West Ham and Burnley will meet on the opening weekend of the new Championship season.
The fixtures for the 2026/27 EFL campaign were released at midday UK time and two sides that were relegated from the Premier League last month will clash on Sunday, August 16 at Turf Moor.
The third side to come down, Wolves, play on the opening night with a home game against Blackburn on Friday, August 14.
Southampton, who were kicked out of the end-of-season play-offs after the Spygate scandal, visit Watford while Middlesbourgh, who took the Saints’ place in the final only to lose to Hull, take on newly promoted Lincoln.
There is an all-Welsh clash on the Monday night with Wrexham visiting Cardiff.
Championship Fixtures for the Opening Weekend of the EFL Season
Friday, 14 August
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers (20:00)
Saturday 15 August
Bolton Wanderers v Preston North End (12:30)
Bristol City v Millwall (15:00)
Charlton Athletic v Derby County (15:00)
Middlesbrough v Lincoln City (15:00)
Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion (15:00)
Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers (15:00)
Sheffield United v Birmingham City (15:00)
Stoke City v Swansea City (15:00)
Sunday, 16 August
Watford v Southampton (13:30)
Burnley v West Ham United (16:00)
Monday, 17 August
Cardiff City v Wrexham (20:00)
Derby clashes provide intrigue
Other notable games include the spicy clashes between Southampton and Middlesbrough with the Teessiders heading to St Mary’s on November 28 and the return game on March 13.
The first East London derby between West Ham and Millwall in 14 years takes place on September 19, the same day as Wolves host West Brom in a Black Country skirmish.
This Championship season will also see Burnley and Blackburn face other as well as Southampton and Portsmouth.
In League One, Sheffield Wednesday start with a trip to Leyton Orient while National League champions York start their League Two campaign at home to Steve Evans’ Bristol Rovers.
When will the Championship and EFL TV fixtures be announced?
Here’s when the TV selections will be announced.
| Dates | Announcement |
| Before end of September | July 2, 2026 |
| Up to weekend of January 8-11, 2027 | July 31, 2026 |
| Up to midweek of March 2-3, 2027 | November 6, 2026 |
| Weekend of March 5-8, 2027 | February 5, 2027 |
| Weekend of March 12-15, 2027 | February 12, 2027 |
| Penultimate weekend of regular season | 3 weeks in advance |
| Final weekend of regular season | 1 week in advance |
2026/27 EFL TV deals
Sky Sports agreed to broadcast more than 1,000 live EFL, EFL Cup and Vertu Trophy matches a season from the start of 2024/25, including games on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+.
In the US, CBS Sports shows at least 250 EFL matches each season across the divisions and cup competitions.
How to watch the EFL on TV: Sky Sports
Prices for Sky Sports vary. Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £26 a month for a six-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Sky Sports memberships include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live streams and a dedicated channel.
EFL live streams: How to watch online on ITV, Sky Sports
The broadcaster has a dedicated SkyGO app allowing fans to live-stream the games, available on a vast range of devices, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, set-top boxes and mobile devices.
