The strongest leagues in world football have been revealed and it is not pretty reading for the Scottish PremiershipThe debate has always raged about whether Celtic and Rangers would be able to compete in the Premier League. Some say the Scottish giants could challenge for a top-six spot, some say they’d finish in mid-table and some say they’d be relegated.Though this season is not good for the Glasgow clubs’ argument with Hearts threatening to become the first non-Celtic or Rangers club to win the title since 1985.But according to the list of the toughest leagues in world football, regularly updated by Opta, there’s only one answer.Using stats relating to the average ratings of every team in each competition and the performance levels of the top clubs, the Scottish Premiership has been ranked 39th in the world.That shockingly puts them two places below the third tier in England, League One, and well off the top ten in the rankings.Celtic and Rangers have been going through some struggles recently and that has seen the league drop two places, with League One rising three and overtaking Scotland’s top division.Elsewhere on the updated list, Cristiano Ronaldo and co in the Saudi Pro League are 30th, ranked below the Cypriot Division 1, the Czech First League and the Ecuador Liga Pro.The Dutch Eredivisie is down in 15th place, with Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord all unable to put the Netherlands’ top division higher.The Turkish Super Lig, Polish Ekstraklasa, Danish Superligaen and Liga Profesional Argentina sit just outside the top ten.And there are a couple of surprise names who are ranked among the well-known elites within world football. The Scottish Premiership has been ranked below England’s third tierHere are the top ten leagues in the world, according to Opta…10. MLS Sitting in tenth place is the USA’s Major League Soccer (MLS).Lionel Messi‘s arrival in the league and the many other stars who play alongside him at Inter Miami have seen quality rise. And with the entire division upping their game with recruitment and performances on the pitch, the overall level has been boosted. Opta have ranked the MLS with a rating of 76.6, with the top five-ranked teams in the league given an 81.6 on average. The top ten received an average score of 80.4.Should more big names and impressive talents join teams and come through youth ranks in the USA, their ranking could rise further.Lionel Messi is playing his football in the tenth-highest-ranked league in the worldGetty9. Portuguese Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga has dropped down a place in the latest update of the toughest league in world football rankings.They have an overall ranking of 77.3 for the quality of their teams and the top ten clubs average an 81.1, but it’s the top five teams that really give the division a major boost.For the top five alone, they have an average rating of 85.5, which is actually the sixth highest in the world and that will be down to the appearances in Europe for Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon.8. Brazilian Serie ARising up a spot to eighth in the list is the Brazilian Serie A, which has an overall Opta rating of 77.8.Their top ten average is 80.5 and the top five is 82.5 on average.Palmeiras and Flamengo are sitting joint-top of the league as things stand, with Corinthians, Botafogo, Fluminense, Sao Paulo and Santos among the other huge clubs starring in Brazil.Neymar has been playing in Brazil since returning to boyhood club Santos in JanuaryGetty7. Belgian Jupiler Pro LeagueRemaining in seventh on the list is the Belgian Pro League, in what is perhaps an unexpected inclusion in the top ten.With an overall average of 78.1, it just missed out on the top six.Their top five has a rating of 83.6, with that likely to be based off Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Genk and Gent.6. EFL ChampionshipAnd now, as the sixth toughest league in the world, comes the Championship, England’s second tier.It is often debated just how hard the division is and the stats prove that the quality is higher than many across the land.An overall rating of 78.4 is the sixth highest, showing that the level from the top to the bottom of the table is extremely high.Frank Lampard’s Coventry are currently top of the world’s sixth-toughest leagueGettyThe top 10 average rating sits at 80.1 and the top five received an 81.1.So, there’s no surprise that winning promotion to the Premier League appears to be at its toughest for the last few years. And that isn’t expected to change any time soon, with quality competition continuing to improve in each Championship campaign.5. Ligue 1Now, the big five take over and the leagues involved are considered the big boys amongst European and world football.France’s Ligue 1 takes fifth, with an overall rating of 82.5, a top ten rating of 85.9 and a whopping top-five rating of 88.4.Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League last season and Marseille, Monaco, Nice, Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg are all competing in Europe this campaign, as a plethora of teams prove French football is in a good place, despite PSG’s domination.PSG became Champions League winners for the first time in MayAFP4. Serie AThen it’s Italy’s Serie A, with Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma the leading five giants in the league.Their top five rating sits at 89.9, with their overall rating of 83.9 seeing them sit above France’s top flight. They have dropped down a place in the latest update though, losing out to the next division on the list…3. BundesligaGermany’s top flight has jumped up to third in the list with a top five average rating of 91.9.They also have an overall rating of 84.7 and top 10 score of 88.2. Bayern Munich are flying this campaign, with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen the other standout sides.Harry Kane and Bayern just can’t stop winning this seasonAFP2. La LigaNext, remaining second in the list of toughest leagues in world football is La Liga.The Spanish top division continues to be one of the most fiercely competitive, with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top.Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Pedri and many more stars are shared between the two bitter rivals.The incredible top two hugely boost the ratings for La Liga, along with Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.They boast an overall Opta rating of 84.9, sitting just above the Bundesliga in terms of quality. The top five average sits at 91.9, helping them claim second.Star-studded Real Madrid and Barcelona help put Spain’s La Liga second on the listGetty1. Premier LeagueAnd the toughest league in world football is… the Premier League.England’s top-flight is often referred to as the best league on the planet and the stats have backed that up.Their overall score of 91.0 is the highest average of all divisions by over five rating points, proving how strong all 20 teams are. On top of that, they have a top ten average of 94.6 and a top five average of 96.7 – the highest of any league by 4.8.Of course, champions Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham are the ‘Big Six’. But the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace have all broken into Europe in recent seasons.Liverpool are the reigning champions of the world’s toughest leagueGetty