AI supercomputer predicts the top 7 in the 26/27 EFL League Two table | OneFootball

FLW has asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to predict the 2026-27 League Two top seven.

The EFL provides drama throughout the campaign across all three of its divisions with the Championship and League One often grabbing wider headlines but the most competitive division remains the fourth-tier of English football, League Two.

In the 2025-26 season, taking away Sheffield Wednesday as a result of their points deductions and anomalous campaign, 59 points separated first and 23rd place in the Championship. As for League One, the gap between champions Lincoln City and rock-bottom Northampton Town was 68 points.

In League Two, though, the gap was just 51 points between champions Bromley and 24th placed Barrow, with just seven points separating the automatic promotion spots and ninth placed Swindon Town.

The gap between the automatic promotion spots and eighth place, to cater for it being the top three that go up automatically in League Two, in League One was 18 points and in the Championship, it was 15 points.

Basically, League Two tends to be the tightest of the three divisions and often produces quite remarkable permutations heading into the final few weeks of the season with its unpredictability and variety quite special and unique.

So, testing that unpredictability, FLW has tasked AI chatbot ChatGPT to predict what it thinks the top seven in League Two will be for the 2026-27 campaign, with York City, Swindon Town, Exeter City and Oldham Athletic predicted to narrowly miss out on the play-off places.

Predicted to come in seventh place and reach the League Two play-offs for a third successive season is Paul Cook’s Chesterfield.

According to ChatGPT, Chesterfield should remain ‘consistent enough’ to maintain grab the final play-off spot in the division, a place below where they finished last season but as was the case the year before.

The Spireites romped to the National League title in the 2023-24 season before finishing seventh and losing to eventual play-off runners-up Walsall in the semi-finals. They were again beaten in the semis last year, losing to eventual winners Notts County over two legs.

Cook remains in charge and Chesterfield have again made some good signings this summer, perhaps headlined by the additions of Fraser Bryden for around £300,000 from Northern Irish outfit Crusaders and former Huddersfield Town forward Josh Koroma, joining on loan from Leyton Orient, intended to offset the departure of Armando Dobra to The O’s.

Perhaps a surprise pick for many, Chat GPT suggests that Northampton Town will finish sixth with their justification being that they should still be competitive despite many relegated sides from League One failing to bounce straight back up.

After a middling first half of the campaign that began to unravel, The Cobblers opted to part ways with manager Kevin Nolan in March but it was too late for Colin Calderwood to steer them clear to safety, eventually finishing rock-bottom in League One with, fairly staggeringly, just one point collected from their 15 games of the season, losing all of their remaining ten games after the departure of Nolan.

Over the summer, Northampton have brought in some experience with the likes of Harvey Saunders, James Maxwell, Janoi Donacien and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans but their standout piece of business thus far has been keeping hold of Sam Hoskins.

Chris Hogg has been appointed for what is his first managerial role after previously being the assistant coach to Liam Manning at Milton Keynes Dons, Oxford United, Bristol City and Norwich City.

5 ? ? Rochdale

Tipped up as ChatGPT’s ‘dark horse’ for this season is newly-promoted Rochdale, who missed out on automatic promotion from the National League to York in agonising and dramatic fashion on the final day of last season before eventually winning the play-offs, defeating Boreham Wood in the final with yet another dramatic finish.

The Dale are expected to carry through their ‘momentum’, according to ChatGPT, to mount another promotion challenge this season and their business so far this summer has been impressive.

The standout additions of Cian Hayes, returning to the club from Peterborough United, and Jonny Smith, joining from Wigan Athletic, have been backed up by the signings of strong defensive pair Sam Sherring and Laurence Maguire from Milton Keynes Dons, as well as some intriguing loan deals for Chelsea’s Kaiden Wilson and Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Nils Ramming.

Known for their ability to nurture and develop young talent, Rochdale will be keen to put the last few years behind them and, with Ethan Ebanks-Landell as captain and another new signing Zain Silcott-Duberry already emerging as a potential masterstroke of a signing, they seem well set for the coming campaign.

2024-25 National League winners Barnet were many pundits’ and neutrals’ tips as ‘dark horses’ last year and, after narrowly missing out on the play-offs on the final day of last season, ChatGPT has them to narrowly miss out on the top three and the automatic promotion spots this time around.

Described as having a ‘settled side’ by the AI chatbot, Barnet should show ‘continued improvement’ this time around to propel themselves into the conversation for a return to League One for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign and only the second time in their history.

There have been some notable departures, especially in attack, with experienced Britt Assombalonga leaving alongside Callum Stead, who has joined Cambridge United, who gained promotion to League One last season.

As well as that, Stockport County have poached Ryan Glover, while Mark Shelton has moved to York and so something of a rebuild has been required but manager Dean Brennan, who has been in charge since 2021, has earned the trust and backing of both the club and the supporters to again improve The Bees.

3 ? ? Rotherham United

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As ChatGPT explains, the big question mark over Rotherham United will be whether they can buck the trend of recent seasons and adapt quickly back to life in League Two but that is something the chatbot believes will be the case with their sheer quality being enough to see them bounce straight back up.

After another busy summer which has seen some big name departures such as Sean Raggett, Zak Jules, Reece James, Joe Powell and Sam Nombe; The Millers do retain some players that, for many, are playing a level below their ability such as captain Joe Rafferty and Curacao international Ar’jany Martha.

They have also added to their squad quite impressively with the headline additions being Ossama Ashley and Jamie Jellis in midfield, as well as Fabio Tavares, Aaron Nemane, Tom Bradshaw and Paul Mullin across the attack.

There will be a fair bit of pressure on new manager Alex Bruce, who has been granted his second ever managerial role after a previous stint with Macclesfield, but it would be a surprise if the South Yorkshire outfit do not again have an exciting season at the top end of the table, especially considering that ten of Rotherham's last 14 seasons have ended in either relegation or promotion and they have far too much to be mired down at the bottom end of League Two.

2 ? ? Salford City

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ChatGPT believes that having ‘narrowly’ missed out on promotion last season, Salford City are now ‘well placed to challenge again’ and it believes The Ammies, following their rebrand with a new badge and a change in the colour of their kit from red to white, will begin a new era by getting into League One for the first time ever.

Still owned by Project 92 Limited but with further investment from the United States last summer, Salford parted company with Karl Robinson after their play-off final defeat to Notts County and he has been replaced by former Malaysia manager Peter Cklamovski.

A first job in English football for the Australian remains the biggest uncertainty about Salford this season but he has been given a squad that really should be challenging for the title.

The standout additions this summer have been striker Macaulay Langstaff from Millwall and winger Luke Molyneux from Doncaster Rovers who, on paper, should form one of the best and most exciting attacking partnerships that, perhaps, the division has ever seen.

As well as that pair, Salford have also signed experience in Will Norris, Will Aimson and Joe Powell, with other purchases including Abraham Odoh and Elliot Bonds.

Somewhat surprisingly, Kelly N’Mai has remained at the club for now, with other big names like Jorge Grant, Ben Woodburn, Brandon Cooper, Ryan Graydon, Ollie Turton, Daniel Udoh and captain Luke Garbutt forming part of an extremely impressive squad – again, on paper.

1 ? ? Port Vale

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Predicted as League Two’s champions for the 2026-27 season is another club that were relegated from League One last season in Port Vale, who ChatGPT describes as having a ‘strong squad’ that should be capable of getting an ‘immediate return’ to the third-tier.

The Valiants experienced a bizarre campaign last season. They were pretty much always adrift throughout the campaign, despite major improvements following the appointment of Jon Brady in early-January and into the spring, which even saw them defeat eventual UEFA Europa League qualifiers Sunderland at Vale Park to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

That prompted a mightily unhelpful fixture pileup that saw them play 17 matches in just 60 days from early-March to early-May, nine of which came in a 29-day spell at the back end of the season.

Former Northampton boss Brady, who led The Cobblers to League Two promotion in the 2022-23 season, remains at the helm and he has been backed in the transfer market, too.

Perhaps most notably, the signing of Kyle Dempsey on a free transfer after his release from Bolton Wanderers is the biggest coup but they have also managed to also attract the likes of Matthew Craig, Max Watters and Lewis Montsma to Vale Park.

To go alongside a squad that already boasts Connor Hall, Jordan Gabriel, George Byers, Ben Garrity, Jayden Stockley, Ben Waine, George Hall and Onel Hernandez, with a manager that has showed he can get results at both Vale as well as very effectively in this division, Port Vale