Championship 2025-26: fixtures special, including first games and longest trips

Birmingham City

The Blues dominated League One last term, setting a record EFL points total. Birmingham will host the Championship’s opening game against newly relegated Ipswich, while a trip to Portsmouth will round off the season. Chris Davies’s team will undergo their shortest commute of the season on 26 November as they travel just under seven miles to West Brom. The trip to Middlesbrough on 8 November will be their furthest-flung fixture.

Blackburn Rovers

After missing out on the playoffs by two points, Blackburn will hope to push on this season. Starting with West Brom, the final game of the season pits the former Premier League winners against Leicester, themselves former champions and newly returned to the second tier. Blackburn’s shortest trip, to Preston , takes place on 22 November while their longest to Portsmouth is on 13 December.

Quick Guide EFL opening fixtures Show Championship Friday 8 August Birmingham v Ipswich (8pm, all times BST). Saturday 9 August Charlton v Watford, Coventry v Hull, Southampton v Wrexham (all 12.30pm); Middlesbrough v Swansea, Norwich v Millwall, QPR v Preston, Stoke v Derby, West Brom v Blackburn (all 3pm); Sheffield United v Bristol City (5.30pm). Sunday 10 August Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday (4.30pm). League One Friday 1 August Luton v AFC Wimbledon (8pm). Saturday 2 August Cardiff v Peterborough (12.30pm); Blackpool v Stevenage, Bradford v Wycombe, Burton v Mansfield, Doncaster v Exeter, Huddersfield v Leyton Orient, Lincoln v Reading, Plymouth v Barnsley, Rotherham v Port Vale, Wigan v Northampton (all 3pm). Sunday 3 August Stockport v Bolton (12pm). League Two Sat 2 Aug (all 3pm): Accrington v Gillingham, Barnet v Fleetwood, Bristol Rovers v Harrogate, Cambridge v Cheltenham, Chesterfield v Barrow, Colchester v Tranmere, Grimsby v Crawley, MK Dons v Oldham, Newport v Notts County, Salford v Crewe, Shrewsbury v Bromley, Walsall v Swindon. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

Bristol City

Bristol remains the largest English city never to have hosted a Premier League team and the Robins take flight at Sheffield United, who won the playoff semi-finals between the clubs last season. Gerhard Struber’s team will face Stoke on the final day. As the most south-western club in the division, Bristol City’s shortest away game will be more than 80 miles away at Swansea on 2 February. Their longest trip sees them travel to the Championship’s most northerly team, Middlesbrough, on 14 March.

Charlton Athletic

Nathan Jones’s side will play Championship football for the first time in five seasons when they take on Watford, with Swansea the destination on the final day of the season. Travelling Addicks take a five-mile trip to Millwall on 24 January, and a much longer journey – 219 miles – to Middlesborough’s Riverside Stadium on 11 March.

Coventry

Just under three months from being on the wrong side of Dan Ballard’s last-gasp header in their playoff semi-final against Sunderland, Coventry begin the season against Hull City. Watford’s Vicarage Road will host Coventry’s concluding contest. The shortest journey Frank Lampard’s side must travel is Birmingham’s St Andrew’s on 4 January. Like many clubs, the Sky Blues’ trip to Middlesbrough, at 180 miles, is their longest on 25 November.

Derby

The Rams survived a brush with relegation last season andaim to kick off the new season on the right foot against Stoke. John Eustace’s team wrap up the campaign against Sheffield United. Derby’s shortest trip is to newly relegated Leicester on 29 December, their furthest to Portsmouth’s Fratton Park on 14 March.

Hull City

The 2014 FA Cup finalists begin their campaign against Coventry. Last season, the Tigers only survived on the final day and this time they sign off against Norwich. Hull’s shortest trip is marginally Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane on 11 April, their longest trip to Portsmouth.

Ipswich

Kieran McKenna’s team look to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. The first hurdle will be Birmingham, QPR the last. They lock horns with local rivals Norwich at Carrow Road in the East Anglian derby on 11 April. Swansea will be the location of Ipswich’s furthest game, travelling the 278 miles to the south Wales club.

View image in fullscreen Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich open their campaign against newly promoted Birmingham. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Leicester

A decade ago Leicester began their fairytale Premier League winning season. Now they start their second season in the Championship since Wes Morgan lifted the title in May 2016, against Sheffield Wednesday. To sign off, Leicester take on Blackburn. Their shortest trip of the season comes on 17 January when they travel to Coventry, while the Foxes’ earliest start will be the morning of their journey to Swansea.

Middlesbrough

Rob Edwards will take charge for the first time in the league against Swansea and rounds off at Wrexham. Their shortest journey, to Hull City, still involves a journey of more than 80 miles, something of a breeze compared with the 321-mile long haul to Portsmouth.

Millwall

The Lions, despite having a negative goal difference, nearly snuck into the playoffs last time out. Their quest to go one better begins at Norwich, with a final-day fixture at the New Den against Oxford United. As above, rivals Charlton is the shortest trip. and Middlesbrough their longest.

Norwich

After switching from fellow Championship side Bristol City, Liam Manning will take charge of Norwich for the first time in the league against Millwall and the Canaries will still want to be singing when they meet Hull on the season’s last day. They will be looking to extend a 13-game unbeaten run against Ipswich on 4 October, their furthest journey to Swansea.

Oxford United

Oxfordshire’s sole EFL side thrived on their return to the Championship after 25 years. In a bid to repeat that feat, they kick off their season against Portsmouth, and end the campaign at Millwall. At just under 50 miles, Watford at Vicarage Road is Oxford’s shortest trip, with the furthest coming against Middlesbrough.

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Portsmouth

John Mousinho, previously League 1 Manager of the Season, inspired his side to safety in 2024-25. The first step this time round will be at the club he represented as a player, Oxford United. Pompey will close out the season playing Birmingham. All eyes will be on the south coast derby, the first in the league since 2012, against Southampton. From that journey of just under 20 miles, a trip of more that 300 miles to Middlesbrough will be the furthest Portsmouth travel.

Preston North End

QPR’s Loftus Road will play host to Preston’s first fixture of the season, with Southampton at Deepdale the last. Fellow Lancashire club Blackburn Rovers are the Lilywhites’ closest league date, less than 14 miles, with Portsmouth on 30 August the furthest.

Queens Park Rangers

Julien Stephan takes charge of his first match in England against Preston, Ipswich the Rs’ final examination of the season. At just under 10 miles, Millwall will be QPR’s shortest journey, walking distance in comparison to the 247 miles to Middlesbrough on 13 December.

Sheffield United

The Blades will seek to forget Tom Watson’s last-gasp playoff final winner when they meet Bristol City on opening day. Rubén Sellés’ side will be hoping to be in contention on their final-day visit to Derby. The shortest away game in the EFL will take place on 22 November as the Blades travel fewer than 4 miles for the Steel City derby against Sheffield Wednesday. Swansea is Sheffield United’s longest journey.

Sheffield Wednesday

More than a quarter of a century on from their last Premier League game, Sheffield Wednesday begin their Championship campaign at Leicester and finish it against West Brom. The Owls’ trip to Bramall Lane, where they’ve won just twice since 1967, takes place on 21 February. Like United, Wednesday’s longest trip of the season is to Swansea.

Southampton

Recently appointed Will Still will be looking to pick Southampton up on opening day with a win against newly promoted Wrexham. Silverware will be expected on the final day against Preston. The last time the Saints visited Fratton Park in 2019 they left with a four-goal win against rivals Portsmouth. A 299-mile trek to Middlesbrough comes on 4 January.

View image in fullscreen Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds (right) and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham will start their 2025-26 Sky Bet Championship campaign with a mouth-watering trip to Southampton. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Stoke City

Once a Premier League mainstay, Stoke start their season against Derby and end it against Bristol City. The Potters will meet West Brom for their closest game on 7f February. A 400-mile round trip to Portsmouth comes on 25 October.

Swansea

The 2013 League Cup winners are set for on opening-day fixture at Middlesbrough, the 319 mile trek the Swans’ longest trip. A home game against Charlton rounds off the campaign. In the absence of Cardiff, Bristol City are Swansea’s closest opponents.

Watford

Paulo Pezzolano will take charge for the first time on opening day against Charlton, while the visit of Coventry rounds off the campaign for Hertfordshire’s only Championship club. A day trip to QPR will be Watford’s briefest journey, with Middlesbrough on 25 April the Hornets’ furthest foray.

West Bromwich Albion

Ryan Mason’s first taste of the Hawthorns dugout will come against Blackburn. The final day will see the Baggies in action at Sheffield Wednesday. West Brom’s closest game will be against newly promoted Birmingham on 26 November. Like most others, a trip to Middlesbrough on 20 September will be their longest.

Wrexham

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Welsh club became the first in the history of England’s top five tiers to record three consecutive promotions. Their first Championship game in more than 40 years will be against newly relegated Southampton, with Middlesbrough set for the final day. A commute to Staffordshire for a contest against Stoke is Wrexham’s shortest away trip. Portsmouth away on 5 November will be their furthest.

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