The battle to avoid relegation in the Premier League will be decided on the final weekend, with Nottingham Forest and Leeds United already safe and Wolves and Burnley relegated. The final spot to drop into the Championship will be taken by either West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur, according to ESPN.
ESPN reported it has kept in regular contact with supporters of West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham since the end of April, documenting how emotions have swung between hope and despair. Forest were steered to safety under their fourth manager this season, Vitor Pereira, and remain involved in Europe — they reached the Europa League semifinals against Aston Villa after beating Burnley 4-1 on April 19 and defeating Porto, according to the report.
West Ham supporters pointed to recent positives as they cling to survival. The club’s 2023 Conference League title remains fresh in supporters’ minds, and the team’s form since mid-January would have placed them in seventh, ESPN said. Among those speaking were Joe, 27, who recalled attending his first match at age 4 and still citing Dimitri Payet and Mark Noble; Josh, 34, who secured his first season ticket about 13 years ago and watches games with his father and brother Russell; and Bas, 37, who became a Hammers fan after marrying into a family descended from club founder Arnold Hills and now brings his sons, Kit and Arthur, to matches.
Tottenham’s profile was outlined alongside supporters’ perspectives. Spurs are last season’s Europa League champions, are now managed by Roberto De Zerbi after the club moved on from Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor this campaign, and remain one of the Premier League’s traditional Big Six who have never been relegated, according to ESPN. Fans speaking included Flav, 44, who grew up watching Spurs despite living on Arsenal’s side of North London and co-produces several podcasts; Adam, 38, a season-ticket holder since 1994-95 who noted past stars such as Jürgen Klinsmann, David Ginola and Gareth Bale and whose team lost Son Heung-min to MLS last summer; and Simon, 50, a supporter since 1983 who attended his first match in 1985.
ESPN noted Spurs had not recorded a league win in 2026 and were on a run of 15 matches without victory. Supporters of Wolves and Burnley are already preparing for life in the Championship, while Forest, West Ham and Tottenham continue to fight to avoid joining them, the outlet reported.
