Ranking the 12 most well supported clubs in the EFL Championship in 2025/26 | OneFootball

Which second tier stadiums were the most full this season? FLW takes a look...

The Championship season has, yet again, been full of twists and turns at both ends of the table.

Whether it involves the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League or the post-season play-offs in general, or the cluster of clubs looking to avoid a potentially disastrous relegation to League One, the second tier has got it all, and will continue to do so for many years.

However, regardless of which of the 24 clubs you choose to support, it cannot be denied just how loyal the fanbases are within the Championship, and how the atmospheres generated are, at times, viewed as way better than the majority of Premier League sides in the modern game.

Add those factors to the fact that there is a nice blend of clubs when it comes to overall history and their short and long-term ambitions, and the same blend applies to the sizes of each and every stadium and fanbase in the league.

Attendances have, for one reason or another, become a huge talking point in the world of social media in recent times, as they are often used as a stick to beat a certain club if they start to record higher gates based off short-term success, or if their ground is empty for reasons such as ownership issues.

With that being said, Football League World - with the help of figures on Transfermarkt - have looked at which 12 sides were the best-supported based off of the number of spectators which came through the turnstiles in 2025/26.

12 ? ? Bristol City

At the bottom of this particular ranking are Bristol City, who have endured a mixed season under the management of Gerhard Struber and Roy Hodgson.

After achieving a first play-off finish at Championship level since 2008 last season, optimism was high in BS3 ahead of the campaign, but the Robins fell away in the second half of the season as a result of high-profile sales and an injury crisis, before Struber was dismissed in March.

Matching their league position in the on-pitch table, City come 12th here, having had 535,399 spectators pass through the Ashton Gate turnstiles in their 23 home matches.

11 ? ? West Bromwich Albion

In 11th spot are West Bromwich Albion, who recorded their worst league finish since the 1999/00 season in a tumultuous campaign which included three head coaches and a controversial two-point deduction.

Baggies fans have been known for sticking by their team throughout good or bad periods, and they have endured plenty of them within the past 25 years or so when it comes to promotion or relegation battles.

With The Hawthorns holding a current capacity of 26,850, Albion were supported by an overall season gate of 542,909 in B71.

10 ? ? Stoke City

Making it into the top 10 of this list are Stoke City, whose fans have had very few reasons to be cheerful within the last decade.

Having failed to challenge for a Championship play-off place since being relegated in 2018, it appeared as though that may change in the first half of Mark Robins' first full term at the Bet365 Stadium.

However, a drastic downturn in performance levels and results - not helped by injuries - have seen the Potters collect the second-lowest points total in the second period of the season ahead of rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite this, the North Staffordshire folk have continued to fill most of the ground with a seasonal gate of 555,065.

Like the previous two clubs, Norwich City supporters are also known for their unwavering loyalty at Carrow Road, irrespective of circumstances.

That loyalty was certainly tested in the opening months of the season as they found themselves winless at home in the league since November 29th, shortly after Philippe Clement replaced Liam Manning, with the Canaries in the relegation zone at the time.

However, they have only tasted defeat a handful of times under the Belgian thus far, and there is strong optimism for what lies ahead in 2026/27 in Norfolk.

Ironically, they have matched their league position on this ranking with a 23-game overall home gate of 595,374.

8 ? ? Birmingham City

In eighth place are Birmingham City, with it extremely rare to not see the sold-out signs go up at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park these days.

Since Chris Davies' appointment in B9 two years ago, Blues have turned their current home into a fortress, with only three sides emerging victorious in the Championship away to his team since April 2024, with the first of those coming last October versus Hull City.

Therefore, if the club picked up form on the road, they could have made the play-offs, and it would have added extra numbers to what has been an overall gate of 624,756 this year, as they prepare to move to the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium in four years time.

7 ? ? Middlesbrough

Next up are Middlesbrough, who have received plenty of passionate backing from supporters at the Riverside Stadium and on their travels this season.

The Reds have accumulated the majority of their points on home turf this season under both Kim Hellberg and his predecessor, Rob Edwards, as they push for promotion to the Premier League for the first time in nine years.

Throughout the regular Championship season, Boro saw a total of 635,316 supporters come through the Riverside turnstiles, which is the seventh-best tally in the division.

6 ? ? Sheffield United

In sixth are Sheffield United, who are known for creating one of the more hostile Championship atmospheres at Bramall Lane.

It has been an up-and-down season for the Blades, who were looking at the prospect of a relegation battle when Ruben Selles was sacked in September after six straight losses.

Chris Wilder, who has previously stood on the S2 terraces, has since turned the club around short-term into a mid-table position, and will hope to make United promotion contenders once again next year.

Despite their mixed fortunes, the Steel City side have attracted 636,544 fans this season at home.

5 ? ? Ipswich Town

In fifth place are Ipswich Town, with Portman Road, as has been the case in recent years through the club's stunning rise, often full to the brim.

There was a huge sense of expectation on the shoulders of Kieran McKenna and his players to deliver a first-time promotion back to the Premier League, and they delivered on the final day with a 3-0 success over Queens Park Rangers on home turf.

The 90 minutes capped off what has been a fine turnaround compared to last season, and the crowd made sure their seasonal gate went up to a number of 650,980.

4 ? ? Southampton

Another side matching their position in the league table when it comes to attendance data are Southampton, with St Mary's now full of enthusiasm after a remarkable short-term turnaround under Tonda Eckert.

Having been relegated from the top-flight with just 12 points last season, the negative mood in Hampshire only continued when Will Still was sacked in November after a run of just two wins in 13 league games.

However, a surge into the play-offs, coupled with a memorable run to the FA Cup semi-finals have no doubt attracted some new fans to watch Saints perform.

As such, their overall gate for the Championship term stands at 654,487.

3 ? ? Derby County

We now move into the top three with Derby County, who, despite being outside the Premier League for 18 years, have one of the best fanbases in the Championship in terms of attendance figures and volume.

Such feats even continued throughout a two-season period in League One after entering administration and being relegated in 2022, and now the Rams are back on the up.

Despite missing out on the play-offs on the final day, their supporters will certainly be encouraged ahead of the future, showcased by a season total attendance figure of 656,942 at Pride Park.