The 10 most 'toxic' EFL Championship fanbases named and ranked by AI | OneFootball

AI chatbot, ChatGPT, ranks the ten most 'toxic' fanbases in the EFL Championship right now

The EFL Championship comprises 24 teams, each with its own individual fan base, although some are more toxic than others.

Each year, 24 teams compete in the English second tier, with some harbouring ambitions of promotion to the Premier League, a top-six finish, a comfortable mid-table position, or simply survival.

Three teams are promoted from League One, and three teams are relegated from the Premier League into the division, meaning six new teams compete in what is widely regarded as one of the most unpredictable leagues in the entire world.

With all those teams, naturally, come fanbases, and some have worse reputations than others.

Football League World has asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to rank the top ten most toxic fanbases currently in the EFL Championship, with a few surprise rankings in there.

10 ? ? Hull City

ChatGPT said: Frustration-driven negativity from some sections of the fanbase, especially during slump periods.

Hull City very rarely find themselves in a comfortable mid-table position.

As recently as 2021, they were playing their football in League One, and since their return to the Championship, they have often found themselves fighting at either end of the table.

Last season, the Tigers narrowly scraped survival under Ruben Selles, and now, under Sergej Jakirovic, despite their transfer embargo, Hull find themselves within a shout of a play-off finish.

This volatility, of course, means that Hull fans are either walking the walk at the top of the table or down in the dumps at the bottom, with frequent problems with their ownership over the years also causing distrust between the fans and the club.

9 ? ? Bristol City

ChatGPT said: Supporters can be argumentative online and quick to criticise rivals or officials.

Bristol City finally secured their first play-off finish in 17 years last season under Liam Manning, and although they would be thumped by Sheffield United over two legs and Manning would depart for Norwich, they have not been too badly affected by it.

With Austrian boss Gerhard Struber now at the helm, there is optimism surrounding the Robins fanbase once more that they can achieve a play-off finish once again.

However, AI believes that their fans can be quick to criticise officials, which, admittedly, is not alien to other fanbases across the division, but that is the reason that ChatGPT has ranked them in 9th.

8 ? ? Derby County

ChatGPT said: Dedicated but frequently entangled in online arguments, especially when results are poor.

Like Hull, Derby County have spent time in League One in the past few years, and have had problems with their ownership too, which, of course, seeps into the fanbase.

The Rams won just one of their opening ten league games this season despite their large outlay on recruitment this summer, with head coach John Eustace coming under fire for failing to get the best out of his side.

They then won six out of their next seven to alleviate pressure from Eustace, but despite this, AI believes that their fans are frequently arguing with other fanbases online, ranking them in 8th.

7 ? ? Wrexham

ChatGPT said: Large, passionate fanbase that can polarise opinions online — strong defending of the club and fierce banter with rivals.

Wrexham have had the most meteoric rise ever seen in English football, despite being a Welsh side.

The Red Dragons have recorded back-to-back-to-back promotions from the National League to the Championship under Phil Parkinson, with the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and the 'Welcome to Wrexham' series earning them global attention.

Their fans have been on an incredible rise, and some will barely believe where the club finds itself. With success comes envy, with Wrexham fans often finding themselves in arguments with other fanbases at the detriment of their meteoric rise.

6 ? ? Watford

ChatGPT said: Often perceived as entitled and heated online due to frustration from near-misses in promotion and unstable periods.

Probably one of, if not the most volatile football club in the country, Watford have a reputation for being quite trigger-happy when it comes to dismissing managers/head coaches.

The Hornets have had 17 different permanent managers since Sean Dyche's departure, if you can label them as permanent, with Javi Gracia, who guided the club to an FA Cup final back in 2019, now back at the helm.

This constant change and lack of continuity have led to unstable periods at the club, leaving fans often frustrated with their ownership model and not afraid to let their opinions be known online.

ChatGPT said: Vocal with a chip on their shoulder following recent relegation and struggles — leading to negativity toward managers, ownership, and rival fans.

Norwich City earned a reputation for being something of a yo-yo club, one that finds itself too good for the Championship, but never quite good enough for the Premier League.

The Canaries have had a disastrous first half of the 2025/26 campaign, dismissing Liam Manning after 17 games in charge and replacing him with former Monaco and Rangers boss Philippe Clement, in the hope that the Belgian can help them climb back up the table.

This recent negativity directed towards Manning, the club's sporting director, Ben Knapper, and the ownership model, as well as a long-term inability to sustain themselves in the top flight, has led fans to become increasingly toxic towards the club, with genuine fears of relegation to the third tier this season.

4 ? ? Queens Park Rangers

ChatGPT said: Combative London rivalries with cranky online banter and quick escalation against opponents.

QPR are one of numerous London clubs in the English football pyramid, but have long-lived in the shadows of their more successful neighbours, with seven seasons having been spent in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

The R's have even seen West London rivals Brentford launch themselves from the bottom of the EFL pyramid all the way to becoming a regular Premier League outfit season after season, which will no doubt be painful for many QPR fans.

There is hope this season that the club can reach a top-six finish under French boss Julien Stephan, with years of mid-table mediocrity having worn down the fanbase's resolve. This season is their best bet for promotion in years and to breathe new life into the club.

3 ? ? West Brom

ChatGPT said: Historic hostile rivalry culture and vocal fanbase that often engages in heated exchanges with rivals.

West Brom have been a constant figure in the Championship top-ten and the Premier League since the turn of the millennium, yet this season, the Baggies are at real risk of bucking that trend.

Having not spent more than one season in the top flight since 2017, many West Brom fans have grown tired of their club's underperformance, especially watching rivals Wolves and Aston Villa enjoy success in the Premier League, albeit Wolves look doomed for the Championship next season too.

Their fans have grown frustrated with the club's lack of success whilst watching their surrounding rivals enjoy a better time of it, with even Birmingham City now looking like a better bet for top-flight football than them, with a toxic atmosphere surrounding the fanbase.

2 ? ? Stoke City

ChatGPT said: Highly reactive on social media with frequent online arguments and negativity toward refs, opposition fans, and club hierarchy.

Stoke City fans have had to endure seven consecutive seasons of finishing in the bottom half of the Championship, and if they are unable to finish in the top half this season, then it will be over a decade since they finished in the top half of any division, having last finished 9th in the Premier League in 2016.

Despite the Coates family, who are from the area, pumping money into the club, that money has often gone to waste, with the Potters never looking likely to push for a top-six finish since their relegation in 2018.

Only Viktor Johansson kept the club from delving into League One last season, with his efforts in goal imperative to Stoke's survival, but the club's almost constant downward trend has led to attendances at the bet365 Stadium to dwindle and toxicity being rife throughout the fanbase.

Now under former Coventry City boss Mark Robins, Stoke are hopeful of a much better campaign this season, with the club hopeful of a top-half finish once more, yet the toxic atmosphere is never too far away with the Potters, after years of decline and mismanagement still lingers in the minds of supporters.

1 ? ? Millwall

ChatGPT said: Consistently regarded as the most hostile/supporter base in the division. Known for intimidating atmospheres and intense rivalries (especially vs. West Brom, QPR).

Millwall are infamous for its fanbase, with films such as The Firm, Green Street, and The Football Factory all earning the Lions a reputation of being some of the most violent in the entire country.

Their fans have leaned into this trope, with the chant 'no one likes us, we don't care' often heard ringing around The Den on a matchday, winning, drawing, or losing.

The club's style of football has never been perceived as pretty, and nor would Millwall fans want that, with players such as Jake Cooper, Billy Mitchell, and Mihailo Ivanovic embodying the Lions' combative and aggressive style of play.