What division AI thinks QPR will be in by the year 2030 | OneFootball

Does AI see the Hoops progressing upwards, downwards or at all in the next five years?

It is increasingly difficult to predict any outcome in football, which is what makes the self-proclaimed 'beautiful game' extremely exciting in the eyes of supporters right across the world.

There have been a multitude of examples throughout the history of the sport, be it on English soil, on the continent or worldwide, where a set of circumstances or the quick progression of a club has gone against the general consensus felt by supporters and those taking a vested interest in developments from the outside.

It has been said over and over, but one of the divisions which perfectly embodies such spirits is the Championship, and the current campaign can certainly showcase that in abundance.

We are currently 15 games in to the 2025/26 season, with the EFL's top-tier currently in the thick of the final international break of 2025 and the last schedule gap until March, by which time England will be preparing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 across the Atlantic.

At present, only nine points can split Stoke City - currently in third - and newly-relegated Southampton in 17th, with the gruelling Christmas period set to play a crucial role in deciding the eventual outcome of the division come May.

One side that has certainly been unpredictable across the season's opening three months is Queens Park Rangers, who moved to appoint Julien Stephan in June following the departure of Marti Cifuentes.

After a disastrous start to the season, which included a 7-1 defeat at Coventry City, a fine September and early-October propelled Rangers into play-off contention, before a run of two wins in nine has seen the West London side fall back to 16th.

As a result, Football League World asked ChatGPT which division the Hoops are going to be in, in five years' time.

AI predicts what division Queens Park Rangers will be in during the 2030/31 season

It has been well-documented that Rangers have been outside the Premier League for 10 years now, with their most-recent top-flight spell ending in May 2015 under Chris Ramsay.

For many of the following seasons, the Hoops were forced to feel the cost of overspending on high-profile names such as Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, Christopher Samba and many others under the stewardship of Tony Fernandes, as they were plunged into several millions of pounds' worth of debt.

In 2023, they also came close to being relegated into League One before Gareth Ainsworth was able to mastermind an escape route in the final weeks of the season, before once again hoping to look upwards under Stephan.

Several new additions have been made this summer, such as the recapture of Koki Saito, as well as Kwame Poku, Richard Kone, Amadou Mbengue and Rumarn Burrell hoping to make the long-term step-up to the Championship after all impressing in League One.

Given their recent predicament as perennial mid-table finishers, AI predicts that, in the long run, Stephan could gradually improve Rangers to an even-more competitive side, and one which is capable of challenging for a play-off place.

However, it claims that, unless a drastic set of cards were to fall, automatic promotion may be out of the question for some time.

As a result, the algorithm, based off previous, current and hypothetical future factors, believes that Rangers will still be a Championship side at the start of the 2030/31 season.

Given the club's previously irrational approach to progress, supporters in W12 would be rather content with steady progression being made this time around in order to eventually end a lengthy Premier League hiatus.

However, given the recent investment in transfers and Stephan's pedigree in France through spells with Stade Rennais and RC Strasbourg, perhaps a quicker timescale than what AI predicts is also in order.

There are certainly several players who can develop into their full potential if coached adequately over time, which could speed up the Hoops' promotion chances.

Alternatively, they could be looking over their shoulders once again and risk emulating previous developments at Ipswich Town and Birmingham City, who had to take steps back to progress forward after years of remaining stagnant.