Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal created history on March 12 by setting a new world record for the most consecutive wins in football history. Al-Hilal won their 28th consecutive game this season after defeating Al-Ittihad 2-0 in the second leg of the AFC Champions League to reach the semi-finals of the competition after edging out their fellow Saudi rivals 4-0 on aggregate.
The previous record was held by Welsh outfit The New Saints FC, who had a 27-match winning streak in the 2016-17 season. Al-Hilal are on course to win a treble as they lead the Saudi Pro League and are in the semi-finals of both the Saudi Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
Let’s take a look at the top ten longest-winning streaks in football history:
Al-Hilal* (28 matches, 2023-24)
Al-Hilal have won every game since their 1-1 draw against Damac in September. Al-Hilal, who are coached by former Benfica and Flamengo manager Jorge Jesus, lead Al-Nassr by 12 points in the Saudi Pro League. Of his team’s 81 goals during the winning streak, 26 have been scored by Aleksandar Mitrovic. The winning run consists of nine Asian Champions League games, three domestic cup matches, and sixteen league games.
The New Saints FC (27 matches, 2016-17)
The previous record holders were Welsh outfit The New Saints FC. They won 27 straight games in the Cymru Premier League (Welsh Domestic League) in 2016–17, shattering Ajax’s 44-year record. August 2016 marked the beginning of the run, which concluded on January 14, 2017, with a 3-3 draw. The New Saints won their 11th championship thanks to this outstanding run.
Ajax (26 matches, 1971-72)
Ajax ruled Europe with Johan Cruyff as their talisman. Their outstanding group went on to win 26 straight games, completing an unprecedented trifecta of winning the European Cup, the KNVB Cup, and the Eredivisie.
Ajax (25 matches, 1994-95)
The Dutch powerhouses assembled another outstanding squad for the 1994–95 campaign. Along with Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, who had graduated from Ajax Academy, Jari Litmanen, Nwankwo Kanu, and Finidi George formed the pillars of the team. Ajax won the Eredivisie as well as the Champions League, where they defeated AC Milan in the final.
Coritiba (24 matches, 2011)
Coritiba of Brazil won 24 straight games in the Campeonato Paranaense and Copa do Brasil in 2011. The Guinness World Records recognizes this stretch as the greatest winning streak. This is due to the fact that the teams above Coritiba lost or drew games in other competitions despite going on winning streaks in a single tournament.
Bayern Munich (23 matches, 2019-20)
In 2019–20, Bayern Munich, the sextuple-winning machine built by Hansi Flick, enjoyed one of their best seasons to date. They won the FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Supercup all under Flick’s leadership. Under Flick’s coaching, Bayern produced a strong showing in 2020 and ended up with four titles before their winning run broke seven months after it began.
Real Madrid (22 matches, 2014-15)
Real Madrid had an incredible start to the next season after capturing their tenth Champions League title in 2013-14. With the likes of Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and James Rodriguez, coach Carlo Ancelotti oversaw a 22-match winning streak. This gave the squad a strong chance to retain their Champions League title and win La Liga. As luck would have it, Los Blancos would finish the season trophyless.
Manchester City (21 matches, 2020-21)
Following their defeat by Liverpool in the previous campaign, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were eager to reclaim the Premier League title. But Jurgen Klopp’s team were prepared for anything. It required a Herculean effort from Manchester City as they won 21 games in a row, only to beat the Reds to the title by a solitary point. They also made it to the Champions League final, where they lost to fellow Premier League heavyweights Chelsea.
Manchester City (18 matches, 2017-18)
After finishing 15 points behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, there were doubts about Pep Guardiola’s chances of success in the Premier League before the 2017–18 season. But the following season, Manchester City would shatter every record. Manchester City finished with 100 points after scoring 106 goals, which is the highest points total in the Premier League. The team had an 18-game winning streak during that season.
Liverpool (18 matches, 2019-20)
Prior to the 2019–20 campaign, Liverpool had no league titles in the Premier League era. They would, nevertheless, go on to win their first in the 2019-20 season. Only one season after Manchester City’s 100-point haul, Liverpool bagged 99 points to win the league. The Reds won 18 straight games from October 27, 2019, to February 29, 2020.
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