Let's be real: the Uma Musume club ranking system is a mess if you don't know what you're looking at. You open the circle screen, see a bunch of high-ranking groups with intimidating requirements, and honestly? It feels like applying for a corporate job rather than playing a mobile game about horse girls running in circles.
But here’s the thing. Your rewards—those precious fans and the monthly gems—depend entirely on where you land in that ranking. If you're stuck in a D-rank circle because half the members stopped playing in 2023, you're leaving thousands of jewels on the table.
Why the Uma Musume Club Ranking Matters More Than You Think
In Uma Musume Pretty Derby, circles (or clubs) are ranked based on the total number of fans all members earn during a calendar month. It’s a collective grind. If you’re a casual player, you might not care about being in a top 100 "SSS" rank circle. That’s fair. Those places usually require 100 million+ fans per month and a blood sacrifice.
However, for the average player, aiming for a "B+" or "A" rank circle is the sweet spot. The jump in rewards between a "C" rank and an "A" rank is significant enough to fund an extra multi-pull every few months.
I’ve seen people get stuck in "zombie circles." These are groups that look active on the surface but are actually filled with "ghosts"—players who haven't logged in for 300 days. Because the Uma Musume club ranking is cumulative, a circle with 10 active players and 20 ghosts will always lose to a circle with 30 semi-active players.
The Tiers of the Ranking System
Cygames updates these rankings monthly. Usually, the rewards are distributed a few days after the month ends.
The top tier is the SS rank. You won't get in here unless you are a "hardcore" trainer. We're talking about people who spend their entire day running the Grand Masters or Project L'Arc scenarios over and over again. They track fan counts on spreadsheets. It’s intense.
Then you have the A and A+ ranks. These are the most common "competitive casual" spots. Most of these circles require you to hit a minimum fan count—maybe 10 million or 20 million fans a month. It’s doable if you play every day.
Anything below B is basically "the Wild West." You might find a great group of friends, or you might find a graveyard.
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How to Read the Ranking and Find the Right Fit
Don't just look at the number. A circle ranked #500 might be much more stressful than one at #1200.
When you’re looking at the Uma Musume club ranking in-game, you need to check the "Policy" (方針) section of the circle profile. Japanese circles use specific shorthand that can be a nightmare to translate if you aren't familiar with the lingo.
- ノルマあり (Noruma ari): This means there is a "quota." Run away if you aren't prepared to grind.
- まったり (Mattari): This means "chill" or "relaxed." Usually no fan requirements.
- ログイン勢歓迎 (Login-zei kangen): They just want people who log in daily. Great for beginners.
Honestly, the best way to move up the ranking isn't by working harder; it's by joining a circle that matches your current pace. If you're pulling 30 million fans a month but your circle is ranked C, you're doing the work for 29 other people who aren't helping you get rewards. That’s just bad math.
The Fan Grind Strategy
How do people even hit those high numbers? It’s all about the scenarios.
If you're trying to boost your circle's standing in the Uma Musume club ranking, you should focus on scenarios that maximize fan gain per run. Historically, the Make a New Track (MNT) scenario was the king of fans because of the heavy race schedule, but it takes forever to finish a single run.
Most modern players use the latest scenario—currently U.A.F. Ready GO! or whatever the newest power-creep scenario happens to be—to balance training strong characters and earning fans. You get a natural fan boost from winning G1 races, which you should be doing anyway to get those precious skill points.
Common Misconceptions About Circle Rewards
A lot of people think the ranking rewards are the only benefit. They’re not.
Shoes. Let's talk about shoe trading.
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In a high-ranking, organized circle, everyone requests the same type of shoes (usually Dirt or Short-distance shoes) so that everyone can "donate" and get Circle Medals. These medals are used in the shop to buy SSR support cards like the Mejiro Ramonu or Main Story rewards. If your circle is inactive, your shoe requests will just sit there, and you’ll never get enough medals to max out those free SSRs.
It’s a cycle. High ranking leads to more active members, which leads to more shoe trades, which leads to better support cards, which makes it easier to grind more fans.
What Happens if You Switch Circles?
This is a big fear for many. If you leave a circle, there is a 24-hour cooldown before you can join another one.
Crucially: if you leave a circle near the end of the month, you will forfeit your rewards for the Uma Musume club ranking for that period. Never leave a circle on the 28th or 29th. Wait until the rewards hit your gift box on the 1st or 2nd of the next month, then make your move.
I’ve seen players lose 600+ gems because they got impatient and quit a day early. Don't be that person.
The Social Aspect: Discord vs. In-Game Chat
The in-game chat for Uma Musume is... bad. It’s clunky, the censorship is weird, and it’s hard to coordinate.
Most circles that actually care about their Uma Musume club ranking will have an external Discord. This is where the real strategy happens. They’ll share builds for the upcoming Champions Meeting or League of Heroes. They’ll help you pick which support cards to spark.
If you’re looking for a top-tier experience, look for recruitment posts on Twitter (X) using the hashtag #ウマ娘サークル募集 (Uma Musume Circle Recruitment). You’ll see screenshots of their recent rankings.
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Technical nuances of the Fan Count
One thing the game doesn't explicitly tell you is that fan counts for the ranking are calculated based on the "completion time" of the training session.
If you start a training run on June 30th at 11:30 PM and finish it on July 1st at 12:15 AM, those fans count toward the July ranking, not June. This becomes a massive deal during the final hours of a close race for a specific rank bracket.
Circles on the edge of "A" rank often have a "last-minute push" where everyone dumps their energy drinks to ensure they don't slide down to B+ at the last second.
Is it Worth Starting Your Own Circle?
Probably not. Unless you have 20 friends who also play, starting a circle from scratch in 2026 is an uphill battle.
The Uma Musume club ranking favors established groups. New circles start at the very bottom, and attracting high-level players to a D-rank circle is nearly impossible. You’re better off "merging" with an existing circle or just finding a mid-tier group that needs fresh blood.
Most leaders are desperate for active players. If you can prove you hit 10-20 million fans a month, you can get into an A-rank circle almost instantly.
Actionable Steps for Improving Your Ranking Income
If you want to stop wasting time and start maximizing your rewards from the Uma Musume club ranking, follow this logic:
- Audit your current circle: Look at the "Last Login" dates of your members. If more than 5 people have been away for a week, and the leader isn't kicking them, the circle is dying. Leave.
- Time your exit: Only leave after the monthly rewards are in your mailbox.
- Search via Social Media: Don't use the in-game search tool; it's garbage. Go to X (Twitter) or Reddit and look for circles recruiting. Look for "A-rank" circles if you play daily but aren't a whale.
- The "Shoe Request" Protocol: Once you join, always request shoes. Even if you don't need them, it helps your teammates get medals. A circle that trades shoes consistently is a circle that stays active in the rankings.
- Focus on "League of Heroes" Months: During LoH months, fan counts usually skyrocket because people are training more. Use this time to prove your value to your circle leader.
The ranking isn't just a leaderboard; it's a sustainability tool. The gems you get from a high-ranking circle pay for the banners that keep your team competitive. If you treat it like a chore, you’ll burn out. But if you treat it like a passive income stream for your gacha habit, it changes how you look at every training run.
Keep your fan count steady, request those shoes, and don't be afraid to jump ship if your current group is holding your gem count back. There are plenty of active trainers looking for someone who actually hits the "skip" button and gets their runs done.