Where AI thinks all 24 EFL Championship clubs would finish if they were thrown into the Premier League right now | OneFootball

How each club would fare if parachuted into the top flight today

It’s a debate that surfaces every season: as the Premier League balloons in quality at the top and thins dramatically at the bottom, how big is the real gap between the top two divisions?

Could a well-coached Championship side survive if thrown in mid-season, without the benefit of a summer transfer window or parachute payments? Or would the step up expose them instantly?

To test the idea, Football League World asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to place all 24 Championship clubs into the current Premier League table - one at a time - and estimate where each would finish.

The model claims to weigh squad strength, tactical fit, form and overall Premier League suitability.

It also notes a crucial detail: the 2025/26 Premier League “is unusually weak outside the top eight,” meaning that survival is more attainable than in other years.

Here’s what the algorithm came back with - from last place upward.

Sheffield Wednesday - 20th

The AI puts Wednesday firmly bottom, suggesting the squad simply isn’t built for top-flight demands.

It highlights serious concerns about pace, mobility and defensive resilience, predicting heavy defeats throughout the season and little sign of competitiveness against even the league’s weaker clubs.

Norwich City - 20th

Norwich follow as another relegated side in the hypothetical Premier League table.

The AI points to poor structure, poor form and a defence that would unravel quickly against Premier League movement.

It argues that any technical quality they possess is cancelled out by organisational issues, forecasting a relegation that would feel inevitable long before spring.

Sheffield United - 20th

Already struggling in the Championship, Sheffield United are tipped for a similarly bleak Premier League fate.

The model is blunt: a side fighting to tread water in the second tier would be overwhelmed physically and tactically at the higher level.

While the bot inevitably does not account for a slight uptick after the reinstatement of Chris Wilder, it’s hard to argue against history repeating itself in the Blades’ current form.

Queens Park Rangers - 20th

QPR’s defensive vulnerability is flagged as their fatal flaw. The AI predicts they would be repeatedly targeted in wide areas and transitions, conceding too often to stay competitive.

It categorises them as firmly outmatched.

Portsmouth - 20th

Portsmouth receive credit for organisation and intent, but the leap in intensity proves too big. The AI sees structural positives but insists they would be punished physically and technically every week.

They’d compete in spells, but the gap tells quickly, and they’d be another of the Championship’s relegatees.

Oxford United - 20th

Oxford earn admiration for their technical play, but the AI’s verdict is clear: Premier League matches would expose their lack of power.

Wrexham - 20th

The AI has little confidence in Wrexham’s defensive capability against Premier League forwards.

The narrative may be Hollywood, but the model projects a more brutal reality: goals conceded heavily and often, with the squad’s limitations laid bare.

While the Red Dragons boast a squad with much top flight experience, they may be a little past their best now.

Blackburn Rovers - 19th

Blackburn’s youthful, unpredictable core would be entertaining - giving moments of hope - but it'd be unsustainable at the higher level.

The AI believes their attacking talent would occasionally produce moments, but their lack of structure would lead to costly collapses.

Charlton Athletic - 18th

Charlton are placed among the first relegation places in a Premier League context. Their organisation earns praise, but the step up exposes their ceiling.

The AI says they'd “fight admirably” but fall short in almost all metrics that matter.

Swansea City - 19th

The AI likes the Swans’ technical play - but warns they’d be one of those Premier League sides that “look neat but concede in waves.”

Their transitional fragility is a huge red flag; the model doubts they’d keep the goals out long enough to survive.