The 12 worst away days in the EFL Championship named and ranked by AI | OneFootball

Everyone loves an away day, but AI reckon these are the worst in the Championship

For many football fans, there's arguably nothing better than an away day.

A trip to a stadium you'll only see once a year, sometimes having to get up and get on a coach in the early hours to travel from one end of the country to the other, sometimes just going down the road to play a part as an away fan in a heated derby. There's nothing quite like it.

But this feeling can flip on its head with two simple things. A bad performance from the side you support, or the away day itself being truly dismal due to the cost of getting there, poor facilities and having little to nothing to do around the ground before and after the game.

Football League World has asked the popular AI service, ChatGPT, to rank the 12 worst away days in the upcoming Championship season, based purely on the experience of simply going to the city and the ground. After all, your team could win 4-0 on its travels, but if the day out doesn't live up to that performance, is it truly a good away day?

12 Watford - Vicarage Road

Starting this list off is Vicarage Road, the home of Watford.

AI cited the entire matchday experience at Watford as "underwhelming," with limited facilities and a cramped away section. Situated just outside of London too, transport links to London and then from the capital to the ground can lead to a pretty long, boring day.

Ultimately, with this placing 12th though, it's technically the 13th-best, so pretty middle of the pack and rightly unforgettable in many away fans' eyes.

11 Norwich City - Carrow Road

Given how far out Norwich is from the rest of the league, the sheer time it takes to travel to Carrow Road almost automatically earns it a place on the list.

Discounting Ipswich Town, the closest team to Norwich in the upcoming 2025/26 Championship season is Watford, and even they have to incur a nearly five-hour round trip when they travel there on December 29.

Other than that, weak pub culture around the ground leaves plenty of visiting fans dissatisfied, and consequently, Norwich is seen as one of the duller away days in the league.

AI states that hefty parking fees are the main drawback of visiting the CBS Arena, so for those who venture over by train or supporters' coach, this one might seem a little harsh.

It does cost £18 on the day to park your car at the ground, which is pretty extortionate, but the atmosphere, according to AI, makes up for it and stops Coventry from being one of the worst away days in the league. Not too sure what AI has against parking fees, but it's definitely contributed to this ranking.

That, and a generally crowded away section, earns Frank Lampard's side a place in the top 10

9 Stoke City - bet365 Stadium

Getting further into the top 10 now, and Stoke's bet365 Stadium sits in at number nine.

AI states that fan surveys reveal that the bet365 Stadium is like a ground with four separate stands due to the little character the ground possesses.

The "characterless" stadium averaged an attendance of 22,804 last season, which actually places the Potters in the top ten for average attendances.

But with the ground holding upwards of 30,000, you can see why Stoke's ground gets that reputation.

8 Ipswich Town - Portman Road

Similarly to Norwich, Ipswich is just so far away from most of the other teams in the division, although with them being further south, it's less of a hassle for Londoners to make the trip, which could be why the Tractor Boys rank three places higher than their Norfolk-based rivals.

Other factors which place Ipswich ninth include the costs and how cold and underwhelming it is.

Obviously, weather will play into the overall enjoyment of an away day, and perhaps Portman Road is one of those places where you pray your side doesn't have to visit during the winter months.

7 Middlesbrough - Riverside Stadium

Two years ago, the price for a pint of beer in Middlesbrough would cost just £4.50 on average, and this low price is the only benefit on an away day to Teeside, according to AI.

Boro has a "boring feel" to it, according to ChatGPT, and the price of an alcoholic drink doesn't provide as much upside to keep the Riverside from landing a place on this list.

Many may feel this a little harsh, as Michael Carrick's style of football was never really branded as 'boring' across his time in the Riverside dugout. Rob Edwards will be sure to keep that up on the pitch, or else the ground may find itself even further down the list this time next season.

6 Hull City - MKM Stadium

With Hull City recording the worst home record in the Championship during the 2024/25 season, the trip to the MKM Stadium has left away fans more often happy than not with what happened on the pitch.

Despite this, the trip to Hull itself isn't one of the best in the league at all.

Its location in the very east of Yorkshire makes for an over two-and-a-half-hour round trip for even their fellow County sides in Sheffield, and the positioning of the stadium, over an incredibly long bridge, makes it pretty secluded from the rest of the city.

Add to this a claimed 'poor atmosphere,' according to AI, Hull City achieves a place in the top six of the list.

5 Southampton - St Mary's Stadium

Southampton's relegation from the Premier League was brilliant news for Portsmouth fans, and their September trip to St Mary's will be one already circled in the calendar.

For the other 22 Championship sides, the inevitable journey to the south coast to visit the Saints is one they're not looking forward to, and not just because of how long it is to get there - it's worth noting that Fratton Park doesn't feature on this list at all (spoilers, I know...).

St Mary's Stadium is said to be dull and characterless, and it definitely was last season, as Southampton almost gave Derby County a run for their money as the worst Premier League side in existence.

Southampton fans will be hoping that the football, and therefore the atmosphere, can improve, leading to a better ranking when this list is revisited.

4 Bristol City - Ashton Gate

Another ground that's situated quite far away from the rest of the division, Bristol City's Ashton Gate, ranks number four in AI's top five worst away days in the Championship.

The dreaded parking fees have cropped up again, with it costing £15 to park at the ground. That, alongside a cramped concourse and average fan ratings, places this relatively high in the rankings.

AI did note that the atmosphere at Ashton Gate "isn't terrible," so perhaps that is what is stopping the Robins from reaching the top three on the list.

3 Swansea City - Swansea City Stadium

Taking the bronze medal in the list is Swansea City's eponymous stadium. The sheer distance between Swansea in the south of Wales to the rest of the teams in the division is incredibly long, and even their Welsh derby this season against Wrexham will see the Red Dragons travel six hours all round for the fixture.

It's noted as one of the toughest away trips in the division, with those who travel down by train or other public forms of transport having to travel even further to get to the ground.

Added to that, a lack of interest in the club among the locals contributes to the poor ranking, with Swansea's attendance hovering around the 15,000 average last season.