Wolves and Blackburn Rovers to launch 2026/27 Championship season as EFL fixtures revealed

The fixtures for the 2026/27 Sky Bet EFL season have been released, with relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers set to kick off the new Championship campaign against Blackburn Rovers under the Friday night lights.

César Peixoto will begin his reign as Wolves boss against Tony Mowbray’s Rovers at Molineux on August 14 after replacing Rob Edwards earlier this summer.

The match, which will be shown live on Sky Sports Football, headlines an opening weekend in which every fixture across the Championship, League One and League Two will be broadcast live by Sky Sports.

One of the standout clashes of the opening round sees Wrexham travel to Cardiff City for an all-Welsh derby on Monday night, while relegated Premier League duo Burnley and West Ham United meet at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.

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Schedule

League One newcomers Leicester City begin life in the third tier away to Notts County, while Oxford United host newly-promoted Milton Keynes Dons and Sheffield Wednesday travel to Leyton Orient.

In League Two, York City welcome Bristol Rovers on their EFL return, while Rochdale travel to Newport County.

The Championship season will conclude on May 1, 2027 (kick-off 12:30pm), with League One and League Two campaigns ending a week later on May 8 ((kick-off 12:30pm).

The EFL has also confirmed a slight adjustment to the schedule early in the season, with round six split across two separate midweek dates in September to accommodate Championship clubs involved in Carabao Cup third-round ties against Premier League clubs competing in Europe.

Supporters will receive significant advance notice of television selections once again.

Broadcast

Fixtures selected for broadcast up to the end of September will be confirmed by July 2, while all televised matches through to the FA Cup third round in January will be announced by July 31.

The 2026/27 campaign will be the third season under the EFL’s record five-year domestic broadcast agreement with Sky Sports, worth £935million.

More than 1,000 matches across the Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy will be shown live throughout the season, with every EFL club guaranteed at least 20 live appearances.

The fixture release also precedes the draws for the Carabao Cup first round and EFL Trophy group stage, both of which will take place later today.

Full TV schedule for the opening weekend

Friday 14 August
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers	Championship	8:00pm	Sky Sports Football
Saturday 15 August
Notts County v Leicester City	League One	12:30pm	Sky Sports Football
Bolton Wanderers v Preston North End	Championship	12:30pm	Sky Sports+
Reading v Luton Town	League One	12:30pm	Sky Sports+
Oxford United v Milton Keynes Dons	League One	12:30pm	Sky Sports+
Oldham Athletic v Port Vale	League Two	12:30pm	Sky Sports+
Newport County v Rochdale	League Two	12:30pm	Sky Sports+
York City v Bristol Rovers	League Two	3:00pm	Sky Sports Football
Sheffield United v Birmingham City	Championship	5:30pm	Sky Sports Football
Sunday 16 August
Watford v Southampton	Championship	1.30pm	Sky Sports Football
Burnley v West Ham United	Championship	4:00pm	Sky Sports Football
Monday 17 August
Cardiff City v Wrexham	Championship	8:00pm	Sky Sports Football

All remaining opening matchday fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will kick-off at 3pm on Saturday 15 August, live on Sky Sports+.

The full fixture list, including the matches from the opening weekend, is now available to view online by visiting EFL.com or individual club channels.

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