AI names the next major trophy each EFL Championship team will lift - and when | OneFootball

Football League World takes a close look at when AI predicts all 24 EFL Championship sides to next win a major trophy

Every side in the EFL Championship will be bidding to achieve their immediate ambitions as we head into the latter stages of the 2025/26 campaign, but despite differing positional standings at this moment in time, they will all share the same dream of eventually winning major honours once more.

For some, the objective will be promotion and either a return, or a first-ever voyage into the Premier League. Other outfits, meanwhile, will simply be hoping to steady the ship and keep their heads above the water by clinching survival in what promises to be a typically-frantic battle against relegation to League One.

But every side shares the mutual dream of lifting major silverware, which is, of course, a rarity for clubs currently competing in the Championship, especially in recent times.

Leicester City were the most recent side to do so, with the Foxes' 2021 FA Cup triumph coming five years after their historic, against-the-odds Premier League title-winning campaign, while both Birmingham and Swansea City lifted the EFL Cup in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

We've seen plenty of Championship teams enjoy plucky cup runs in recent years, but who could be the next to scoop some serious silverware? And when can that be expected for your side?

Football League World has enlisted the help of AI chatbot, ChatGPT, to take a closer look and predict when each second-tier side may next lift a major trophy...

Birmingham City - EFL Cup, 2038-2042

Birmingham are pursuing a Premier League return, with exciting long-term ambitions spearheaded by significant investment both on and off-the-pitch from Knighthead Capital Management.

Indeed, a new 62,000-seater stadium is expected in time for the 2030/31 campaign as the centre-piece of Tom Wagner's ambitious £3 billion Sports Quarter, serving as yet another reminder of Blues' bullish and lavish aspirations.

With that in mind, then, it's perhaps surprising that ChatGPT predicts a lengthy wait for Birmingham's next major honours, explaining that silverware may be forthcoming in the form of another EFL Cup triumph once "stability improves" - with 2038-2042 a tipped timeline.

Wagner and co are brazen in their ambitions, though, and will want to bring a serious trophy back to this side of the Second City much sooner.

Blackburn Rovers - FA Cup or EFL Cup, 2035-2040

Blackburn Rovers are one of just two current Championship clubs with a Premier League title in the trophy cabinet, having beaten off Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side to top-spot in the 1994/95 season.

But, of course, those times are now long gone for Blackburn, who will simply be looking to avoid relegation to League One following years of disarray and unrest before dreaming about getting their hands on silverware again.

Blackburn did win the EFL Cup in 2002, and AI predicts that a cup surprise represents Rovers' best chance of reclaiming a major trophy. That's expected to take place between 2035 and 2040, with much on-and-off-pitch change required at Ewood Park to make the Lancashire outfit competitive once more.

Bristol City - FA Cup, 2040-2045

Bristol City, meanwhile, have always been evaded by silverware, with the Robins having not won a single major trophy in the club's 130-year history.

City enjoyed a strong EFL Cup run during the 2017/18 season, trumping top-flight competition in Watford, Stoke City, Crystal Palace and Man United before narrowly losing out to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side in the semi-finals.

They haven't been up to much in cup competition since, though, and AI believes that a longer build-up is required in order for the Robins to finally add some serious silverware to the cabinet - which has been predicted to involve a big FA Cup push anywhere between 2040 and 2045.

Charlton Athletic - FA Cup, 2045-2050

Charlton Athletic have won major honours, with the last triumph of note coming all the way back in 1947 when the Addicks lifted the FA Cup.

But, according to AI, "a rebuild and strategic stability" must be in order for Charlton to rediscover that success, which has been estimated to come between 2045 and 2050 in the form of another FA Cup trophy.

Coventry City - FA Cup or EFL Cup, 2030-2025

Major success is, however, expected much faster at Coventry City, who are currently gunning for promotion to the Premier League under Frank Lampard and did make it all the way to an FA Cup semi-final less than three years ago.

Coventry's last triumph was the 1987 FA Cup trophy, and the Sky Blues have been projected to have an earlier breakthrough than many of their divisional compatriots by sealing silverware in the next decade.

AI has noted the club's "strong fanbase" and "recent Championship competitiveness" as key reasons why either FA Cup or EFL Cup honours could be coming to the CBS Arena in the not-too-distant future.

Derby County - EFL Cup, 2040-2045

There's a chance that Derby County could finish inside the top-six come May and gain promotion to the Premier League, but that's not to say major honours would be imminent at Pride Park.

Derby have formerly won both the old First Division and the FA Cup, though the Rams have endured a long trophy drought and AI doesn't expect that to change anytime soon.

A first-ever EFL Cup triumph could be anticipated somewhere between 2040-2045, which AI believes may come after "sustained Premier League stability."

Hull City - FA Cup, 2040-2045

The same timeline has been mooted for one of Derby's fellow play-off chasing rivals in Hull City, who, unlike the Rams, have never tasted major silverware.

Hull came agonisingly close to breaking their historic duck in 2014, but were unable to see off Arsenal in that year's FA Cup final after racing into a shock two-goal lead inside ten minutes before eventually losing 3-2 in extra time.

According to AI, the Tigers are going to have to wait even longer for a shot at redemption, and it's the FA Cup that the East Yorkshire side are expected to eventually challenge for once more.

Ipswich Town - FA Cup, 2030-2033

It's a different story for Ipswich Town, though, with big things expected of the Tractor Boys in the coming years.

Ipswich have enjoyed plenty of success in recent times by achieving successive promotions from League One to the Premier League before suffering relegation, although they've bounced back and are strongly challenging for a first-time return to the top-flight this term.

AI predicts that promotion will precede a push for cup success at Portman Road, and Ipswich have been projected to add a second FA Cup to their list of honours in the next decade.

Leicester City - FA Cup or EFL Cup, 2029-2031

There's a bleak mood surrounding Leicester, who have struggled in the Championship this season after relegation and saw thoes woes compounded with a six-point deduction.

Leicester's glory days in the Premier League, in which they won a historic top-flight title and an FA Cup as aforementioned, are well behind them now - but AI thinks that good times could return to the King Power Stadium before long.

Steadying the ship, both on and off-the-pitch, is the first port of call, though Foxes supporters may be pleased to know that AI is predicting another domestic cup triumph in the next five years.

At this moment in time, that does feel generous, but AI has noted that Leicester's cup-winning experience and infrastructure could help the side return to the top-flight before being competitive again.

Middlesbrough - EFL Cup, 2035-2043

Middlesbrough will hope to have ended their nine-year exile from the Premier League by the time May rolls around, with the Teessiders having been right up there all season under both Rob Edwards and current boss Kim Hellberg.

Promotion back to the top-flight could put Boro back on the path to compete for major silverware, as they've already enjoyed a couple of decent cup runs in recent years.

Middlesbrough, who won their first major trophy in 2004 by defeating Bolton Wanderers to lift the 2004 EFL Cup, reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup during the 2021/22 campaign before making it to the EFL Cup semi-finals in 2024.

AI predicts that a second EFL Cup triumph is more likely for Boro, which could take place towards the back end of the 2030s.