The World Cup may be the focus of footballing attention this summer, but the first day of the new Championship season will quickly be upon us.
The Premier League fixtures were released recently and now the EFL fixture release day has signalled the start of the new campaign in the lower leagues too.
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West Ham United will head into the 2026/27 campaign as heavy promotion favourites, with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm.
The Hammers have a tricky task to go back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
They will face tough competition in their 46-matchday challenge, with fellow relegated sides Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers also eager for a swift return.
Other heavyweights in the division include Wrexham, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Southampton, who missed out on the Championship play-off final due to ‘spygate’.
There are also some fresh faces this year with Lincoln City, Cardiff City, and Bolton Wanderers securing promotion from League One.
Those three teams will be excited to find out their fate for the season with hopes they will have favourable fixtures to settle into Championship life.
Championship fixtures release day
Fixtures for the 2026/27 Championship season have been officially revealed today.
The schedule dropped at 12pm BST on Thursday, June 25.
The opening weekend of league action will take place from Friday, August 14 to Monday, August 17 – a week before the Premier League gets underway.
Championship Gameweek 1 fixtures in full
14/08/2026: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers, 8pm
15/08/2026: Bolton Wanderers v Preston North End, 12:30pm
15/08/2026: Bristol City v Millwall, 3pm
15/08/2026: Charlton Athletic v Derby County, 3pm
15/08/2026: Middlesbrough v Lincoln City, 3pm
15/08/2026: Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion, 3pm
15/08/2026: Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers, 3pm
15/08/2026: Sheffield United v Birmingham City, 5:30pm
15/08/2026: Stoke City v Swansea City, 3pm
16/08/2026: Burnley v West Ham United, 4pm
16/08/2026: Watford v Southampton, 1:30pm
17/08/2026: Cardiff City v Wrexham, 8pm
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In total, the upcoming Championship season will consist of 46 matchdays and 552 total games.
This year there will also have an extended play-off format, increasing from four teams to six to give even more clubs a shot at Wembley glory.
eSPORTY will be bringing live commentary and updates of Championship fixtures throughout the entire campaign.
To tune in to eSPORTY or eSPORTY 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the eSPORTY app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
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When will Cup draws take place?
The EFL have confirmed that draws for the first round of the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will also take place on fixture release day.
Before the Championship officially kicks off, the Carabao Cup will get English domestic football underway.
The first round of the historic cup competition will be played over the weekend of August 7-9.
