Five talking points from the opening weekend of the 2026/27 EFL season

By Holly Wright

The long wait is finally over. After months of speculation, transfer talk and pre-season predictions, the EFL season has returned, with fans across the Championship, League One and League Two finally seeing how their teams would fare when the points were on the line.

Opening weekends can often be difficult to read. 

One result rarely tells the full story of what is to come, while pre-season form and summer expectations can quickly be forgotten once competitive football begins. 

Yet the first round of fixtures has already produced plenty to think about.

There were goals everywhere, late winners, dramatic comebacks and results few would have predicted before kick-off. 

Promoted clubs were given their first taste of life at a higher level, while those relegated last season were quickly reminded that an immediate return is far from guaranteed.

With Cardiff City and Wrexham still to complete the Championship’s opening round on Monday evening, here are five of the biggest talking points from the first weekend of the new EFL season.

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Relegated clubs make mixed starts

Relegation often brings expectations of an immediate return, but the opening weekend has already provided a reminder that bouncing straight back is easier said than done.

Wolves looked set to leave Blackburn Rovers with nothing before a 93rd-minute Raúl Jiménez penalty rescued a 1-1 draw. 

At Turf Moor, West Ham United appeared to be heading for victory only for a late Zian Flemming brace to earn fellow relegated club Burnley a draw.

League One offered little more encouragement for the relegated sides. 

Sheffield Wednesday began life in the third tier with victory, while Leicester City were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Notts County. 

Oxford United needed Ciaran Brown’s 95th-minute equaliser to avoid defeat against MK Dons.

The picture was worse in League Two, where none of the four relegated clubs won. 

Exeter City fell 1-0 at Grimsby Town, Port Vale lost 2-0 at Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United were beaten 2-1 by Cheltenham Town.

Northampton Town could only manage a goalless draw with Swindon Town.

It is far too early to draw conclusions, but the opening weekend has shown that reputations and expectations count for little once the season begins.

Promoted clubs make their mark

If relegated clubs were given an early reality check, several promoted sides wasted no time proving they can compete at their new level.

Lincoln City looked on course for an excellent point at Middlesbrough after taking the lead, only for Will Lankshear to strike in the 91st minute and snatch victory for the hosts. 

Bolton Wanderers went one better, producing one of the weekend’s standout results, earning bragging rights in the Lancashire derby against Preston North End.

Cardiff still have to begin their campaign against Wrexham tonight, but the opening weekend has already produced encouraging results elsewhere.

Bromley made an immediate statement in League One, beating Barnsley 1-0 away from home. 

Cambridge United and Salford City both picked up points against Wigan Athletic and AFC Wimbledon respectively, whilst MK Dons will feel disappointed to have not taken all three points as Oxford scored late on to rescue a 2-2 draw.

Notts County’s return to League One was particularly impressive, holding the Foxes to a draw at Meadow Lane.

York City also celebrated their return to the EFL in style, beating Bristol Rovers 3-2, although Rochdale endured a very different afternoon after losing 3-0 at Newport County.

Goals galore across the EFL

The opening weekend has delivered exactly what supporters want: goals.

The Championship has produced 29 goals with Cardiff and Wrexham still to play, while League One has gone even further with 38. 

League Two has added another 29, taking the overall tally to 96 before the final Championship fixture has even been played.

Only two matches have finished goalless, with Sheffield United and Birmingham City cancelling each other out in the Championship and Northampton and Swindon doing the same in League Two.

The standout scoring spectacle came at Reading, where Jack Marriott became the first EFL player to score a hat-trick this season. 

Reading looked firmly in control at 3-1 at half-time, but Luton Town turned the match on its head to win 4-3.

It was the perfect example of a weekend where goals and entertainment have been almost impossible to separate.

The comeback kings are already at it

The Luton turnaround was not an isolated incident. Comebacks have been a defining feature of the opening round.

Charlton Athletic recovered from falling behind to beat Derby County, while Middlesbrough produced their own late turnaround against Lincoln. 

QPR also fought back after going behind to Portsmouth, and Swansea City overturned a deficit to defeat Stoke City.

Burnley’s comeback was another example of the fight shown across the opening weekend. 

West Ham appeared to have the game under control after racing into a 2-0 lead, but two late goals completed a dramatic turnaround and earned the Clarets a 2-2 draw.

But nothing compared with what happened at Reading. 

Luton were 3-1 down and appeared to be heading for defeat before an extraordinary second-half response produced a 4-3 victory.

If the first weekend is anything to go by, no lead will feel entirely safe this season.

Late drama defines the EFL’s return

Perhaps the biggest theme of all was the amount of football being decided after the 90-minute mark.

Wolves needed Jiménez’s 93rd-minute penalty to rescue a point at Blackburn, while Lankshear’s 91st-minute strike denied Lincoln a memorable result at Middlesbrough.

League One produced more late drama at Oxford, where Brown’s 95th-minute equaliser rescued a point for the hosts against MK Dons. 

At Burton Albion, Stevenage looked beaten until Olly Sanderson struck in the 91st minute to secure a 1-1 draw.

Then came Crewe Alexandra and Crawley Town, which produced arguably the weekend’s most chaotic finish. 

Crawley lost Kellan Gordon and Malcolm Ebiowei to red cards, while Crewe captain Mickey Demetriou was also dismissed.

Despite being reduced to nine men, Crawley appeared to have done enough to hold on against 10-man Crewe. 

Instead, Josh March headed home in the 95th minute to give Crewe all three points.

With 18 minutes of additional time played, it was a fitting conclusion to one of the wildest games of the weekend.

Plenty more to come

One weekend is never enough to predict an EFL season, but the opening round has already delivered goals, comebacks, late winners and surprises in abundance.

Promoted clubs have made their mark, relegated sides have discovered the challenge ahead and several matches have shown just how quickly fortunes can change.

With Cardiff and Wrexham still to complete the Championship’s opening round, there could already be another twist waiting around the corner.

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