All 24 EFL League One clubs ranked by how painful they are to support | OneFootball

All 24 EFL League One clubs have been ranked by FW based on how painful they are to support in recent times, including Leicester City...

Football is supposed to be an escape from everyday life for all fans, but League One supporters are no different. That said, life in the third tier can be a difficult and painful ordeal for some.

At its core, football is there for 90 minutes to provide an escape. The worries of the working week can disappear, replaced by the excitement of a late winner, the joy of promotion, or the simple satisfaction of watching your team put in a good performance.

But for every high that football provides, there is often a low waiting around the corner. Few sports can take supporters from euphoria to despair quite so quickly, and following a club is not always the easy source of happiness that outsiders might imagine.

For some fans, supporting their team means enduring years of disappointment, missed opportunities and frustration. Relegations can leave a lasting scar, play-off defeats can haunt a generation, and shattered expectations can make even an ordinary Saturday afternoon feel like a test of patience.

Then there is the off-field turmoil — ownership disputes, financial problems, managerial chaos, and decisions that leave supporters wondering when their club will finally catch a break. League One is home to plenty of clubs with passionate fanbases, proud histories, and ambitions of returning to the Championship or even reaching the Premier League.

However, it is also a division where expectations can quickly turn into frustration, with some supporters having endured more than their fair share of heartbreak along the way. The 24 clubs in League One have all experienced different forms of pain, while what feels unbearable to one fan might seem like a minor inconvenience to another.

This is not a definitive measure of suffering, but rather an invitation to debate which clubs are the most painful to support. Because, ultimately, continuing to turn up through the good times and the bad is what makes football so special. Here, we rank all 24 EFL League One clubs by how painful they are to support.

24 ? ? Bromley

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Bromley supporters have had remarkably little reason to complain in recent years. The Ravens only reached the EFL for the first time in 2024, having spent almost their entire history in non-league, and were in League One just two years later. There will undoubtedly be tougher times ahead, but their recent history is one with extraordinary progress rather than heartbreak.

23 ? ? Stevenage

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Another journey from non-league to League One that has provided plenty of memorable moments is that of Stevenage, even if their progress has occasionally stalled. They returned to the third tier in 2023 and have been around the League One play-offs in their first seasons back. Compared with many of their divisional rivals, Stevenage supporters have had relatively little to endure.

22 ? ? Stockport County

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Stockport County have endured some painful play-off defeats, but context is crucial. The Hatters climbed from the National League North to League One in just a few years, winning promotion from the National League in 2022 and League Two in 2024. Falling short in the play-offs hurts, but reaching them represents success. County supporters are enjoying one of their club's most exciting periods in decades.

21 ? ? Burton Albion

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Burton Albion's rise from non-league to the Championship remains one of the great modern EFL stories. They reached the second tier in 2016 before eventually dropping back into League One, where they have spent much of the subsequent period. Their recent battles have largely been about survival rather than promotion, but the Brewers have avoided the spectacular collapses and off-field disasters suffered elsewhere.

20 ? ? Notts County

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Notts County endured a miserable spell in non-league after relegation from the EFL in 2019, spending four seasons outside the Football League before finally returning in 2023. There was further heartbreak when they lost the 2022/23 National League play-off final before promotion the following year. Their history is enormous, but their recent trajectory has ultimately contained more recovery than suffering of late and many fans will simply be happy to be back in the third tier at last.

19 ? ? AFC Wimbledon

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AFC Wimbledon supporters have experienced unique pain, having watched the original club relocate before building a new one from the ashes. The phoenix club eventually reached League One and came close to the Championship, only to suffer relegation to League Two in 2022. Their return to League One in 2025 has restored some of the feel-good factor, even if they are expected to struggle and circle the drain whilst they are a League One club.

18 ? ? Mansfield Town

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After they spent eight years in the National League before returning to the EFL in 2013, Mansfield Town then endured another long wait for Championship football. Promotion in 2024 ended a 21-year absence from the second tier, although the Stags immediately came back down. There have also been several play-off disappointments, but Mansfield's recent rise means their supporters have experienced plenty of memorable highs too.

17 ? ? Doncaster Rovers

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Doncaster Rovers have had a decline from established Championship club to League Two that has been frustrating. They spent much of the late 2000s and early 2010s in the second tier before relegations in 2012 and 2022. The latter was particularly painful, but Doncaster responded by winning League Two in 2024/25 to return to League One. Their recent success is needing to be built on, but they have some stability again.

16 ? ? Cambridge United

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After finally escaping League Two in 2021 after nine years away from the third tier, producing one of their most memorable modern moments, Cambridge United then established themselves in League One before relegation in 2025. There have been plenty of relegation battles and frustrating seasons, but Cambridge have also experienced upward momentum under Neil Harris. Their recent history simply doesn't contain the same level of devastation as those higher up.

15 ? ? Bradford City

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Bradford City are one of the biggest clubs in League One, which makes their prolonged stay outside the Championship particularly frustrating. They spent two seasons in the Premier League around the turn of the millennium but eventually fell as far as League Two in 2019. Several unsuccessful play-off campaigns followed before promotion in 2025. Their size means expectations are high, but at least the latest chapters have brought progress, and they have immediately settled as a strong outfit for the level.