How AI thinks the 2026/27 EFL League One table will look on Christmas Day | OneFootball

FLW asks AI to predict what the League One table will look like at the halfway point of the 2026/27 campaign

The 2026/27 League One campaign kicks off in just over a month, and fans are starting to get excited over what the following season may bring.

Squads are back in for pre-season, and several sides have been incredibly active in the transfer window, helping build anticipation ahead of the curtain-raisers on the second weekend of August.

But who will race out of the traps and put themselves in the best position at the halfway stage of the campaign? It's incredibly difficult to predict anything in the EFL, let alone weeks before the season starts, so FLW have consulted popular AI-based service, ChatGPT.

Here's how AI believes the League One table will look on Christmas Day.

24 ? ? AFC Wimbledon - 17pts

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It's going to be a blue Christmas at Plough Lane, as AI predicts that AFC Wimbledon will be propping up the third tier come December 25th.

Johnnie Jackson's side easily have a bottom-four budget in the division, and after just scraping survival towards the end of last season with just one win in their final 11 games, it's understandable to predict a slower start than the rest in their sophomore year.

After a strong start faded away last year, the Dons will be hoping for the opposite this time round.

23 ? ? Burton Albion - 18pts

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Burton Albion have made a habit recently of flirting with the drop before putting together a strong second half of the season to secure survival. Therefore, a second-bottom position for the Brewers isn't completely out of the question.

Gary Bowyer's side were bottom on New Year's Day a couple of years ago before securing survival right at the very death and were in the bottom four the season before that, too.

Both times they finished 20th, and another fifth-from-bottom finish would be accepted after a poor predicted start to the campaign.

22 ? ? Bromley - 20pts

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Bromley will have the cards stacked against them from the off this upcoming season, but AI doesn't think they'll be cut adrift at all midway through the campaign.

The Ravens' first season in the third tier will still be a struggle, and it's still a place in the relegation zone, but as we'll see shortly, they won't be too far away from safety with a long way to go in the campaign.

21 ? ? Cambridge United - 21pts

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The second newly promoted side in the list makes up the final relegation place, as Cambridge United are predicted to battle hard but be in a place of peril come the halfway point.

The U's will be hoping that Gassan Ahadme can rediscover some of the form shown as a Cambridge player in the past, where he last netted more than once in a league campaign, with the likes of Callum Stead in support.

But regardless of how well he does in the first half of the season, it won't stop Neil Harris' side from being one of the slowest out of the blocks.

20 ? ? Mansfield Town - 22pts

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Quite a few critics have Mansfield Town as one of their dark horses for a potential play-off push next season. Not ChatGPT, though, who feels that they'll be just one point above the drop come Christmas.

The Stags secured their highest league finish since 1987 last season, and Nigel Clough's side have added well in the offseason, with Jon Russell and David McGoldrick arriving at Field Mill so far this summer.

But AI doesn't think that will translate to success, and predicts a bit of a struggle to begin next year.

19 ? ? MK Dons - 24pts

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MK Dons are arriving back in League One after three years away with plenty of expectation, having invested a lot into the squad in the fourth tier both on the field and in the dugout, and will be expected to add more quality this summer, too.

However, despite Paul Warne's experience at the top end of the division, plus a lot of players who know what it's like to play in the Championship and at the top of League One, it's not expected to be a smooth transition, according to ChatGPT.

18 ? ? Bradford City - 25pts

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Another rather surprising prediction, as Bradford City's first season back in League One last year saw them finish inside the play-offs, and they've followed the semi-final defeat up with one of the best transfer windows in the division thus far.

Callum Connolly, Macaulay Gillesphey, Adam Phillips and Jake Beesley are all top-quality players and upgrades on what they already have in those positions.

Graham Alexander has lost his middle pivot this summer, though, with Jenson Metcalfe and Max Power both moving on. Perhaps that will lead to Bradford losing control in games and thus underachieving their expectations.

17 ? ? Notts County - 26pts

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The best-performing side out of the four former League Two clubs in the first half of the campaign is predicted to be Notts County, according to ChatGPT at least.

The Magpies do have a lot of upgrading to do in their squad, with the likes of Tom Iorpenda and Jayden Luker performing admirably to help them get promoted, but returning to their parent clubs this summer.

Regardless, AI feels that Martin Paterson can oversee that improvement, and a strong fanbase can help propel them towards lower mid-table at the halfway stage of the season.

16 ? ? Stevenage - 27pts

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Stevenage, like Bradford, are expected to drop quite significantly this season after a play-off finish last year, but a fall down the table may be slightly more expected at the Lamex Stadium than it would be at Valley Parade.

Alex Revell's side are still amongst the lower end of League One when it comes to budgets, and their performances last season have seen some of those better players poached by other third-tier clubs already this summer.

Others could join the likes of Charlie Goode and Harvey White out the door before the window closes, and if Stevenage can't replace them with quality, they could find themselves slipping into midtable once again.

15 ? ? Doncaster Rovers - 28pts

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Doncaster Rovers are another side who may be slightly disappointed with this prediction, as they showed enough promise last year and a strong transfer window so far this summer that could suggest they'll kick on from their 14th-placed finish last season.

Grant McCann brought Alfie May back to the Eco Power Stadium to help finish off the plethora of chances that Donny left on the table last season, and added experience at the back alongside a promising goalkeeper in Tommy Simkin.