Settling the Issue: Is La Liga or the Premier League Better?

Settling the Issue: Is La Liga or the Premier League Better?

The 'which league is better' debate is one that stretches across each of Europe's top divisions, with fans from each country spouting their own opinions on farmers' leagues and why their division holds the most weight.

But the one debate which takes the cake and has been the most discussed over the last couple of decades is between the Premier League and La Liga, with both the English and Spanish top flight fighting it out to be considered top dog on the continent.

So, which one is actually better?

The Winners

La Liga

Between 2009 and the modern day, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have won 14 of the available La Liga titles.

Real Madrid have amassed the most with a huge total of 35; Barcelona come next with 26 on the board, and Atlético Madrid have 11 to their name.

Rarely does La Liga see a challenge from any other clubs, with the latest being a fairytale push by Girona which eventually faded from the title picture.

The reputation and financial might of the top three are too much for most of those who frequent the division, and a changing of the guard looks far away, if not unfathomable, at this point.

Premier League

In the Premier League, there have been five different winners of the competition, including that miracle Leicester City title in 2016, which defied all of the odds.

Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Manchester United are the other winners during this period – with Chelsea winning three, two titles each for Man United and Liverpool, and an impressive eight titles for the dominating Manchester City.

There has been more variety in the winners of England's top division, but the main consensus is that Man City is the overwhelming force, although there is a greater variety of teams that reach the peak of a title race, just like Arsenal has in recent years.

European Success

La Liga

La Liga holds the cards in the Champions League, with eight triumphs in the competition since the 09/10 season – six of those titles have been won by the record holders Real Madrid, and two have been won by Barcelona.

The exceptionally successful period Spain has had in recent times was most prominently characterised by the run from 2013/14 to 2017/18, where every single winner of the competition was a team from La Liga.

Spanish sides have finished runners-up on two occasions in the Champions League, with Atletico Madrid the culprits on both occasions – both times defeated by compatriots Real Madrid.

If you ever start falling for the gaslighting here on twitter,

Here’s a Prem legend reminding you of the levels between Laliga and the EPL pic.twitter.com/G7z75s5Wh7

— Jiggy ✞ (@nogojiggy) February 3, 2026

Spanish sides have also been imperious in the Europa League, with a huge nine titles taken back to Spain since 09/10. Bilbao are the only Spanish side to be runners-up from La Liga in the studied time period.

Sevilla holds the record for the most tournament wins, with five of those coming in the mentioned period. Those victories have been supplemented by other clubs such as Atletico Madrid, who won three, and Villarreal, who won their only title in the period in the 2020/21 campaign.

Premier League

The Premier League has a relatively small breadth of success compared to La Liga in the Champions League, with four winners since 09/10.

Two of those titles were won by Chelsea, one by Liverpool and one by Manchester City. Once again, in a similar fashion to the league titles, the Premier League has its European success shared more evenly across the clubs.

English clubs have also made it to the final five times without coming out on top, although the 2018/19 final was contested between two English sides, with Spurs coming in as runners-up.

English sides are also lagging behind in recent history in the Europa League, with just four victories in comparison to the nine of La Liga sides. Premier League sides have also made the final five times without coming away with the trophy.

Style of Play

La Liga is known for its technical playstyle, favouring systems and players that emphasise intricate patterns, ball control and the illustrative nature of the sport that coined it the name 'the beautiful game'.

In fact, such is the technical stature of the Spanish game that it has garnered its own term over the years and is known as 'tiki-taka' – mainly popularised during the Pep Guardiola era at Barcelona.

Players are continuously encouraged to express themselves on the field, with managers emphasising creativity and flair – an outlook which sees the league produce some of the world's best technicians and all-round players in world football, such as Pedri at Barcelona.

The Premier League differs massively from their counterparts on the continent, with less emphasis on the technical side of the game and a much greater onus put on physicality and intensity.

🚨🗣️ | 𝐍𝐄𝐖: Casemiro on the difference between LaLiga and the Premier League.

"I'm not trying to downplay LaLiga, but the games here in the Premier League are much more difficult.”

[@pubitysport] pic.twitter.com/Gm1wuZ5X5j

— MatchdayHQ (@TheMatchdayHQ) January 25, 2026

There is a larger focus on pressing, counter-attacking football and fast-paced transitions which look to suffocate the opposition and create long periods of sustained pressure.

Players are often brought through academies with a view to their athletic development and physical attributes in line with the demands of English football.

Which is better kind of depends on what you prefer to see, but the general consensus is that English football is more chaotic, whereas Spanish football has more flow and a more controlled manner.

Popularity

The Premier League holds an upper hand when it comes to the global reach, popularity and revenue it generates worldwide.

It is by far the wealthiest league in the world and is followed by those in a plethora of countries, which has led to it now being broadcast in over 200 nations worldwide.

🚨🚨🎙️| Santi Cazorla: “The reality is that LaLiga is light-years BEHIND of Premier League in every sense.” pic.twitter.com/oZhNpLCDae

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) February 9, 2026

The two leagues trade followers across social media, with the Premier League having a much greater amount (around 20 million more) on Instagram but La Liga having over double the subscribers on YouTube.

Somewhat surprisingly, both leagues have a similar global reach in terms of where their fans come from, with the Premier League having more numbers due to the large areas of Asia which it infiltrates, but Spain having the majority of South America and Mexico on its side as the more popular division among residents.

The Conclusion

In many ways, it depends majoritively on personal preference when it comes to which league is better given the distinct difference in playstyles.

Whilst Spain has the upper hand in success on a wider European scale, the Premier League is by far a bigger money maker and has stolen the march in terms of coefficients (which measures the European performance) in recent years, mainly due to the sheer amount of clubs who get to compete in Europe.

The revenue, reach and all-around player pull in the modern day all swing in the Premier League's favour, with La Liga being kept even moderately close by the powerhouse figures of Real Madrid and Barcelona, especially.

It can likely be concluded that, whilst the two are still rather close at this moment, the Premier League is beginning to pull away in almost every metric and is distancing itself at the top division in Europe's most prominent countries.