When AI thinks all 24 EFL Championship clubs will next lift a major trophy | OneFootball

AI chatbot, ChatGPT, predicts when all 24 EFL Championship clubs will next win a major trophy.

The 2025/26 Championship season contains a fascinating blend of clubs - some with deep Premier League and cup-winning heritage, others still dreaming of their first major honour.

The Championship itself is known for its unpredictability. However, the reality is that lifting silverware at the top level has become a rarity outside English football's traditional elite.

Clubs with huge fanbases and a big bank of resources can go decades without winning a trophy - a hatful of Championship clubs know this all too well.

With this in mind, Football League World turned to AI Chatbot, ChatGPT, to predict when it believes each of the 24 clubs in this year's Championship will next lift a major domestic or European trophy.

Birmingham City - 2041

Birmingham City returned to the Championship earlier this year after taking League One by storm, and the Blues have brought serious ambitions with them.

With plans in place for a new 62,000-seater stadium and sports quarter, the Knighthead group in charge are not looking to hang around in the EFL for long.

The club's last major honour came in 2011, when they shocked the nation by beating Arsenal to lift the EFL Cup at Wembley. With their ambitions in mind, it may come as a surprise that ChatGPT doesn't predict another major trophy until 2041, with the chatbot saying: "It will take time for this project to bear fruit, with their next major trophy expected around 2041, potentially another League Cup once the club establishes top-flight stability."

Blackburn Rovers - 2039

Blackburn's history includes a legendary Premier League title in 1995 under the guidance of Sir Kenny Dalglish. However, the next 30 years would bring a period of instability for the club.

AI believes that: "Blackburn will gradually rebuild through the Championship and potentially the Premier League."

Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012, Rovers have been an EFL ever-present, with the club also spending the 2017/18 season in League One. Since their return a year later, the club have not quite been able to sustain a serious promotion charge.

Bristol City - 2044

The Robins have built impressive infrastructure at Ashton Gate, and sit in one of England's biggest and most populated cities. However, they have remained far from silverware at the top level for the entirety of the club's history.

City were promoted to the Championship in 2015, and have been in the second tier ever since. Their recent play-off charge in the 2024/25 season has provided hope that the form can continue, now under Gerhard Struber.

ChatGPT said: "The next major trophy could come in 2044, a reward for sustained Premier League consolidation and smart recruitment."

Charlton Athletic - 2048

Charlton have been hampered by boardroom instability for years, with their last major honour coming in 1947, when the Addicks won the FA Cup.

Back in the second tier for the first time since the 2019/20 season, Charlton have had a good start to the season under Nathan Jones, though AI predicts a slow climb back to the upper echelons of the division.

Coventry City - 2032

Coventry's last major honour came in 1987 with the FA Cup, with the Sky Blues bouncing between the divisions for a long period in the subsequent years. Now a regular promotion candidate once again, AI believes that the momentum under Frank Lampard could translate into success sooner than many expect.

2032 is earmarked as a realistic year for a first major trophy since the 1980s - potentially an FA Cup or League Cup.

Derby County - 2043

Derby's top-flight history includes two First Division titles in 1971/72 and 1974/75, alongside an FA Cup in 1946. Major silverware has since been elusive as the Rams have bounced between the top three tiers of English football.

ChatGPT said: "With steady rebuilding and eventual top-flight consolidation, 2043 could be the year Derby lift their next major honour, most likely a League Cup."

The Rams were promoted back to the Championship in 2024 after a period in League One, and are now looking to further stabilise under John Eustace.

Hull City - 2042

Hull have never won a major honour, with their closest brush with glory coming in 2014, when they fell to defeat against Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

Since their most recent relegation from the Premier League in 2017, Hull have been an EFL ever-present, with most of the years since featuring a battle against relegation, and even a League One promotion campaign in the behind-closed-doors year of 2020/21.

AI anticipates that under Acun Ilicali's ownership, and with steady rebuilding, 2042 could see the Tigers finally claim a major trophy.

Ipswich Town - 2036

Ipswich are the only club in the Championship to have triumphed at continental level, with the Tractor Boys winning the UEFA Cup in 1981 - the competition would go on to become what we know as the Europa League.

Ipswich lifted the First Division title in 1962 and the FA Cup in 1978, with domestic silverware being scarce since then.

AI says: "Their talented squad and Premier League potential could see 2036 as the year Ipswich return to the winners' circle."

Leicester City - 2029

Leicester's last two major honours came more recently than any triumph for a Championship club, with their remarkable Premier League win in 2016 kickstarting a period of consistent European football - capped by an FA Cup win in 2021.

With infrastructure fit for the top-flight, smart management could see the Foxes take their place in the Premier League again, where they will carry much higher ambitions than safety, given the club's facilities.

The closest date on this list, AI predicts that another major trophy could be claimed by Leicester as soon as 2029.

Middlesbrough - 2033

Middlesbrough last claimed a major honour in 2004, when they won the League Cup. The subsequent years saw the club bounce between the first and second tiers.

Though Boro are always one of the names earmarked for promotion over the summer, and they have had a strong start to the campaign under Rob Edwards, who won promotion to the Premier League with Luton in 2023.

AI says: "If their current trajectory continues, 2033 could mark Middlesbrough's next top-level silverware, potentially echoing their early-2000s cup glory."