The top 8 most empty EFL Championship stadiums in the 2025/26 season | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at the eight emptiest stadiums in the EFL Championship this season

The EFL Championship is home to numerous iconic football clubs with equally iconic stadiums to boot.

From Hillsborough and Bramall Lane in Sheffield, to Carrow Road in Norfolk and Portman Road in Suffolk, to The Den and The Valley in London, and to Ewood Park and Deepdale in Lancashire, the venues in the English second tier are truly among the best in the world.

Fans are the beating heart of any football club; without them, they are nothing. Travelling up and down the country on a weekly basis and coming in their numbers to support them at home, without fans, football would simply not be the same.

However, there are always some circumstances where a team's attendance diminishes. Whether that’s poor results and performances, protests against the club's current situation, or ticket prices, numerous factors come into play when looking at a side’s attendances across the campaign.

Using data from Transfermarkt, FLW has taken a look at the top 8 emptiest stadiums in the EFL Championship this season, using average attendance, and looking into each club's situation over the course of the year and reasoning the potential causes.

8 ? ? Middlesbrough - Riverside

It’s been an excellent season so far for Middlesbrough, who, under the guidance of Swedish boss Kim Hellberg, have the chance to turn it into a truly memorable one.

This is Boro’s ninth consecutive campaign in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in 2017, with this being their best position in that time to go on and find a way back into the top flight.

Alongside Coventry City, they have spent much of the season in the top two, which is surprising as to why they have claimed a spot in the list.

Boro fans, on average, have an attendance of 27,283 with a capacity of 33,746, filling about 80.8% of their stadium for each home game.

A large reason behind this is likely due to their ticket prices, with the Teesside outfit possessing the most expensive cheapest season ticket in the league at £620, pricing potential supporters out.

If they do indeed find themselves as a Premier League club next season, their attendance will likely improve, though their ticket prices will almost certainly worsen, much to the frustration of the Boro faithful.

7 ? ? Stoke City - bet365 Stadium

Stoke City were once synonymous with the Premier League; now, the Potters are a shell of their former selves and are a certified Championship dweller.

The days under Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes seem a million miles away, and so do the days when the bet365 Stadium was nearly packed out on a game-by-game basis.

Since relegation, Stoke has yet to finish in the top half of the Championship table, with a 14th-placed finish being the most to shout about in that period, with attendances diminishing due to performances on the pitch.

Under Mark Robins, at one stage it looked almost certain that the Potters would finally buck that trend this campaign, though a dismal run of form has seen them plummet down the division, with another year in the bottom half a likely outcome.

With an average attendance of 24,507 in a 30,089 capacity stadium, the Potters have the seventh-emptiest stadium in the division this season, with their main factor in this being performances on the pitch, boasting one of the cheapest season tickets in the entire league.

6 ? ? Hull City - MKM Stadium

Hull City have had some interesting owners over the years, to say the least.

The Allam family, whilst popular at first, quickly saw their reputation crumble after trying to rename the club to ‘Hull Tigers’, and threatened fans on several occasions after not getting his way.

Now under the ownership of Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali, it’s been a mixed bag thus far, with Hull having finished just outside of the play-offs in his first season, before sacking Liam Rosenior controversially and narrowly avoiding relegation, to now undergoing a two-window transfer embargo due to uncertainty over the club’s finances, but on course for a top-six finish nonetheless.

The city boasts a proud Rugby League culture, too, with both Hull FC and Hull KR representing the people of Hull, likely having an impact on attendances at the weekend, with the Tigers averaging an attendance of 21,049 in the MKM Stadium, which holds 25,586.

5 ? ? Swansea City - Swansea.com Stadium

During their Premier League years, the Swansea.com Stadium, formerly known as the Liberty Stadium, was almost sold out on a weekly basis for Swansea City’s home games.

Now, the Welsh club find themselves in a bit of a malaise in the second tier, having struggled to sustain a real push for a top-six finish in recent times, culminating in poor and uninspiring league finishes.

With Cardiff City now in League One, the Swans are joined only by Wrexham as the other Welsh outfit in the Championship, as Swansea averages a home attendance of 16,500 in their stadium, which holds a capacity of 21,088.

4 ? ? Charlton Athletic - The Valley

Charlton Athletic have long had to compete with their much noisier neighbours in the English capital for attendances, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United all without a doubt poaching potential supporters away from The Valley.

Their status in the London rankings isn’t as strong as even some of their second-tier counterparts in Queen’s Park Rangers and Millwall, having lingered in the third and second tiers throughout much of their recent history.

Under Welsh boss Nathan Jones, Charlton have been good value for money to retain their status as a Championship club heading into next season, and with their average attendance being 19,986 in a capacity of 26,875, the Addicks will no doubt want to increase that figure heading into next year, and maintaining their place in the Championship will only serve to help those efforts.

3 ? ? Preston North End - Deepdale

When you think of the Championship, few other clubs likely come to mind before you think of Preston North End.

The Lilywhites have now spent over a decade in the English second tier, rarely looking likely to sustain a promotion push or looking like relegation candidates.

Whilst many teams around the EFL would jump at the chance to become a stable Championship side, the novelty likely wore off some time ago among Preston supporters, who will have grown frustrated with their club's lack of ambition to push for the top flight.

Spending has always been kept tight at Deepdale, resulting in an average attendance this season of 16,832 in a stadium which holds 23,408. Though with the club still well within a shout of a top six finish this campaign, should they indeed achieve that feat, it could well see attendances boosted into next year with a new degree of optimism around the place.

2 ? ? Sheffield Wednesday - Hillsborough

Where to start with Sheffield Wednesday?

The Owls’ relegation to League One has already been confirmed, with just one win to shout about this season, with none coming at their iconic Hillsborough.

Wednesday can boast the biggest ground by capacity in the second tier, with Hillsborough holding a capacity of 39,859, yet have an average attendance of just 22,655 this season.

Many supporters have chosen to stay away from the club this year due to not wanting to support the ownership of Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri, though now with him gone, and the club is looking for a buyer, a new dawn is on the horizon in South Yorkshire.

Should a new degree of optimism be installed in the Owls heading into next season, fans will likely come flocking back to Hillsborough in their numbers, though, for the moment, few can hardly blame supporters for not wanting to go to their home games at the moment.

1 ? ? Blackburn Rovers - Ewood Park

Former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers complete this list, and unfortunately for them, it’s hardly surprising.

Blackburn, as a geographical location, is not particularly big, and with Ewood Park holding a capacity of 31,367, it has always been a tough task to fill.

With an average attendance this year of 13,950, Blackburn are the clear unwanted winners of this list, with their ground often being less than 50% full on a game-by-game basis.

It wouldn’t be fair to ignore the Venky’s factor at play, with the current owners among the most unpopular in the entire country, with their lack of willingness to invest or put the club up for sale infuriating supporters and causing some to boycott as a result.

Once the ownership regime has changed, and for them, hopefully improved, so will their attendances. But for now, Ewood Park is the emptiest stadium in the Championship.