’zim remain a benchmark for clubs not only in Malaysia, but across Southeast Asia.
