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

AI names and shames the Championship’s stadiums

With 24 clubs battling it out from August to May, the Championship is as much about place as it is about points.

The stadiums that stage the second tier’s drama range from modern bowls to crumbling relics, some humming with atmosphere, and others quiet enough on matchdays to hear a pin drop.

So ahead of the 2025/26 season, Football League World asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to cast a critical eye over the league’s home grounds and deliver a definitive ranking of the worst twelve.

ChatGPT said it considered “design, atmosphere, location, and general vibe” - and it didn’t hold back.

Here are the stadiums that flunked the test - counting down from the worst.

St. Andrews is a traditional ground with good bones - but the years haven’t been kind to it.

Maintenance issues and a patchy matchday experience have dragged the home of Birmingham City down the list, and while the old school charm still appeals to some, the overall matchday vibe has suffered.

It’s no wonder the Blues’ ownership group are keen to leave the site in the coming years, as they seek a new stadium build that mirrors the club’s upward momentum on the pitch.

11 Watford - Vicarage Road

Vicarage Road is one of those stadiums that somehow always feels smaller than it is. Tidy, yes, but not particularly memorable.

It's location does it no favours - hemmed in between a hospital and a residential street, it feels more like a commuter stop than a football destination.

Even with Watford's recent Premier League memories still lingering, the atmosphere inside the ground rarely stirs.

ChatGPT highlighted the “flat energy” and “uninspired layout”, and it’s hard to argue. There’s no sense of arrival, no buzz - just a functional venue with little spark. It’s the sort of place where the football has to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

10 Hull City - MKM Stadium

Hull City’s MKM Stadium is a clean, curving bowl, a modern product of the 2000s stadium boom - but that slick exterior masks a deeper issue: it has never really felt like a football-first venue.

Designed as a multi-use space, it lacks the intimacy and individuality that gives other grounds their edge.

Matchdays can feel sterile, the noise drifting into the upper tiers with little bounce back onto the pitch. The stands feel set back, the crowd often distant, and the energy never quite connects with the game.

ChatGPT described it as “a space that works on paper but leaves fans cold” - a sentiment familiar to many Hull supporters who’ve long wished for a bit more soul in their stadium.

ChatGPT takes us into more contentious territory with Fratton Park, because if this list was based on atmosphere alone, Portsmouth’s ground would be flying.

While the Pompey faithful generate an almighty racket, the ground itself is a little tired.

With narrow concourses, old-school pillars blocking views, and persistent structural issues, Fratton Park often feels like it’s fighting to keep up with the modern game.

ChatGPT noted the “authentic but outdated” experience, where the charm and character can’t quite mask the practical shortcomings.

8 Blackburn Rovers - Ewood Park

Although historic and the site of many iconic moments of English football, ChatGPT told us that Ewood Park has become a little “eerie” on recent matchdays.

The stadium today has a strange atmosphere - too large for its current needs, too quiet on many matchdays, and with an air of decline hanging over the stands.

The Darwen End can still make a noise, but too often the stadium feels like it is caught in limbo between Blackburn's glorious past and a more uncertain future.

7 Charlton Athletic - The Valley

Charlton Athletic have a proud history and loyal fanbase, but The Valley's physical presence has lost some of its shine.

ChatGPT flagged a “tired design” and “lack of buzz” - fair critiques for a stadium that’s struggled to keep pace with changing times.

Throw in years of off-pitch instability and inconsistent crowds, and The Valley often feels more hushed than hostile.

The stadium has potential, but it’s weighed down by years of inertia. Addicks fans will be hoping a promotion back to the second tier reignites The Valley’s spark once again.

6 Millwall - The Den

ChatGPT dug into The Den’s place in footballing folklore on this one, telling us that Millwall's stadium is perhaps defined by “reputation more than reality”.

That said, if atmosphere were based purely on the potential for menace, The Den would be top of the table.

As it is, it’s a cold, functional ground that lacks the warmth - literal and metaphorical - of others in the league.

A modern stadium in a one-club city should be buzzing every week - but that’s not always the case for Swansea City.

Clean, well-maintained, and sensibly sized, the Swansea.com Stadium does all the right things, but still ends up feeling a bit soulless.

ChatGPT pointed to the “lack of identity and patchy atmosphere” despite decent crowds.

Leaning into the stereotypes, ChatGPT didn’t mince it’s words, telling us that Stoke City’s bet365 Stadium is “windy, bleak exposed to the elements and rarely intimidating.”

Perhaps one of the bot’s more credible rankings on the list - while the stadium is functional, it’s far from a fortress.

The CBS Arena may be yet to feel like Coventry’s true home - a legacy of years spent ground-sharing and boardroom battles.

ChatGPT criticised the “corporate, disconnected feel” of the place, noting its awkward location and lack of character.

Even with healthy attendances, it rarely generates a proper buzz.